For those that are already attending, thanks and we’ll see you there! If you’ve thought about registering, we just want to give you a heads up that the early bird special rates will be ending on May 31st. If you register now, you can save up to 35% on registration.

Additionally, we’ll be ending our call for session proposals on the same day.

If you’re still on the fence about attending, we’ll be rolling out some pretty cool announcements this week that just might solidify your decision. Here’s a quick recap on the basics of this year:

What: OVC 2011 is a smaller and more focused event. You’ll spend your time meeting people, making things, and laying plans. New policy initiative? New software project? This year’s event is designed for builders, tinkers, makers, and doers.

Who: 300+ developers, designers, lawyers, and storytellers exploring the possibilities of free culture and open source video.

When: September 10-12, 2011

Where: New York Law School

Stay tuned tomorrow and the rest of the week for updates on what’s going in this year’s OVC. For now please enjoy this awesome OVC 2010 video by Jacob Caggiano:

 

Download: [ogv] [mp4]

The Open Video Alliance in association with The Institute for Information Technology at New York Law School are now accepting proposals for this year’s Open Video Conference. We want to hear your ideas!

What Kind Of Proposals Are You Looking For?

Do you have ideas about how to make web video better? Do you want to convene the smartest people working in technology, policy, and the creative arts to solve a big problem? If so, you’re probably the right person to lead a session at OVC 2011 in New York. We’re looking to assemble 16 hands-on working groups to advance the open video movement.

Maybe you’re working on a killer piece of software that will revolutionize online video. Maybe you’re working on a groundbreaking documentary that uses the web in new and interesting ways. Maybe you’re working on a policy proposal that will make more voices heard in the new media environment.

What have you learned in the process? What would make online video more participatory, more generative, more dynamic? How can we harness the potential of online video to bring new tools of creative and political expression to a mass audience?

What’s your idea? We want to hear it. The deadline is May 31st.

What Do You Mean By ‘Open Video’?

In the narrowest technical sense, open video is the idea that basic video technologies must be available in free and open source implementations. But more than that, open video is a vision for a participatory medium, in which individuals are empowered to wield video to share their message as powerfully as they can with text. For its potential to be fully realized, online video must be a dynamic medium that invites clipping, archival, remix, collage, repurposing, and other transformations that are currently inhibited by law or by lack of tools.

Do You Provide Funding?

We will award travel grants to the most promising sessions, in accordance with need and other factors. Since OVC is a non-profit event, we kindly ask that you seek funding from your company or institution before accepting a travel grant.

We accept proposals on a rolling basis, but we will be in touch no later than June 21st. Questions? Let us know! Write to conference@openvideoalliance.org. We look forward to seeing you this Fall!