Inside This Issue:

Community Partnerships ...Page 3 Final Cut X ...........................Page 4 Technical Corner .................Page 6 Programming News ............Page 7

The Producer
Public Educational Government

Summer 2011 Issue

430 Boston Road Billerica, MA 01821

BATV Scholarship Recipients

BATV Youth Coordinator Nancy Albertson attended the Billerica Memorial High School Annual Scholarship Awards Ceremony on June 1, 2011 and presented three BATV awards to students of the 2011 graduating class. BATV awards are made possible from revenue generated by selling copies of programs cablecast on the access channels. The awards are presented to Billerica graduates who plan to further their education in a communications related field. Since 2000, BATV has presented $43,875 in scholarships. We wish all 2011 graduates tremendous success! Emalie El-Fakih, who plans to attend Boston University and major in Communications. Recipient of the Billerica Access Television M. Thomas Revane Memorial Scholarship. Michelle Button, who plans to attend Framingham State and major in Communications with an emphasis in photography. Recipient of the Billerica Access Television Scholarship. Mackenzie Maynard, who plans to attend the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and major in Communications. Recipient of the Billerica Access Television Scholarship. The Producer 1

BATV closings and limited hours:

Tuesday, July 26th, 2011 Open 11:00 - 7:00 (ACM Conference) Wednesday, July 27th, 2011 Open 11:00 - 7:00 (ACM Conference) Thursday, July 28th, 2011 Open 11:00 - 7:00 (ACM Conference) Saturday, July 30th - Sunday, August 7th, 2011 Closed for Maintenance Monday, September 5th, 2011 Closed for Labor Day

The next regularly scheduled BATV Board of Directors Meeting is Wednesday, September 14th, 2011, 7:00 p.m. at BATV. You are welcome to attend!

BATV Hours of Operation

Mon. Thurs. . 10:00 am - 9:30 pm Friday .............. 11:00 am - 5:00 pm Saturday .......... 10:00 am - 4:00 pm Sunday..................................Closed

Board of Directors
President ............................... David Fournier Vice President .................... Barbara Flaherty Secretary ......................................John Coyne Treasurer ..................................Jim Woodside Asst. Treasurer ....................Pamela Anastasi Board Member ............................... Jen Casco Board Member .........................Ronald Fusco Board Member .............................Gerry Goss Board Member ................... William Haddad Board Member ................... Anthony LaRosa Board Member ......................... Greg McClay Board Member .....................James McFeeley Board Member .............................Paul Overy Board Member .......................Donna Popkin Board Member .......................... Helen Potter

Reorganization of the BATV Board of Directors

Sam Schauerman
The BATV Board of Directors met for their regularly scheduled Board of Directors meeting on June 8, 2011. During the meeting, and as per BATVs By-Laws, reorganization of the Board occurred. Those Board Members elected to serve as officers for the Corporation during the 2011 2012 are:

BATV Tidbits

David Fournier President Barbara Flaherty Vice President John Coyne Secretary Jim Woodside Treasurer Pam Anastasi Assistant Treasurer Following officer elections, outgoing BATV President Jennifer Casco, who voluntarily stepped down, was honored for her term as President. While Jennifer will no longer serve as BATV President, she will continue to serve on the board. Congratulations to all!

The Producer 2011

Billerica Access TV 430 Boston Road Billerica, MA 01821 Phone: 978-663-2284 Fax: 978-667-4969 batv.batvinc@comcast.net www.batvinc.org Editor & Layout Jason Bazinet Contributing Writers: Paul Abrego Nancy Albertson Jason Bazinet Sam Schauerman Karen Sennott Alex Shure

PRODUCER SHOW PAGES

Take advantage of the perfect opportunity to promote your show! Let others know about your show topics, air times, and any other useful information youd like to add! If you are a producer and would like to have your own show page on the BATV web site, contact Jason at 978-663-2284 or e-mail jbazinet.batv@comcast.net

BATV Staff:

Technical Coordinator .............................................Paul Abrego Youth Coordinator ...........................................Nancy Albertson Access Coordinator .................................................Jason Bazinet Production/Staff Assistant........................Matthew Macomber Production/Staff Assistant............................................ Eric Sack Executive Director ............................................Sam Schauerman Marketing & Outreach Coordinator ................ Karen Sennott Programming Coordinator ........................................ Alex Shure Board of Director Clerk .................................... Madeline Stone Production/Staff Assistant........................................ Tom Violet
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Become a BATV Community Partner

Sam Schauerman
For the past few years, BATV has been exploring the possibility of implementing a business / corporate sponsorship program. The program has been viewed as a means to build partnerships with local businesses, provide awareness of local businesses and support BATVs mission. After much investigation and discussion, the BATV Board of Directors, at a recent board meeting, voted to initiate the BATV Community Partner program. And so it begins As Billericas Public, Educational and Government (PEG) Access Center, Billerica Access Television, Inc. (BATV) has become interwoven into the very fabric of the Billerica community. Whether it is citizens offering their point of view, children participating in after-school enrichment programs, elected officials at a government meeting, a local church service, sporting events, or use of the community bulletin board by hundreds of non-profit organizations annually, not a day goes by that BATV does not touch the lives of Billerica in a positive way. Almost 80% of Billericas households subscribe to cable services offered by Comcast and Verizon. That means that programs produced by BATV members as well as programs presented by Billerica residents that entertain, inform and educate the local community, can be viewed by almost 12,500 households. As a BATV Community Partner, you have the potential to reach the same 12,500 households. Becoming a BATV Community Partner is easy and affordable and will promote your business or organization within the local community. As a BATV Community Partner, you will not only enhance your business or organizations presence, but will also support BATV as Billericas First Amendment Forum. Become a BATV Community Partner and invest in your business, invest in your community and invest in your future. Become a BATV Community Partner today. For more information, please visit www.batvinc.org or contact Sam Schauerman at 978-663-2284.

Summer Youth Activities

Nancy Albertson
Summer is here! School is out! All the BATV youth programs have come to a rapid haltNOT! Theres plenty of exciting activities for Billerica youth at the station and summer is as great of a time as any to get involved. We kicked off the summer with the BATV Youth Club Video Premiere on June 30th. It was a fun filled night that showcased what the club members have accomplished in the last few months! Werent able to make it? Be sure to check out the video on BATVs Video On Demand feature on our website or look for it on the program schedule.

The youth clubs will be taking a little summer break from the regular weekly meet ups. Well be back in full swing beginning September 6th. However, BATV will hold special club events and activities during the summer and will notify members through mail and/ or email. Need a heavier dose of BATV and video production during the summer break? BATV will be offering two youth workshops in August. This is the first summer we're offering separate workshops for two different age groups: 10 - 13 and 14 - 17. Week One: Intro to Digital Video will be held August 16th, 17th, and the 18th. Week Two: Producing the Short Video will be held August 23rd, 24th, and 25th. For more details or to register visit www.batvinc.org or call 978-663-2284. NOW OFFERING ONLINE REGISTRATION!

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Final Cut Pro X Success or Failure?

Jason Bazinet
This article is my opinion only and does not reflect the opinions or stance of BATV. Now that most of you that edit here at BATV are settling in and getting comfortable with Final Cut Pro, Apple went and made major changes to their editing software. Have no worries, BATV has no plans to switch to the newest version of Final Cut Pro in the foreseeable future, but this article is just to explain some of the changes that might effect you if you own an older version of Final Cut Pro at home and are planning to upgrade. On a positive note for consumers, the price for Final Cut Pro X has significantly dropped. It is now $299 for a version of Final Cut Pro X, but it no longer comes as a suite of software. You can buy compressor and motion for $50 each; all other components including DVD Studio Pro, Color, Sountdtrack, and Livetype have either been retired or combined into Final Cut Pro. A major draw back in my opinion is that if youve used Final Cut Pro in the past and have several projects you would like to use again or work on some more, you cant do that any more. Final Cut X is so different from Final Cut Pro 7 and all previous versions, that you cannot import old projects into Final Cut X. This could be a big downfall if you still need to or want to access your old projects. Also, the new version of Final Cut Pro no longer contains a log and capture function to import video from a tape. The idea is that everything will be tapeless, but as you know, that is not entirely the case yet. Several members at BATV still continue to record programs on mini DV tape and need the ability to import them. I have not personally used the new version of Final Cut X yet, so I cant say for sure if the new version is good or not, but what I can say is that it has gotten an exorbitant number of bad reviews and complaints from professional editors. There are many features that didnt make it into the new version, although there is talk that later version releases of Final Cut X will bring them back. Time will tell if the launch of Final Cut X will be successful. In the meantime, several competitors seem to be making moves to take advantage of Apples blunder by offering discounts on their software for users switching away from Final Cut Pro. For now, have comfort in knowing your projects will still continue as normal here at BATV. As technology changes, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesnt. I believe Apple has successfully alienated its professional market in an attempt to be at the cutting edge of the market. I think they ended up at the bleeding edge and that may be too far for many consumers.

E-mail and the BATV Web Site

Jason Bazinet
Hopefully youve been receiving e-mails from BATV to keep you up to date about events and other information going on at BATV. E-mail is a great way to reach our membership in between newsletter mailings and it allows us to keep you up to date and informed. If you are not on the e-mail list and would like to be added, call Jason at 978-663-2284 or e-mail jbazinet.batv@ comcast.net and ask to be added to the e-mail list. Some of you occasionally change your e-mail address and may have stopped receiving e-mails. Please make sure to update us whenever your e-mail changes so that we can keep you on Continued on 5 The Producer 4

E-mail and the BATV website (continued from Page 4)

the list. During membership renewal time at the end of the year, we will also ask you to update us on any changes to your e-mail, address, phone number, and individuals listed under your membership. This allows us to keep an accurate database and ensure that we are contacting the correct people. The BATV web site is another great way to stay informed. Check out the web site for updates about upcoming events, like the next movie night happening on Tuesday September 6th. Another great feature on our web site is the Video on Demand section. If you missed a show on TV, dont have cable, or have a family member out of town that would like to see a program, check out video on demand at www.batvinc.org/vod . Other useful information you can find on the BATV web site includes: updates on the Youth Club, staff s e-mail addresses, upcoming closings and a bunch of great links to use as resources. You can also use our online submission form for the Community Bulletin Board and Online Reservations.

Conference rooms are not just for conferences!

Karen Sennott
At BATV we have 2 conference rooms that are available for community use, not just for BATV business, but for any community based meeting or event that requires a comfortable place to meet, plan, work or collaborate. Our conference rooms have been used for meetings, presentations, weekly scout meetings, classes and even just as a quiet place to get some work done! As long as your purpose is noncommercial in nature, BATV is happy to make available a meeting room for you or your group. Having conference rooms available to the public helps BATV increase its exposure and involvement in the community. Bringing Billerica residents and community groups into the facility helps us increase our exposure, showcase some of our resources and bring traffic through our art gallery, where we feature the work of a different Artist each month. The largest of the 2 rooms can accommodate up to 20 comfortably, and has been know to squeeze in quite a The Producer 5 few more on folding chairs. The smaller is best for groups of 12 or less. BATV conference rooms can be reserved by simply calling our office at 978-663-2284. As BATV members, please remember to mention this free meeting space to those in the Billerica community who you think may benefit from such a resource. Details: Conference Room A: Right off the lobby. Conference table and padded chairs. Fits 12 comfortably. Conference Room B: Left off the lobby, behind the reception area. Two moveable folding tables, padded chairs, room for additional folding chairs. Fits 20 comfortably. Includes white board & markers, multiple electric outlets, cable TV with DVD player. Both rooms can be reserved for use during our regular business hours.

Hello to all members. Heres hoping the summer months are sunny and vacation plans go smoothly. We here at BATV are hard at work to make the summer even brighter for all of our members. With recent and upcoming equipment purchases, fun and informative BATV events and new policy changes were making our summer one for the ages. In new technology news, BATV has some great new toys for our membership to utilize. One such piece of equipment is our new Lowel Caselite which is a fluorescent light that is basically part of the case it comes in. Lightweight and easy to set up, the Caselite is daylight balanced and ready to provide that extra punch of soft lighting ideal for field production interviews and small area productions. Another useful field production tool is the Ikan HD video monitor. These 7monitors can be anchored on our cameras hotshoe mount, enabling producers to get a better view of their productions. Conveniently, the monitors power source comes from using the same type of batteries we use for our cameras. In addition to these items, we have purchased two new camera shoulder mounts. In the edit suites we have added even more fun effects for Final Cut Pro. Magic Bullet Looks is a cool colorizing effect palette giving productions high-end film looks. From deep reds and green tints for horror and sci-fi films to cool blues for crime-dramas and dramatic pieces and bright yellows for comedies, Magic Bullet Looks creates unique moods through colorization. Another new third-party plug-in is the FXFactory, which adds more transitions and filters to our already expanding library of effects for FCP. On June 29th, BATVs Tech Night showed off the above-mentioned field production equipment. For those who were in attendance, thank you for your participation. For those who missed out on our event, training is available by request for any of the above-mentioned toys. As a reminder, if anyone is interested in being given a refresher course on any and all equipment we have, please contact us to set up an appointment. We are always eager to answer questions or give training in order for our membership to get the full benefit of what we have to offer here at BATV. Lastly, there is a quick policy note I would like to share regarding Final Cut Pro editing and the management of members projects. We will continue to offer Lacie drives for members to edit with. However, if a program is not being actively edited (the timeframe of which is being determined), it will be offloaded from the Lacie drive to another larger community drive where it will be left for a period of two months. The producer will be contacted when it is loaded onto that drive then periodically reminded about it before the project is discarded at a later date. Hopefully, this will solve the problems of Lacie drives being left for months without activity and freeing them up for other members to utilize. Thanks for reading the Technical Corner and as always if you have any technical questions, feel free to contact me at pabrego.batvinc@comcast.net . Have a great summer! The Producer 6

Technical Corner

Paul Abrego

Hello Readers, I hope all is well as I bid you my quarterly greetings. I pieced together the following announcements for you: A reminder to all you art/drawing/graphics/flash people out there: BATV has a large Wacom graphics tablet to play with in the edit suites. A handful of folks have been having fun using the tablet to create custom drawings, photoshops and graphics to incorporate into Final Cut projects. It is here and ready to be checked out by anyone interested in experimenting, no training necessary. For those interested in the small stuff: A while back I picked up some macro lens adaptors for our EFP camcorders. These adaptors are quite simple to attach to the lens. They will give you some freedom to get really close to the subjects you are shooting and may spark some creative projects. They may be used to cheat a shallow depth of field without changing any aperture settings. In other words, your subject in the foreground is in focus while the background of your shot is out of focus. Just like in the movies! Please let me know if youre interested in the adaptors, it will take me about 2 minutes to show you how they work. The ACM-NE (Alliance for Community Media, Northeast region) just released a call for entries for their 14th annual video contest. There are about twenty different categories to enter videos in. All videos submitted must have been wholly produced and cablecast on a PEG channel between September 1, 2010 and August 12, 2011. The entry deadline for the contest is August 12th, but if youre entering through BATVs ACM membership, please see me before August 5th so I have adequate time to prepare the entries. For more info, come and see me or visit http://acm-ne.org/. Ive recently come across some new public domain pictures to play on Late Night Theatre. I have a small queue of some great classics and some hilariously bad ones as well. Keep your late-night, bloodshot eyes peeled for some new episodes this summer. Some that will be featured include Cyrano de Bergerac (1950), and The Stranger, starring Edward G. Robinson and Orson Welles. On the sillier side of the spectrum we have the horribly awesome, Hercules Against the Moon Men, and The Phantom Planet, both of which have been lovingly mocked on Mystery Science Theater years ago. Stay tuned late night this summer Youll laugh, youll cry, youll wonder why As I begin to wind down, I will take this opportunity to tip my hat to the BATV members over at the Billerica Council on Aging. A team of energetic and enthusiastic individuals has become the new studio crew for the COAs monthly program, Forever Young. After several training sessions in the late spring, everyone was ready to Rock and Roll. Once the crew members found their niche in the production process, the first couple of studio shoots with the new crew were completed. Im proud of all the new members that fearlessly tackled the big studio here and those who created programming for the COA out in the field as well. Every program completed here involves teamwork and coordination, but this is particularly true in the main studio. I look forward to all the future programming done by this new group of BATV members.

Programming

Alex Shure

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Billerica Access Television, Inc. 430 Boston Road Billerica, MA 01821 (978)663-2284

The Producer

Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 134 No. Billerica, MA

In This Issue:
Summer Youth Activities BATV Community Partner And much more...

BATV youth workshops in August

Sign up now for Summer Youth Workshops at BATV! This is the first summer were offering separate workshops for two different age groups: 10 - 13 and 14 - 17. Week One: Intro to Digital Video will be held August 16th, 17th, and the 18th. Week Two: Producing the Short Video will be held August 23rd, 24th, and 25th. For more details or to register visit www.batvinc.org or call 978-663-2284. NOW OFFERING ONLINE REGISTRATION!

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