Utsav is an Indian word meaning “feast-day” or festival. Our celebration of Punjabi and Sikh traditions will be displaying a wide variety of events, performances and activities! We will begin the evening with Kirtan music, performed by Kartar Singh Anan and Group. This group hails from New Delhi, India and currently performs at Gurdwara Sikh Sangat Society Boston.
Throughout the evening will be multiple displays of Bhangra danci...ng from local and University team dancers. The addictive beat of Bhangra dancing originated as a folk and cultural harvest dance in Punjab but can be contemporarily heard in many movies and by DJs all over the world.

There will also be a generous amount of traditional homemade Punjabi free food and drinks (soda, water, etc.) provided by the Gurdwara Sikh Sangat Society.

Other notable performances and activities include: Gatka performance, a form of martial arts practiced by Sikhs; the Try-On-A-Turban (or Sari) Photo Booth; a Yoga class by the Millis Gurdwara (http://www.kundaliniyogane.com/grda.html); and Dhandis, Historical Religious Singers, from NYC.

As it grows darker, a series of short films about Punjabi and Sikh culture will be played. To end the evening Bhangra dancers will begin teaching the audience how to traditionally dance while music plays. After the event the party will continue at The Independent where DJ Br. Cleve will be spinning tunes from Punjab.

SCATV is considering starting up "Boston Free Radio" as an independent, community-oriented radio station reaching out to the world through online streaming on the Internet. The station would be located in the SCATV building, and would be another way of promoting free speech and building community.

Radio program producers would not have to live in Somerville, but would join SCATV as Radio Members. They would be trained to use the equipment and then could produce their own shows. Copyrighted music would be allowed because Boston Free Radio would purchase the rights. Producers who solicit advertising would pay for their time, non-commercial programs would be free.

In order to gauge interest in an Internet radio station, we are asking for your feedback. Please fill out the survey at the link below and forward the link to your friends. Thanks!
Radio Survey

If you are a certified SCATV field producer looking to improve your outdoor videography skills, join us for a day of hands-on fun. Bring your personal video camera or (limited to the first five requestees) use one of our portable kits. Learn situational shooting from our own pro Bill Barrell. We will be shooting the architecture in Union Square, the monument on Prospect Hill, and along the Mystic River.

You will learn more about proper color balance, exposure settings (shutter speed and iris), picture composition and the use of Polarizing, Ultraviolet and Half Gradient Filters. We will also cover dealing with the challenges of natural light and how you can be creative in overcoming common outdoor lighting issues. All this plus “Doing Audio Outdoors: the Do’s and Don’ts.”

Class size is based on car transportation. If you can drive others, the class is free. Tuition is $25 for SCATV members; $50 for non-members.
Meet at SCATV at 10:00am for this one-session special workshop that runs until 4:00pm. Advance registration is required. Call 617-628-8826.

 
Attention all SCATV members! Help celebrate SCATV's fifth ACM Award for Overall Excellence at the SCATV member picnic at 5:30pm on August 4 at the Community Growing Center, 22 Vinal Avenue. There will be Redbones Barbeque and drinks provided, but please bring a salad or dessert to share.

This is a purely social event for SCATV members, Board Directors, and their families. Meet with old friends and make some new ones. Children are welcome. Please let us know if you are coming by calling 617-628-8826. Last year's picnic, in the photo above, was lots fun.

On Tuesday, July 27 at 7:30pm SCATV hosted about 25 folks in the studio for what is likely the first Moroccan Rap Music event ever to occur in our
beautiful little town of Somerville!
Did you even know there was such a thing as Moroccan rap music?
The event was about introducing our little piece of the world to Moroccan rap music and the incredible language, energy, and
artistry that it entails.

The evening featured two exciting events:

The U.S. Premiere of the first music video ever produced for Fez City Clan, a Moroccan rap band out of Fez, Morocco.
- featuring eye-popping graffiti special effects painstakingly crafted by ex-Hollywood special effects artist Len White of Somerville.

A live performance by Would Capital, a Moroccan rap artist living and working here in Somerville.
- Would Capital, formerly living in NYC, busts phat rhymes all up in your grill.
Check out one of his videos on YouTube.

SCATV's booth and remote studio at ArtBeat on July 17 attracted many amazing personal stories about the festival's theme of "water." Passers by were invited into the SCATV “studio” to tell their tales for a compilation program on Channel 3. 

The energetic SCATV crew also captured the goings-on, including the artists' street galleries, the community organization booths, and the musical acts. Many thanks to Bill Barrell, Jessica Barnthouse, Wendy Blom, Vaughn Simkins, Mario Archer, Henry Parker, Eric Colasante, David Lombino, and Melissa Rogers.

Two workshops taught by Filmmaker Gordon Nelson will begin on July 12 at SCATV.

Experimental Video. Creative expression will be emphasized in this production course designed for anyone seeking to explore new frontiers in the medium of video. Projects made in clss will combine unusual traditional techniques with current digital video and sound processes to allow students to make their own distinctive video art. Green screen, optical effects, video feedback, and editing will be covered, along with personal, non-technical approaches to video production. 7:00 to 9:30pm.

What is experimental video? Check out this example on YouTube. Three Transitions

Digital SLR Photography. This four-session, introductory still photography class will meet the needs of students who have their own digital SLR (single lens reflex) camera. The rising popularity of digital SLR cameras has created a revolution in the photography world. Using Adobe Photoshop software and working with RAW images on Apple computers, students will be in command of the many features of these advanced cameras while creating photographs ready for framing. The class will shoot together outside and analyse the results. Bring your own camera. 1:00 to 3:30pm.

Come in to SCATV to register for these exciting new classes.

 Congratulations to all SCATV members! This award is given by the Alliance for Community Media, the national organization of access stations. It is a great feather in our cap no matter how many times we win (five times in six years). A plaque will be given to SCATV at the National ACM Conference in Pittsburgh, PA in July. 

June 9 at 7:00pm

Somerville Community Access Television’s (SCATV) youth media program, Next Generation Producers, in collaboration with Somerville High School and Home, Inc., will hold the Fourth Annual Somerville Youth Film Festival on Wednesday, June 9 at 7:00pm at the Somerville Theatre in Davis Square. The Somerville Youth Film Festival is free and open to the public.

The festival includes short movies, animations, public service announcements, documentaries and news packages that were produced by students of the Next Generation Producers and the High School’s TV & Media Production class. As they created their video projects, students learned the complete process of media production, including research, scriptwriting, camera and audio skills, and digital editing. Organizations participating in Next Generation Producers programs this year were Somerville Cares About Prevention, The Boys and Girls Club, and the Community Action Agency of Somerville.

According to Gordon Nelson, Next Generation Producers Coordinator at SCATV, "Video production allows students to approach subjects of interest from a new direction, and are a great means of creative expression. The film festival recognizes the talent and efforts of these creative young people. We hope it will encourage more students to get involved with media programs at SCATV and at Somerville High School.” Each student will receive a certificate of participation, and a DVD copy of their work.