Alternative Media Convergence Feedback + Notes, London, M14/15
These are short notes from working group feedback sessions from the G8 Independent Media Planning Weekend. The event was a great success, being attended by around 70 people. The original planning documentation is at the end of the notes below.
FEATURES - Content, Participation and Dispatch
Several meetings were held to discuss how reporting would work for the G8 Summit, how to prepare, and how to involve people.
There are two wiki pages that relate to the discussions
Also see
Content and Participation Convergence Notes:
http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-g8-2005/2005-May/0516-o1.html
Content Preperation
We know main themes of G8 and campaigns + campaigns, so can work to prepare background info which can be used in advance and during the Summit. Is also important because of Blair / Brown PR Spin re G8.
The Following topics were discussed:
*Anti-militarism
*Climate Change
*Community/Employment
*Migraton
*Trade, Debt and Aid
*History of G8 and corporations
*History of protest
*History of alternative media
For each topic gather contacts, background and research, write summary / intro paragraph, get co-ordinator.
Call for people to get involved + information.
Participation
'how to get involved' (resource) section on website - needs to be clear how people can plug in
re-write the 'help' page on indymedia uk website
write a short (eye-catching!) technical guide to writing reports and features to put on the website and distribute
run training sessions - esp in local scottish areas
Ask people to make less heard voices heard and for variety in audio, e.g. interviewing members of audience in counter-conferences
Reporting and Dispatch
Produce clear basic guide to reporting and information flows / reporting systems
Produce reporting flyers to tell people how to participate
Will provide standard infrastructure for reporting telephone numbers etc
Limit 'timeline' approach to frontpage by only having latest few timeline entries on frontpage and the rest of it one click away.
Produce regular precis update paragraphs as middle column features rather than clinical timeline
Increase qualititive info in timeline, capturing richer content from reports - log incoming reports fully
Produce sign up sheets for people participating at imc's
Maintain list of events that need covering - online and replicated at multiple centres
Look at aggregation of newswires
Work on translations
AUDIO RADIO
Main Coordination List:
https://lists.riseup.net/www/info/g8radio
Initial List (now defunct):
http://zerrendak.pausumedia.com/mailman/listinfo/g8-radio
Audio Wiki:
http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Global/AudioGroup
Full Convergence Notes: ????
Follow on meeting notes 23rd May:
http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Global/AudioMinutes23May05
Convergence Notes
Coalition of groups not just Indy imc - some may come with existing project plans
Want to produce - outreach flyer / reporting info flyer / legal info / guidelines
More than one live stream - one possibly 24x7
Working from? edinburgh imc? / edinburgh other space? / camping convergence? / other locations depending on mobile connectivity?
Pre-recorded content to be produced before summit
Audio streams can be played at other venues
Stream monitoring from dispatch (making sure it's up + working)
Some content to be produced for FM stations (note RA guidelines)
Collaboration with Leith FM / Awaz FM ? (RSL?)
Multilingual scheduled slots, including regular news updates
Counter-conference audio archiving
Possible streaming live of other events
Co-ordinate with VIDEO to get good audio from their footage (can be done before as well)
Training the week before (minidisc use and encode / upload)
Archiving of streams - good to use keyword databse as suggested by PHOTO group
Uploads to where? radio.indymedia / local indy sites / other audio sites / oneworld.radio etc
Some computers need to be set up at imc locations specificaly for audio work
Others should have dynabolic / audacity / and audio inputs (erm, soundcards
Laptops will have to be used at the camping convergence site as desktops take to much power
Co-ordinate to encourage re-broadcast and stream mirroring etc
PHOTO
Main Coordination List:
http://lists.indymedia.org/mailman/listinfo/imc-photos
Convergence Update:
http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-g8-2005/2005-May/0515-t7.html
Convergence Notes
Want to produce - outreach flyer / reporting info flyer / legal info / safety guidelines
Will co-ordinate coverage of events, working with imc sign up desks
Photo Desk report from IMC/IoA convergence
Set up a dedicated suite of computers at the Edinburgh Media Centre to allow people to download camera cards and get out on the street quickly again (staffed also to give advice to people and speed process of getting images online). Dumps to CD also to free up digital media cards.
No main archive of images to be held on computers or in building.
Also provide scanning facilities for negs and prints.
Picture desk facility will be mirrored where possible in the rural convergence and at major actions via mobile media centre.
Link to online auto cropping and resizing needs to go on site.
Create online archive from published images - selected images are keyword coded - only screen resolution images will be available to minimise misuse by unsuitable publications, but the keywording system will include contact details (where the author is in agreement)
Issues around 'Ethics' - ie not participating in actions while wearing any press id
Issue of guidelines about what to publish
Training to be run just prior to sumnmit
Can supply most of the kit needed for main spaces.
Note: Other computers in media centres need to be equiped with basic photo edit software and USB ports - and some should be windowz
VIDEO
Main Coordination List:
http://lists.indymedia.org/mailman/listinfo/imc-uk-video
Video Resource Wiki Page:
http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Local/VideoResources
Full Saturday Convergence Notes:
http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-g8-2005/2005-May/0515-t7.html
Convergence Notes
Want to produce - outreach flyer / reporting info flyer / legal info / guidelines
Update video page on indy uk website + produce good resource guide
Training to be held, esp on encoding for web.
Will co-ordinate coverage of events, working with imc sign up desks / dispatch
Will log footage and archive + upload best sequences but not build full archive of all footage
Process for submission, sharing, access to footage and usage will be made very clear + transparent
Will be no common single film project
will produce daily ruff cut of events for cd distro and screenings
upload to archive.org / video.indymedia + local sites (sort ftp server space as well)
Will produce 'video blog' to easily highlight all uploaded video report footage
will be no collective imc sale of video footage
Form teams so less experienced people are not working on their own
TECH
Main Coordination List:
http://lists.indymedia.org/mailman/listinfo/imc-uk-tech
Tech G8 Wiki:
http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Local/ImcUkG8Tech
Saturday Convergence Notes:
http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-g8-2005/2005-May/0514-sa.html
Convergence Notes
Almost too much to mention!!
Tech ran through the entire weekend and considered almost everything from new server migration to the specific needs of different media teams.
Included sourcing computers, setting up networks in media centres, running wi-fi networks and bandwidth supply / management, mobile media issues, creating new cunning apps to help in various areas and lots more.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
There were lots of great ideas and discussions. Some of the notes are here:
Training
Training sessions were discussed - Video / Audio / Photo / Uploading Reports + Features - both for legal, process and practical skills.
Some will be scheduled in the weeks prior to the Summit in Scotland - focus on local outreach - community media, local campaign groups etc
Other will take place the week before the Summit.
Also see: G8 Video Training in Bristol - Sun 19 Jun 05 + Prospective Video Training in London
http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-uk-video/2005-May/0520-4n.html
Other opportunities for training exist:
Glasgow Cre8 Summit week of workshops (June 12-17th) would like indy to propose some training - see:
http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-g8-2005/2005-May/0512-rl.html
Glasgow Cre8 Summit also keen to have some participatory media strand running through their project where people involved produce their own media covering the whole process (could be video / audio / photo / writing) - so the training workshops could have a very practical focus.
People and Planet are up for encouraging members to attend training events if they're told about them. Would also like practical workshop at the start of their summer festival in scotland which runs Sunday 3rd - 8th July.
Transport
Ideas to have cordination for transport vehicles inc phone contact list.
Contact point for each venue (is that based at venue or in vehicle?)
Some minibuses coming from local collectives available during reporting week - can be used to ferry people and kit.
Pre-plan shuttle service for main known public actions and protests - 1st come 1st served / sign up sheets at imc centres.
Need local parking information for diffrent venues.
NB Most media teams will sort out their own secure transport for footage and media materials so this function not required.
Also look at bike pools / cheap bike hire locations.
OLD CONVERGENCE PLANNING:
Alternative Media Convergence Planning, London, M14/15
In order to prepare independent coverage of the G8 Summit in Gleneagles, Scotland, and the various activities being planned around the summit, the
Institute For Autonomy and Indymedia UK will be hosting an independent/alternative media convergence.
This will be a great opportunity for independent journalists, media activists, techs, and artists from all over Europe to meet each other, and plan non-corporate media coverage. This will also be the a good time to form working groups.
A Call went out on 20 Mar 05 to some imc-uk and the imc-europe
list. It is also on the
imc-uk-newswire and on the
Wiki.
German and Spanish Versions are on the translation tool.
If you want to arrange meetings, sessions, accommodation, etc, please get in touch on the
imc-g8-2005 list.
Minutes
30 Mar 05
scotland meetings
Meetings are being prepared in Scotland, both in Glasgow and Edinburgh, during the first week in May. The meetings will be mixing film screenings with discussion on indymedia coverage organising. Feedback from these will be provided for the media convergence in London.
NB This is crucial as the london based media convergence clashes with the
Edinburgh radical bookfair
getting involved
Please note that all lists below are publicly archived in the interest of transparency, so anything you send to them will end up on the web.
- General e-mail and planning: imc-g8-2005 at lists.indymedia.org
- Questions and/or proposals about technical stuff: imc-uk-tech at lists.indymedia.org
- About the program for the Media Convergence: imc-g8-2005 at lists.indymedia.org
- EQUIPMENT The convergence would be a great time to drop off any equipment you're willing to lend (or donate) to Indymedia for July. For details on what we could use, please contact g8-gear@aktivixSTOPSPAM.org
- To receive all important info about the convergence, you should subscribe to imc-g8-2005-announce at this URL : http://lists.indymedia.org/mailman/listinfo/imc-g8-2005-announce
Proposed Program
Friday, 13 May 2005
Evening: Pre-convergence drinks
Saturday, 14 May 2005
9:30 Convergence begins, introductions
10:00 Maps, video, holograms of the Summit site in Scotland
10:45 Outline of preparations so far
13:00 Lunch
14:00 Media assembly begins - decision-making body for independent media
coverage
15:00 Working group meetings begin (video, audio, tech, mobile, print, dispatch etc.)
17:00 Feedback to media assembly
19:00 Food, evening entertainment
Sunday, 15 May 2005
9:30 Media assembly begins - decision-making body for independent media
coverage
10:30 Break into working groups (video, audio, tech, mobile, print, etc.)
13:00 Lunch
14:00 More working group meetings
16:00 Feedback to media assembly
17:00 Food, clear up, etc...
18:00 Leave the building and moving to IMC G8 Fundraiser Party
ImcUkG8EsfNotes
- Convergence Flyer - Text and Mixer background:
- Convergence Flyer - less text:
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