The workshop contains of practical modules around video sharing using open source tools, a series of meetings and presentations of local and international practioners and video collectives, screenings and a conference on media CMS's.

The modules require registration. find info here:
http://osvideo.constantvzw.org/wiki/doku.php?id=registration

The evening sessions on 19, 20, 21 november and the closing events in Nova Cinema on 22 and 23 november are gratis and you are kindly invited.

Guests among others:

Susanne Lang, Soeren Keohler (V2V), Andy Nicholson (EngageMedia), Domagoj Smoljo, Carmen Weisskopf (Mediengruppe Bitnik), Sanjay Bhangar (Pad.ma), Sebastian Lutgert, Jan Gerber (Pirate Cinema Berlin) Adnan Hadzi (Deptford.tv), Guy van Belle (Society of Algorhytm), Florian Schneider, Hadrian Bnin-Bninski, Loïc Vanderstichelen, Michael Murtaugh, 68septante, Vox, Miro, PTTL, SPIP, Marina Vishmidt

all info can be found on the workshop wiki:
http://osvideo.constantvzw.org/wiki

Program

Brussels, 17 - 23 November 2008
Collaborative Online Video

Monday 17 November

19:00 - 22:00 Dinner + introductory meeting participants (location: La Compilothèque)

Tuesday 18 November

10:00 - 13:00 Module 1: Free Codecs (Pianofabriek )
14:00 - 17:00 Module 1: Free Codecs (Pianofabriek )
20:00 Performance: Karass Suite + Pad.ma (Okno)

Wednesday 19 November

10:00 - 13:00 Module 2: Open Content Licenses (Pianofabriek)
14:00 - 17:00 Module 3: P2P video sharing (Pianofabriek)
20:00 Presentation: VOX + V2V (VOX)

Thursday 20 November

10:00 - 13:00 Module 4: How to build your own private pirate tv station (Pianofabriek)
14:00 - 17:00 Module 5: Concurrent Versioning System and Cinelerra (Pianofabriek)
20:00 Presentation + screening: Mediengruppe Bitnik + 68septante (Quarantaine)

Friday 21 November

10:00 - 13:00 Module 6: Collage Code (Pianofabriek)
14:00 - 17:00 Module 7: Plumi / engage media (Pianofabriek)
20:00 Presentation: PlusTotTeLaat + Deptford.tv (SMART)

Saturday 22 November

10:00 - 17:00 Worksessions in small groups (Pianofabriek or elsewhere)
20:00 Screening Good Copy Bad Copy + presentation Nova + Pirate Cinema (Nova)

Sunday 23 November

14:00 - 18:00 Presentation and debate: Media Management Systems (Nova)

Workshop descriptions

Module 1: Free Codecs
Tuesday 18 November 10:00 - 17:00 location: Pianofabriek
Hadrian Bnin-Bninski & Loic Vanderstichelen

A workshop on codecs. When working with digital video, encoding is an unavoidable issue. This module is in two parts: The first is focussedtowards raising understanding of why free codecs are a good idea, touching upon history of proprietory and open codecs, containers and norms, quality and useage in different contexts. The second part is a
practical exercise in transcoding between formats: which softwares are available to do that, which mediaplayers to use? which containers and codecs are appropriate for use on the web, for archiving or screening purposes?

Module 2: Open Content Licenses
Wednesday 19 November 10:00 - 13:00 location: Pianofabriek
Sanjay Bhangar and Sebastian Lutgert, Pad.ma

A day about 'from tape to disk to internet', with Pad.ma and V2V as example. In the morning: an encounter with different forms of free licenses. Wellknown Open-Content licenses are Creative Commons licenses, the General Public License, Free Arts License and Mozilla Public License, but there are many others. In this module questions around licensing are addressed starting from the specific case of Pad.ma an online archive of densely text-annotated video material based on the Oxdb framework. How do licensing and collaborative work combine?

Module 3: P2P Video Sharing
Wednesday 19 November 14:00 - 17:00 location: Pianofabriek
Susanne Lang, V2V

A day about 'from tape to disk to internet', with Pad.ma and V2V as example. In the afternoon: a look into publishing your video online using the V2V platform. We will install the v2v upload client, learn how to use it and post some video material.

Module 4: How to build your own private pirate tv station
Thursday 20 November 10:00 - 13:00 location: Pianofabriek Bitnik

A workshop on how to build a low tech DIY tv station, using open source software, cheap hardware and linux systems. A step by step basic explanation of how such a system works. During this module a pirate tv station will be constructed, which will be put to use during other moments in the workshop.

Module 5: CVS - Cinelerra
Thursday 20 November 14:00 - 17:00 location: Pianofabriek
Adnan Hadzi, Deptford.tv

When connecting a time-line editor to a Concurrent Versioning System, it becomes possible to exchange edit information between remotely located editors. Using CVS and Cinelerra, the Greenwhich based project
Deptford.Tv has set up such a system. An explanation, demo and discussion on shared editing.

Module 6: Collage & Code
Friday 21 November 10:00 - 13:00 location: Pianofabriek
Michael Murtaugh, automatist.org

Online video needn't be limited to the single image framed by VCR style controls popularized by sites such as YouTube. By combining media plugins with scripting languages like JavaScript and PHP, the form and display of online video can better reflect the multiple sources, authors, and possible playouts, and suggest new kinds of dynamic forms of narrative.

Module 7: Plumi & Miro
Friday 21 November 14:00 - 17:00 location: Pianofabriek
Andy Nicholson, EngageMedia & Sedat Güzel, Miro

This module looks into the possibilities of video sharing systems. An often heard question is how to engage in systems that offer a free alternative to commercial sharing platforms, what are the ups and downs of installing your own system? How to syndicate your video's between systems? We'll look at Plumi, a Plone based system developed by Engage Media and also at Miro, an internet-tv application which lets you download movies from plural platforms, share them with others and make your own channels.

Open workspace
Saturday 22 November 10:00 - 17:00 location: Pianofabriek or elsewhere

The Saturday is deliberately kept vacant, for those who want to continue working on one of the subjects which have been addressed during the previous week. Arrangements can be made during the week to work in small groups; the space at the Pianofabriek will be available for this.

Public presentations

Representatives of several Brussels collectives will present their practice together with the workshop teachers in a series of evening presentations. These evenings are set up in the form of duo presentations, which allows for comparison, exchange, mutual curiosity, discussing issues which are being addressed during the workshop in the context of collectives based in Brussels; how to deal with collectivity, video distribution, DIY video making, on and ofline, collaboration, archiving and sharing video.

Karass Suite + Pad.ma
Tuesday 18 November 20:00 location: Okno

Gívan Belá and Isjtar are working with the online media database Karass Suite. Next week (in sequence to this workshop) the database will be launched with a three day gala-presentation. Tonight in avant-premiere a
tasty preview performance ... with intro explanation by the artists!http://karasssuite.net http://okno.be

PAD.MA - short for Public Access Digital Media Archive - is an online archive of densely text-annotated video material, primarily footage and not finished films. The entire collection is searchable and viewableonline, and is free to download for non- commercial use. PAD.MA is a way of opening up a set of images, intentions and effects present in video footage, resources that conventions of video-making, editing and spectatorship have tended to suppress, or leave behind. This expanded treatment then points to other, political potentials for such material, and leads us into lesser-known territory for video itself... beyond the finite documentary film or the online video clip.

VOX + V2V
Wednesday 19 November 20:00 location: VOX

V O X is a "media activist" collective around a common interest: video.The aim is to make videos with "another view on society". Contrary totraditional media where information passes via several "intermediates"
operating as filters, Vox wants to give direct access to audio-visual tools to individuals and groups. Vox is a collective that exists in meetings that happen every first and third Wednesday of the month. These meetings are open for everyone. http://www.vox-video.be/home.html

Bitnik + 68septante
Thursday 20 November 20:00 location: Quarantaine

68septante shows a short program of films, published copyleft or under a cc license:

Qu'est ce que le copyleft?, LL de Mars 6'50 - vo fr (www.le-terrier.net)
Frontière de Jérôme Giller 6' - vo fr st en
(http://www.jeromegiller.net/video_frontiere.php) / la Vidéothèque
Nomade : http://www.6870.be/spip.php?article204
Nécessaire(s) territoire(s), Benoit Perraud 21' - vo fr
(http://www.lafamilledigitale.org/fr/necessaire-s-territoire-s.html) et
http://www.6870.be/spip.php?article222 dans la Vidéothèque Nomade
Jérôme Giller will be present

Mediengruppe Bitnik is a media collective which works on the production and the imparting of mediacultural projects. Bitniks main focus is to investigate digital and analog media and the impact they have on
society. This exploratory work is put into practice in artistic exhibitions, interventions in public space and in the development ofsocial software and interfaces. Thereby !Mediengruppe Bitnik aims at creating a field for social and cultural action and collaboration. In their latest project !Mediengruppe Bitnik investigate the possibilities that arise through media convergencies by connecting a pirate TV station with the overwhelming amount of media content available on the internet: Make P2P Television - Copyfight! !Mediengruppe Bitnik are Carmen Weisskopf, Domagoj Smoljo, Silvan Leuthold, Sven Konig (since 2007) and Daniel Ryser (since 2007), Adnan Hadzi (since 2008) and Sameer Sait (since 2008).

PTTL + Deptford.tv
Friday 21 November 20:00 location: Smart

Plus Tot Te Laat is a collective of artists that started up a base in the unemployment office at Sint-Joost, Brussels in 1998. Intervening with the politics of unemployment in relation to state and institutionalneglect or appreciation of professional artists in financial need, they placed themselves in the eye of the hurricane. PTTL continues to develop temporary and instable tactics to enter into dialog with regulations, conventions, officials and bureaucracy, and currently resides in the SMART bureau, a Belgian organisation mediating between employers and artists.

Deptford.tv is an audio-visual documentation of the regeneration processof the Deptford area in collaboration with SPC.org media lab, Bitnik.org, the Boundless.coop, Liquid Culture and Goldsmiths College. Since September 2005 we started assembling AV material around the regeneration process of the Deptford area, asking community members, video artist, film-makers, visual artists and students to contribute statements, feedbacks, critiques of the regeneration process of Deptford. This rough material as well as edited media content will be made available on the Deptford.TV database and distributed over the boundless.coop wireless network with an open content license such as the creative commons and the gnu general public license.

Good copy bad copy
Saturday 22 November 20:00 location: Nova

Screening in Nova Cinema of Good Copy Bad Copy, a documentairy about piracy and copyrights, and a presentation with possibility of discussionby the Berlin based group Pirate Cinema. (Sebastian Luetgert + Jan Gerber)

Content Management Systems
Sunday 23 November 14:00 - 18:00 location: Nova

A meeting and a series of presentations on Content Management Systems for media archiving. Some of the projects have already been discussed during the week, but will now be talked about in the context of its specific adaption to media useage. For people who have not been able to attend the week modules it offers an opportunity to get to know the projects, their makers and users. How are different systems adapted to various approaches to collective video work? What are the possibilities of each project, and the motivations behind their development and use? A broad and diverse series of projects that break open the idea of monolith platforms In short presentations following projects will be presented: Active Archives, Oxdb, Plumi / Engage, Spip, and others. Moderation: Nicolas Malevé, Marina Vishmidt

Independent video server

We will investigate the need and desire for a collective Brusselsvideo-sharing platform. A first test system will be installed before the workshop which will allow us to upload video's brought by participants during the week, to test and discuss ups and downs of a shared server along the way.

Locations

Pianofabriek
Rue du Fortstraat 35, 1060 Brussel (Sint-Gillis)
the modules take place in the atic studio: Salle Eleonor
T 02/541 01 70
http://depianofabriek.vgc.be/

La Compilothèque
Quai des Péniches 50, 1000 Brussels

Okno
Koolmijnenkaai 30/34, 1080 Brussel (Sint-Jans Molenbeek)
T 00 32 2 410 9940
http://www.okno.be

VOX
Rue Theodore Verhaeghenstraat 18, 1060 Bruxsel (St. Gilles)
T 00 32 (0)25025065 - 00 32 (0)25112477
http://www.vox-video.be/

Plus Tot Te Laat / SMART
SMART bureau, Rue Emile Feronstraat 70, 1060 Bruxsel (Sint Gillis)
http://www.pttl.be/

Nova Cinema
Rue d'Arenbergstraat 3, 1000 Bruxxel
T+F 00 32 (0)2 511.24.77
http://www.nova-cinema.org

Quarantaine
Rue Lesbroussart 43a, 1050 Bruxelles (Ixelles)
http://www.quarantaine.info

Constant
Rue du Fortstraat 5, 1060 Bruxsel (St. Gilles)
T+F 0032 (0)25392467
M (Peter Westenberg) 0032 (0)498493018
http://www.constantvzw.org

Financial support

Anat, Australian Network for Art and Technology
Vlaamse Gemeenschap
Vlaamse GemeenschapsCommissie van het Brussels hoofdstedelijk Gewest
Vlaams Audiovidueel Fonds

Constant

Constant vzw | Rue du Fort straat 5 | 1060 Brussel Belgie | t+f 0032
(0)2 5392467