The 6th Invest in ME 

International ME/CFS Conference 2011

The Way Forward for ME - A Case for Clinical Trials

Conference DVD

To All of Our Friends Who Have Ordered the 2011 Conference DVD (and to those who may do so):

The 6th Invest in ME International ME/CFS Biomedical Research Conference 2011 DVD has now been completed and is being readied for distribution.
 

We apologise for the delay in producing and distributing the DVD. There are reasons for this which are beyond our control so we thought it worthwhile just mentioning how we produce the conference DVDs.

The IiME conferences are documented always on a 4-disc DVD set that is available in PAL (European/Australian) or NTSC (North American) formats and which contains all of the presentations from the conferences and the plenary sessions.
 

For 2011 also included in the DVD set is the IiME pre-conference evening presentation -
 

Science, Politics ... and ME A Transatlantic View of the Influence and Effects of Politics on Research, Media and Healthcare with Dr Ian Gibson and Hillary Johnson

The DVD sets are produced by Invest in ME in association with an excellent professional DVD authoring company with whom we have worked since the first DVD production after the 2006 conference. In those early days IiME did a great deal of the editing, sitting with the DVD authoring company for some 6 weeks or more, editing and checking the filming and then spending most of the evenings, nights and weekends going through sections of each presentation. Luckily we have established a good working relationship with the DVD authoring company and technology has improved so the editing process nowadays is less labour intensive for us.

After the conference is finished the film is delivered to the DVD authoring company and it is encoded. We then begin the work of editing, formatting and designing the DVD. IiME still control the editing and produce the slides, decide the format and design of the DVD sets, decide the position of slides,  design and produce the DVD covers, agree any music and spend a great deal of time going through the film footage. The DVD authoring company is now used to the conferences and is knowledgeable about ME and much of the work is done based on the experiences from previous conference DVD production. From 2009 we have used two cameras in the filming of the conference.

In cooperation with the DVD authoring company we try to remove as many of the unnecessary noises and sounds as possible, such as coughing or occasional sounds from the audience. We have to increase the sound volume of some speakers, remove unnecessary sounds and film blockages (such as people moving around) and generally try to provide the best possible effect from which people can be educated regarding the biomedical research being presented.

Most of this will be transparent when the finished product is viewed - but we thought we would provide an idea as to why the DVD production takes a while before distribution begins.

Another important factor is, of course, that IiME subsidise the cost of the DVD production in order to make it accessible to as many people as possible. The Trustees cover the shortfall in costs that we do not get back through sales. To minimise the cost we work around the DVD company's other projects - which can mean waiting until there are free moments in the company's schedule. In this way we hope to reduce costs - but it can mean a delay.

This year as well we have the new research from the Haukeland University Hospital, Norway. Before the conference the Norwegian presenters, Professor Olav Mella and Dr Øystein Fluge, discussed with us the amount of data that they could present regarding their exciting new research. They wished to present as much as possible but did not wish to compromise the publication of their imminent paper. IiME promised that we would not distribute the DVD (including their presentation) until the Norwegian researchers gave the go-ahead due to the magnitude and implications of their research. In return Professor Mella and Dr Fluge were very open in their presentation and gave as much information as they could.
We do not wish to jeopardise their research publication so we are now awaiting news of their imminent publication before beginning the distribution of the DVD.
Their paper is now completing the peer review process and we would rather wait a little longer before distribution begins in order that we can include this presentation on the DVD as well. 

This has forced a delay but we hope everyone will understand the reason for this. The research by Professor Mella and Dr Fluge, experts in their own (non-ME) field, could be ground-breaking.

The end product of the work in producing the conference DVD set is a professionally produced educational DVD set which can not only educate a range of people from healthcare professionals to patient groups and the media - but can also serve as a historical document.

The conference DVDs have also been used by healthcare professionals to claim professional training points - another important aspect for busy GPs who were not able to attend the conference in person.

This year Invest in ME has also included the pre-conference presentations from Dr Ian Gibson and Hillary Johnson - Science, Politics and ME - an appropriate and topical title when one considers the current orchestrated negative media campaign being waged by a small section of the media who are controlled and influenced by vested interests.

In order to progress research and awareness into this illness Invest in ME made the theme for our CPD-accredited 2011 conference - A Case for Clinical Trials. The DVD set is an essential aid for healthcare professionals, doctors, nurses, paediatricians, occupational therapists, researchers, ME support groups, people with ME and those working in social services, educational support and the media.

 

More details and an order form may be found at this link -http://www.investinme.org/IiME%20Conference%202011/IiME%20International%20ME%20Conference%202011%20DVD%20Orders.htm