After returning back from a restful winter break the second group of first year design students explored photographic composition and vantage point. Composition refers to where the photographer places the subject in the frame. For example the subject can be in the center, left, or right of the frame. Vantage point refers to the location of the camera in relation to the subject. The photographer can hold the camera above the subject, below the subject and anywhere in between.

We looked at the work of various photographers and examined how they use the camera to tell a story. The purpose of the activity was to teach students that there were an infinite number of ways that a subject could be composed in a photo frame. The activity also gave them the chance to experience that they too could construct a more powerful photograph by first considering what they wanted the photograph to communicate about themselves to their audience.

 

 

 

Meet the Filmmaker: Fatima Rainey

07 Jun 2010, 12:49 AM by Elizabeth Rodd, Urban Arts MediaLab

 
Story and Photograph by Daniel Familia
Fatima Rainey, Editor, Ghetto Talks II
 
Name: Fatima Rainey
Age: 17
School: The Facing History School
Role: Editor
Favorite Color: Green
One word to describe yourself: Awesome
One word the Media Lab crew would use to describe you: Outlandish
Most memorable moment of the Ghetto Talks production: I enjoyed interviewing members of our crew to see how they felt about the word ghetto.
Plans for next year: I plan to attend Hampshire College and to major in Neuroscience.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?: Starting medical school
How has being a filmmaker inspired you?: Being a filmmaker has inspired me to use other outlets to help people.
Favorite quotation: Just do it!

 

Arts Week at MS 131

03 Jun 2010, 1:11 PM by Lisa LH, Middle School

 

This week is Arts Week at MS 131 in Chinatown!  Students from Urban Arts Partnership classes are teaching peers what they've learned this year through their arts projects.

 
In Class 717's ESL Science class with teacher Maria Pineda and teaching artist Laurie Krupp, students have been studying the different systems of the human body.  Their exhibition, entitled 'Every Body,' is located in the 1st floor Commons area of the school. The students' projects demonstrate the different parts of the systems and how they function together for the body to stay in balance.

 

Meet the Filmmaker: Robert Matos

18 May 2010, 12:34 AM by Elizabeth Rodd, Urban Arts MediaLab

 

 
Story by Fatima Rainey
Photograph by Daniel Familia
Emerging Filmmaker Robert Matos 
Name: Robert Matos
Age: 15
School: Food and Finance High School
Role: Interviewer, Cinematographer
Favorite Color: Blue
One word you would use to describe yourself: Extreme
One word the Media Lab crew would use to describe you: Survivalist
Most memorable moment working on the Ghetto Talks production: Watching our finished film for the first time
Plans for next year: I plan to become lead editor.
Where do you see yourself in five years?: I see myself pursuing a career as a documentarian.
How has being a filmmaker inspired you?: It has inspired me to send a message.  I want to inspire my community through film.
Favorite Quotation: “The strongest man on Earth is the man that stands most alone.”

 

 

Story by Sotonye Douglas, Co-director, Ghetto Talks II



On Tuesday, April 27, the Media Lab crew attended the 2010 Our City, My Story film festival hosted by the Tribeca Film Institute.  Ghetto Talks was one of thirteen films chosen to be in this year’s festival.  It was an astonishing night—from the red carpet to the big screen!  New York 1 and other major media outlets were there to cover the event.  We felt like superstars walking down the red carpet with all the photographers taking our picture.

Some of the films at the Tribeca screening took a lot of personal conviction to complete.  Others were funny but proved a clear and concise point.  I was surprised by how much you can achieve when you put your mind to a cause and devote your heart.

Cinematographer Shamrod Lockwood and I represented Ghetto Talks during the Question and Answer period after the screening.   At first I was nervous to go in front of the auditorium full of people.  My nerves took over and I felt overwhelmed, but I proudly stood and expressed my feelings.  I was happy to represent the Media Lab crew.  

 


One audience member asked the filmmakers to discuss how much assistance program supervisors provided in the production of our films.  Sham and I answered that the Urban Arts Partnership teachers basically put the camera in our hands and told us we had six weeks to complete our project.  The concept was completely derived from our own choices, and filming and editing were completely run by us.  Though we did receive some assistance with networking—our supervisors reached out to actor Anthony Mackie, writer Cora Daniels, and recording artist Pharoahe Monch—, student producers organized the rest.

After the screenings the Media Lab crew walked around and mingled with other filmmakers.  We discussed the filmmaking process, congratulated each other and exchanged contact information.  

 

It was an incredible night!  You can check out a video about our experience here: http://www.urbanarts.org/news/view/27.

 

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