The video directed by Kiri Davis, and produced by Reel explored the topic of society valuing being white as being beautiful, or better. Several young black females where interviewed about their experiences with seeing that looking white made you look beautiful in the eye of society (i.e. having straight hair). Several children were shown dolls and asked which one looked mean, between the black and white doll most of the children said that the black doll looked mean and choice to play with the white doll instead. The point of the video was that society tends to have a white man/ woman as the illustrated typical American, while blacks aren't exactly always painted in a good light.
No Child Left Behind
This video features a school group referred to as the "counter recruitment" group, which are against army recruiters going to schools because they lie to students, to keep them interested. One of the students separately interviews two recruiters who seem to answer the questions asked differently. The fact that the recruiter whom was not aware of a camera filming them said whatever would get the interviewer to want to join. As a classmate pointed out this make the video seem as if all recruiters would bend the truth and tell school kids what they would want to hear.
"Slip Of The Tongue"
This film was based off of a poem of the same title written by Adriel Luis. It was directed and edited by Karen Lum, who also stars in the film about an Asian girl telling a guy about how her race (or any other race that isn't European) should not conform to look like European, just because they are in America. The asks her what is her ethnic make-up, and she ends her answer by saying she does not wear make up, because you can't make up your ethnicity and refers to make-up as "make believe" as it is just used to look like someone else. This video is notable for clearly stating the point of not having to conform to the majority.
"Bits and Pieces"
This is a short film from Jordan which is a place in the middle east. The film was by Ben Mandell, and Jackie Swariris, and features middle eastern people, many of whom talk about how they do something that is different from a common conception about their race, such as drinking. While these people are talking, mosaics are being composed which relate to the topic being talked about. One of the last people being interviewed talks about how Americans and people from the middle east feel uncomfortable around each other, and promotes unity and at least communicate with people you may fear because you do not know them. This video does a good job not saying that people should not be judged or feared just because of their ethnicity.
A Loud Color (directed/ produced/ edited by Brent Joseph, produced by Tim Ryan)
This film takes place in New Orleans, featuring an elderly man who is dedicates time to helping the youth. In the former community center, which functioned as a place to teach the young economic Independence before Katrina. He goes through the town and shows the inside of some building that he owned, before the natural disaster occurred. The video enlightening in the fact that the man speaks of how blacks used to value and help practice unity more so back in the 1940's than the time before Katrina. He speaks of how blacks used to own businesses and 5-star hotels, until desegregation where blacks started going to white owned Establishments. One of the main ideas of the video are identified when the man speaks of how most of black youth today do not have people telling them that they could do significant things in life.
African Underground: Hip Hop in Senegal (directed by Magee MCIlvaine, and Chris Moore, Produced by Nomadic Wax Soul Production)
This features showcases conversation of Africans in Senegal that decided to express themselves by rapping. They were inspired by the pioneers of rap such as Grandmaster Flash, just like some rappers in America. The rappers in this video spoke of how they avoided rapping of negative subject matter, as there aim is to use music to help the community. Watching this video has informed me of a subject I would have not otherwise known about, making it a notable video.
The Foreign Exchange "I Wanna Know"
This mini-movie/music video has the theme of a relationship under stress. The skits along with the r&b song helps to convey the emotion expressed by the couple in this video. The way the video looks makes it look more personal, which helps it.
Foreign Exchange feat. Daren Brockington "Take off the blues"
This is a prequel to the video "I wanna know". It shows how the couple met, and possibly the beginning of their problems in the following video. The way the footage looks give it a "homey", down to earth feel to it.
HBO Imagine Cube
An original idea using a cube and its four sides showing different perspectives of what seems to look like a failed robbery at an art store. The fact that the story was not immediately clear to me, it convinced me to look at the short film several times at different angles to understand. Even though the plot of the video may have been meant to not be completely clear as those left in the museum are confused as to what happened.
Forevers Not So Long written and directed by Shawn Morrison, produced by Garrett Murray
In this video, the end of the world causes a man whose experience a break-up bonds with a girl he just meant over the course of time it takes for the world to end, in Brooklyn New York, because none of them wanted to die alone. The point of the video may be of how it did not take long for the couple to get to know each other. It was an original and creative video non the less.
10 Minutes
Set in Sarajevo Bosnia, and Rome Italy. The point of the video may be to show how much can happen in 10 minutes. The video consists of long shots and wide shots of people walking around and interacting with one another. The first part of the video shows a man going to a sort of store that specializes in 10 minute developments of photos. The second part of the video shows a boy sent out to get water for this family, but when he comes back his family is died. Right after that happens the guy from the first part of the video gets his pictures back and 10 minutes is almost over.
Strangers- directed by Erez Tadmor & Guy Nattiv
The video starts with two man across each other on a train, one being Jewish and the other, Palestinian. The plot of the video is about strangers who put aside their differences and work together to help each other in a dangerous situation. The use of music helps the mood of the film as the music gets louder and more dramatic as the action gets more intense. The close-ups of the characters in the film say everything about what they are thinking, and what is happening. The excellently executed premise makes the video have replay value.
A Thousand Words
Directed by Joselito Serling, this film has the theme of a simple photograph reminding the character Author of a past relationship. The video was edited to fit a letterbox format which was suitable for the video. The changes to different shots seem awkward, especially in the park scene.
Emmett
Written and directed by Onyou Hung, and Alexandria Taylor. Produced by Rob Tuscani, Katie Brandbo, and Onyou Hung. This 10 minute remake of the story of Emmett Till, provided a very tense mood as needed for the video. The actors did a good job of playing their roles, and the camera shots made the film seem organic. The silent walk through the park did not really seem necesarry for the film, otherwise the film was good.
The Landlord- by Will Ferrell
This is a comical video featuring Will Ferrells daughter as the drunken landlord. The camera angles were good considering the landlord was just about two years old. The close-ups on his daughter came at the right moments when she started to get angry.
Guestroom- directed by Greg Kwedar, produced by Daniel Brough Stevenson
A man who likes to keep to himself finds a young man beaten up and lying in a bathroom, he decides to help him and it leads to a lengthy adventure on the road. They bond together and it becomes apparant that the older man has taken a trip to be away from his wife and child, while the younger man is distressed over his mother dying and decided to go on the road. Why he was found laying in the bathroom by the older man, and why he is on the road is not readily apparant. It appears as if the older man begins to push the younger man away just like his wife and kids and promptly leaves him on the side of the road by a store. At the end they both decide to go home. At one point during the video a close-up shot is used where everything behind the subject is out of focus. This was a good video to see almost every type of shot used.
Butterfly Circus- directed by Joshua Weigel, produced by Joshua Weigel, Rebekah Weigel, Angie Alverez
A limbless man ends up leaving a "sideshow" where he is made fun of and joining a circus of people who perform. The people in the circus come from backgrounds where they were made fun of, or they were unhappy with their lives. The limbless man thinks all he is good for is being a sideshow freak. It is the announcer of the performing circus that convinces that limbless man that he has talent that he hasn't realized, because his self doubt is getting in the way. At the end of the video the man overcomes his doubt and starts performing with the rest of the circus crew.
The point of the video seems to be that people should not let others tell them that they are unable to do anything talented and that they are no good. The video had good use of lighting as most of it was shot in the sunlight.
Corrinne Bailey Rae- "I'd do it all again"
Ms. Bailey stars in this video which consists of three days of her doing mostly the same activities by herself. Later during she does something out of the ordinary and dances in the street. This may symbolize her wanting to be different than everyone one else. The parts where she is walking the opposite way of the people going into the subway station says the same thing. The name of the song says that she does not want to be everyone else and she dosen't mind being different. The camera shots cause the viewer to feel as if they were in the video with her throughout her day.
Part of me died in black island- directed by Gregor Shanks, produced by Stand Alone Digital Records.
This somber video featured a man dragging a bag of which is presumably a died body considering the title. The shots were mostly long shots of the man coming to the screen. The music makes the video exciting but it abruptly goes from calm to dramatic to calm when the scenes all contain the same action done in the same way. By the end of the video, it is not really clear how the title relates to the video. One can only assume whatever was in the bag was the part of him that died.
The video has shots that makes it look as if he appear out of nowhere which makes the video a little much better. In the end, it is not one of my most favorite videos to watch.
Jerome Hyde- Color Blind
This very dark video is off a women who sees everything in black and white. Effects are used to make the surrondings look black and white, and to make her eyes look all black. At the end of the video she receives a cure, which makes her surrondings gain color.
Help Haiti-directed by Byron Hurt, produced by Stacy Muhammad
A sort of documentary about different peoples thoughts opinions and actions taken toward helping Haiti , this video informs the viewer of how strong Haiti is even after the natural disaster. The video had an appearance from Chuck D. amoung some other notable people. It was nice to see that The "Help Haiti" event featured in the movie made around $11,000 total.
Just Another Day (five minutes)- by Noah Borer, produced by Karil Woods
This one shows the day of an assassin who goes through his day only to be killed by another assassin in the woods. Or so it seems as the voice of the assassin could have belong to the assassin who was the victor.
Cornelius- Drop
This vid featured creative effects with water flowing in a sink. The music goes with the water interacting with the kid throughout the video. The sound of a drop of water is loop at the beginning of the video, and played with other sounds for a big musical score. Watching the video is definitly worth it because of the creativity.
Window Seat by Erykah Badu
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