And we love doing a lot of things...
UPTV (University of Pittsburgh Television) is a student television station at the University of Pittsburgh. Its purpose is to provide television and film production training to Pitt students. It provides cameras and other filming equipment, as well as computers to edit and create finished projects. Students may either create their own project or help in the production of a number of shows and films. The station has an office in the William Pitt Union, next to WPTS-FM.
UPTV was started in the Spring of 2000 under the name "The Creation Station". It was founded in response to the fact that Pitt's film department offered no production experience.
Pitt offered a good theory-only program, but did not provide students the hands-on experience they needed to pursue a career in film or television. There were courses available through Pittsburgh Filmmakers, an outside institution, but entry was severely limited, and the training was technically focused, rather than creative.
The University of Pittsburgh Honors College and Communications Departments provided much of the support for the set-up of the station, with additional funding from the Pitt Student Government Board. It took two years of fundraising, planning, lobbying, and installation before it went on the air. In the mean time, it functioned off-air as a student activities group, producing original films and offering training programs to students. It finally began broadcasting on March 15, 2002 (on channel 46). It was three years before the University granted it a room, until then it was housed in a small closet offered by the Communications department. UPTV then broadcasted to Channel 21 in the dorms.
UPTV is now 20 years old! We have such a large group with many shows, and we love allowing people to join the club and be as creative as possible. Although we do not broadcast anymore, we still produce content for others to enjoy.
UPTV is all about original, student produced content. From screenwriting to pre-production, UPTV is centered around bringing your ideas to the group and refining them until they're ready to be made into video gold.
Writing is nice, but what really gets us up in the morning is capturing real life on camera. UPTV members get access to all of the great filmmaking equipment we have, as well as training on how to use it. Everything from HD cameras to tripods and sholder mounts, professional grade microphones and high-quality lighing, UPTV is equiped with only the best. On top of all that, we have the beautiful city of Pittsburgh to use as the setting for all of our production.
I mean, editing can be kind of fun. It's a little relaxing, or something. Alright, cards on the table: editing is kind of tricky, unless you're one of those people who likes editing. However, if you are then we have the perfect studio for you! UPTV's dedicated editing computers have Final Cut Pro and the latest releases of the Adobe Creative Suite for your multimedia generating pleasure.
We love making short films so much that we do it in twenty-four hours every few months during our Twenty-Four Hour Film Fest! Beyond that we spend time working in groups throughout the year on projects that our members want to try, like serialized TV shows or sketch comedy bits. We are also trying to start this year offering student/faculty hosted workshops each month! We also feature groups that focus on outreach to the film community for educational and beneficial experiences! So if any of this sounds interesting to you, check our calendar or get in touch with us, because we'd love to see you in UPTV!
Hi my name is Gina and I taught myself how to do html in 6th grade. I barely remember anything from it, but I'm trying to get this website back up and running. If you'd like to help, please email the uptv email and I'll most likely answer you. We can't pay you for your help, but you'll be a huge part of our hearts. Peace!