Digital Storytelling

Just in time for a presentation I’m doing on simple special effects tomorrow in Springfield, IL, Hall Davidson comes through with a cool way to use the green screen in front instead of behind. Check his latest post for the details. And for those who do use chroma key/green screen shots. Think about creating a “sandwich.” With the key color both behind and in front of your subjects, you can put them right in the middle of the action.

Looks like it’s time to settle in for a long winter’s nap. Due to “unexpected challenges” the Insomnia Film Festival has been put off until after the holidays. I know a number of schools were lined up for this, students rearranged work schedules, and teachers did all the paper work to be working with students this Saturday and into Sunday morning. I don’t know what happened. Apple had already recruited a number of us to do the vetting next week so the videos could quickly move on to the judges. I hope those of you who were already prepared for this weekend will be able to join when it comes around again. And for those who hadn’t registered a team, you have a little more time to think about it. (Thanks, Erin!)

This time I’m plugging someone else and another company’s webinar. Tech&Learning magazine is offering a webinar on Nov. 12th with fellow Apple Distinguished Educator, Matthew Needleman. Register for the webinar at techlearning.com/makingmoviesinfo and check out Matt’s VideoInTheClassroom website.

And don’t forget Jennifer Love Hewitt and ScreenNation’s ghost story challenge is due by the end of the day on November 14th.

And Apple’s Insomnia  Film Festival starts its 24 hour entry period at 9 a.m. EST this Saturday November 15th. Get your team registered by the 13th.

ScreenNation’s second challenge has announced its winners in the movie review and they are available for your viewing pleasure on the site.

The first place winner is a high energy 1st person rant on Michael Moore’s “Slacker Uprising.” Normally, I’d be very critical of a continuous head-on shot, but this young man has such presence and lays out his opinions so well, I’m in total agreement with this AFI choice.

The second place review  takes on the latest Indiana Jones movie with some fun repartée between a couple of high school students. Their energy, pro and con presentation, and melodramatic recreation of one of the scenes saved this one from just being a couple of talking heads.

 In third place we have a very talented young lady who performed and edited herself into several of the characters in “Young Frankenstein.” Again, it’s a simple one person/one kind of shot operation that takes on a whole different energy with her talent and insight into the movie.

I don’t know what happened to the fourth place video, but I did get to watch it before it was removed.  They didn’t convince me to see “Mean Girls,” but I liked their clever re-enactment of a scene with finger puppets and a doll house.

Don’t forget the Jennifer Love Hewitt hosted ghost story challenge that is open to your students until midnight November 14th.

It seems very appropriate that I learned of the death of consummate people’s storyteller Studs Terkel in an email from Joe Lambert, director of the Center for Digital Storytelling. And what a wonderful tribute Joe set up a few years ago, “May 16, the International Day for Sharing Life Stories was chosen, in part, because it is Studs Terkel’s Birthday. We felt it critical to honor his life, while he was still around, able to share the idea that an entire world holds a debt of gratitude for his work.” I’m sure the CDS workshop that is coming to Studs’ hometown of Chicago November 19th-21st will have special resonance for all involved. Well before “talk” radio and sound bites Studs would draw out the life stories of both the famous and the common man on his radio show, in his books and his other various writings. I enjoyed his insight, wit, expectation of respect and justice for all ever since a classmate tuned me in to him more than four decades ago which is just about the last half of Studs’ career. His radio home - WFMT, from whom I borrowed the lead picture, has a great website where you can learn more and even share. After hearing a few people reflect on his life on the news last night, I think I can summarize most of our feelings about him with he was a great storyteller because he was a great listener.