Being an advanced SMI student and a youth trainer, I think having two positions brings a whole different level to SMI. Last week, the first week of SMI the advanced group didn’t have to have any ice breaker games since we had all known each other from last years SMI or at school. So it was straight off to business, we sat down as a group and discussed our first project. Which has been assigned to us by the SMI staff, to make a documentary on the Mayor’s Summer Youth Employment Program. So far we have gotten an interview with a Leigh Hardy, a counselor, and George Hinds, MSYEP Coordinator. read more...

This video was produced by Alex Ayabe, Andrew Wondafresh, Jordan Brazo, Treajha Hastings, Julie Pan, William Sheffield & Joshua Washington Smith in CCTV’s School Year Production Program, Spring 2008.

Today is my last day blogging until August when i come back from snowboarding in Oregon. I will be sad to leave SMI for so long, but I know that when I come back, the documentary that the advanced group is working on and the personal narratives will be finished and looking good. Today for me was filled with finalizing the logos that will be used for SMI this year, both on the t-shirts all the participants will get at the end and for the screening promotions. The t-shirt design is the new group photo and the screening flyer is attached to this blog. Come check out what we have all done this summer Friday, August 15 at 6 PM in the studio, and enjoy a summer's worth of hard work and fun.

While I am gone I am taking a flip camera in case i find time to blog about my trip. This group will continue to have blog posts and media posted by other participants for the next few weeks, so keep checking back to see what's going on, and don't forget to come to the screening.

Finally our group picture is up! These are the participants of the 2008 Summer Media Institute (minus Julie Pan).

This is the first promotional video for the end of the program screening (all are welcome). The date and time are not definite, but check back throughout the summer for more information and previews. All of the participant produced work will be shown. Enjoy.

I am a student in SMI, and am currently working on a personal narrative project about the Valente Library. In this project, I will explain why the Valente Library is an important place to me. It will consist of a voiceover and various images of the library, as well as an interview with one of the librarians.

So far, I have written the script for the voiceover. In addition, I have written lists of both questions for the interview and shots which I want to use.

Last week ended for the advanced group of SMI with a trip to Emerson College for a tour of the school and a workshop from Emerson Professor Marc Fields on Documentary Production. We watched pieces of documentaries, talked about the good and bad qualities a documentary can have. Participants were able to ask questions and share ideas to help with their documentary this year about the Mayor's Summer Youth Employment Program. Following the discussion, Marc took us on a tour of the Emerson facilities. We stopped first in a sound studio where a grad student talked to us about Protools and gave us a demo using a trailer for the movie cloverfield. We continued through the buildings, stopping shortly for lunch, looking at edit suites, studios, control rooms, Avid rooms and more learning about each one along the way. Everyone took a lot out of the experience, whether it was knew knowledge of programs and equipment or new ideas for the documentary. A special thanks to Marc Fields and Emerson. Enjoy the attached video clip! read more...