Ricardo Castro sits down for an exclusive interview.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Saturday afternoon, October 30th, I walked in to an unusually empty Urban Arts office to discover that our crew from high schools across New York City had been divided up into editing rotations by school.  The afternoon block was devoted to the Kurt Hahn editors.  Producer Joshua Davis and Teaching Artist Elizabeth Rodd were already going over the groundwork for editing our Type Cast interview with Senator Eric Adams.  Captured over the summer, the interview focused on the impact of the diabetes epidemic in his Brooklyn district.  Craig Wallace, another Kurt Hahn student, arrived shortly thereafter.  Before the work started, we all enjoyed some food and discussed our strategy for the rough cut ahead.

 

Editing the Senator Eric Adams interview.

 

We began to go through the clips and rotated roles so that we all got a feel for the editing equipment.  As I was playing the "backseat driver" so to speak, contributing ideas while Josh manipulated the footage, I started to think: editors have amazing vision and creativity.  Their skills are crucial to making the project a complete success.  An editor can make someone sound really smart or really dumb.  Of course everyone has a say, but at the end of the day, the editor is the main guy or girl.  They have the project at their fingertips and can decide which way it goes.

 

The Kurt Hahn crew had done editing before but had never gone to this level.  The growing pains were short, which allowed us to put together a solid rough cut. The new skills we acquired really pushed our versatility up another notch.

 

 Editors Joshua Davis and Omar Cyrille.

 

The guidance of our teacher and the chemistry in the room were the x-factors. This was a great opportunity to polish our work.  For me, just knowing that what I was doing was so important to this response piece was a great feeling, and it continues to drive me to learn more.

 

 

Thanks for reading the MediaLab blog.  Check out Craig’s pictures of the session, and keep checking back for more updates on the Type Cast Response Project.

 

 

On Sunday, October 24th, members of the MediaLab Crew participated in the American Diabetes Association Walk to promote our documentary Type Cast. We started out at the South Street Seaport in Lower Manhattan, crossed over the Brooklyn Bridge and walked two more miles into Brooklyn and back. We joined people of all ages from all over the city who came out to raise awareness and to support friends or family members with the disease.

 

During the walk I worked with my colleagues Ihor ___, Robert Matos and Lorenzo Roberts to capture a response piece. We divided up the shooting, each one of us capturing interviews with participants impacted by the disease as well as establishing shots of the environment.

 

The interviews were the most important part, of course!  We worked with Type Cast subject and spokesperson Joshua Diaz, who is a Type I diabetic. He was charming and knew how to get people to relax on camera. 

 

For those who might be scared about having diabetes Joshua knows how to make you feel better. His message is that as long as you take care of yourself, you can live a long and healthy life.

 

I practiced my wide shots on this shoot. For my favorite shot I just stood on the bridge and watched the cars drive past, letting them move in and out of the frame. It made me wonder about the lives of the people riding by in the cars. Did they have diabetes? Did they know anyone with diabetes? Given the statistics, chances are they do. How often do these people go to the doctor for a check up?

 

Congratulations to everyone who took time out of their busy schedules to come out and support a very important cause. Check out our response piece from this important event . . . and you should definitely see our documentary Type Cast! Write to medialab@urbanarts.org to arrange a screening.

 

 

 

 

Producers Yosi Sergent and Apple Via shared their inspirations and goals for the exhibit with me. “We are hoping to bring awareness to problems in the public education system through artworks that evoke emotion and inspire viewers to look at things from a different perspective,” Sergent said. “Artists have a way of making a conversation have motion.” A second goal was for artists to lead the argument for arts education in schools. Via, the daughter of artist parents with a three-year-old son of her own, stressed: “It’s our duty as parents to be active participants and to make sure our children have strong cultural influences in the public education system.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

I wish there had been more art programs when I was growing up.  Who knows how creative I might have been if I had had more exposure to the arts than just finger-painting? 

 

 

 

Last Thursday, Urban Arts Partnership took the MediaLab crew on an educational and rewarding trip to NBC Studios. It felt like we were heading off to a different country as we waited in line to get our IDs at the front desk, but Director of Community Affairs Ofelia Castiblanco graciously welcomed us and made us feel right at home.  Over lunch, she showed us an introductory clip about NBC’s new channel New York Non Stop (or channel 161, if you have Time Warner).

 

After lunch, Ofelia and her team led us on a tour of the control rooms, where we watched a live weather forecast and met several friendly production members.  According to the people behind the scenes, you live your life in seconds in the news business--trying to fill three minutes can feel like a lifetime!

 

 

Next we had the opportunity to record a news report in front of a green screen.  When my turn came up I immediately froze and couldn't say a word.  I hope I won’t ever have to do that again!  I'd prefer to stay behind the scenes.

  

After that, we went on to meet news reporters, producers and camera people.  Every one of them told us how being a part of the industry was a 24/7 job and how following through is incredibly important at NBC. We learned that some careers in media are steadier than others.  For example, a news reporter might switch stations several times over the course of his or her career while a cameraperson might work at the same station through retirement.  We also learned more about the different skills a person must master to do these jobs.   John, a cameraman who has been working with NBC for 25 years, explained how important it is for someone in his position to stay updated on new technology, to move quickly and be steady on his or her feet.

 

 

It was so refreshing to get advice from the people who do these jobs every day!  The media business is exciting and ever-changing.  Reporters come into work not knowing what stories they will cover that day, cameramen come in not knowing what scene they will shoot, and production crews have to work in the moment to put out a good show.  It takes a lot of work but it must be rewarding when the program is finally broadcast.

 

 

On behalf of my colleagues from MediaLab and everyone at Urban Arts, I would like to thank the people at NBC Studios for hosting this very informative Career Day!

 

 

And for those of you interested in the television business, you should know that NBC receives about 75-100 intern applications per year, so getting a job there will be tough.  My advice is to make yourself stand out from the crowd.  They usually look for well-rounded college juniors or motivated seniors who are professional and specific about the position they want.  And, of course, sending a thank you note won’t hurt either.