newsworthy stories in a fresh way:

Journey of Action Road Trip: Covering 15,000 Miles of Change

Siblings Ryan and Kassidy Brown, creators of the project Journey of Action (JoA), are preparing for the second leg of their tour through the Americas, and they need YOUR help.

The purpose behind JoA is to educate and inspire Generation Y by telling the stories of passionate people making change in their own hometowns or abroad in other countries, whether in business, non-profits or the education system. They successfully drove from Juneau to New Orleans beginning last fall, hosting a webseries highlighting change-makers who have gone unnoticed by the media.

Ryan and Kassidy are about to embark on the second half of their trip, the long road from Mexico to Argentina, on “Bless” the bright blue bus. To cover production costs, they have created an IndieGoGo fundraiser, hoping to reach their $30,000 goal before leaving. You can contribute anywhere from $10 to $5,000 on their fundraising page. For those who can’t contribute financially, they ask you to share their project with people in the community via Facebook, Twitter or in person!

Not all news is bad news, and Ryan and Kassidy are telling stories of hope that would otherwise go untold. How do you plan to change the media or impact the world using the tools you have been given?

I really love their webseries. They find inspirational, TRUE stories about people in our generation and tell them in such an artistic way. It is entertaining and newsworthy. I wonder how traditional news sources can take from this. How would you like to see news presented and what kind of stories do you want to hear? I hope journalists and news organizations will embrace the change that Generation Y is initiating.

Mathews gathered a group of new Nashville filmmakers and shot ten performances recently at Quonset Studio. Our day lasted 15 hours but we got every band/songwriter in and out on time. We created a warm, vintage environment, reminiscent of your living room at home by collecting artwork from friends and rentals from antique stores. Four 7D’s/5D’s, some lighting and a great sound crew got us through the shoot successfully. (For more on the production from the DP, check out Jon Chema’s blog.) Did I mention we got to listen to fantastic music while working all day?!

Photos by Melissa Madison Fuller

Musical Performances by:
Westbound Rangers
Colorfeels
Andrew Combs
Sons of Lions
Natalie Prass
Jessica Breanne
Gabe Vitek
Sharon Digitale
Matt Campbell
Evan P. Donohue
The Delta Saints
The Apache Relay

The film is currently in post-production. Check the progress of the film on Facebook.

It seems Generation Y is seizing entrepreneurial opportunities like never before. Reas, CEO of the site at the age of 26, is one among numerous young entrepreneurs creating social media and online-service start-ups (Facebook, Groupon, Foursquare, Etsy, just to name a few). It is amazing how passion and innovation can pay off.

I spoke with Reas briefly via Skype about the creation of Likealittle and how he plans to turn anonymous flirting into a business. He describes how the site spread, now reaching over 600 college campuses, and discusses the importance of privacy and anonymity. Here is a short clip of our conversation! (Flip cam quality)

Media expert David Mathison analyzed the distribution struggle in his book Be the Media. He demonstrates how you can “create and accelerate your message… your way” by focusing specifically on different outlets such as music, radio, books, video, film, etc.

While speaking with students at Belmont University, Mathison revealed he sold the first 5,000 copies of his book through Twitter before the book was even released. Talk about accelerating a message! If he can distribute that many copies through pre-sale on a social media platform, then the same is possible for a video.

It is nearly impossible for independent filmmakers to find traditional distribution, but that should not be a barrier. One new company, Casmiro, has given filmmakers a place to upload videos and sell them online through social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. This new form of “profitable self-distribution” allows you to “create a lucrative, brand oriented online distribution channel that increases your exposure without signing rights away or paying ridiculous distribution costs.” You can price videos however you like and pay a small monthly fee for the services provided. It is quick, cheap and environmentally friendly.

Having trouble getting your video started? Kickstarter, created in 2009, allows you to set a financial goal and raise money for your film through donations. However, no money is exchanged unless the goal is reached.

If you have an idea, just run with it. If you utilize new sites like Kickstarter and Casmiro, insufficient funding is not an excuse! As Mathison told Belmont students earlier today, “if anybody tells you you can’t do something, just do it anyway.”

I- identify the intent of the presentation or interaction
A- analyze the audience before, during and after the interaction
P- powerfully perform by using your best communication assets

It is all about story-telling. When making a video or film, this formula is crucial! During pre-production, the team must first determine the purpose of the video. What story do you want to tell and why? Then, think about the type of people who will be watching your video. How old are they? Male or female? What kind of business do they work in? What are their interests? All of those questions will affect how the video is created and what kind of story it tells. Lastly, create the video in the most powerful way you know how, and make sure to market it effectively.

The IAP formula is solid groundwork for effective communication and can be used across many platforms. In reality, it doesn’t matter how wonderful and cutting-edge your video looks, the most important part is the story you are telling.

Tiersen composed one of my favorite soundtracks for probably one of my favorite movies, Amélie, and if you have never seen it, I highly suggest you do so. A collaboration of beautiful cinematography, a quarky love story, and accordion-driven soundtrack won the director, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, several film awards and brought international recognition to Yann Tiersen.

So why did he stop in Nashville? Tiersen just released his new album “Dust Lane” in October of 2010 and is now on his first-ever U.S. tour. He is a musical genius, playing guitar, piano, mandolin, violin and even a toy piano with a mouthpiece. Unfortunately, he did not showcase his accordion skills or play a song from the Amélie soundtrack, but his experimental-classical-folk-electric album brought a FULL crowd to the show.

Tiersen played a set at Grimey’s before his show (From Dixie Downturn)

So how does an artist stand out? A common trend is obscenity. Recording “dirty” songs and producing shocking videos can really get an audiences attention. But it also leads to ethical issues. The FCC still controls what airs on TV. Therefore, networks like MTV censor the music videos they air in order to avoid FCC fines. But with no regulations on the Internet, artists can still send their racy creations to the general public.

However, platforms like YouTube can regulate videos posted on the site. Under the “YouTube Community Guidelines,” they state:

Lately, a growing number of music videos have been banned from MTV and sites like YouTube, or they have been censored by age-restrictions or changing the lyrics. Rihanna is a current example. Her music video for her new single “S&M” has been banned in 11 countries and YouTube has an 18 and over age-restriction. As a slap in the face to YouTube, all of her young fans can just go to her website for the unflagged video, which shows her with whips, a blow-up doll and Perez Hilton on a dog leash. More on the story from MTVnews.
(Some videos banned in one way or another: “Alejandro” by Lady Gaga, “Hurricane” by 30 Seconds to Mars, “Born Free” by M.I.A, “Ride” by Ciara, and the list goes on…)

This situation brings up challenging censorship discussions. Some would say TV and certain Internet sites are stepping all over the First Amendment, while others see scandalous videos as a threat to younger generations. We need to keep in mind that the younger generations are growing up in an internet-era and many can navigate the web better than their parents. How should we integrate First Amendment rights with protecting young people from obscene entertainment?

An EPK is similar to a video resume. It is a creative piece that tells an artist’s story and where he or she is headed. This piece can be sent to record labels, investors, etc. to promote Julienne as an artist.

We shot this piece at Westwood Studios, a cozy cabin-like recording studio, also home to the Nashville Hootenanny showcase. The log walls and hanging disco ball created a vintage, country ambiance that complimented Juliennes performance shots. She is no natural in front of the camera, which made her a joy to work with. Jon, our director of photography (DP), continuously caught stunning shots of Julienne singing her heart out.

Julienne and her managers chose three songs to perform in the video that really showcase her as a commercial artist. I also had a lengthy interview with her about her past accomplishments, current work and dreams. While creating the story in Final Cut, I combined the performance and interview elements with old footage from TV and newer footage from a day we spent in downtown Nashville.

Producers: Jake Jorgovan and Kevin Fulda
Director: Jessica Wardwell
DP: Jon Chema
Stylist: Kara Gaylor
Editors: Jake Jorgovan and Jessica Wardwell

The final product…

Director: Jessica Wardwell

DP: Jon Chema

Stylist: Kara Gaylor

Studio: NuMynd Studios (Nashville, TN)

The day after I returned from Australia, I received a call from Jake, co-owner of Rabbit Hole Creative, regarding a shoot that needed to happen as soon as possible. My mind wasn’t really functioning properly due to jet lag, but I accepted as soon as I heard “Cee Lo Green on SNL.” Working with Cee Lo was a big step and privilege for us. And did I mention that being on SNL is one of my dream jobs? Well this might not have been the same, but at least I could leave my mark in the production of one episode.

Cee Lo was to perform two songs on the show and I was directing the creation of the content for his first single off his new album, “Forget You.” Our first creative meeting was scheduled immediately and we brainstormed the choreography and theme for the shoot. Then came writing the treatment, which took a good two hours. His management told us the video needed to incorporate the silhouettes of dancing girls (representing the all-girl band) and Cee Lo himself. All of this was possible but we only had five or six days to book a studio, find props and talent, and edit the video.

Call time on Sunday was 9 a.m. at NuMynd studios, one of Nashville’s hidden gems. The building consisted of two large green screen studios, editing suites, dressing rooms and a tastefully decorated kitchen and lounge filled with props reminiscent of the old film era. I ran through the script with the two dancers we hired, as well as our Cee Lo impersonator, and we were ready to start. We used a Red camera, rented from a fellow student, and shot a few takes of each section of the song. The stage design was based around a back LED wall that covered most of the space from floor to ceiling. The other wall was a few feet in front of that with multiple levels. The most difficult part of the shoot was coordinating the two walls. The girls needed to be moving relatively in sync with each other through the song while Cee Lo only made one drastic movement from the front screen to the back screen.

Here is a quick Behind the Scenes- shot by Jon Chema and edited by Dillon Bock

Cee Lo Green Shoot Behind The Scenes from Rabbit Hole Creative on Vimeo.

Animation is not my expertise, but the guys I work with are computer geniuses. They accomplished the colorful, psychadelic look that Cee Lo hoped for by producing layers of paint splatter and moving dots behind the silhouettes. During the editing process, we were given a couple of extra days, which helped tremendously. The content was in by Thursday and aired Saturday, January 15th.

It is amazing how much work goes into the design for just one performance! But we were thrilled with the final outcome. I think artists and bands are really starting to get creative with live performances, whether through the content design or other aspects like stage design and lighting. Innovation is what keeps an audience coming back for more. What do you think about the performance? We would love your feedback!

Behind the scenes video from our shoot to come!