This is not a sit around group, this is trial by fire. If you want to get involved in video production, and are an adult of sound mind and body this may be for you. We meet to voluntarily exchange media and production work.
The rules:
RULE #1: You are not a participant, you are a reporter of the news, you do not place your self in danger, you do not place others in danger, you do not personally comment on situations or editorialize, you cover others at the event talking. They are the subject, not any of us in the meetup.
RULE #2: If you want to make sure what you want get's published, either publish it your self on social media, or, convince someone in the group or outside of the group to publish. Just because you are part of the group, does not mean anyone has any obligation to contribute to your work. This is a loosely based meetup.
RULE #3: Bring your skills. If you like being a reporter, if you want to do audio engineering, if you want to write music with true current social meaning, then this is an opportunity.
RULE #4: Try to share your skills with others, there will always be video to produce, if you want to do video production, audio production, anything in the stream to create a news worthy news piece, this is your opportunity.
RULE #5: Do this because you enjoy it, try to have fun, help others, try make meaning of the chaos.
RULE #6: We attend public meeting using Open Meeting Law, in New Jersey this means you can only video speakers or officials, due to NJ draconian laws the public in a meeting has a 'right to privacy' at a meeting. In New York all present at meeting may be recorded. Recording can not interfere with an orderly meeting. NOTE: Every meeting will generate media to produce, I will generate it and provide it under Creative Commons, so if you are downstream of Video and Audio capture, don't worry, you will always have at least my work to work with.
I started this group when I found out that out of a city of 6+ million, there was no planned coverage of THE Post Ambrose LNG public hearing in Queens. It does not matter if you are a Conservative, Liberal, Progressive or any other affiliation. If you want to get involved with video production, this is an opportunity. For my personal work, I always publish creative commons, unless I included copy write material granted to me specifically for my production. Musicians and Sound engineers are badly needed.
FYI
BE PREPARED!
Federal and State hearings for unpopular infrastructure projects happen many times in the dead of winter, on the coldest evening with virtually no public transit access. When I was at the Queens meeting it was dark and in the teens, I could not imagine any elderly person or sane person taking a multi-link trip to that location, and saw none waiting at bus stop.
If you want to be on the short list of people to be notified of short notice events, contact me. I always announce on the website, but sometimes less than 24 hours are given in advance notice.