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.

 

 

 

 

 

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. 

Hey all, my name is Jemima Asante but people just call me Jem for short.  I’m a 17-year-old junior approaching my senior year, and this is my first time participating in an Urban Arts production.  I learned about Urban Arts through my school, but this year I really got involved with the organization when my teaching artist, Elliot Montague, recommended I sign up for MediaLab.  

 

My job for our documentary Type Cast is to create the titles and credits.  I have to put together the names of everybody who participated in and contributed to the making of the film.  I also have to add the educational statistics that our audience will read during the film.

 

While this has been a great experience for me I will admit that in the beginning I wasn’t too crazy about all the things that were going on.  Since it was my first time in a program with people who have been participating for years and already know each other, I often found myself feeling like I wasn’t contributing enough.  To top it off, I am an extremely shy and reserved person.  Because of this I stopped coming to the program for a week, but after I discussed it with my visual arts teacher, Monique Shubert, they got me a job I came to enjoy.  When I met up with Elliot to start creating the titles and credits I was very excited and happy about all the ideas we came up with. This experience has taught me that instead of backing away from situations I should include myself in them confidently.

 

 

Right now my crew mates and I are in post-production.  I’d say this is my favorite part because this is when we get to really put the film together and come up with refining ideas.  At the All-Crew Meeting my crewmates discussed what we could do to make the movie a learning and relatable experience for our audience.  

 

 

I hope that you guys enjoy the documentary and learn more about diabetes and how it’s affecting our neighborhoods.  I’d recommend it to anybody young or old, but I feel that young people will benefit especially.

 

I feel proud that I am contributing to spreading the message of diabetes prevention. I hope the film informs and teaches our audience to take care of their bodies and not just become a Type Cast.

Hi, my name is Viandra McCarthy, and I am a new producer in the MediaLab program. As a producer I oversee my colleagues, research information and prepare everyone for the day or week. Producing is a big but rewarding task. My focus for week three of the Type Cast production is to continue collecting research, make sure interviews with our subjects are on point, and organize what we’ve captured so far to figure out what’s missing.

 

One accomplishment I’m really proud of is the interview fellow producer Kenya Zeigler and I did with student actor and poet Joshua Ramos. The interview ran smoothly and it was our first studio set-up. I was really moved by how open Joshua was about his personal life and struggles living with Type I diabetes. I’m not sure if I would have had the courage and strength to let everyone see the skeletons in my closet. Joshua was a very good interviewee because he was realistic, down to earth and relatable. 

 

I’ve learned through my own research and through interviews with doctors at the Naomi Berrie Research Center that Type 2 diabetes, the adult onset version of the disease, is totally preventable and that sometimes our health is related to the neighborhoods we live in. For instance, in lower income neighborhoods there are a lot more fast food restaurants and cheap unhealthy substitutions for fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

 

 

Being a part of the Type Cast production I’ve learned how to take the lead a little, and I’ve become more outgoing and confident in my work. This was a huge step for me because I am a reserved person. I’ve also learned skills that could help me in the media world—skills that I might not have learned until college. Best of all, I’ve made some really good friends.

 

That's all for now.  Next week we move into post-production. Keep checking back for more updates on Type Cast!