Featuring: "The Sandbox"

Recently WGBH launched "The Lab Sandbox," which it describes as "an online destination for independent media makers to produce and showcase innovative content for public media outlets."  The Berkman Center spoke with the team behind "The Lab Sandbox" about their work -- below is the Q&A.

Question: Last week WGBH launched "The WGBH Lab Sandbox." What is it?
Answer: The WGBH Lab Sandbox is a place within the WGBH Lab to watch and download free, rights-cleared, WGBH-owned video footage from our archives. We invite users to play with a selected palate of WGBH footage and to create mashups of the this open content.
The Sandbox is a new addition to WGBH Lab's current features, including the 6:55 Shorts: Open Call and the Filmmakers-in-Residence program. The Lab aims to support the innovative work of independent filmmmakers and open the doors of WGBH to new voices and ideas.

Question: What inspired WGBH to offer free content for others to mix and mash?
Answer: We have been studying the approach taken by the BBC Creative Archive, and the notion of opening up our content seemed like a natural next step for the WGBH Lab. As a conceptual, virtual, and physical space that exists outside the boundaries of WGBH's branded programs, the Lab is an incubator for fresh, diverse voices. We hope that the Lab Sandbox will help foster new ideas and alternative approaches to content creation.

Question: What's next?
Answer: Since the current pool of clips that we managed to clear for the Lab Sandbox is so small, we're trying to develop ways to produce content for open use so that we can expand our offerings. User feedback will help tremendously in this effort. We also hope that the Sandbox draws new users to the Lab who might be interested in exploring some of the Lab's other features, as well. Our goal is for the WGBH Lab to continue to grow into an invaluable tool for independent filmmakers, and a way to welcome new, creative approaches to media to WGBH.