TELEVISION TRAINING WORKSHOP - New Delhi

September 17, SATURDAY

The workshop started off on September 17th morning with all participants from Europe and India.

After the initial formalities, the highlight was sharing video material produced by the participants. Certainly a great start for bonding and exchanging thoughts on technique and narratives.

Dr. S.Y. Quaraishi, Director - General, National Aids Control Organisation set the workshop rolling with the first intervention. He focussed on the role media can play in communicating HIV/AIDS issues and highlighted the Government of India strategy for AIDS control in the coming years.

September 18, SUNDAY

A survey was specifically conducted as a foundation of the workshop. Between August 1 and August 31, 2005, over ten television channels in India were tracked for news stories, features and PSAs concerning HIV / AIDS. The participants had a chance to discuss a couple of clips from this survey. (All the clips and the analysis will be available to them as part of their reference base before they go into post-production work in Berlin later this year.)

The intervention of Dr. Pradeep Seth, Virologist and Biotechnologist, was received with great attention and led to many possibilities for story ideas.
Later, with penis models and condoms scattered around the room, the participants went through the seemingly fun-driven, but basic issues of sex and sexuality. The European participants had a brief glimpse of the Indian tradition of Kamasutra, when Ashok Babu said why not have different sexual poses with one partner instead of the same pose with one partner.

In contrast, the session with Sanjay Kaul put communication of HIV / AIDS messages into a clinical framework of marketing principles. He emphasised the need to analyse the attributes of the 'product' and break it into small parts that can / should be addressed for targeted groups through holistic (read: across-the- board supportive) communication strategies

September 19, MONDAY

For many of the participants, the day they met members of the Delhi Network of Positive Persons will remain etched in their memory. Loon Gangte, Naveen Kumar and Shweta brought the world of People Living With HIV / AIDS right at the core of the workshop dynamics.

Later in the day, the Advisor, Social Marketing at National Aids Control Organisation (NACO), Kapil Kaul, conducted a critical informative session. He brought two of the NACO HIV / AIDS campaigns presently in the stage of idea-development with advertising agencies and threw it open for comments.

September 20, TUESDAY

From here on, the participants began moving from the intense and specific world of HIV /AIDS to production issues. They had a chance to view the first of a series of three UNESCO films entitled Video Training Basics - Sound.
(These films were made by formedia for PSBT / UNESCO in 2003-4. The participants were very happy to receive the set of three films on Camera, Sound and Editing as a gift from the project.)
The participants spent the day on practical and theoretical sessions with the tutor, P. D. Valson.

Later in the day, participants had the opportunity to see the HIV / AIDS scenario of India in a global perspective.
Noble Thalari, Communications Officer, UNAIDS, India, highlighted the status of Eastern Europe that is not still fully understood, especially in India.
Laurent le Danois, Health and Communications Expert at the European Commission Delegation in New Delhi, gave an overview of the EU projects in India that concerned linkages between communication and HIV / AIDS.
(Subsequently, Laurent le Danois has been in constant touch with valuable inputs for the participants.)

September 21, WEDNESDAY

Participants viewed the Camera film. The screening was followed by a hands-on session, where they were given training tasks for shooting in different parts of New Delhi. The footage was later screened before the group and followed by a very pro-active and interactive discussion.

The visit of Andrew Whitehead, BBC World Service Trust was an important input for the participants. He shared information alongwith the screening of HIV / AIDS social messaging on a series presently being aired on the Indian national broadcaster, Prasar Bharati (erstwhile Doordarshan).
The interactive session with Andrew Whitehead was especially fruitful, since he has also worked as a correspondent for BBC World in India. He pointed out some important aspects of newsworthiness in context of the commonly quoted 'AIDS fatigue' syndrome and the need to 'manufacture' (read: creatively construct) stories that evoke interest.

September 22, THURSDAY

Participants received their last formal inputs about the project on this day.
A pre-recorded interview with Savyasaachi Jain of Thomson Foundation highlighted the issues of language and interpretation while reporting on HIV / AIDS. A pre-print xerox copy of the Thomson foundation handbook for journalists was handed over to the participants.

Kirsten Lindberg, Project Manager at the EC Delegation in Delhi, gave the participants an overview of the EuropeAid funded EU-India Economic Cross-Cultural Programme and the various initiatives under the Media dimension, including those related to HIV / AIDS. This helped the participants to position themselves within the broader aims and goals of interculturalism at the global level.

September 22, THURSDAY to October 3, MONDAY

Apart from this, the participants moved onto the phase of action that lasted until the end of the workshop.

They had a warm-up shooting session that took them to the older, crowded parts of Delhi. The whole exercise of being amidst a crowd, managing to shoot while people were watching and pouring over them, was a bit overwhelming.

The participants then formed out into teams of two each, one European and one Indian. The teams had two days to think and prepare their ideas for pitching to the tutors. The process of idea development was continuously supported by the tutors. Members of the Delhi Network of Positive People were also available for inputs and the nuances of interpretation on various issues.

The technical health expert, Dr. Jaya Shreedhar, gave the participants a special session on what role the media is expected to play in advocacy, with pointers on what issues they should be focusing on and why. Through the finalization of ideas, she was in constant interaction with the different teams to help evolve an approach to the themes.

To help evolve the ideas around people that speak for themselves, the participants received an additional opportunity to meet with spokespersons from the Delhi Network of Positive People with the help of Naveen Kumar, who later co-ordinated all arrangements for shooting. The participants were able to meet Kumar, Mike, Anil John, Madan, Niyang and Hatneu. Most stories for news features and ideas for Public Service Announcements got their thrust and form after this interaction.

The pitching day was the most serious day of the workshop. All participants were present on the dot, dressed for the occasion, ready to pitch to the tutors. External mentors, Sikander Bhasin, S. Dhanapal and Sunita Bhasin, joined the participants from this day. With the additional technical support of Surendra Rawat and Sandeep Bhatt, they were part of the entire production process with the participants.

Each team had a chance to present two ideas. Unfortunately, some teams presented two individual ideas instead of team-ideas.
(This was probably the only disappointing aspect of the workshop, which was aimed at being a conceptual cross-cultural effort. Nonetheless, even these teams ultimately worked together as a team on the productions.)

The tutors found it difficult to make the final shortlist. In fact, inspite of their best intention, one good idea and one individual idea could not be accommodated wihin the framework of the workshop.

The air was tense when the final decisions were announced:
1.
Team: Carita Pettersson and Ratna Shukla – News Feature
Theme: Treatment, Patent and Access to HIV / AIDS care in context of India
2.
Team: Neville Powis and Noopur Tiwari – News Feature
Theme: Status of the Communication Strategies for HIV / AIDS in India
3.
Team: Stefano Lanini and Jose Jude Mathew – News Feature
Theme: Workplace, employment and People Living with HIV / AIDS
4.
Team: Carola Hesse and Prem Kumar Aman – PSA
Theme: Children in the world of HIV / AIDS
5.
Team: Emily McDowell and Mukesh Anand – PSA
Theme: Sharing the world with People Living with HIV / AIDS
6.
Team: Silke Kettelhake and Maria Thanglura – PSA
Theme: Condom Use

The recee trips, shooting plans and shooting stretched out over the rest of the days, with teams leaving at six in the morning, returning to base late at night, shooting at airports in the middle of the night, returning in the wee hours of the morning. Hectic, busy and exciting as production schedules are.
All six teams had their own camera units, technical support, vehicles and moved independently.

As shooting progressed, all tapes were uploaded and downloaded on CDs. The teams could not wait to begin previewing and reviewing their material. Some decided to shoot more, some were satisfied, some were undecided. All quite normal and very much in form.

The participants carried their CDs back with them in preparation for the edit scheduled for the second workshop at Deutsche Welle Akademie in Berlin, Germany.

The rest was all goodbyes and feedback forms that were immensely gratifying to the organizers of the project.

2.30pm to 5.30pm Post-Preview Discussion
Option: Extra Shooting

October 2, SUNDAY
9.30AM to 5.30PM Discussion for narrative style and sequencing
Option: Extra Shooting