In Part 1 of this article, we covered the process of creating a video from a collection of still photos. We focused on the technical side: cropping and processing the images correctly for video display, adding an effective soundtrack, and arranging the components on the timeline. At this point, you could simply output the video to a DVD or the Web and call it a day, but why stop there? Here's how you can get your movie onto TV.

It works because of a surprising government mandate. In America, public access television (also called "cable access") is a construct of the FCC that was started in 1971. Basically, the idea is this: If private cable companies are going to inconvenience the public by digging up sidewalks and roads to lay their pipes, and keep all the money, the cable companies have to give back to the community by allowing members of that community to come on the channel for free, stand on a soapbox, and say and do whatever they'd like, regardless of how marginal.

This citizen programming has to comply with community standards, but not always to broadcast technical standards. So you often end up with poorly produced shows where people rant about fringe topics; swear; and, depending on the community, even get naked. (New York City had a naked talk show for a long time.) You can't have sex on cable access, but you can usually talk about it in ways you'd never see on broadcast TV.

You can't sell anything on your show, can't use hate speech, and can't incite riots, but aside from all that stuff, you can do pretty much whatever you want. Cable access is one of my favorite examples of government bureaucrats actually doing something very cool. And they can't keep you off the air. If you follow their guidelines, and aren't a creep to deal with, they have to air your show when a slot becomes available.

Australia and Canada have similar systems; it's called "community television" in Australia and "community channel" in Canada.

Not many people do watch cable access, but many people can. My show was on five regional systems in Southern California, pumped into over a million homes. I don't know how many watched it, but a lot have the capacity to watch anything on cable access, especially in a large metropolitan area like Los Angeles, where I live.

Getting a Show

Getting a show is easy. You call your local cable provider and ask to talk to the person in charge of public access. You introduce yourself and politely tell them you want a show and will produce it at home. You tell them the name of your show and what it will be. I said, "Stills of my cat and my wife and my yard, animated into video, with instrumental music I composed — and my wife and me yakking — underneath."

(You must have rights to any music you use on a cable access show, and will be required to sign a paper attesting to that. I use my own music, since I own it. If you do not produce your own music, you can get music that is free to use, with attribution, from the Podsafe Network.)

The producer will tell you if a slot is available now, and put you on the waiting list if one isn't. (If you get on the waiting list, call back once a month anyway, to see if anyone has canceled. Cable producers are very busy, and being proactive about calling people back is not at the top of their list.)