Audition Videos for PBS's NOVA at GSSP!

Dear fellow TACos, I've got a gravy job at GSSP: To interview on video any amateur astronomer that will allow me to! The videos will be sent to a PBS station in the Twin Cities as an audition for a future interview/taping by one more professional than myself. The PBS program, to be released later this year, is entitled "The History of the Telescope."  Here is your chance to ham it up on camera, show off your equipment, and just be your enthusiasiastic self about The Universe! Visual aastronomers, as well as imagers, as well as beginners, as well as telescope makers, as well as . . . well, what else is there? Sidewalk astronomers? . . . All are included in this invitation. A list of questions--as given to me--though I am sure we can be flexible/creative here--are below. . . Think about how you want to answer--or add to--them. Any assistants--especially kids--to help me ask the questions will be welcome. Don't know who I am? Can't recognize (another) male-bald-headed-old-astro-codger from another? I promise to wear only tie-died or Che Guevara T-shirts, okay? My vehicle is a silver Honda Element: Feel free to seek me out, in other words.    Ray Cash Petaluma, CA ________________________________ Download the AOL Classifieds Toolbar for local deals at your fingertips.   ________________________________ From: To: Raycash@No-Spam Sent: 6/17/2009 7:48:07 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time Subj: Star Party shooting We’d like you to ask each interviewee these questions:   1. Name and email address. Make this the first statement in each interview. Also keep a running list with their address and phone so we can get in touch with them. 2. Describe your telescope (or another telescope if they do not happen to have theirs at the star party) as if you were explaining how it works to someone who knows nothing about telescopes. 3. If they have additional accessories, like favorite eyepieces, digital setting circles, star maps, etc. ask them to explain those as well. 4. Very important: Describe the night sky as if it were dark. What are the features you see with the naked eye? What objects are faintly visible with the naked eye? 5. What objects would you show a first-time visitor to a star party? Describe one of those objects. 6. Finally, why are they an amateur astronomer? How did they get interested in observing the night sky and what rewards or excites them about the hobby.   This gives you a sense of what we’re looking for.   We’ll be reviewing these auditions with our producers and deciding who we might tape at a later time. We’ll contact them directly.   The program is a two-hour special on the history of the telescope that will air on PBS before the end of the year. ________________________________ Download the AOL Classifieds Toolbar for local deals at your fingertips. You agree to shoot short interviews, ideally no longer than 10 minutes, with as many amateur astronomers as you can over the course of two days. We want you to record interviews with at least 25 amateurs, if possible. We’d like you to include both women and men if possible.   These interviews should be shot during daylight, not when it’s dark.   None of the footage you are shooting will be used for any form of broadcast. These interview are for audition purposes only. Frame the shots tight so we get a good sense of the person.    We’d like you to ask each interviewee these questions:   1. Name and email address. Make this the first statement in each interview. Also keep a running list with their address and phone so we can get in touch with them. 2. Describe your telescope (or another telescope if they do not happen to have theirs at the star party) as if you were explaining how it works to someone who knows nothing about telescopes. 3. If they have additional accessories, like favorite eyepieces, digital setting circles, star maps, etc. ask them to explain those as well. 4. Very important: Describe the night sky as if it were dark. What are the features you see with the naked eye? What objects are faintly visible with the naked eye? 5. What objects would you show a first-time visitor to a star party? Describe one of those objects. 6. Finally, why are they an amateur astronomer? How did they get interested in observing the night sky and what rewards or excites them about the hobby.   This gives you a sense of what we’re looking for.   We’ll be reviewing these auditions with our producers and deciding who we might tape at a later time. We’ll contact them directly.   The program is a two-hour special on the history of the telescope that will air on PBS before the end of the year.

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June 8, 2009: TAC Web Page Updated http://observers.org/TAC.cgi/Announcements/
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