If you have an idea and wish to share it, Martha’s Vineyard Community Television (MVTV) offers everything you need to get on the air.
Island residents control and operate this 501(c)(3), established in 2001 and fully funded by Comcast and a $25 membership fee. Instructor and Access Coordinator Michelle Vivian-Jemison says, “Our goal and mission is to provide digital media literacy to the community by way of freedom of speech and freedom of expression.” Vineyarders can create any kind of programming they want, whether it’s sharing a special interest in the arts or educating the community about local historical or environmental issues. Scout their offerings, and you’ll see, for instance, a show about ospreys, narrated coverage of an MVRHS boys’ or girls’ basketball game, and a town finance committee meeting, to name just a few.
You don’t need any digital experience, only an idea for a program. MVTV welcomes newcomers, and guides them from concept to broadcast. The process starts with an orientation session. Vivian-Jemison explains, “It helps you understand how public access works. We are content-neutral, meaning it’s about freedom of speech and freedom of expression, but within broadcast television regulations. You cannot slander anyone, advertise, or sell anything, on a show, or use unauthorized copyrighted material.” She adds that during orientation, “You also hear about the classes we offer, who works here, who our board members are, and who covers things like the board of selectmen meetings.”
Next comes the camera class, where you learn to use the equipment for on-location work. This includes the Panasonic HC-X2, Canon HF M30, and DJI Osmo Pocket 3, as well as smaller cameras for younger people. In the editing class, you work with Adobe Premiere Pro. “You can also learn easier ones, like iMovie or Rush, if you’re not doing anything complicated. We’re always getting new equipment and upgrading, making sure we’re ahead of the game,” Vivian-Jemison says. MVTV covers skills for back-end control-room and tech director positions, including operating the lights and cameras.
There are also courses for the video podcasting studio and the kitchen studio, where anyone can showcase their cooking skills. Their main studio features a green-screen wall or a black velvet curtain backdrop, making it perfect for interviews.
There are opportunities to learn how to cover something on location. It can be at home, sharing your poetry or a book club, or covering outside events. “So many nonprofits call here wanting to document their events. People have covered library events, and also gathered extra outside footage to augment a production.”
Any project can be broadcast, whether it’s a one-off or a series, as long as it’s edited and your name is on it. Shows can be viewed on Comcast Xfinity’s channels 6, 8, and 9, and accessed on MVTV’s home page, as well as their video on demand. Vivian-Jemison explains, “You take responsibility for your own media. But we give you everything you need and all the support in the world, from the very beginning to the very end, including help with personal branding, byline, logo, and music.”
MVTV conducts an impressive amount of community outreach. For instance, Vivian-Jemison works with students from many of the Vineyard schools, including training them for MVRHS’s “The Grapevine,” which has its own YouTube channel. This weekly student-produced news broadcast informs the school community about upcoming events, school news, and activities.
She likewise helps with an oral history project with MVRHS and Charter School students. It is a collaboration between MVTV, the M.V. branch of the Association for the Study of African Language and History (ASALH), and the M.V. Diversity Coalition Living Legends Project. “We pick someone who has made a significant contribution, and the students conduct research about them. They meet with the person to get to know them, we compose the questions together, and then they come to MVTV to conduct the interview.” She adds, “Any instructor on Martha’s Vineyard who wants to include digital media, I will go and train their students.”
“Right now,” she says, “we’re super-excited because we will have new branding and a new website so that community members really understand that they have access to MVTV.” There will be an open house soon to launch the endeavor. “We want to make it easier for everyone to navigate our website and have more interactivity. We want people to understand that we are here for your digital media storytelling.”
MVTV, 58 Edgartown–Vineyard Haven Road in Oak Bluffs; 508-696-9760, mvtv@mvtv.org. Information about the open house will be announced shortly.