17:48 Wednesday 19th June 2013
Drive BBC Radio Cambridgeshire
CHRIS MANN: A local TV station is on its way to Fenland. And you have the opportunity to have a voice in front of the camera. Our reporter Sue Marchant bumped into the Popcorn TV team out and about in March, including 20Twenty Production’s Katherine Nightingale. (TAPE)
KATHERINE NIGHTINGALE: Popcorn Community TV is something we introduced late last year. It started by us doing very short films for local community organisations, people and businesses, to give them an opportunity to talk about what it is that they do, and enable other people within their community to understand and know that that service or whatever it is was available. Since then the funding stopped, and we’ve been really really lucky that we’ve got a wonderful group of volunteers who’ve come along to engage with Popcorn, and do and develop some of their own style of community television.
SUE MARCHANT: Simon. How did you get involved with this?
SIMON: I was actually introduced here by my Dad, by other sources. I’ve always been interested in the media, and so I came down, and immediately took a really big interest, and really took a liking to it.
SUE MARCHANT: Obviously you’ve got some spare time on your hands. Are you working?
SIMON: Not currently working at the moment, no, unfortunately.
SUE MARCHANT: A great way then to get a little bit of experience at something.
SIMON: Exactly. Yes. I’m hoping that on official training here, I can help with the equipment.
SUE MARCHANT: Alan, what kind of things are you doing with Popcorn TV?
ALAN: Currently we just want to get something on the website at the moment. That’s our first priority. So we’ve been filming today, just short, really short sketches, comedies, sketches really. Later on, next week and the week after, we’re hoping to integrate some sort of news programme, and have it out there for the community. So an audio newspaper. We were filming outside Paninis today, just short little skits. Lots of the public were absolutely wetting themselves watching us. So we must be doing something that’s quite funny.
SIMON: They got themselves a little bit of a preview of what’s going to be on the shows. So. And they might even hopefully look for themselves on the videos, in the background, sitting around with their coffee.
SUE MARCHANT: Gary, what’s your role here with Popcorn TV?
GARY: I’m the star.
SUE MARCHANT: Never mind that dear. get on with it. What does one do?
GARY: I’m basically here to help out in any way, shape or form, whether it’s helping present any of the shows, or any of the news bits, being in the films, or standing there with the camera, or making the coffee. Basically a lackey and are happy to help. I’ve been in performing arts for pretty much all my life, and spent the last twelve years working on holiday parks as an entertainer.
SUE MARCHANT: When you say you’re going to cover the news, how are you going to do that?
ALAN: At the moment we’re thinking of devising some sort of early morning format, where we can interview local people in the news.
GARY: A chat show approach isn’t it really?
ALAN: Yes. For the more serious bulletins we’re going to be looking at your traditional guy behind the camera or desk to read the actual really important news. And then for the things that are more lighthearted, maybe some of the things that can be mucked around with and given a bit of a light heartedness to it, I think that’s we’re actually going to get the community themselves, sit on the sofa, and talk about what’s going on in their local community. A lot of people don’t know what’s going on outside their front door.
GARY: Also it’s also about breaking down stereotypes. There’s a lot of people out there. The old people don’t mix with younger people, and it’s broken those barriers down, and getting everyone to work together.
ALAN: We’re hoping to maybe use Popcorn Community TV as a bit of a sledgehammer between social stereotypes and different sub-groups within the community, to try and bring them all together. Because we all live in the same area. We’re all going to share the same problems at the end of the day. So it’s going to help out with you knowing your neighbour.
GARY: And we want to involve the youth. There’s a lot of people around March that have a bit of free time on their hands. They’re not sure what they want to do with themselves. They can come down here, help us out. They can present. They can film. As long as they’re willing to chip in and do their bit.
SUE MARCHANT: And how can they do that? Katherine?
KATHERINE NIGHTINGALE: They can get in contact with us through info at popcornartsandmedia.com. Or pop into March Town Hall and come and find out more.
SUE MARCHANT: First broadcast? When’s that going to happen are we hoping?
GARY: Well, we’re hoping .. like we say we’ve got the raw footage done literally today for the small comedy sketches. We’re going to have that up by Wednesday next week. (LIVE)
CHRIS MANN: Our reporter in March, the fabulous Sue Marchant. Who else?
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