Undercurrents is an alternative video news network which began with the UK distribution of

videotapes Videotape is magnetic tape used for storing video and usually sound in addition. Information stored can be in the form of either an analog or digital signal. Videotape is used in both video tape recorders (VTRs) and, more commonly, videocassette ...

shot by volunteers. It has since expanded to include a web presence, media training for volunteers, and a

film festival A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more cinemas or screening venues, usually in a single city or region. Increasingly, film festivals show some films outdoors. Films may be of recent date and, depending upo ...

, BeyondTV.

History

Undercurrents is an alternative news agency which came into being in 1994 with a VHS videocassette of news which the founders (Jamie Hartzell, Paul O'Connor, Zoe Broughton, and Thomas Harding) felt were not being addressed by the mainstream media. One of the issues covered was the introduction of the

Criminal Justice Bill Criminal Justice Act (with its many variations) is a stock short title used for legislation in Canada, Malaysia, the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom relating to the criminal law (including both substantive and procedural aspects of that ...

, whose varied measures included attempts to curtail large gatherings both of travelers and raves and make direct action protest a criminal offence. A second video compilation was released before the end of the year. Bands such as

the Levellers The Levellers were a political movement active during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms who were committed to popular sovereignty, extended suffrage, equality before the law and religious tolerance. The hallmark of Leveller thought was its popul ...

included Undercurrents references on their CD sleeves. Radiohead have donated funds and comedian

Mark Thomas Mark Clifford Thomas (born 11 April 1963) is an English comedian, presenter, political satirist, and journalist. He first became known as a guest comic on the BBC Radio 1 comedy show ''The Mary Whitehouse Experience'' in the late 1980s. He is ...

allowed undercurrents to produce and distribute his first DVD to raise funds. Undercurrents was amongst the first groups which coined the phrase 'video activism'- the use of camcorders for social change. A co-founder, Thomas Harding, wrote ''The Video Activist Handbook'' published by

Pluto Press Pluto Press is a British independent book publisher based in London, founded in 1969. Originally, it was the publishing arm of the International Socialists (today known as the Socialist Workers Party), until it changed hands and was replaced ...

. Undercurrents now distribute films via DVD and in 2009 they launched visionOntv - a peer-to-peer TV channel over the internet. Many of the video activists who worked at Undercurrents went on to work at Oxford Channel including Roddy Mansfield, Jason Torrance, Thomas Harding, and Debora Harding. But they found that local TV was not the way forward and Undercurrents continued to distribute via DVD and community screenings. In 2009 they launche
The Sol Cinema
a micro touring cinema powered by lithium batteries and designed by Jo Furlong. Celebrating the tenth anniversary of both Undercurrents and '' SchNEWS'' in 2004, writer and activist

George Monbiot George Joshua Richard Monbiot ( ; born 27 January 1963) is a British writer known for his environmental and political activism. He writes a regular column for ''The Guardian'' and is the author of a number of books. Monbiot grew up in Oxfordsh ...

wrote,

"There are plenty of alternative media in Europe, but I've yet to come across any which are as informative and entertaining as these. If ever I forget why I'm an activist, Undercurrents and Schnews are there to remind me. ��Whenever I've seen a copy of Undercurrents, I feel my head's going to explode with inspiration and new ideas".

Undercurrents has won a number of awards includin
Digital Hero awards 2011
as well as film festivals in Germany, Tokyo, France, USA, UK, and the Czech republic.

Status

Undercurrents subsequently became a non-profit company and a registered charity. Having previously moved their office from

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, they are now based in The Environment Centre in Swansea.

Court Cases

Some of their footage of political protests has been used in court cases, including footage of the Genoa G8 summit, and a police raid on indymedia work spaces.

Current projects

In 2006, Undercurrents was chosen as ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

s campaign of the week. The article stated that Undercurrents' "most successful piece is probably ''Evolving Minds'', a film by Melissa Gunasena about dealing with mental health problems". The following year, Undercurrents released ''EcoVillage Pioneers''- a documentary exploring sustainable low-impact communities around the world. Many of their latest videos are hosted on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

. Undercurrents have also embarked upon a new project for distributing activists' videos. Undercurrents are currently producing video podcasts about environmental issues such as

climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to ...

. Online video series include ''On the Push- Surfing and Climate change'', ''A-Z of

Bushcraft Bushcraft is the use and practice of skills, thereby acquiring and developing knowledge and understanding, in order to survive and thrive in a natural environment. Bushcraft skills provide for the basic physiological necessities for human li ...

& Survival'', ''Roundwood Timber Frame building'', and ''Living in the Future- Ecovillages''.

References

External links

*
Undercurrents
at the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery (United Kingdom), National Lot ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Undercurrents Citizen journalism Mass media in Wales Companies based in Swansea Alternative journalism organizations