User Groups
Existing Groups
Bay Area Video Coalition
2727 Mariposa Street, 2nd Floor
San Francisco, CA 94110
Contact: Jordan Steinberg
Phone: 415-861-3282
Meetings: Time and location varies
Suffolk Video Club
15 Columbus Ave.
Brentwood, NY 11717-2506
Contact: William Pinto
Phone: 516-273-4876
Meetings: Second Thursday of every month
Diablo Video Arts
2131 Tacoma Ave.
Martinez, CA 94553
Contact: Robert Rothgery
Phone: 510-686-5890, ext. 118
Meetings: First Wednesday of every month, TCI Cable Channel 6, Walnut Creek
Seeking Group or Will Organize
D.T. Fadeyi
P.O. Box 273867
Tampa, FL 33623
Lisa Santucci
P.O. Box 8168
Agat, Guam 96928
captlisa@kuentos.guam.net
Casablanca user
Tom Guy
Box 434
Garibaldi Highlands, BC V0N 1T0
gwmctrs@mountain-inter.net
Casablanca user
User Groups: let us know you’re out there. For inclusion in our listing, submit your request to “User Groups,” c/o Videomaker, P.O. Box 4591, Chico, CA 95927. Seeking a User Group? For a list of existing user groups and/or video enthusiasts seeking or willing to organize a group in your area, send a SASE to the same address.
Web Watch
DIY-TV
http://www.freespeech.org/
The media activists at Free Speech TV are making their Web server and bandwidth available for do-it-yourself TV producers. The Free Speech TV web project encourages submissions of non-profit, activist-themed videos from anybody who can create a series of .gifs and a sound file on his or her computer.
Entry Deadlines
Western Heritage Awards
The National Cowboy Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Center invites entries in the Television category of the Western Heritage Awards program. The subject matter or theme should relate to the American West and/or the Western experience. Entries will be evaluated on the significance of the theme and content, historical accuracy, visual and auditory appeal, videography, scripting and acting. The entry fee is $35 and there is no limitation on the number of entries. To receive his or her Wrangler trophy (an original bronze sculpture by John Free), winners must attend the Western Heritage Awards ceremony. For an entry form, contact the Western Heritage Awards, c/o National Cowboy Hall of Fame, 1700 N.E. 63rd St., Oklahoma City, OK 73111; or call 405-478-2250. Entry deadline is December 31.
Golden Gate Awards Competition
With 32 categories in four divisions, the Golden Gate Awards honor innovative video production. In honor of the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights which was signed in San Francisco, the Awards will include a special category devoted to Human Rights Documentaries. The focus may be on a local, national or global level. Winners receive trophies, cash and screenings at the San Francisco International Film Festival. Winners of the Golden Spire awards will also compete for a Grand Prize during the Festival. Entry forms may be obtained from Brian Gordon, Golden Gate Awards, San Francisco International Film Festival, 1521 Eddy St., San Francisco, CA 94115; by calling 415-929-5014; or sending e-mail to ggawards@sfiff.org. Deadline is December 12.
Quick Focus
Videonics Awards Students’ Creativity
The winning entries for Videonics Thoughts and Dreams school video contest cover genres from satire to drama, reality to fantasy. Ten schools were awarded prizes, including a Grand Prize of a $2000 grant and a complete Videonics Editing Studio. Entrants were judged on creativity and the clarity with which the message was communicated.
“Not only were many of the productions suitable for broadcast,” noted Kelly Thurber, Videonics’ director of marketing, “but they dealt with pressing social issues in a complex and thought-provoking manner.”
The winner of the Grand Prize was Warren Tech School of Lakewood, Colorado, for “Clean,” an original music video. Set to Benny Goodman’s “Flying Home,” the video takes a satirical look at the rigors a teen must go through before borrowing his parents’ car.
Independent Film and Video Showcase Launched
VDO-Indies, a Web site designed to showcase the work of independent film producers and to bring them together with potential investors and film distributors, was launched by VDOnet Corporation. The new site directs investors and distributors to information about independent movie companies, the films they are planning and those in production. Previews of films can be viewed over the Internet using VDOLive technology.
