Civil Rights

Hi all, I wanted to share some of my presentation on this blog, sometimes I get choked up when speaking in front of a big group, so here is a re-cap. . .

The civil rights movement was a worldwide political movement for equality before the law, occurring between approximately 1950 and 1980. Civil rights means that people have the right to be treated the same regardless of their race, gender, or religion,

practical issues of discrimination remained.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRsX30Jv5nE&feature=related

W.E.B. (William Edward Burghardt) Dubois was one of the most influential black leaders of the first half of the 20th Century. He shared in the founding of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, or NAACP, in 1909.

Malcolm X impacted the Civil Rights Movement by helping to implement laws, he also made America look at how existing laws were routinely ignored.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kv8P3Qn9ZRs&feature=related

Rosa Parks, an African-American woman, refused to give her seat to a white person on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Rosa Parks was arrested on December 1st as required by the city ordinance. The bus boycott was launched. The bus segregation ordinance was declared unconstitutional. Segregation on interstate buses and trains was banned by Federal Interstate Commerce Commission.

Dr. King’s 1963 Letter from Birmingham Jail inspired a growing national civil rights movement. In Birmingham, the goal was to completely end the system of segregation in every aspect of public life (stores, no separate bathrooms and drinking fountains, etc.) and in job discrimination. Also in 1963, King led a massive march on Washington DC where he delivered his now famous, I Have A Dream speech. King’s tactics of active nonviolence (sit-ins, protest marches) had put civil-rights squarely on the national agenda.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUP_ISA030c

Social intolerance

I have been researching social intolerance for the last week and a half. This is a very hard isssue to deal with in society because of people having deep deep feelings and believes about other religions and races. I think there will always be intolerance in the united states but we have to wok together to understand other religions and cultures

ZERO BUDGET FILM MAKING

This specific channel has a budget of NADA when making their short films. Here is an example of one of them.

Scarlet's Witch

This particular short film lets your mind wander and then blows it away. Another low/ no budget film.
Lovefield

our fantastic teams are set!

In no particular order, below are the teams for Spring 2011.

Team 1:

Team Name: The Three Amigos

Team Co-leaders: Joey Augustyn, Rachel Orovets

Team Members: Joey Augustyn, Rachel Orovets

Team 2:

Team Name: The Jerks

Team Leader: Jamie Azar

Team Members: Jamie Azar, Emily Bobb, Megan Campbell

Team 3:

Team Name: The Generics

Team Leader: Megan Clark

Team Members: Megan Clark, Kelly Green, Justin Mack

Team4:

Team Name: Exquisite Corpse

Team Co-leaders: Kimberly Carson, Emily Kuhn, Eric Schwendler

Team Members: Kimberly Carson, Emily Kuhn, Eric Schwendler

3 film genres

1.       Documentary films

2.       Narrative shorts

3.       Art experimental

Documentary – documenting reality (non-fiction)

-          Most familiar

-          Increasingly more difficult to define

o   More portable video & sound equipment

o   Prices decreasing = easier access to equipment

-          Creates more intimate relationships between the filmmaker and sbuject

-          Features (movie theatres)

o   Typically large budgets

o   Typically commercialized with director’s interpretation of fact

§   

o   i.e. March of the Penguins http://www.nationalgeographic.com/marchofthepenguins/

o   i.e. Cove http://www.thecovemovie.com/

-          Short length  (tv or web usage)

o   i.e. Current TV’s Vanguard Commentary http://current.com/

o   i.e. Travel Channel’s  Anthony Bourdain No Reservation http://www.travelchannel.com/TV_Shows/Anthony_Bourdain

-          In Class EXAMPLE

o   Current TV’s Vanguard Commentary “Immigrants Still Searching for a Better Life”

o   Preview clip of 1 hr long episode in series (one of many subject matters)

Narrative Short – telling or recounting a story (fiction)

-          Shorter then feature, but can be just as powerful

-          Feature is to a novel as a narrative short is to a short story

-          Every second counts!

-          There are many ways to tell a story

-          In Class EXAMPLE

o   Pixar’s Alma http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58iXypYPNrw

Experimental Cinama –

-          Called “Avant-Garde” in the 1920s or “Underground” in the 1960’s

-          Opposed to/opposite mainstream commercial & documentary filmmaking

-          Difficult to define characteristics

o   The absence of linear narrative

o   Use of various abstracting techniques

§  Out of focus

§  Painted or scratched film

§  Rapid editing

o   Soundtrack that does not narrate or tell events

o   Not soundtrack at all

o   Etc…

-          Usually low budget or self funded (grants)

-          Small crew or even just 1 person

-          Includes styles like non-narrative, impressionists, or poetic

-          Influences commercial work

o   Cinematography, visual effects & editing

o   i.e. advertisements or music videos

-          Many experimental filmmakers cross over to do features

-          In Class EXAMPLES

o   The Darkness of Days

§  International Documentary Film Award

§  About Suicide

§  Collage of black and white  footage complimented by the male voice-over reading a depressed man;s diary

§  http://www.idfa.nl/industry/tags/project.aspx?id=69fcbfa7-64af-4766-a84a-c02031d67afa&tab=dfs

o   Sally Potter - RAGE

§  Cross over film maker doing features

§  Make note of Potter’s point of view on filmmaking

§  Notice her work is considered experimental, but does not offer any of the above examples of experimental cinema themes

§  http://www.sallypotter.com/trailers

Real Life, Real Experiences - Welcome to Rethinking Race 2011

Students should gain an understanding of the process of producing and directing a documentary, art / experimental video or narrative short. Storytelling is key, and will be the emphasis of this semester. Students will learn production of video projects and the functions of production personnel in above-the-line and below-the-line positions.

experience is overrated. passion is expected.