Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: What are your hours of operation?

The VCAM studio is open from 10 A.M. to 10 P.M Sunday through Friday. Saturdays we are open from 10 A.M. to 5 P.M.

Q: I work on Saturdays and can't attend the regularly scheduled orientation or digital video editing certification, can I still take these workshops at another time?

Absolutely! If you are a VCAM Access User and care to take any of our workshops that are not in the current schedule, please call the studio (651-9692) to sign up for a one-to-one workshop with a member of the VCAM staff.

Q: I have a dance recital in a few weeks, will someone from the VCAM staff please come videotape the event?

VCAM's specialty is providing state-of-the-art digital communication tools to the public and teaching the necessary skills for using these tools effectively. That said, we generally do not record events for individual community members. What we do however is enable you, or someone working with you to record the event by providing the gear and showing you how to use it. From time to time we also help facilitate the coordination of community volunteers to help you with your project.

Q. What sort of gear do you have?

“Gear” can describe a lot of different things, from the gear that we use for studio productions to the remote audio/video gear that our members sign out and use in the field to the post-production hardware and software that populates our editing suites. In all of these cases, VCAM strives to acquire and maintain professional audio/video equipment that can be used by community members with varying levels of video production experience — from the complete novice to the seasoned pro. Maintaining an up-to-date list of specific equipment makes and models is difficult because we are acquiring new stuff all the time. Feel free to ask the VCAM staff all your gear questions and we will try our best to meet your needs. And if we don’t have the particular piece of video gear you’re looking for, maybe we can get it, so definitely let us know!

Q: I work for a nonprofit organization and our full time staff is extremely busy and does not have the time to add video production to our to-do list. Can VCAM still help us produce a PSA?

Short answer, Yes. One strategy that is highly successful for nonprofit organizations producing video content at VCAM is to take advantage of part time staff, interns and volunteers to help produce your video content. You can always count on the tools you need to be available to you through VCAM. That being the case, it is common for nonprofits to structure job descriptions and internships specifically around video production at VCAM. Please contact us if you would like to discuss the many opportunities for nonprofit organizations available at VCAM.

Q: After I submit my video content to air on VCAM cable channels can I share my videos online via my blog, social networking sites and video sharing sites like YouTube?

Please do! We highly recommend distributing your videos in as many different ways as possible. In fact, VCAM producers who are sharing their content online tend to cultivate larger audiences which often increases the number of people watching their shows on the cable channels. In essence, sharing your videos online is a great source of outreach for your public access program. If you are ionterested in attendeding any of our "Video for the Web" workshops please contact us.

Q: I am not a certified VCAM Access User but my friend is, can I take gear out too?

No. All equipment reservations, pick ups and drop offs must be completed by a certified VCAM Access User. If you are not a member yourself you can still work on projects using VCAM equipment with responsibility falling on the Access User who signed the equipment reservation contract

Q: I graduated with a B.A. in film production do I still have to take your certification workshops?

Yes. All of our certification workshops focus on workflows specific to VCAM equipment and facilites and are geared to people of all skill sets. We have many extremely talented people doing work here at VCAM who also needed to learn VCAM's camera settings and file structures. Don't worry your expertise will surely come in handy shortly thereafter when production begins.

Q: I moved to Montana but am still producing content can I continue to air my program on VCAM?

VCAM Channels 15 and 17 are dedicated to citizens in greater Chittenden County, Vermont. If you do not live, work or attend school within our service area we require that you find a local sponsor for your program. For more information about sponsoring a program on VCAM's public and government access channels please feel free to contact us.

Q: If I am needing a piece of equipment relevant to my video project will VCAM consider purchasing it for me so I can access it?

Short answer, yes. A big part of our mission is to respond to the needs of our community. If you have a noncommercial video project that requires production resources that we don't have please let us know so we can consider them when planning our budget.