Video Distribution:

Techniques

• VHS
• CDRom
• DVD
• Internet [divx, real, etc]

 

Networks :

Build your own -

Internet Networks - [piratetv, beyondtv]
Organise screenings and other events [groovie movie]

Other peoples -

Magazines [schnews - peace news]
Special Interest  / Activist groups [their mailing lists]

Let's concentrate on the alternatives. A clear message going to a targeted audience is a lot more likely to have an impact than a muddied message that's thrown into the airwaves. 

My main experience is with the internet. I've been creating or rather mapping communities online since about 1995. [Herbal Tea Party-N23]. A lot of people are finding out about exciting Video and Film through the Intenet. Then we'll move onto how Screening Events are the ultimate goal. And then we'll look at how you can use the hard work of other networks and organisations to work in partnership with them.

I've tried to use examples all the way through to make the advice a bit more concrete. Other examples are always appreciated.

Internet Networks - building them.

My story with network 23 and desert storm.

Go try to find something that your peer group is interested in. There are going to be some of your peer group who are active and interested in new stuff, some who are active and closed, some who are passive and interested in new stuff and some who are passive and closed.

Your role is to identify the active and interested people, and then spread the message to the passive and interested people.

Work with the active people doing what they do.

If you want to work with social justice activists - do it. You may want to not preach to the converted and may choose an other area to try to get your message across.  I was really into free parties and underground electronic music. So that was natural to create a information network for that group.

I tried a lot of different things. But the things that took off were a website, an announcements list, and a discussion list.

The active people you work with will have a name. Get a website up and running so that when you put that name into a search engine it comes up. Also get the active people to put the URL of the website on the flyers for events that they do. Make the mailing list very easy to sign up to.

You've now got an alternative information network. Use it. Make sure your mailouts have got good cross-over into other related scenes. Plug the musical or video output of the people that you are doing the list for and then add in the social justice stuff you want to put out as well. People very very rarely complain if you put in extras to the mailing list, as you are sending them stuff that they really want as well.

Pirate TV do this with Coldcut and the people that do music on the PirateTV project.

With Beyondtv we're now at the stage we're doing our own thing and so have our own Mailing list.
It's good to be clear about what you are going to give information about. We do a few too many things in Manchester to be very focused. So we've had to start a new list for Manchester based events and keep the main list for National Information.

Organise your own Screenings and events, tours.

Events are key to getting people involved in your project and work really well. If you don't have Open and Active people doing events in your area, then you need to do your own and all the open and active people will be the first ones to show up.

Do a good flyer, make it sound interesting. Put up posters. Advertise a popular DJ/ band to play afterwards, They'll come.

After it's been going for a bit then all the Open and Passive people will start to show up. Your event can start to get quite big at this point. When you are doing smaller events you can pretty much get away with just putting on films that you think will interest the people that show up. This might be a long, in-depth campaign video that might be a bit gruelling at times but you know everyone there is sympathetic to the cause so it'll be fine.
When it gets bigger you need to grow a few skills. People's brothers and sisters will be in town, and they get brought along. If loads of people are coming, people will meet up just 'cos their mates are there, or that loads of other people are going.

Keep the schedule a bit flexible. Be like a DJ, don't put on a film that you know is going to clear the room just because it's next on the schedule.

Have loads of snappy shorts ready, like a dj's floor fillers, reel them in and then they're receptive to the longer more in depth ones

If you've got a really long film and it's a big event you might have to show it at the beginning. Then you can recap it at the end.

This is where you need to start using the Microphone. I'm into screening nights just because they can get a lot of people in the same room talking about meaningful shit.

The Microphone is ultimate power, It's Tolkein's Ring. Use it wisely. It's good to have a fall guy that everyone resents to get everyone to keep quiet especially if you're in a bar setting. Here are some things you can do with the Microphone

• Poems - to introduce the idea that it's actually OK to express yourself to a room full of people. [get good short poets]
• RE-cap the longer films and why you've shown them.
• Introduce someone to speak about the film.
• Get them to re-cap the issues and why it's important.
• Do a Q and A session.
• Plant someone to make sure that important questions like "so what can we do about it?" definitely get asked.
• Plant an awkward bastard to be cynical so that you or your speakers can respond with a bit of righteousness but don't overdo it.
• Bad Jokes [short]

Announcements : And then that leads you to the announcements part of the night, which really is why you're all there. This is to find out what's happening next, Meetings, Marches, political actions, workshops, gigs, events.

Try to get people to announce their own events so that people can go and talk to them about it afterwards when the music is on.

It's good to have a sheet at the Info stall where all the info is written first. Then you can go and get that info, and you can call people up to make the announcements. Get someone with a clear voice that knows how to work the Mic to recap the key elements of the announcement and to do announcements for people that are Mic shy. You also this person to wrestle anyone off the Microphone in case they start ranting or alienating people with political rhetoric.

Keep the focus clear and practical! People love it!

Stalls: Try to have the films that you are showing in CDrom format and sell them at a stall at the back where you have the Schnews's and your local campaign stuff too.

Tours:

Most of this has been focussing on a Static situation, you're trying to build up interest in a town. Let's look at tours.

It's the kind of thing where you have to be diligent. It helps if you have a special Interest Film, maybe one with a particular type of music in, or a campaign film. If so then there will probably be a network in place in towns all over. It's just a question of tapping into that Network.

There are two networks that seem to be very useful at the moment. One is the Indymedia network for Subversive Cultural/ Campaign films. The other is a bit more intangible it's the DIY music, punky music network. I could give examples.

Magazines already have a huge network. Talk to ones that you think may be sympathetic. They may be able to either

a) pay for the costs of pressing a CDrom and put it on the front of their magazine free.
b) Plug the CD in the magazine and have articles on the same subject as the main thrust of one Issue. They'll have a distributions system through which to sell the CD.
c) Have a free giveway CD which they pay for as a offer for their subscribers.

We did the first one for a BeyondTV CDrom which comes with this years' Schnews.

And the Second with Undercurrents "Informed Dissent" featuring a lot of chomsky interviews, in a tie in with Peace News.

Get on good terms with the Editors and find out the themes of their upcoming issues. You may get a mention for your similar Video Projects.

Undercurrents became so successful and widely screened because of their networking work with the campaign and activists groups that were the subject of their films.

They built up a strong database though going out and filming, and would chase them up and let them know that a useful tool was available to them. They did screening kits to make it easier

Screening kits included a press release with good copy about the Video, posters with a blank space on them to put the Venue and Date, Advice on doing a good screening, technical advice.

This is one of the advantages of making films about people that are into social justice. They tend to be pro-active in helping you get your films out. The same thing happens with similar interest groups, say Underground music, punk or tekno films will get a certain guaranteed audience. Take the example of a couple of films that are getting booked successfully, Michael's "Diy or Die", which has loads of interviews with US punk stars, and Sarah George's "Catching Out" which is about train-hopping and so appeals to crusty rebels everywhere.

It would be good to get other people's experiences of when a special interest film has really worked and been networked well.

Overview;

I guess as an overview, what I'd like to end with is just an encouragement to tell the real story, and if it's a subject people are interested in then you will be able to get the film seen.

I would say don't be tempted to self censor with the aim of getting the program no terrestrial TV. Go the whole hog make a better piece, tell the story from the people involved view, and then it'll sell itself better on the Underground.

Distributing in this way, DIY, can seem daunting and it does involve a lot of work as with most of this stuff, it's the kind of stuff that you have to pretty much do yourself