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College trustees:
Let’s go to the videotape!
By Angela Hokanson
GLENDALE — College trustees on Monday reviewed five video samples showing how they could broadcast their meetings, as part of the board’s consideration of how to visually enhance recordings of its public meetings.
Audio recordings of Glendale Community College trustees’ monthly meetings are presently available on the college’s website. But in November, the board voted to visually augment the recordings, though it has not yet decided what that enhancement will look like, or whether it will be available on television or the Internet.
The board reviewed the videotaped samples Tuesday to prepare for a vote in May on which option the college should pursue.
“We will pick one of these at a future meeting,” said Victor King, who was elected board president at Monday’s meeting.
Glendale college theater arts instructor Guido Girardi played the five videotaped samples for the trustees and explained what kind of equipment, labor and cost was required for each filming method. The samples were shown from the lowest-cost option to the highest-cost option.
Adding a slideshow consisting of still photos and graphics to accompany existing audio recording not cost the college anything as existing staff members would create the slideshow, according to the college. This kind of presentation would be available on the Internet only; it could not be broadcast on Charter Cable Educational channel 15.
The second option would involve setting up one camera to videotape the trustees meeting. No camera person would operate the camera during the meetings; the tape would run on its own, Girardi said.
“This is just a single camera that’s not operated,” Girardi said.
The sample of this method showed the trustees dais in a single, unchanging frame, with no zooming in or out on any individual speaker.
This method is expected to cost about $2,500 in the first year, with no ongoing labor costs, officials said.
The third option would have a trustee read key points from a past trustees meeting.
“You might call this a highlights show,” Girardi said.
For instance, in Monday’s sample, board member Armine Hacopian read some of the key points of a past trustees meeting from the college’s television studio.
This option would cost about $7,200 for the first year.
In the fourth option, board meetings would be videotaped by one camera operator using one camera. This alternative would cost about $7,300 in the first year, Girardi said. In the videotaped sample, the camera zoomed in and out depending on which trustee was speaking.
The fifth option uses three cameras, one camera person and one switching operator who would control which camera shots were broadcast. In the videotaped sample, this option showed the cameras switching between the dais and speakers at the podium used by members of the public during public comment period.
This method would cost the college about $14,700 for the first year, Girardi said.
After the samples were played, trustees asked Girardi about the costs and the technological capabilities of the various setups.
Hacopian asked if the speaker at the podium could also be seen on camera using option four; Girardi said that it was a possibility.
Board member Vahe Peroomian asked if any of the broadcasting options would show the trustees meetings live.
Girardi answered that none of these options had live broadcasting capabilities. The board had previously reviewed one setup that would have allowed for live broadcasting, but that option had been nixed in the fall when the board decided it was too expensive, he said.
All the broadcasting options reviewed by the trustees on Monday would be shown with a time delay, Girardi said. The board is expected to vote on which broadcasting option should be used during its May 19 meeting.
ANGELA HOKANSON covers education. She may be reached at (818) 637-3238 or by e-mail at angelahokanson@latimes.com.
Audio recordings of Glendale Community College trustees’ monthly meetings are presently available on the college’s website. But in November, the board voted to visually augment the recordings, though it has not yet decided what that enhancement will look like, or whether it will be available on television or the Internet.
The board reviewed the videotaped samples Tuesday to prepare for a vote in May on which option the college should pursue.
“We will pick one of these at a future meeting,” said Victor King, who was elected board president at Monday’s meeting.
Glendale college theater arts instructor Guido Girardi played the five videotaped samples for the trustees and explained what kind of equipment, labor and cost was required for each filming method. The samples were shown from the lowest-cost option to the highest-cost option.
Adding a slideshow consisting of still photos and graphics to accompany existing audio recording not cost the college anything as existing staff members would create the slideshow, according to the college. This kind of presentation would be available on the Internet only; it could not be broadcast on Charter Cable Educational channel 15.
The second option would involve setting up one camera to videotape the trustees meeting. No camera person would operate the camera during the meetings; the tape would run on its own, Girardi said.
“This is just a single camera that’s not operated,” Girardi said.
The sample of this method showed the trustees dais in a single, unchanging frame, with no zooming in or out on any individual speaker.
This method is expected to cost about $2,500 in the first year, with no ongoing labor costs, officials said.
The third option would have a trustee read key points from a past trustees meeting.
“You might call this a highlights show,” Girardi said.
For instance, in Monday’s sample, board member Armine Hacopian read some of the key points of a past trustees meeting from the college’s television studio.
This option would cost about $7,200 for the first year.
In the fourth option, board meetings would be videotaped by one camera operator using one camera. This alternative would cost about $7,300 in the first year, Girardi said. In the videotaped sample, the camera zoomed in and out depending on which trustee was speaking.
The fifth option uses three cameras, one camera person and one switching operator who would control which camera shots were broadcast. In the videotaped sample, this option showed the cameras switching between the dais and speakers at the podium used by members of the public during public comment period.
This method would cost the college about $14,700 for the first year, Girardi said.
After the samples were played, trustees asked Girardi about the costs and the technological capabilities of the various setups.
Hacopian asked if the speaker at the podium could also be seen on camera using option four; Girardi said that it was a possibility.
Board member Vahe Peroomian asked if any of the broadcasting options would show the trustees meetings live.
Girardi answered that none of these options had live broadcasting capabilities. The board had previously reviewed one setup that would have allowed for live broadcasting, but that option had been nixed in the fall when the board decided it was too expensive, he said.
All the broadcasting options reviewed by the trustees on Monday would be shown with a time delay, Girardi said. The board is expected to vote on which broadcasting option should be used during its May 19 meeting.
ANGELA HOKANSON covers education. She may be reached at (818) 637-3238 or by e-mail at angelahokanson@latimes.com.
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