My neighbor tipped me off to this show, which I ran over to see as it was getting dark (even though it will still be up for a few more weeks. You can find these portraits tied to the trees in Palumbo Park, next to Fleisher Art Memorial on Catherine between 7th and 8th. The Citypaper has a nice brief description here. I really appreciated the seemingly simple work of intimate portraits with captions that provide a reflective insight into the photo. Writing captions can be a good way to start to investigate the relationship between word (audio) and image.  I can imagine taking one of the video/shot scavenger hunt exercises and adding a captioning component…

After depleting and inhaling 6 aerosol cans of various intensities of spray glue, and still having sagging fabic on the ceiling, I decided to look for a professional. After several frustrated google searches for auto interior shops, I found this comment which stated that “they are very creative. they can install allkinds of gadgets to your cars interior while they are working on it. they dont charge a lot and their work is very good. I love their customer service.” It was closeby- so I called, and that was how I stumbled upon Basem, the owner of this auto interior shop. I arrive at his shop, and we start talking about his family, Israel and Palestine, business, making videos, etc etc. He sees the van, and asks if I like fishing… I think that was his interpretation of the speech bubble squiggles.. to each his own! We find some funky headliner fabric and close the deal. By the end of it all, we are negotiating website building for seat upholstery and planning to shoot a 5-min portrait that can help his business and share his story (he already has the dramatic moments planned out). Stay tuned for more…

Here is a brief video that outlines the process of installing the solar panel on the roof. More to come as I familiarize myself with all the workings and calculations of the system….

I just completed co-teaching a filmmaking workshop in Chester with Sonia Arora who connected us to a group of homeschool kids who she had met while filmming her own short documentary on the subject of homeschooling.

We offered the class for 4 weeks (2-hr sessions) with a group of 7 students ages 8-13. The class took a different format than previous MIM workshops. We allowed the students to take the cameras home with them between classes so that they could document themselves in their home environments.

We allowed them to chose their own topic, but encouraged them to create a personal piece that reflected their interests. We required that the videos stay under 2 minutes.

The eagerness and curiosity of this group of students made the workshops very lively and exciting but also a bit more challenging to focus. There is something fresh and spontaneous about the writing, for example that often happens on the first day, that is difficult to recreate later in the process. Particularly because this group does not have a shared message or perspective that they want to communicate (a few of them were interested in creating pieces that countered the stereotypical ideas of homeschoolers),
but most of them just wanted to express something unique about their interests as kids.

If we were to do this again, I think we would focus on the narrative story first and then build the images from there.

Check out the Map around Chester (west of Philadelphia) to catch a glimpse of these diverse personalities.

Well now that a little money is trickling in for the project, I took the plunge and bought a 180 watt solar panel!

Here is a good article that explains a bit of the process. I purchased a AGB Deep Cycle Battery and an inverter. All I’m missing is the charger controller, and perhaps a battery charger to keep the battery alive while it is in my basement until the Spring.

I’m hoping with an 180 Watt panel, and a 150 Amp Battery to be able to charge up 2 laptops and a monitor for 3 hours a day- since I”m only going out 2-3 times a week, the summer sun should be enough to sustain this.

I’m planning on doing the installation in the Spring. Meanwhile, I’m collecting the goods, and still searching for an efficient way to keep the fabric on the ceiling from not falling down. Help!

Today we visited a wonderful oasis in West Philly, Mill Creek Farm. This working farm has a small staff  and relies on neighborhood volunteers and school groups to keep the farm alive and running. Today they were building a cobb oven when we arrived. They have a compost toilet, a living roof, bee hives and of course rows of herbs and all sorts of vegetables- all pesticide free.

Since this was our first unorganized stop, we were a bit unsure how to plan. We had hoped to give the cameras to community gardeners to document and comment on their experience on the farm. Everyone was busy working, so we ended up doing most of the filmming. We definitely need to work on our ‘pitch’ and a very easy way for people to get involved, and not feel intimidated by ‘making a movie.’

I think when we have the full set up, including the monitor to be showing videos, work stations set up- an awning and chairs for people to congregate- it will be more of an event… but for now, it’s a good learning experience to try out different scenarios and meet awesome people along the way… and of course- keep documenting and growing the connections on the map. CHeck out the map at 49th and Brown for a guided tour! Thanks to Jo and Jade for hosting our visit!

Today MIM had a fun visit to the Asian Arts initiative where Aggie is working with a few students for a week-long media camp, in which they are addressing issues of identity and representation (with a particular eye toward the Iranian American experience). It was a pleasure to work with a small group of very engaged young women. The process was much more laid back. We watched a few shorts, including this music video shot on a cell phone in Tehran which was really inspiring and well done. Soon, I will post clips from the instructional side. Check out these thoughtful videos on the map at 12th and Vine!

On Tuesday I worked again with the VOICES youth, but this time we met in their neighborhood in Southwest at a rec center at 58th and Kingsessing. We were a group of 14 and I was surprised that we got 12 videos done by the end of the day at 4pm. I said up front the simple guidelines were that each video have a message, a voice, and a sense of place.

This time I tried a combination of approaches. We still started out looking a few clips (which didn’t go over too well, because the screen was too small, and the sound was not audible with my speakers)… we reviewed image composition, shots, etc.
I gave them some golden suggestions for filming:
1. Don’t zoom, go closer
2. Let the action create movement, not your hand
3. Frame first, then record
4. No longer than 10 seconds for each shot.
The total video should be no longer than 1 minute.

We then split into 2 groups and one group wrote from the following prompts:
What’s unique about me? What’s unique about my neighborhood? Does where I live or where I come from inform who I am?

For the image group, I treated it like a scavenger hunt and gave them a storyboard with 6 shots and brief descriptions of what each shot should entail, such as
1. How do you see yourself
2. MS- show me something you value
etc…
I think this went well to create a random, but nice connection. Of course the group that wrote first, had an advantage over constructing their images to match up a bit more… but overall the pieces are very different and well represent the neighborhood. Check out the map, SW to see all the videos.

Went back to Centro and VOICES to screen their videos and get some closing reflections (video to come). We also asked them all to write a final message in a speech bubble and add it to the map on the van. I would like to start a leave a bubble, take a bubble exchange- but for now, I’m charmed by seeing the van fill up with random and thoughtful closing tags.

On Thursday I did a workshop with 10 students from the Penrose neighborhood, up by Temple. The summer program is part of a several-year leadership training organized by VOICES and offered to area high school students.

This group has been working on projects related to an exhibition they will have at Tyler, on the topic of curating their neighborhood. Unlike the resistance I have felt from other groups regarding the possibility of positive resources and assets in one’s neighborhood- this group has been doing a lot of historical research and interviews to learn about the history and resources present in thier neighborhood- and they have really gained a sense of pride through this process. I wanted them to focus on what they have learned, and what personal impact this process has had on them- and by extension, what message do they want to share about this process with their community?  We tried out a more general postcard template for the first time:

Videos will be posted tomorrow!!