Coney Island Library Celebrates New State-Of-The-Art TV Studio
Brooklyn residents can now film themselves walking on the moon when they visit the Coney Island Library.
City Councilman Mark Treyger and State Senator Diane Savino took part in a formal ribbon cutting ceremony on Tuesday to celebrate the opening of a new state-of-the-art TV studio on the library’s second floor.
“As a former public school teacher, I am a major supported of career technical education programs,” Treyger said. “When residents watch television shows and programs, I want them to know there is a career behind this industry.”
The new studio comes with a green screen, three Panasonic cameras, a TriCaster switcher to manage production, and comprehensive graphics programs.
The equipment was provided by the independent media nonprofit BRIC, which has partnered with the Brooklyn Public Library to offer free and low-cost media courses in four different library branches. However, this is the first location outside of BRIC’s main building in Fort Greene where the public has access to professional studio equipment.
“You really couldn’t ask for two groups that are more alike,” BRIC’s director of community media Anthony Riddle said of the partnership between BRIC and the library. “The history of the library is about free speech, it’s about freedom to learn, and it’s about free access to everybody. And that’s pretty much what we’re about.”
BRIC classes at the Coney Island Library range in price up to $60, including many that are free. Students will be able to get certified on the equipment so that they can develop their own television shows to air on the Brooklyn Public Network.
Aaron Bramwell, who started taking BRIC video production classes and now hosts his own community access show, said BRIC helps to encourage collaboration between different artists.
“Part of the certification is that you work on four shows that aren’t yours,” he said. “So we all work on each other’s shows. That way, you get qualified people and you know who they are and what they’re capable of doing.”
Savino noted that the library reopened only two years ago after being destroyed by Hurricane Sandy. She called the new TV studio an important step in rebuilding the community.
“This library really means something to the people of this peninsula. It’s not just a place to keep books,” she said. “Young kids who grew up in Coney Island, sometimes, they don’t leave the island. And they don’t see opportunities that might be there. This is a chance for them to take a look at a career in the media.”
To sign up for classes at the Coney Island Library, located at 1901 Mermaid Avenue near West 19th Street, or if you have questions about course offerings, call BRIC at 718-683-5645.