Limited Studio Availability and Edit Lab Use

[Dave Ortega]

Dear SMC friends,

As Community Media Week was a time to take stock of the importance of accessibility to and participation in electronic media and its basis in democracy and free expression, we are excited to share the news that SMC has been permitted by the City of Somerville to re-open to the public as part of the phase 3 for Motion Picture, and Streaming Production concerns. SMC’s submitted HASP (Health And Safety Protocol) documents have been vetted and approved and we are excited for members to resume media making at the old firehouse at Union Square.

Of course all of this is conditional on the strict adherence to COVID protocols and the general avoidance of a resurgence of COVID cases in Somerville and the Commonwealth. That said, there are 4  very specific things to observe per the city:

• Face masks must be worn outside the production studios at ALL TIMES.
• Certified producers using HOT Set and BFR/Podcast studios may remove masks for SINGLE OCCUPANCY productions.
• Current capacity is limited to 10 for the entire premises at 90 Union Square.
• All public entry to the building must be By Appointment Only.   

We don’t think any of this should come as a surprise. In fact, we are grateful for the dispensation to record in the studios without a mask. That said, the first question out of the gate is when? Below are some dates you’ll want to keep track of.

• October 26 - SMC begins taking reservations for Edit Room access.
• November 2 - Edit Room is open for use. SMC begins taking reservations for HOT Set.
  
• November 4 - HOT Set is open for use. SMC begins taking reservations for BFR/Podcast Room.
• November 9 - BFR/Podcast Room is open for use.

In addition to the use of the SMC facilities, Somerville Media Center continues to (since July) offer the ability to reserve and borrow camcorder, dslr camera and Macbook pro “kits” to members.  

We all look forward to the opportunity to see you in-person again. Of course as recent news indicates an uptick in COVID cases, the most important consideration for everyone to not lose sight of, is maintaining their health and wellness. If you have a reservation, but feel less than 100%, help keep the media-making community safe and stay home - there is no penalty for cancelling a reservation due to health (just alert us to the cancellation). In fact, one of the things we will be asking of our media making community is their pledge to be mindful of and supportive toward the success and safety of each other as we move ahead. Stay tuned for coming details on how to show your commitment to fellow SMC members and staff.

Lastly, as this is Community Media Week, we hope you are celebrating with us in spirit (we encourage you to link to our donation page in social media) and have been watching along - Friday is a showcase of SMC member producers (and for those who missed last night’s SMC Honors, here’s the link to view). Even with obstacles of safe-distancing, mask-wearing and venue restrictions, SMC and its membership have continued to find ways to be “heard” and share the voices of this community. We hope that re-opening SMC to the public helps ease the production process. And we can’t wait to see you in person in the coming weeks.

Best wishes to you all.

Sincerely,
Brian A. Zipp 
Executive Director                   

David Ortega
Programming Coordinator & Interim Director of Outreach