I am

admin — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 21:50:29 +0000

This video was produced in collaboration with the Prodigies Summer program at the Norris Square Neighborhood Project.

Back at Russell Byers Charter School- Powerful Voices for Kids

admin — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 13:33:16 +0000

Last week I returned to Russell Byers Charter School (last summer I did a daylong class there as well).
We got to try out the new MIM toolkits, which was a useful resource have on hand.
I showed a few shorts from the one minute junior site to get us started talking about different concepts:
what do you think: (talk about environment and sequence)
Self portrait food: (talk about editing and representation)
chains: (talk about metaphor and camera angles)
Here is a 10-minute edited clip showing some of the classroom instruction.

At the end of the day, we were able to start to develop our ideas around powerful voice.
The students responded to the prompt: “With my powerful voice, I can express….”
Here are some of the storyboards… I hope the videos will get finished in the coming week!

Here are the videos we produced last year- it was useful to show these to this class to give them an idea of the finished product…

Detroit’s Industrial Past and Visionary Future

admin — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 22:08:53 +0000

A guided tour with historian, autoworker and organizer Rick Feldman at the Packard and Pole Auto Plants in Detroit.

Eco-media in motion: Postcards from Detroit

admin — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 18:12:25 +0000

The Face of Environmental Justice:

Industry and Possibility:

Street Art:

A guided tour with historian, autoworker and organizer Rick Feldman at the Packard and Pole Auto Plants in Detroit.

These videos were produced during the tour Eco-media Messages from Detroit tour during the Allied Media Conference. From these 3 perspectives, you can get a snapshot of the issues addressed, the challenges we face, and the possibilities for the future. Thanks to the supporting organizations who pulled the tour together, and continue this important work in their communities back home:
East Michigan Environmental Action Council
Green Guerilla Griots
Outta Your Backpack Community
Photo by Ryen Davis

On the road to Detroit

admin — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 02:19:58 +0000

I’m heading out to the Allied Media Conference in Detroit.

Stay tuned for videos and posts along the way!

I will be co-presenting this workshop on Friday afternoon:

TOUR: Eco-Media in Motion: Messages from Detroit (Kid Friendly)
Presenters: Climate Confluence Network; Green Guerrillas Youth Media Tech Collective; Messages in Motion; Outta Your Backpack Media; Remedia; Toxic Soil Busters Co-op
TRACK: Eco-Justice Media Making for Sustainable Communities

This session will encourage creative use of media tools and technology to connect social and environmental justice issues. Beginning with a short participatory discussion on the ways in which we engage with nature from a perspective of aesthetic appreciation—as well as the ways in which media can either alienate us from, or draw us closer to, connections with our environments—this two-part bus tour/media-making workshop will take us beyond the conference space to learn about, reflect upon, and co-create eco-media that connects participants local work with environmental justice issues facing residents of Detroit. Artists, beat makers, broadcasters, DJs, grease car drivers, journalists, metaphysicians, off-grid survivors, photographers, poets, videographers, and all others will be invited to document their reflections on the tour through their creative lens, and then collectively work on a multi-media collage that will be shared with AMC2010 and online.

Asian Pacific American Heritage Celebration

admin — Sat, 22 May 2010 23:05:05 +0000

These videos were produced in collaboration with the Asian Arts Initiative as part of a multi-week video production workshop focusing on the production of Immigrant Life Stories- in the Termite TV tradition. I facilitated one workshop with the participants today and we went to a festival that was happening at Franklin Square to record, and reflect on “What it means to feel/be ‘at home.’”
There were the videos that were produced:

Video by Xiaou

Video by Chris

Video by Annie

A voice from the street

admin — Sat, 22 May 2010 22:16:13 +0000

While I was at Franklin Square with my Van door open- waiting for a group of students to return with their videos, I had a visitor.
John asked me what was going on- and I told him what I knew. He proceeded to give me his story about how he became homeless after getting
shot in the foot last January from a stray bullet- not having enough to cover the medical expenses- losing his room, his job, and having to live out on the street. He was particularly bothered by an experience he had in the park moments before when he asked an Asian woman for some help- and she responded something to the extent of he should ask his own people for help- apparently her 8yr daughter didn’t like that answer and extended a handful of candies. After talking for awhile, he asked me too if he could do something- clean the windows, hand out flyers- something for some change. I asked him if he wanted to make a video. At first, surprised, then nervous and into it…
this was his response. I hope he makes it to the library to see it published to the world. These are the ‘renegade’ moments, I appreciate most about this work…

Youth Empowerment Summit

admin — Sat, 22 May 2010 22:00:51 +0000

This collective video was made with a group of 35 students during a one-hour session at the central library as part of the annual Youth Empowerment Summit. This year’s theme was believe, belong, become- so that became the prompt for this piece.

The Sessions

admin — Tue, 18 May 2010 21:52:39 +0000

This video was created during the Mural Arts- Youth Action and Art Program.

Light and Darkness

admin — Thu, 06 May 2010 04:50:50 +0000