Lunchtime Talk
Fri 20 Apr 2018 14:00
Video Nation Revisited
Between 1994 and 2000, people in the UK made camcorder recordings about everyday life in a ground-breaking BBC participatory media project. For this talk Mandy Rose reflects on her experience as Producer of the project.
Speaker
Mandy Rose
Mandy Rose is Director of UWE Bristol's Digital Cultures Research Centre and Co-Director of i-Docs. She is a member of the PM Studio Executive Board. @CollabDocsIn the early days of digital media; fifty people across the UK were given camcorders and training, and invited to record during the course of a year. The resulting recordings were edited into a variety of programmes for BBC2. Video Nation was best known for the two minute Shorts which ran just before Newsnight five days a week for five years. Each recorded by one person, the Shorts brought an intimacy and directness rooted in local experience into the broadcast schedule. The recordings looked very much like You Tube, a decade before You Tube was invented. On BBC 2, they reached audiences of up to 5 million people.
Studio resident Mandy Rose was Video Nation co-founder and producer. This year she was invited to look back on the experience of running the project for The Story 2018 StoryThings. We missed that talk, as it coincided with the Studio’s 10th birthday celebration, but we noticed the tweets coming out of Conway Hall, so we’ve asked Mandy to reprise her presentation in a lunchtime talk.
Another highlight of @thestory2018 so far - ‘Video Nation’ such a creative approach to storytelling & those short clips so rich in content & diverse voices. Simplicity of format + genuine collaboration of contributors & production. A pleasure hearing @CollabDocs talk about it.
Wonderful presentation by Mandy Rose on the history of Video Nation, it's roots in @MassObsArchive, the documentary process, diverse participants and social impact #thestory2018
This Lunchtime Talk is part of Open Studio Friday, which takes place at the Studio every week.
Do you want to find out what is going on at the Pervasive Media Studio? Are you interested in meeting our residents, talking about a specific project or curious about pervasive media? Why not pack a sandwich and join us for one of our Lunchtime Talks and Open Studio Friday. Lunchtime Talks are informal presentations by Studio residents and associates. They normally take place at 1pm on Friday, are free and open to everybody who’s interested in what we do. After the Talk, we also invite you to stay with us for the afternoon to continue the conversation or work on your own projects. We provide chairs, tables, wireless and a great space. You bring what you need to work with (laptop/mobile). Our open afternoons close at 5pm. Let us know if you’d like a tour of the space and we'll be happy to show you around just before the talk. Send an email to:studio@watershed.co.uk to book your place on a tour.
