Project grants/The GLAM-Wiki Revolution/Report

Completion

Is your project completed?

YES

Have you submitted all receipts for any expenses paid?

YES

All receipts are submitted and costs reimbursed.

Activities and lessons learned

This section describes what the grantee did, and what the grantee learned from implementing the project. This section should be useful to others implementing similar projects and is an opportunity for the grantee to reflect on the project's performance.

Activities

Filming York Castle Museum

Provide a brief list of activities performed to complete this project, and descriptions of these activities. This section should also include links to pictures, blog posts, or videos from the project or event if appropriate.

The most obvious component of the project was the conducting of the interviews. Over the course of three weeks in July 2014 we talked to 8 individuals: 2 employees of Wikimedia UK, 1 museum employee, and 5 Wikimedians in Residence - past and present. Katie Chan generously assisted on the shoots, in York, Edinburgh, and at the Royal Society of London’s headquarters at Carlton House Terrace. Over the following fortnight we completed the edit of the film, producing over 20 drafts before reaching the final cut. During Wikimania we showed the film during a session on Saturday and it was well-received by attendees (photo from the screening). The full film was uploaded to YouTube and Wikimedia Commons later that week, licensed CC-BY-SA 4.0. Over the following two months we edited a number of shorter videos using footage that had not made the final cut of the main film. In addition we wrote up the interviews into articles which were posted on the Wikimedia UK blog.

Lessons learned

What lessons were learned that may help others succeed in similar projects? Consider the following questions and respond with 1 - 2 sentences.

What went well?

Interviews were, on the whole, of good quality and accurately presented the facts in an easily-accessible way, addressing our target audience well. We stuck to a strict timescale and kept everything organised to prevent the shoot from becoming too long. The flow of the full film was good thanks to a structured plan developed in advance of filming.

What did not go well?

Due to time constraints we were unable to find ideal locations for all of the interviews, resulting in some not turning out as well as we would have liked. Lighting for some of the interviews was fairly patchy but as shooting progressed we grew more capable at lighting the shots.

What would you do differently if you were to plan a similar project in the future?

Although there were benefits to working in such a small team, the ability to work quickly and largely unimpeded by process, it would have been helpful to have have had more people involved in certain areas, a dedicated person to handle colour correction or sound editing for instance. Additionally, the short time frame meant that we were in almost every case unable to visit the interview locations prior to the date of filming. Ideally we would have had time to visit in advance and so have a better idea in advance of how to light the shots and set up the cameras etc.

Expected outcomes

Main film (also on YouTube)

This section should reference the expected outcomes and measures of success described in the approved grant submission.

Provide the expected outcomes here.

• 20 minute documentary film
• 5 shorter videos
• 5 blog posts

Did you achieve the expected outcomes? How do you know the outcome was achieved?

The outcomes are all displayed at The GLAM-Wiki Revolution. On all but one of the shorter videos we were able to deliver. The videos can be found on Commons and YouTube. The blog posts can all be found here.

Impact

This section ties this project to Wikimedia UK's broader goals, and shows what the project accomplished.

What impact did this project have on WMUK's mission and the strategic goals?

In the grant request, we said that the project aligned that the project aligned with strategic goals G2a, G3.2 and G5, and we believe it did so. The core benefit of the project was the spreading of awareness of the different GLAM projects supported by Wikimedia UK. We had aimed to have around 1000 views on YouTube within the first month; from 13 Aug 2014 – 9 Sep 2014 it received 1170 with an estimated 5297 minutes watched (about 3 days 16 hours). Over that same period Wikimedia UK's YouTube channel also had a net gain of 22 subscribers. The video was shared through Wikimedia social media channels (Facebook and Twitter), greatly increasing its traffic. The main film has received over 1500 views on YouTube as of 1 November 2014. Since the video was published on Wikimedia Commons, members of the international Wikimedia community have contributed to translating the subtitles into a number of languages, with four - German, Finnish, French and Swedish - fully completed.

Footage from the project has also been incorporated into another video, produced for the chapter, which can be seen here. We are happy to make interview footage from this project available to others who wish to use it in this way upon request.

Reporting and documentation of expenditures

Did you send documentation of all expenses paid with grant funds to the office? Answer "Yes" or "No".

Yes

Final comments

Include any final comments you may have.