Poems For Public Education: an exploration of the film making process
Major
Film Media
Advisor
Cohen, Rob
Advisor Department
Film Media
Date
5-2014
Keywords
Public Education; Poetry; Digital series
Abstract
We live in a digital age where we can watch television on the internet, browse the internet on our television, and do both simultaneously on our mobile devices. In this ever changing digital environment, many aspects of film have remained constant while many have evolved. The purpose of my project is to not only produce a quality series of films, but also to explore the ways in which we think about the content, distribution, and consumption of the films that we are exposed to. In order to closely analyze these aspects of film media, I have created a digital series titled Poems For Public Education. The process of developing this digital campaign incorporates aspects of social awareness, marketing and promotion, and film production all through the medium of the internet.
In our current popular culture, everyone has access to share and view film as they please. It may sound intuitive to people who have grown up in the age of the internet, but this is truly a phenomenon that was impossible before YouTube. No longer do you need the green light of a network executive to gain access to millions of potential viewers, nor the approval of a network executive to deem your film successful. As explained by the trends manager at YouTube, Kevin Allocca, “these are the characteristics of a new kind of media and a new kind of culture where everyone has access, and the audience defines the popularity... these are not characteristics of old media, and they’re barely true of the media today, but they will define the entertainment of the future.” While the aspects of distribution and consumption of film have changed in the recent past, many aspects of production have remained the same.
Creating a viral Youtube video does not necessarily depend on the production value of your film; however, being a Film Media major in the Harrington School of Communication, the quality of production is vital to the visual and oratory aesthetics of filmmaking. This is where the majority of my time was spent in producing this digital series. What starts as an idea has to undergo serious development and scrutiny before it becomes a finished product. From storyboarding to directing, I oversaw every production element of these short films. I spent time coordinating talent, scouting locations, hiring grips and sound men, lighting shots, framing shots, directing camera movement, capturing professional quality audio, and editing visuals and sound in post production.
Poems For Public Education finds a niche between the everchanging ways we consume and distribute film and classical film production techniques, which exposes the nature of the future of film in our society. It is not a movie, music video, TV show, news cast, or public service announcement -- rather a digital campaign that finds itself in a realm of endless possibilities afforded by the capabilities of the internet.
Media Format
youtube