Your Voice Here - Martin Luther King Marade

Jan. 20th

Hey All!

So yesterday I got to be camera person for Your Voice Here for the first time and besides the chilly, chilly wind it was an awesome experience. I really enjoyed capturing people's opinions on serious topics. I hope I can continue to help with this so I can perfect my on the go camera skills... I need to remember I'm short and others, well aren't. I also read my two alternet articles last night after class. The first article was about the 10 most and the 10 least tolerant states in the US, had some surprises in there. The second article was about the hatred and violence we all possess in our DNA and how we address it, I don't know if I agree with all the theories but very interesting. Alright, well I hope everyone survived our mini blizzard yesterday and that you have a warm and safe weekend!

Jan 19

We did Your Voice Here today and nearly frose our fingers off! Got some good stuff that I'll be editing tomorrow (thurs). Will also be editing the MLK footage. Thanks for those who were able to go out that day!

Hi all,

I'm doing my articles from home tonight, so I thought I'd go ahead and do my blog post as well. The first article I read tonight is about how prisoners are treated in super-max prisons, like the Florence facility here in Colorado (link). The article describes how prisoners are regularly beaten and put in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day. Radios and television are not allowed, and cell lights are on day and night (it goes into much further detail in the article). There is no doubt that most of the people put in super-max prisons are put there because they are a threat to themselves and others, but I wonder if such severe conditions like that would dehumanize prisoners further and even contribute to their violent tendencies.

The other article I read was about proposed laws regulating immigration legislation (link). It was definitely a more challenging read than the other article. It's looking like 2011 is going to be an interesting year for this kind of legislation, particularly because many states have seen a sharp increase in their immigrant population. Some states are trying to pass more immigrant friendly bills, and some are trying to copy Arizona's harsh and controversial legislation.

Aside from browsing these articles, lately I've been capturing shorts from the Grit TV tapes, which is a great way to see bits and pieces of up and coming documentaries and TV programs.

That's all for tonight. I'll see everyone Friday!

Last Days:

Sad to say, but these guys will be out o here soon. 

Jenny: January 28th
Adam: February 2nd
Shay: Febrary 3rd


Eliza will be taking over the Action Calendar for Adam.
Ginny will be taking over Your Voice Here for Shay.

-Lauren

PSA Research/MLK marade

This week I created a google doc for the new PSA documentaries. I feel like it's going well and I'm making steady progress finding videos. At first it was difficult to sift through the millions of videos on the web for the right content, but so far care2, currentTV, and vimeo have been the most successful resources. If anyone knows of other useful sites or search engines please let me know!

Also, I'll be documenting the MLK marade this Monday (1/17/2011) with some equipment the staff let me borrow. If anyone has any suggestions for the documentary or is going to the march and would like to help feel free to call me between now and Monday.

Thanks and have a good weekend everyone.
-Kimberly

How to be an Action Calendar Hero Pt I: Crew

Back when I started as the Intern Producer for the Progressive Action Calendar promo, I helped write a detailed instruction sheet detailing every last click and cue. Here's the short version:

It's impossible to produce the spot alone, well okay, actually it's very possible, but there's no way one person could get the results of a full crew which includes:

Talent: (the on-camera person) FSTv's very own Antoinette June is our current talent, and we couldn't be more lucky to have her.

Crew: Last week we only had a producer (that's me,) someone to cue graphics, and a floor director. Dan was the graphics person, he has solid technical know-how, so it's good to know we have the best person for that position.

Having a tight crew makes things go smooth. The atmosphere reminds me of the kitchen in Waiting (2005, Dir. Rob McKittrick) but when it comes down to production time, it's time to be professional. That it until we finish, then its back to the usual pissing and moaning. But seriously though, a good time is had by all AND we get our work done by the deadline each and every week.