JISC Digital Media Video Assist

Digital film and video resources are highly effective materials for learning and research. JISC has acknowledged this through their support for the creation of databases describing content, the digitisation of existing analogue material and the provision of technical advisory services for both digitisation and the creation of new film and video resources.

A possum and a movie camera 1943, Australian War Memorial collection

Whilst this investment and support is highly effective for the academic community and beyond, it was felt that institutions could benefit from an additional, more intensive type of support in the creation of new video resources, one where advisors would be 'helicoptered' in to a project to provide detailed off-site support and on-site supervision. Such a service would facilitate the success of the project, allowing its personnel to achieve institutional ambitions more quickly. Just as significantly however, it would also embed skills and knowledge in the project staff, leaving as its legacy a team of people able to carry out similar work with a new degree of skill and professionalism. This is the rationale behind Video Assist.

How It Works

JISC has funded JISC Digital Media to provide specific project support for 6 projects (2 per term) which involve the creation of new moving image resources over the academic year 2009-10. JISC Digital Media will provide 4 days' worth per project of in-depth consultancy support and practical help (over and above that which is provided by JISC Digital Media's existing support services). It will assist the project staff in all aspects surrounding the creation of the new resources. While the project staff will be running and doing the hands-on work connected with their project, Video Assist will be supervising them during the budgeting, allocation of resources and the actual production and post-production phases. The result will be an intensive learning experience for the project team covering the entire process from beginning to end.

If your project is selected for Video Assist, you will be contacted prior to the commencement of its 16 week duration. Through discussion we will determine the best way to allocate the 4 days' worth of support and integrate its scheduling into your project.

Upon completion of Video Assist we will request feedback from you about your experience. This will not only enable us to refine and improve Video Assist but also be incorporated into a case study which will be made from the consultation.

Example

Dr. Bloggs at the University of Fulchester wants to video a series of lectures he's giving. He has a team of people in his department who want to learn the skills to create these videos and thus any videos the department will subsequently require. We first advise them by phone and email about preparations and then, when the lectures actually commence, go to Fulchester and assist them in the production of the recording. Note that we don't actually do the recording for them, but rather go around with the people in the project team and talk them through the ins and outs of what they're doing and the standard procedures for ensuring a safe and successful production. At the end of it, project staff will have received a far more thorough training experience than they would have from documents or workshops and at the same time complete a project that, although supervised by media professionals, doesn't cost what it would cost to get professionals in to do the job.

How to Apply for Video Assist

Proposals should be submitted using the application form (MS Word doc) to JISC Digital Media. Completed forms should be emailed to steve.hull@bristol.ac.uk

Deadlines for the three rounds in the 2009-2010 academic year are on 3 July 2009, 20 November 2009 and 26 February 2010. Applicants who do not succeed in their bid at one round are encouraged to re-submit for succeeding rounds.

Please note that there is no funding available from JISC Digital Media to finance your project: what we will provide is consultancy support and training to embed technical knowledge and skills across the project team.

Evaluation of proposals

All proposals for JISC Video Assist support will be considered for inclusion in the new service. They will be evaluated on the basis of the following criteria:

Size: Is the project big enough to require 4 full days of in-depth consultancy but small enough that 4 days' consulting is sufficient to carry it through to its completion?
Need: Will the project benefit significantly from Video Assist over and above the benefit it will receive from conventional interaction with JISC Digital Media?
Adaptability: Can the benefits your project obtains from a Video Assist consultation be capitalised on to generate longer-term benefits for your institution?
Funding: Is the project's funding sufficient to create the resources Video Assist will be consulting on the creation of?
Universality: Is the project sufficiently generalisable to other projects that a case study will provide a useful resource on the JISC Digital Media website?

During the evaluation process JISC Digital Media may contact you for further information about your project.

The schedule for the three rounds is as follows: