We empower and teach people living in Santa Cruz County to create, record and air programs on the public access channel, SC Currents, of our Community Television station (Comcast 27/ Charter 73).
As volunteers we provide the following:
- Orientation sessions and tours of the studio.
- Free limited membership or paid memberships with certain privileges.
- Low cost classes to members on how to use the studio equipment.
- Rental equipment for field production.
- Studio use for independent producers to tape their shows.
- Credit for active involvement in Volunteer-Advisory-Committee-approved activities.
- Specialty volunteer clusters, such as Producers/Directors group, Tricaster and Character Generators practice sessions.
How to get involved
Are you interested in:
- Video or Audio Production?
- Public Service Announcements?
- Helping Your Community?
- Meaningful Volunteer Opportunities?
- Having Your Own Show?
Here’s how you can get started.
- Sign up for and attend an orientation meeting. It’s free!
- Join Us! Sign up for a membership (Basic memberships are free) on our web site: communitytv.org, click on “Public Access”, then click on “Become a Member of CTV!”.
- Start taking classes, then …
- Help out on volunteer productions.
Classes for Volunteers
The best way to start is to take a studio camera class. Most productions have three camera operators, and we are always looking for more! It’s a great way to get an understanding of how studio production works. Watch experienced Producers deal with the many issues involved in video production. Learn what Directors want, how to frame and compose camera shots and what does and doesn’t work.
Next, take classes in areas you want to know more about, such as audio, lighting, graphics or directing. These classes help you learn what you need to know to produce a television program.
Finally, consider producing your own program. After working on several programs you will get to know our many volunteers, their skills and how to produce material you can be proud of!
But I Just Want To Produce a Show!
That’s fantastic! However, we’ve found that producers who don’t understand the process usually don’t succeed. We recommend starting with a camera class and working your way up to producing content. We no longer offer a “Producers” class – we want you to learn by doing.
But I Want To Make a Field Production!
We also have a great field camera class that teaches all the elements of working in the field, from camera setup to audio to lighting. Take the class, get field certified, then help out on some of our volunteer productions. As you gain experience, you also may gain volunteer credits you can use to “rent” our equipment.
In every case, please visit this page and sign up for a membership first!