To the editor:
As we await an answer from school officials on the fate of the Viking Video Collection, and whether it will be archived in Northeast Historic Film, I feel compelled to also raise awareness of the Viking Video treasury. Sales of our tapes over the years helped to sustain the program with new equipment, and the benefit concert recently held brought in another $500. Folks who gave at that concert hoped that County youth studying video production would benefit from their donations.
Just after the benefit concert, we learned that Viking Video Productions was being shut down. We now have nearly $2,000 in our account with more expected from the showing and sales of our newest release: “Aroostook State Park – Maine’s First.”
With the closure of Viking Video Productions, the last video production class in Aroostook County is disappearing, and County youth will have to travel to Orono and beyond to pursue these courses.
The Final Cut Pro editing system I have taught my students this year, may be learned in southern Maine, but a two-week course costs $2,500 per student. A year long, full-time television production course of study in Bangor, costs more than $17,000 per year.
It may be a long time before County youth return to this area after incurring that sort of debt to take media studies. The least we can do is help them on their way by providing small scholarships drawn from a Viking Video Scholarship fund.
The scholarship fund could be started with money held in the Viking Video Account with additional funds to be added from the royalties received from Northeast Historic Film from sales of stock footage in the Viking Video Collection.
I respectfully request that the superintendent of RSU 39 and board members of RSU 39 give favorable consideration to this idea.
Viking Video instructor
