Madonna University BCA

Hollywood PAHfest Day Three

2011-10-25T10:25:00.000-07:00

Shriners Hospitals for Children

For Circus Vision, 4 students, Nick and Gosia Paine, and Christopher Coppola headed to Shriners Hospitals for Children in L.A.

A review from day one - Circus Vision is a contest for children 14 & under. They can participate in the smart phone visual treasure hunt and win a prize.

Coppola opened the event with an introduction of the contest and an explanation of what to do.

Madonna student Juan taught the children, who all speak Spanish, how to use the Flip video cameras.

Various items, called "The Ingredients" must be included in the video in order for it to qualify for the Circus Vision contest. Other Circus Vision rules include the total length of the piece, the slate, and questions. Here's what each child was given:

Circus Vision
Total Length: 90 seconds
Instructions:
The Slate: 7 seconds
a. Your Name
b. Your School
c. Your Community
Questions: 13 seconds
a. Have you been to a circus?
b. What did you see or would you like to see?
The Ingredients: total 70 seconds
1. Rings 5-15
2. Animals 5-15
3. Flying 5-15
4. Balance 5-15
5. Colors 5-15
6. Funny 5-15
7. Opposite 5-15

Overall, the time at Shriners was beneficial. Madonna students enjoyed the children and the kids had a lot of fun, especially with Juan's translating.

"Watching all of the kids, especially those who know Shriners as their home, brought a smile to my face. It showed that creativity is alive in all children, whether we as adults realize this or not," said Mark Radwan, Madonna student.

Mark had the opportunity to follow Christopher Coppola around and film his experience at Shriners. Kary tied balloons on the children's wrists and helped operate the boom for Christopher. Danny helped import the children's videos and many of the parents were intrigued in the computer process.

During the day, a few documentary team students went out to film more footage for the video. Sue and a couple of students helped participants with their contest entries throughout the day.

In the evening, a group of Madonna students met with Composer Gerardo Giusti, who will be helping the documentary team. Then, they went to Go Burger for their famous shakes and Amoeba music to check out some new music.

Juan, Danny, Will, Ashley, Peter, Julie, Sue, Allen, John (Peter's brother), Gosia

For a video recap of the day, watch here:

Hollywood PAHfest Day Two

2011-10-24T17:35:00.000-07:00

Mobiflicks, Cell Phone Art, contests, dinner, and the Hollywood Wax Museum

Today the mobiflicks teams checked out their equipment and worked on their films. Danny and Ashley answered lots of questions and helped the teams learn the equipment.

One hilarious theme from the past few days is the team with the big tripod. The tripod itself looks big enough to handle just about anything, but a small digital camera is being used for the mobiflick team.

The Nano Budget Panel was held during the afternoon, which explained how to make movies with a limited budget.
After the panel, Christopher Coppola announced the Cell Phone Art topic for the week.

The Cell Phone Art topic for Hollywood PAHfest 2011 is ... dun dun dun - "Pay a Visit"

In the evening, Madonna's documentary team visited the Shrine, where the Oscar's used to be held. One of the mobiflick teams was working on a part of their film at the Shrine.

While at the Shrine, we were able to shoot lots of fun things. Mark even convinced everyone to play around with the 3D camera.

Wait, let's back up - what is Madonna's documentary team?

This year, Madonna University students are going around and filming as many interesting things as possible. At the end of the week, they will have completed a documentary video of what happened during the week. A new addition to PAHfest, the video is expected to showcase everyone's hard work throughout the week.

After the Shrine, Madonna students went to dinner at Loteria Grill, a mexican restaurant on Hollywood Boulevard. After Burritos the size of L.A. and as long as Hollywood Boulevard, 4 students continued exploring the downtown area.

Ashley, Mark, Danny, and Kary visited the Hollywood Wax Museum, where they found wax statues so realistic they thought they were being followed. Later the group visited the Hollywood Guinness World of Records Museum, where they found the world's milkiest cow and the fattest man. (1,400 pounds!) Before riding the subway back to the hotel, Danny and Ashley wanted to see the Kodak Theater and Chinese Theater.

For a video recap of the day, watch here:

2011 - Hollywood PAHfest Day One: Night

2011-10-23T16:03:00.000-07:00

An enriching event that everyone looks forward to, the Creativity Panel took place Saturday night, moderated by Christopher Coppola.
Los Angeles City College (LACC) hosted the panel. Panelists featured a restaurateur, web designer, tango dancer, spiritualist, film director, and LACC’s President.

“I enjoyed the variety of people that they brought together. I thought the points they made were valid and helped me in developing my creative processes," said Ashley ‘broken foot’ Benton, Madonna student.

The panelists included
- Restaurateur Fabio Conti
- Film Director Randal Kleiser
- Spiritualist Merick Hammer
- Web Designer Jason Kaust
- Tango Dancer Emile Razpopov
- LACC President Dr. Jamilla Moore

Madonna students filmed the event, giving them a different perspective from the standard audience view.

Coppola opened the event with a topic: RSVP Cycles, based on a book called "RSVP Cycles: Creative Process in the Human Environment" by Lawrence Halprin. Each participant on the panel talked about how their work and their own lives related to the different letters.

What does RSVP stand for?
RSVP Cycles
R Resources
S Score
V Value Action
P Performance

For a clearer understanding, please visit this link:

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:46chJRFW1WUJ:redseven.wordpress.com/rsvp-cycles-lawrence-halprin/+RSVP+cycles&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

Beyond the conversation of the RSVP cycles between panelists and Coppola, each guest had the opportunity to ‘show off’ what they do.

Jason Kaust started, showing us some of the web designs he has completed.
Dr. Jamilla Moore told a touching story of her experience with young adults.
Merick Hammer recited a poem by William Burroughs, drawing in the audience with his dramatic presentation style.

“I felt like everyone had very valuable information, but one of my favorite parts was when Merick Hammer recited the poem; it really showed creativity,” said Mark Radwan, Madonna student.

Emile Razpopov exhibited his tango dancing, intriguing the audience in the art behind the tango dance.
Randal Kleiser presented a project he worked on for well-known and loved Professor Nina Foch, who taught film.
To see the DVD project, visit: http://www.ninafochproject.com/

Fabio Conti brought us gourmet Italian food from his restaurant in L.A.

Participants enjoyed the food, along with Coppola wine during the mixer after the panel.

When asked what tied the creativity panel together, Coppola said, “the fact that you could see that there was a similarity in terms of the whole creative process that everybody taps into.”

For a video recap of the panel, watch here:

2011 - Hollywood PAHfest Day One: Morning/Day

2011-10-23T14:27:00.000-07:00

9 Madonna University students travel to Hollywood for 5th annual PAHfest October 22 - October 29

Day One - Saturday October 22

We're back in Hollywood with 5 returning faces and 4 new ones. Together Madonna's students and professors, Dan and Sue Boyd assist Christopher Coppola with Hollywood PAHfest.

PAHfest, what exactly is this unique word?

"PAH" stands for Project Accessible Hollywood and "fest" is short for festival. Coppola's PAHNation website defines the term as a groundbreaking digital media festival that celebrates the stories and voices of everyday people. PAHfest travels around the world, mostly in the US and overseas. The festival lasts a week long and involves local participants in competitions all related to film.

A total of five contests are available for participants:

Mobiflicks: Teams of 4 participants, a coach, and a composer write, produce, shoot, and edit their own 6 minute story. Stories are made from passion and generally the person who came up with the story becomes the director. PAH-FEST provides all of the equipment: camera, audio, editing system (computers, programs: Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premier), and a one-day crash course to help prepare for production. Coaches are allowed to advise, but are not allowed to shoot. Most of the teams have little or no experience in film.

This year there are 6 teams: "Team Didi," "Team Trapped," "Team Pico Del Mundo," "Team Jewel of the Shrine," "Team Tango," and "Team Mobile Device"

On Saturday night October 29, movies will be screened at the Festival Closing Ceremony and a $500 cash prize is awarded to the winning team.

Other competitions include:

Cellphone Art: One minute movie participants will receive a blackberry video enabled cell phone, or they are allowed to use their own. Christopher Coppola announces a surprise topic before the competition begins. Look forward to this on our upcoming day 2 blog.

Circus Vision: Children 14 & under can participate in the smart phone visual treasure hunt and win a prize for themselves and their schools.

DigiPortraits: A short biography of a person, told in a creative way, using a flip camera. Participants must bring their own flip camera and anything else they need. PAHFest will provide an Adobe editing system for participants.

Tone Poems: Participants record a video that dramatically expresses an original musical composition using a cell phone. Editing software, technical support, and a computer are provided to help participants complete their pieces.

Local participants can enter any of the contests, except for Mobiflicks. Participants in Mobiflicks must submit a script and idea for their film in order to qualify for voting by the PAHfest team. Selections are made based on a good mix of community, content, creativity, and localism.

For examples of each competition, visit: http://www.pahnationfest.org/theatre/11_detroit_pahfest_11/

2011 marks the 5th annual Hollywood PAHfest. Madonna hosts the event out of Los Angeles City College.

For a video recap of our first morning, watch this:

CONGRATULATIONS CHUCK

2011-09-07T09:04:00.000-07:00

Please join me in congratulating our very own Chuck Derry who was recently elected to the Board of Governors for the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, Michigan Chapter. Chuck was elected by peers in the television industry. It is a great honor and we are very proud to say—CONGRATULATIONS CHUCK!

PAH-Fest:Motown 2011 announces Mobiflicks teams

2011-07-04T18:06:00.000-07:00

PAH-Fest:Motown 2011 announces Mobiflicks teams.
The results are in for this year's Mobiflicks teams.

Five teams will participate in the weeklong challenge, hosted by Christopher Coppola, Richard Jewell, Jennifer Champagne, Clayman Pictures, and Broadcast and Cinema Arts students at Madonna University.

What is a Mobiflick?
Mobiflicks: Teams of 4 participants, a coach, and a composer write, produce, shoot, and edit their own 6 minute story. Stories are made from passion and generally the person who came up with the story becomes the director. PAH-Fest provides all of the equipment: camera, audio, editing system (computers, programs: Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premier), and a one-day crash course to help prepare for production. Coaches are allowed to advise, but are not allowed to shoot. Most of these teams have little or no experience in film.

This year there are 5 teams: "Team: Artist Intergenerational Legacy," "Team: Hitting the Streets," "Team: Pioneer," "Team: Eye on Animals," and "Team: The D."

On Sunday night (July 17), movies will be screened at the Festival Closing Ceremony and a $1,000 cash prize will be awarded to the winning team.

For more information on the team's and their stories, as well as their Madonna coaches, take a look at the descriptions below.
All content within the 2011 PAH-Fest:Motown Mobiflicks competition is copyrighted.

Team: Artist Intergenerational Legacy
ETCHINGS AND ART OF JEANNE POULET Are they a GIFT OR A CURSE? Is this a gift of fractal access to both sides of her brain? Bipolar? Imaginative? An Artist who has a gift of intuitive photographic recall that can invent images directly out of her head! Not pretty pictures of birds and horses but Tremors of Man's Inhumanity to Man, Woman and Child! No copying, no resource pictures, no grid or projector. The artist has DYSLEXIA which is an impediment of being UPSIDE DOWN and REVERSED and linear reading and number recording is difficult. But JEANNE with DYSLEXIA is a MASTER ENGRAVER ETCHER because everything is already upside down! She can read upside down and backwards! She can memorize bits and bites of information! She could not read English until she was twelve and then memorized Shakespeare at fifteen by copying him on index cards and learning as she walked to Montreal School for Girls. She was therefore given an impediment that has turned into a gift! This is her story.

Coach: Christina Malene
Christina is a multifaceted professional who is seen on screen as well as behind the camera. She owns a production company Open Box LLC, is certified in Final Cut Pro, teaches editing and acting at Madonna University, Co-hosts the television program “Celebrate Michigan” seen on My TV 20 Detroit and has been seen on camera on several movie and television projects including the pilot of a new reality show “Zombie Factor.”

Team: Hitting the Streets
My mother, Barbara Jean Hutson is the eldest of eight children born to Alfred and Mildred Hooper. Her stories of being born in a small shack by a midwife in Vicksburg Mississippi intrigued me as a child and led to my constant inquiry of what led her parents, my grandparents to migrate to Detroit. My grandfather, Alfred Hooper, Sr. was one of those men who left family behind in search of a better life in Detroit Michigan. Growing up in the 80â€™s in Detroit, I was aware of the great second migration that led so many Black Mississippians to move to the Midwest. From childhood to adulthood, I watched the efforts of my grandfather and his unrelenting work ethic to create ownership and educational opportunities for his children and grandchildren. After leaving Detroit at the tender age of seventeen to pursue higher learning, I was struck with the passion to understand the price and sacrifice that his man and his wife, their families and birthplace, paid for this American way of life.
Hitting the Streets is a story of the Black Middle Class in Detroit and their legacy.

Coach: Charlie Grover
Charlie is a Master Pro for Final Cut Studio, a Master Trainer for Logic Studio and an Apple Certified Support Professional.
Charlie is also famous as the drummer in the Detroit based band called Sponge on Columbia Records for 5 years. He has toured all over the world and played on Conan O'brian and David Letterman show (twice.) He also owns a recording studio where he does freelance work for Video and Audio.

Team: Pioneer
Northville, Michigan is the definition of small-town charm. With its picturesque neighborhoods and downtown Victorian architecture, its rich heritage has garnered it as one of southeastern Michigan’s most desirable communities.
A son, who is more than happy to move away from “boring” Northville, helps his father pack for the move. The father, though, is unsettled with the fact that his son has no appreciation for history.
During the move, the son drops a box that contained a vintage camera and a tattered baseball. The father explains it belonged to the grandfather. A boy retrieves the ball from across the street before the son reaches it. The boy says he is visiting relatives and asks the son to accompany him to the baseball field.
As they walk, the son complains about the dull town. The boy, however, shares the unique history of the town and buildings they pass. His descriptions are so detailed it seemed as if he once experienced those memories himself. The son is surprised at how much history came from the small town.
As they arrive at the baseball field, the father pulls up in his car. The father questions who the son was talking to because to the son’s surprise, the boy has vanished. The father remarks that this is the baseball field where his father taught him to play.
The father suggests developing a roll of film he found with the grandfather’s camera. During the credits, we see the vanished boy in the pictures.

Coach: Chuck Derry
Chuck is the Director, Broadcast and Cinema Arts at Madonna University and has been in the Television industry for over 30 years at WXYZ-TV in Detroit. His years of work has been recognize by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences awarding him a Silver Circle award. The Silver Circle is awarded to television professionals who have performed distinguished service within television for twenty-five years or more and Chuck was recognized not only for his work at WXYZ but in training college students in the art of television production.

Team: Eye on Animals
A documentary on the stray animal population problem in Michigan. We've always had this problem, but since the recession hit in 2008, things escalated for cats, dogs and horses being dumped since homeowners have had their homes foreclosed on, and horse owners can no longer care for their horses. After friends with animal lovers on Facebook, I have viewed countless pictures of animals on death row. I have also viewed countless animals who are victims of animal cruelty. I'd like to also explore animal welfare laws and the possibility of an animal abuse registry. These stray animals who are victims of neglect and cruelty are in desperate need of a voice.

Coach: Jeremy Salo
Jeremy is the owner of CLV Productions, LLC. His work is seen nationally on PBS as the cinematographer for “Your Brush with Nature.” Jeremy is an Emmy award winning producer as well for his work on “The Life and Times of Pablo Davis.” Jeremy was one of the cinematographers for the award winning video “First Snow in the Woods”.

Team: The D
Despite high crime, unemployment, and deteriorating schools in Detroit, many Detroiters are not deterred and view this as an obstacle that can be easily removed. Many of us remember growing up in the early 80's and had similar issues with the recession, crime and poverty, but we were able to learn in the school system, go to college and have successful careers. The common denominator is family and the values instilled in us to not give up, work hard, and make things happen. We need to revitalize those values and expect more out of ourselves and our neighbors and not give up in the face of adversity. We need to encourage one another to find a way to improve Detroit and bring it back to its former glory.

Coach: Christopher Nickin
Chris is comfortable in front of the camera as well as behind but recently has made a his mark as a director on several movies shot in Michigan. His latest movie “Mary’s Buttons” is a historical movie telling the real life story that takes place in 1910. An immigrant family hears a knock at their door, and the mother — who is not proficient in English — believes it’s a criminal and orders one of her sons to shoot at the base of the door. It turns out that the knocker was a sheriff, killed by the resulting shrapnel. The mother is then put on trial for murder.

For more information about PAH-Fest:Motown visit pahnationfest.com or the official PAH-Fest:Motown Facebook.

Sara is our M.C. for PAH-Fest

2011-07-01T05:41:00.000-07:00

We are excited to announce that Miss Sara Simnitch, a Madonna University alum and day-side general assignment reporter for 9 and 10 news out of the Traverse City bureau (Northern Michigan’s News Leader) will be our Master of Ceremonies for closing night festivities at PAH-Fest Motown 2011. Sara is very proud to have been asked to be ...our MC because in no small part she attributes her success to the work she has done on PAH-Fests in the past and her relationship with Christopher Coppola and her Professors at Madonna.

We hope you join us for PAH-Fest Motown July 11th-17th. Closing night ceremonies will be held Sunday, July 17th at Kresge Hall at 7:00pm.

On Facebook? Join us on FACEBOOK

ASL Video's

2011-04-27T06:13:00.000-07:00

This term, the Interns working at Madonna U along with a lot of help from their fellow students put together 3 music video programs targeted at the Deaf. It was a really cool experience and rumor has it they learned even more about their craft! Thanks especially to Alyse, Mark, Hannah and Katie for putting the hours in to make these amazing!

Watch Video's here!

Workshop Coming to Madonna U

2011-03-17T07:09:00.000-07:00

Screenplay Structure Workshop at
Madonna University
Top 20 Secrets of Successful Motion Pictures and Stories of All Kinds WHAT TO EXPECT? The seminar lectures will be illustrated by both computer graphics and motion clips from popular films. In this 1-day workshop you will learn the fundamentals of successful story structure around a true and consistent moral premise, whether you are writing a movie, a stage play, or a novel.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND? Narrative writers, producers, and directors of all story genres and media will find this session beneficial, if not foundational. Fans of motion pictures may also want to attend. If you're a writer this session will give you a practical understanding of the moral premise that will speed along and improve the quality of your story's structure. In many ways the moral premise is a powerful muse; when used correctly it will inspire and focus your efforts, and powerfully connect you with your audience. Say "Good-bye" to writer's block. As a fan you'll have a greater appreciation of movies, plays, and novels when you understand and see how writers and directors use the moral premise as the center and motive force of their tales.

COST
Pre-Registration: $99
At the door: $120
Madonna Students: FREE

PRESENTER
Hollywood Story Consultant
STANLEY D WILLIAMS, PhD
WILL SMITH says: The Moral Premise is the Most Powerful Tool in my New Tool box. ________________________________________ CONTACT
Email: stan@moralpremise.com
Phone: 248-344-4423 Ext. 5
Address: P.O. Box 29
Novi, MI 48376
________________________________________WHEN

Saturday April 2, 2011
from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM ET
________________________________________
WHERE
Madonna University
Franciscan Center
Lecture Hall S100
36600 Schoolcraft Rd.
Livonia, MI 48150
Screenplay Structure Workshop at
Madonna University
Top 20 Secrets of Successful Motion Pictures and Stories of All Kinds

New Capstone Class

2011-01-24T08:18:00.000-08:00

As Winter term 2011 swings into full gear, the Capstone course is meeting and beginning their journey to produce their Capstone movie. Instructors Chuck Derry and Christopher Coppola serve as mentors as the student come together to demonstrate the skills they have learned along their academic path.

The following pictures are at last week’s class when Christopher Coppola talked to them from his office in Hollywood via Skype. Our students are very fortunate to have seasoned professionals like Christopher and Chuck to lend them advice and guide them as they work on their movie. We will try to keep you abreast of their progress!
Thanks to Dan Boyd for taking these shots!

Four Madonna students earn the opportunity of a lifetime: the chance to report live from the Oscars this February

2011-01-13T20:18:00.000-08:00

Yes, you read that right, the Oscars, as in the huge deal on the red carpet every year!

Two teams of hard-working Madonna students entered into the Oscar Correspondent Contest, which is an annual contest sponsored by mtvU. The contest gives college journalists the chance to win a trip to Los Angeles to participate in the 83rd annual Oscars.
A team of one reporter and a videographer will report live, from the red carpet, as well as cover behind the scenes events.

Congratulations to our Madonna teams for making it to the top 10:
Sara Simnitch & Adam Woloszyk

as well as Idamarie Tedesco & Walid Jaward.

The video below was made by Madonna student Cassie Dusute, who also starred as an extra ('excited fan') in Idamarie & Walid's contest entry video.

Madonna University is the only Michigan school to make it to the final top 10.

From October 27 - December 6, 2010, students were invited to submit entries to win the life-changing trip. On January 10, the top 10 teams, chosen by mtvU, were announced via the mtvU website. Now, it's all up to the voters to decide who deserves the chance to interview celebrities at the Oscars. The first round of voting is open until January 28. The top three teams, determined by the voters, will make it to the final round of online voting. From February 7 - February 18, online voting will return to find the one team who will report live.

Once in the final three, participants are guaranteed a flight to Los Angeles. On February 26, one night prior to the Oscars, the winner will be announced at an Academy press conference. The other two teams will earn seats at the Oscars and admission to an Oscar viewing party.

What does it take to be on the red carpet, reporting at the Oscars? What are the chances that four Madonna students have this opportunity? Rare, very rare. We are so proud of them and cannot help, but brag that they chose Broadcast & Cinema Arts at Madonna University.

With your support and votes, both of these teams will make it to the top three. Only one team will report live from the Oscars on February 27, 2011, so let's make that a team from Madonna University. Please support Madonna and these dedicated students who have poured their hearts into the contest by voting following the link below. You may vote once per day per e-mail account. There is also a main comment page and a comment page for each video. Please leave encouraging comments for our Madonna students, they appreciate them!

http://www.mtvu.com/shows/shows-featured-content/oscars-correspondent-contest-top-10/

To vote copy and paste the link into your browser. The contest will load and then scroll down to the middle of the page, where you will see Sara & Adam and Idamarie & Walid's videos. Click on vote and you will be prompted to sign in or create an mtvU ID. All mtvU asks is for your name and e-mail address. You will receive a confirmation e-mail and you can verify your new mtvU account. Sign in to the contest using the link above and vote once per day.

Capstone Film Class 2010 Premiere

2010-11-29T07:36:00.000-08:00

Join the Capstone Class as they premiere their movie "Park Drive."

Time: Saturday, December 11 • 5:30pm - 8:00pm
Location: Madonna University Franciscan Center

Movie shows @ 6:00 p.m.
Question & Answer Panel After.

Tickets $5 at the door

Movie Trailer Here

Hollywood PAHfest Day Six: Night

2010-11-14T21:09:00.001-08:00

Thursday October 28th

Most of the Madonna Team stayed at LACC all day. So, we had an awesome chicken dinner with various sides, provided to us by PAHfest.

A highlight of the night was the party right next door. LACC hosted a Halloween Party for students and we just so happened to visit. I heard that Christopher Coppola's Biker Cat even visited the party. Okay...actually, I witnessed it. Christopher Coppola and Biker Cat made an appearance and even danced with the LACC crowd. Before the party, Dan the Wizard of Livonia, Kary, Sara, and Christopher shot another episode of the popular "Biker Cat." Prior to this, Paula also had the chance to interview Biker Cat.

Here's a couple photos from the Biker Cat shoot:

Let's take a step back to explore the Halloween Party. The LACC community welcomed us to the dance floor and a costumed student even gave us glow in the dark bracelets. Paula showed us her exciting dance skills and managed to teach Sue the "Salt Shaker." By the end of our dance party, Sue was doing the Salt Shaker which made us all laugh. Kary, Gosia, Alyse, and a few of the guys had a blast dancing, but couldn't compete with Paula, the real dance star. Maybe she should compete on "Dancing with the Stars?" Just a thought. :) The coach and composer from Team UP also stepped into the party and enjoyed the music selection. Let's just say, one of our Madonna students learned why it's important to use the "Buddy System" even at LACC parties right in the next room.

It is appropriate to title this post as "Night" vs. "Evening" because the hard work compressing files ran very late, and even into the next morning and afternoon.

Here's a photo of us still working at 10:30 at night. Thanks for the photo Paula.

The "Tech Geniuses" Dan, Sue, Sara, Adam, and Alyse stayed at LACC until around 1AM. Thanks for all your hard work, we couldn't have done it without you guys, the "Madonna Tech Team."

Look for the videos oh PAHNATION.org in the online theater tomorrow at 5PM...and be sure to vote!

Hollywood PAHfest Day Six: Day

2010-11-07T20:01:00.000-08:00

Thursday October 28th

Deadline Drama

Today, the Stress Factor can be rated on a scale of 1-10.
Team Stress Factor: 10
Individual Stress Factor: 15!

Why? Mobiflicks, Digiportraits, Tone Poems, Cell Phone Art, and Circus Vision are all due at 5PM TODAY.

Deadlines, deadlines, deadlines...can the teams do it? Can everyone get their projects and videos finished on time?

We will see shortly. I am going undercover to help participants edit, figure out what they are all about, and observe the deadline drama.

First stop: Mobiflicks

Team Last Minute

Remember Day One? Team Last Minute didn't have a name until Saturday. However, the rest of their journey this week has not been anything close to "last minute." Team Last Minute spent their time working on "Just One Dance," a story about a husband and wife. The wife wished to dance with her husband, but he was not in the mood. Later in the film, the wife passes away. Weeks pass by and the husband becomes depressed and lonely. He wishes for just one dance with his wife.

Do you think he will receive his wish? I can't give it away, but tomorrow around 3PM, you will see it for yourself on PAHNATION.org.

Team Dared

Team Dared used their resources wisely this week. The team used about eight digital cameras with flash to capture a wining moment for their main actress. They lucked out when a few cameras also had shutter sound. Confused? Wait until tonight to watch their film, "Hollywood Dream." The story involved a girl visiting Hollywood becuse she wants to become a filmmaker. She passes by a fortune teller on the street and is intrigued. She visits the fortune teller who informs the girl that her dream of becoming a filmmaker will not happen. Later, the girl wakes up, realizing it was all just a dream and she passes by the fortune teller on the street again, but this time decides that she does not need her advice.

What kind of lesson does the actress learn when she wakes up from her dream? As told on day one by the director of Team Dared, the girl realizes that no one can tell her what she is going to do in life and that she can do anything she wants to.

Team UP (Urban Possibilities)

Team UP worked on a different type of story this week. More of a emotional story about what's really going on in Los Angeles when it comes to poverty. Their film features "the face of poverty," how it's changing, and the fact that poverty does not have a certain look it. The person sitting next to you could be homeless. They might wear the same clothes everyday, but still look like they have taken a shower.

Who does poverty really affect? People who made bad choices in life, people who have no control when it comes to money, or people who don't know where their family is? Watch the compelling "Strange Fruits" film tonight for a closer look. The composer of Team UP has even stated that when previewing her film, a student from Madonna had tears in her eyes.

Team Wise Guys

During the evening portion of our program on day one, we heard from Hector Garcia, part of Team Wise Guys. He participated in the Creativity Panel and is also part of Wise Guys Radio. Team Wise Guys' film, "The Walks of Life," features the story behind shoes. Not just any pair of shoes, though. The team interviewed different people about their shoes. They asked what kind of journey people have taken in their shoes, where the shoes have been, when they bought the shoes, and other questions that made their film complete. Team Wise Guys wanted to tell the story behind a person's shoes. There are many different people in the world and many different types of shoes. Team Wise Guys believes that your shoes can define you as a person. We heard that the coach of Team Wise Guys, Chad Eicher, got the team into a private dance studio for a different look at people's shoes.

Only a team of wise guys could pull off a film about shoes. Not only is the idea in-depth, but it's hard to shoot people's shoes and still capture their personality. Their team name says it all, they're "Wise Guys."

Remember Day One? Watch this video for a look back at how each team presented it's idea for their Mobiflick:

Second stop: Digiportraits

What are Digiportraits? Besides another contest at PAHfest, Digiportraits tell a story. Visit the day one post for a description of each contest.

Many Digiportraits participants worked right up until the 5PM deadline. Everyone focused on finishing their entry and trying to tweak it just the way they pictured it.

When voting opens, you can watch nine different Digiportraits. Titles include: "Balance," "Harmony," Hero," "Julia," "Motorcycle Boy," "Portrait Portfolio," "Street Life," "Untitled," and "Who Is Homeless."

Third stop: Tone Poems

Just like it sounds, Tone Poems must involve a "tone," or in other words, music. Throughout the week, there have been some really interesting Tone Poems. I have enjoyed watching people edit and hearing their music.

Watch for these Tone Poems tomorrow: "A Gleam of Hope," "LACC Circle," "Nature," "Redline," "Rest in Peace," "Sound of Campus," "Sugar Land Carnival," and "World Ain't No Good."

Fourth stop: Cell Phone Art

Ahh Cell Phone Art, what's it all about? This week, the topic was "It's a Wonder." Before the contest at each PAHfest, Christopher Coppola announces the topic. So, what does "It's a Wonder" mean? Well, you'll have to take a look at these videos tomorrow and then you can decide what it means to you.

The participants in the Cell Phone Art contest include: Dina, LaJoi, Ron, Zane, Janice, Alexander McVickar, Stevie Jones, Thomas Valencia, and Leilani Sashi. But...who could forget, our very own Madonna student, Adam Woloszyk. We had the privilege of seeing Adam's cell phone art a few days ago.

In case you didn't see the earlier entry, here's what he submitted:

Fifth stop: Circus Vision

Do you remember when you held a video camera for the first time, or even a still camera? Possibly one of those throw away Kodak cameras from target? Most of us were young children at the time.

Circus Vision focuses on children. The competition is open to children ages 14 and under. Children go on a visual treasure hunt, using a smart phone with video capability. The cell phones are provided by PAHfest and Madonna students help coach the children on how to use the devices.

In the Circus Vision competition, three children participated: Glarissa, Levan, and Sebastian. Their videos will also be available on PAHNATION.org tomorrow.

Sixth stop: Madonna Team

This week the Madonna Team has helped participants with just about everything. Among the responsibilities of Madonna students are things such as teaching participants how to use equipment, how to edit their pieces, and being there to support any questions about PAHfest.

Today the Madonna Team is helping everyone finish editing and save their videos. Tonight, we will be compressing files and staying up late to get everything online by deadline.
What deadline? The Hollywood PAHfest 2010 online theater deadline. (In other words, the deadline we need to meet so that all of the videos are up in time for voting.

Now that we are finished walking with the stars, let's take the subway back to LACC. (Los Angeles City College)

After my undercover trip visiting the different contests, I learned the following. Minus the Stress Factor today, everyone is working very hard to finish their videos. The determination, passion, and competitive spirit in ever individual is obvious.

Hollywood PAHfest Day Five

2010-10-29T11:28:00.000-07:00

(Will is having a great time @ PAHfest. Thanks for the picture, Dan!)

Wednesday October 27th

Today the Mobiflicks teams continued to edit their pieces. With the help of our dedicated Madonna students, teams stayed as late as midnight. Why? Deadline is TOMORROW, (Thursday) at 5PM. One team had some technical difficulties, and lost time on their project. They worked harder than everyone to catch up so that they can get done on time.

All contest entries have to be up on the PAHnation website by Friday at 5PM, when voting will begin.
To vote, go to: www.pahnation.org
You can only vote once for each video.

Throughout the week, one of our Madonna students, Aaron worked on a promotion video for the Cell Phone Art contest. After some technical difficulties and a lot of hard work, his video is successfully finished. We think it's great and appreciate his dedication and effort. Take a look:

During the day Wednesday, everyone watched a sidewalk chalk artist hard at work. Pictures? Of course!

We also heard from Mike Iampietro about Adobe Premier Elements 9. Iampietro is the Group Product Manager for Consumer Video at Adobe Systems Incorporated. He also helped us answer questions about the software.

Look for a video later this week.

Aaron, Will, and Gosia went to the Boys and Girls Club of Los Angeles to help with "Circus Vision," working with children 14 and under in a contest for PAHfest. The kids went on a scavenger hunt based on circus themes, capturing footage from around the club on their Blackberrys. Aaron blew up balloons for the kids and helped them learn how to use the video control features on the cellphones provided by PAHfest. "It was quite an awesome experience helping the kids with their videos," said Aaron Guay. "They really came up with some creative and original ideas and were so excited... and they really loved the balloons!"

In the evening, Eight Madonna students went to a program called "How 'Glee' Does It" from 6-10PM.
The evening showcased Final Cut Studio and explained more about editing, featuring the "Glee" TV show. The in-depth process focused on the editing of the TV show "Glee" and intrigued BCA students.

Hollywood PAHfest Day Four

2010-10-27T11:06:00.000-07:00

Tuesday October 26th

After a long, dedicated day shooting yesterday, the teams dove head first into editing today. Most people had never worked with editing software before, or even seen it in action. PAHfest, our Intel Sponsors, and Adobe provided the teams with computers for editing as well as the software. The participants will work on editing tomorrow and Thursday. The Mobiflicks are due on Thursday night at 5PM. Online voting will open at 10PM Pacific Time Thursday night.
All four team’s coaches seem pleased with the performance of the team. Everyone continues to work very hard, including Madonna students. "I'm very proud of the work put into Team Wise Guy's video. They have a compelling story and it's been really cool watching," said Chad Eicher, Team Wise Guy's coach.

Today, the Madonna team helped with the editing software. With the exception of our favorite editing guru, Alyse, Madonna students have never worked with Adobe Premier Elements before. However, everyone stepped up to the challenge and most have successfully assisted participants with their individual entries. After today, I can honestly say that I am proud of every Madonna student on our trip. We are all having a great time and everyone finds ways to help the Mobiflicks teams.
Two Broadcast & Cinema Arts students also received a special opportunity to participate in a Mobiflicks Team. Team Last Minute welcomed Brian and Mark to their idea and the team has been shooting and editing a lot. It is clear that everyone has passion for their Mobiflicks movie.

Three Madonna students had the opportunity to work with footage shot by Christopher Coppola After visiting Coppola’s office, Madonna students Jeremy, Jennifer, and Kary began editing one of Coppola’s “Spices of Life” episodes.

The highlight of Tuesday for five Madonna students, Paula, Peter, Jeremy, Jennifer, and Kary was our trip to Coppola's studio, "Oasis."

Anyone that walked into Paula’s path today saw her huge smile and excited eyes. Paula says she found her dream world today and got the chance to walk through it. If you had never met Paula before today, you might think she was joking around, but she really did find her “Heaven on Earth."
If we really told you what we saw, we’d have to kill you. Or so, Paula says. The group got to see the editing of one of Coppola’s TV shows, 3D software, color correction, sound stage, green screen room, theater, and lots more.
Everyone in the building was incredibly kind, welcoming, and open to all of our questions. While we could not film our interviews due to legal purposes, we still wish that we had. The girls decided to ask Jeremy what he thought about everything we saw. For those of you that do not know, Jeremy is from Spain and is an International student at Madonna. Blown away by the expensive equipment, large space, and advanced technology, Jeremy’s response to the wonder before our eyes lies in the one word he expressed, “amazing.” Even without being able to understand everything we say in English, Jeremy’s comment sums up our experience very well. We were all amazed and many “ooh’s, ahh’s, and wow’s” went through the air.

In the evening, Coppola invited the Madonna team to his home for a delicious dinner, five-star coffee experience (compliments of Coppola's son, Bailey), and a screening of his first feature film. Conveniently Halloween themed, students were incited by the film and enjoyed it. Everyone dressed up in Halloween costumes and had a great time. Even Dan and Sue dressed up for the party. Most of the group went as a “doctor/nurse” theme, while others, such as Kary and Sue went with more of an original costume. Pictures from the party:

For more party pictures & costumes, watch the slideshow:

We were a little sad that two of our PAHfest participants, Jeremy and Peter could not go to the party. However, they bought tickets to go to a Laker’s game a while ago. The Laker's started off slow, but by the third quarter came back and took the lead by 2 points. Final score: Los Angeles Laker’s (112) vs. Houston Rockets (110)

Of course, our BCA blog would not be complete without a picture from the game:

Needless to say, the rest of us were jealous, but we did have a great time at Coppola’s party.

Hollywood PAHfest Day Three

2010-10-27T09:39:00.000-07:00

The Mobiflicks teams worked hard filming all day Monday October 25. Team Last Minute stayed out from 9AM until midnight shooting their film.
The Madonna team worked hard promoting PAHfest and helping anyone who decided to try their hand at CellPhone Art or DigiPortraits. One of our BCA students, Adam, even made his own CellPhone Art featuring the Madonna Team. The topic? "It's a Wonder anything gets done around here."
Adam directed the video and told us all exactly what to do to look like we were goofing off during our down time. Everyone except, Kary, who was completely wired in to working on her MacBook Pro.

Instead of spoiling the fun with a description of Adam's work, here's the video:

Sara learned some new tools in photoshop and worked for about three hours on a project. Her image will be used for a lower third graphic, which is basically like a title bar with someone's name. Any time a name shows up, the PAHfest Head will also appear. Look for the floating PAHfest Head in our videos and on the PAHNation website.

While the teams were out shooting, Madonna students set up a table outside with information about the different contests PAHfest offers. The LACC community enjoyed the candy and conversation, some even signed up to work on a project. Now in the editing phase, everyone is working hard trying to finish their pieces. Sometimes the way we see a short video clip in our head does not turn out the way we had hoped. Despite the frustrating technological obstacles, participants keep persevering with the help of our dedicated Madonna Team.

Hollywood PAHfest Day Two

2010-10-26T09:26:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, October 24th the 4 Mobiflicks teams arrived for equipment check-out in the morning. Available equipment involved cameras, microphones, tripods, adapters, and boom poles. For those of you that don't know what a boom is, it is a type of microphone - in particular, a shotgun microphone on a pole. A Shotgun microphone is a unidirectional microphone. So, a boom is a long stick with a unidirectional microphone on the end. A boom is used when you need to keep the microphone out of the shot, don't want to use a lavaliere (wireless microphone), or when you have a large group of people and need to record sound directionally.
The teams also received a training course on how to use the equipment from Dan Boyd and his Madonna University Tech Team.
New teams came in and started working on digiportraits, cell phone art, and circus vision. For a description of each contest, please see the earlier "Hollywood PAHfest Day One: Morning" post.

In the evening, Christopher Coppola hosted a Tech Panel, which emphasized the upcoming 3D technologies. The discussion involved 3D cameras, glasses, right and left human perception, and color correcting.

Look for a video update of the 3D Panel tomorrow.

Hollywood PAHfest Day One: Night

2010-10-25T17:06:00.000-07:00

On Saturday night, Christopher Coppola hosted a Creativity Panel at Los Angeles City College (LACC.) The Creativity Panel featured a Cinematographer, a Writer Director, a Math Teacher, and 2 men from Wise Guys Radio. Coppola opened the event with a topic: RSVP Cycles, based on a book he read. The book is called "RSVP Cycles: Creative Process in the Human Environment" by Lawrence Halprin. Each participant on the panel talked about how their work and their own life related to the different letters.

What does RSVP stand for?
RSVP Cycles
R Resources
S Score
V Value Action
P Performance

For a clearer understanding, please visit this link:

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:46chJRFW1WUJ:redseven.wordpress.com/rsvp-cycles-lawrence-halprin/+RSVP+cycles&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

4 out of 5 Creativity Panelists said their families continuously exist as their greatest resource.

Our guest cinematographer for the evening, Pete Villani, expressed his earliest memories of watching movies with his grandparents and how the films inspired him. Please see our video below to get a better idea of what Villani had to say. Villani works on commercials, short films, feature-length films, documentaries, music videos, and more. He has even worked on Rush Hour 3. Villani has an MFA and BFA in Cinematography as well as an AA in TV Production. Villani won "Best Cinematography" at the Huntington Beach Film Festival for the film "Papalero."

http://petevillani.com/ for a more in-depth look at Villani's work and some first class entertainment.

The audience enjoyed Varda Hardy, who told us her emotions are highly involved in her work. We really enjoyed seeing the video she showed us, so much that we have to show you! Do her emotions show here? Yes, they do. The video also showcases her hard work and dedication.

To learn more about Hardy and see her wonderful work, visit:

http://www.vardahardy.com/

We heard a lot of really interesting ideas from the Math Teacher: Parisa Jung. I think it would be an understatement to say Jung likes her job. Jung clearly enjoys teaching and has the energy to match the young middle school children. During the discussion on performance, she stated that her students have already started working long before the bell rings. Jung dances, puts on costumes, and even does handstands in class to keep the children involved. She believes that keeping the children's attention is ideal to their learning. “I squeeze every second out of every second," said Jung.

The men from Wise Guys Radio (Hector Garcia & Errol Wilmot) entertained everyone and brought a welcoming touch to the panel. The Wise Guys mission is to offer fresh and innovative entertainment, despite what they call "a world cluttered by media." When it came to the discussion, Garcia and Wilmot had a lot to say about loyalty.
“I’m big on being loyal with jobs & family and I demand that out of people," said Wilmot.
“I’m killin’ everything that moves for these guys.” Wilmot stated that he would die for any of his coworkers; they are just like family to him. He expects that all of his friends will treat him the same. While this is just a small portion of what the Wise Guys had to say, they definitely made the Creativity Panel interesting. The Wise Guys Radio site is home to new artists that may not be big enough to become published on applications like iTunes or sites like YouTube.
For more information or to see new music that you cannot find any where else visit:

http://wiseguysnation.com/ You will not be disappointed.

In case you cannot tell, our Madonna team enjoyed the Creativity Panel, which was also broadcast live through pahnation.org.

Wise Words from the wonderful, respected and well-known Coppola...

“I want people to have a voice, that’s part of accessibility” - Coppola
“When you have a job – do it, work hard at it, respect it.” - Coppola
“Be yourself, don’t try to be somebody else” – Coppola
“If there’s no heart, it doesn’t matter how well your cinematography is” -Coppola
“I want you to tell your story to everybody & anybody” – Coppola

And finally, a video recap of the Creativity Panel for your viewing pleasure:

Hollywood PAHfest Day One: Morning

2010-10-24T12:27:00.000-07:00

Madonna students travel to Hollywood for PAHfest 2010
Day One: Morning - Mobiflicks teams arrive

Excited, energetic, and ready to work, 12 Madonna University students and 2 professors flew to Los Angeles, California this past weekend. Despite the airplane delays and chilly weather, everyone is having a great time.
Madonna's team has the opportunity to participate in Christopher Coppola's Hollywood PAHfest.
Wait, let's back up a minute...WHAT is PAHfest?

"PAH" stands for Project Accessible Hollywood and "fest" is short for festival. Coppola's PAHNation website defines the term as a groundbreaking digital media festival that celebrates the stories and voices of everyday people. PAHfest travels around the world, mostly in the US and overseas. The festival lasts a week long and involves local participants in competitions all related to film.

A total of five contests are available for participants:

Mobiflicks: Teams of 4 participants, a coach, and a composer write, produce, shoot, and edit their own 6 minute story. Stories are made from passion and generally the person who came up with the story becomes the director. PAH-FEST provides all of the equipment: camera, audio, editing system (computers, programs: Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premier), and a one-day crash course to help prepare for production. Coaches are allowed to advise, but are not allowed to shoot. Most of these teams have little or no experience in film.

This year there are 4 teams: "Team Last Minute," "Team UP - Urban Possibilities," "Team Dared," and "Team Wise Guys"
On Saturday night, movies will be screened at the Festival Closing Ceremony and a $500 cash prize is awarded to the winning team.

Other competitions include:

Cellphone Art: One minute movie participants will receive a blackberry video enabled cell phone, or they are allowed to use their own. Christopher Coppola announces a surprise topic before the competition begins. Look forward to this on our upcoming day 2 blog.

Circus Vision: Children 14 & under can participate in the new smart phone visual treasure hunt and win a prize for themselves and their schools.

DigiPortraits: A short biography of a person, told in a creative way, using a flip camera. Participants must bring their own flip camera and anything else they need. PAHFest will provide an Adobe editing system for participants.

Tone Poems: Participants record a video that dramatically expresses an original musical composition using a cell phone. Editing software, technical support, and a computer are provided to help participants complete their pieces.

Local participants can enter any of the contests, except for Mobiflicks. Participants in Mobiflicks must submit a script and idea for their film in order to qualify for voting by the PAHfest team. Selections are made based on a good mix of community, content, creativity, and localism.

2010 marks the 4th annual Hollywood PAHfest. Madonna hosts the event out of Los Angeles City College (LACC) and assists Coppola.

For a video recap of our first morning, watch this:

PAHfest Hollywood 2010

2010-10-14T07:12:00.000-07:00

A large group of students will be heading to Hollywood next week to assist on PAHfest Hollywood 2010. The blog will keep you abreast on their adventures!

SAG Workshop

2010-09-20T07:39:00.000-07:00

The Broadcast and Cinema Arts Program and the Broadcast Club of Madonna University will host a special workshop for aspiring actors and actresses Saturday, Sept. 25, 2010, from 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Students and faculty interested in acting or working in the industry with actors will learn the basics of acting contracts, auditioning, and taking stage/screen direction. Students and acting teachers are most welcome to attend. Please bring your student or teacher ID. Admission is FREE.

The workshop will be presented by the professional members of the Screen Actors Guild, (SAG) – the nation’s largest union representing working actors. The event is designed to help students who want to act for films, stage, and television. This is a great chance to work with experienced, professional screen actors and gain valuable insights into the business.

Take this step towards working as a professional, and encourage other high school and community college students to attend. Tours of our new Franciscan Center studio facilities will take place after the workshop.

“Working with SAG 101” Workshop Agenda
• SAG Contracts – The Why’s and How’s
• Casting Process – Work with a Professional Casting Director and real scripts. Learn some common pitfalls of the audition.
• Scene Direction – What are the obvious and not so obvious differences between stage and screen acting. Students will work interactively with professional actors.
• The wrap-up – How to act like a professional right to the end.

Date: Saturday Sept. 25, 2010

Time: 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. (following the SAG Annual Meeting)

Where: Madonna University, Franciscan Center Lecture Hall (room S-100)

Admission: FREE (We request attendees be students or teachers; 10th grade through graduate school.)

No reservations are required.

PAHfest Motown 2010

2010-08-25T10:45:00.001-07:00

This summer has been a busy one!. PAHfest rolled through again and we had a blast helping the people of Southeastern Michigan tell their stories. A week of creativity and fun, does it get any better? Here are some pictures so you can see the fun!

PAHfest Motown 2010

2010-05-27T07:42:00.000-07:00

Contact: Alan Piñon, marketing officer
apinon@madonna.edu
734-432-5556

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, May 13, 2010

Storytellers invited to submit entries for PAH-fest Motown 2010
Applications for Film Competition due June 15

LIVONIA, Mich. – Everyone has a story to tell, and the folks at Madonna University along with Project Accessible Hollywood (PAH-Fest) want to help get your story to the big screen.

Created by Christopher Coppola, PAH-fest is a unique, entirely free, digital media festival that travels to cities throughout the U.S. and internationally, engaging everyday people in the art of movie-making and digital storytelling. The Detroit version of the festival, PAH-fest Motown, is in its fourth year and will again be hosted by Madonna University, July 6-11.

If you have a story you want to see come to life, now is the time to get an entry in for a chance to be part of the festival’s main event, Mobiflicks. Throughout the week, teams of story tellers create short films. The teams are provided with professional coaching and equipment as they write, produce, shoot and edit, turning their story into a six-minute movie.

The Mobiflicks films created during the week will be screened during the Festival Closing Ceremony, and cash prizes will be awarded. Afterwards, all films will be posted on the PAH-fest website for viewing.

The competition is open to everyone and those with little or no experience in film making are encouraged to submit an entry. In order to be selected as part of one of the teams for this year, storytellers must submit a story idea of approximately 250 words by Tuesday, June 15.

Stories with a local feel are highly encouraged. The story does not have to be submitted in script form, but spelling and grammar do count.

To submit your story:

Preparing Our Workforce for the Future of the Film Industry in Michigan

2010-03-01T05:45:00.000-08:00

Madonna University Forum: Preparing Our Workforce for the Future of the Film Industry in Michigan

Mon., Mar. 15, 2010 from 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
Location: Franciscan Center Lecture Hall
Free and Open to the Public

Forum Keynote, Richard Jewell’s Biography:

Richard Jewell serves as the workforce development manager for the Michigan Film Office. He holds a Master of Science degree from Michigan State University and served as an adjunct faculty member at MSU from 1987 to 1999. While at MSU, he received the Ukrainian Award of Excellence in the International Exchange program. Richard is a member of the Screen Actors Guild, Actors Equity, and American Federation of Radio and Television Alliance. He has appeared in over 12 films, numerous commercials, and stage productions. His latest role was that of FBI Agent Michael Mallory in The Irishman. He wrote, starred in, co-produced, and distributed a feature film, The Mongol King and earned co-writing credit for Sometimes in Life. Richard is currently working on a children’s story Donny’s Magic Touch, which will become a feature film.

Our New Music Video

2010-02-28T16:20:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone, last week was exciting as we celebrated the release of our music video production "Kan Ya Makan" (Once Upon a Time) starring Ridha Ibrahim and Katie Mann and crewed by a bunch of great people from Madonna. Have a look at our production! "Kan Ya Makan"

Please Join Us!

2010-02-16T06:21:00.000-08:00

Monday February 22nd in Kresge Hall. If you can't join us then, please catch us live on the stream HERE!

Kan Ya Makan Join Us!

2010-02-16T06:13:00.000-08:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Music Video Bridges Arabic and Deaf Cultures
Video Premiere and Panel Discussion Feb. 22, at Madonna University

LIVONIA, Mich. – A unique music video produced in the Franciscan Studios at Madonna University transcends all language barriers to inspire, entertain and tug the heartstrings of people from many cultures simultaneously. Featuring Tunisian-born singer/songwriter Ridha Ibrahim and Madonna University sign language student Kaitlyn Mann, Kan Ya Makan or Once Upon a Time will premiere at Madonna University, Monday, Feb. 22 at 7:30 p.m. in Kresge Hall as part of the University’s Diversity Week Celebration. The video also will stream live at www.madonnau.com/live.
People from around the world will participate in the event in the virtual worlds of Second Life. Questions can be posted on Facebook at Ridha Ibrahim’s site. Following the video’s debut, there will be a panel discussion regarding all the elements of its creation; including the learning process, technical aspects – video, musical, and sign language, as well as a behind the scenes look at the making of the video.

The impetus for Kan Ya Makan occurred when Ibrahim saw Madonna sign language students performing translations of their favorite songs. “I saw sign language as a way to reach out to the Deaf community with my music,” said Ibrahim, who works to communicate with all cultures through his songs. “Working with Madonna’s faculty and students was a great experience. Katie Mann did a beautiful job of artistically translating my words and melody into American Sign Language,” he said.

The song is a love story that blends eastern and western melodies with Arabic lyrics. “Due to my lack of knowledge of Arabic, Ridha and I spent over thirty hours translating the song to English,” said Mann. “This was an opportunity for me to dig deeper than the simple word-for-word approach of transliteration. Ridha explained the song’s deeper meanings and allegories,” wrote Mann in her study guide for the project.

In an effort to match Ibrahim’s musical poetry, Mann enlisted the talents of Dan McDougall, director of Madonna’s Sign Language Studies program to create a poetic American Sign Language interpretation of the song. “The creative nature of this project allowed Katie to explore concepts of ASL poetry taught in class, and to stretch them to their limits with dance. The end result is not uniquely hearing, nor uniquely Deaf – it’s somewhere in-between.” Each moment of the Kan Ya Makan video contains symbols – words, signs, images – all chosen and combined purposefully.

Sue Boyd, Franciscan Studios manager at Madonna, produced the music video with assistance from Madonna faculty and students in the Broadcast and Cinema Arts program. There was more to the video than just music and sign. The crew invested 30 hours filming. Then Boyd logged another 200 hours editing – painstakingly matching up frames filled with two languages that she didn’t know. “The result is a video that throws open the door to music for members of the Deaf community,” said Mann.

Sign Language Studies (SLS) and Broadcast and Cinema Arts (BCA), are among the more than 75 undergraduate academic programs offered at Madonna University (www.madonna.edu). SLS prepares students to communicate or to interpret within the Deaf community. BCA prepares students for careers in broadcast, film and new media industries. Both majors, grounded in the liberal arts, combine an integrated theoretical and extensive hands-on approach for professional preparation. Students gain a wide-range of skills and experiences that can be applied to career positions. Madonna University’s new “green” Franciscan Studios and production facilities provide students with the latest, high-definition, digital technologies.

# # #

Join Us for an Amazing Event

2010-02-08T06:18:00.000-08:00

Join us Monday, February 22 for a special evening: "Celebrating Culture through Sign and Music" with the premiere of the music video "Kan Ya Makan" and appearances by the artists Ridha Ibrahim and Katie Mann. We will also have a panel discussion about the project, a "Behind the Scenes" video of the making of "Kan Ya Makan" and other surprises.

Panel includes:
Musician: Ridha Ibrahim
ASL Performing Artist: Katie Mann
Arabic Musician: Laith Alattar
ASL Educator: Debbie Mitre-Smith
Madonna University Sign Language Studies Director: Daniel McDougall
BCA Educator and Studio Manager: Suzanne Boyd

Monday, February 22nd
7:30pm
Madonna University @ Kresge Hall
36600 Schoolcraft Road
Livonia, Michigan 48150

As part of Diversity Week on campus.

BCA Preview Night!

2010-02-08T06:06:00.000-08:00

Madonna University

Broadcast and Cinema Arts Preview Night
Featuring “Celebrate Michigan”

Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Wednesday, March 24, 2010

5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Franciscan Center

Experience our Broadcast and Cinema Arts program by viewing a new production, “Celebrate Michigan,” filmed in the state-of-the-art Franciscan Center. As an audience member, you will see our students in action first-hand and get a behind-the-scenes look into this growing profession.

5:00 p.m. – 5:15 p.m.
• Office of Undergraduate Admissions Presentation
5:15 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.
• Broadcast and Cinema Arts Program Overview
5:45 p.m. – 6:45 p.m.
• “Celebrate Michigan” Production
6:45 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
• Q & A Session
• Tour the BCA Control Room, Edit Suites, and Classrooms

RSVP at 734-432-5317 or online at madonna.edu

BCA Film Festival 2010

2010-02-08T05:41:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to everyone who was part of this great event! To see the films on line go to: See Our Movies!

We've Been Busy!

2010-01-12T08:35:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the lack of posting as of late, been sooo busy. The new studio is up and rolling, we have made some great content already! Some of the projects we did this term included 15 MMM shows, a music video as part of a Sign Language project called "Kan Ya Makan" and we recorded a radio segment for the BBC! We also made a trip to Hollywood and worked on PAHfest Hollywood and made some content that should soon be seen on a reality show--whew! Here are some pictures of the term to give you a little taste of the fun!

Michigan Movie Magazine

2009-10-19T06:44:00.000-07:00

We did our first show! We kicked the tires on the new studio and got our first show done..on to greater heights.

Closer!

2009-09-03T11:58:00.000-07:00

Control Room is closer!

We are getting ready

2009-08-21T08:30:00.001-07:00

We are gearing up for the new term in the new building! Here is a sneak peak at some of the equipment going in!

Interning around town!

2009-07-30T06:28:00.001-07:00

Here is Sara Simnitch and what she did during her summer vacation!

Wednesday, July 15

2009-07-15T06:44:00.000-07:00

This evening at 7:00pm in the New Franciscan Studio’s Harvey Ovshinsky will be speaking…and really you are doing yourself a disservice if you don’t come hear this man! His topic this evening is: The 60% Incentive; The Other Reason Why We Make Movies & Tell Our Stories in Michigan”. Come out and support PAHfest and be enlightened and entertained all at the same time!.Harvey is a national Emmy award winner and a Peabody Award recipient but more importantly he is a storyteller of the stories of our community. This event will be streamed live on www.pahnation.com as well but if you are close to campus it would be really nice to have a full house!

"Front yards are boring, backyards tell stories."
James Stevenson

It will also be streamed on www.pahnation.com .

In the News!

2009-07-12T16:20:00.000-07:00

Michigan Makes Movies Expo Draws Huge Crowd

If it had been a movie, it would have been a massive crowd scene in one of those old 1950s Biblical epics.

And none of this green screen computer effects stuff either. These people were for real and deadly serious. And they came, 1,300-plus strong, to the CBS Radio Michigan Makes Movies Expo Sunday at the Rock Financial Showplace.

Michigan became a major player in the movie business in April 2008, when legislators passed an incentive package calling for a 40 percent refundable tax credit for movie production costs spent in Michigan, or 42 percent if filmed in one of Michigan's 103 core communities. Importantly, the credit only applies to costs paid to Michigan-based companies or staff -- not staff temporarily imported from elsewhere.

"Movies chase incentives worldwide," said Larry August, director and managing partner of Avalon Films. "That's become the way they do it. So they go to Canada or Louisiana or now, Michigan. There's more movies being made in Michigan than in California. There's literlaly no movies being made in Hollywood right now -- it's shocking. What's being made in Hollywood is a lot of TV shows, because most TV shows are still made in studios."

August said the 40 percent tax credit gives Michgian suppliers an important advantage. "If you services have a built in 40 percent price advantage you would think you could price your services profitably," he said.

The movie industry needs lots of talent in Michgian, August said, from assistant directors to heads of departments to camera operators to makeup artists to grips and electrical staff.

August said all employees in the film business start at the bottom as production assistants, and that the business purposely makes it difficult to get into its unions.

"They want people who are persistent and who won't take 'no' for an answer," August said. "But writers get a pass -- if you write a great screenplay you start at the top."

Also speaking was Christopher Coppola, nephew of the famed director Francis Ford Coppola, who has just been made an adjunct professor at Livonia's Madonna University for his efforts to bring more film and video production training to the school, including this week's Project Accessible Hollywood citizen film training session and film festival.

Coppola said old school film skills like writing screenplays, doing a shot list and working with actors must be combined with new school skills like getting film concepts onto different platforms like cell phones and video games. "The old school needs to tell good stories on these new school platforms," he said.

Coppola said incentives like Michigan's means filmmakers "don't need to move to Hollywood now. You can do these things on stages now from anywhere."

He said Madonna is now building a soundstage with state-of-the-art equipment. And that will help build Michgan a "bullpen" of talent.

"When a kid works on a low budget film with a crew of 15 people and four professionals ... and the film is released on DVD, he has that in his hand, he can say to a film company, 'Hey, I'm a boom operator,' or 'I'm a second sound person,' here's what I did, here's the DVD," Coppola said.

Coppola said the Michiganders he's met so far "have a great work ethic. If you prepare for this new media renaissance, this will be the place people will be coming."

Gary May of Southfield's Parallax Production Studios said he believes Michigan will shine as a filmmaking site not in big-budget blockbusters, "but in that range from say $3 million to $15 million. That range can bring a lot of money to Michigan."

He praised college film programs at Ferris State Universtiy, Grand Valley State University, Western Michigan University, Michgian State University, the University of Michigan as Lawrence Technological University. At the same time, he said, "a lot of people are hanging out shingles in film and saying, 'we can make you brilliant.' All I can say is, be careful where you put your money."

Despite today's economic troubles, May said, "Where the film industry is going to go in Michigan the next few years is up, and we are about to show the world we can handle anything they throw our way."

May said his group is building a 52-by-75-foot stage in Southfield with a lot of generic sets that can be dressed up for different movies thorugh computer graphics. Parallax's first picture, "Intent," will hit movie screens Oct. 2.

May said the film business in Michigan is still lacking in infrastructure, in part because the incentives went from long-discussed idea to state law almost overnight.

Mike Mosallam, director of the Wayne County film initiatives office, moderated a panel of film industry experts including Marcia Fishman of the Screen Actors Guild Detroit Branch, Ken Droz of the Michigan Film Office in Lansing and Rick Hertz, West Michgian film commissioner.

They told the crowd how to get on film industry vendors' lists and how to apply for the state tax credit. They also dispelled rumors -- which they said were started by other states -- that Michigan is waffling on paying the tax credit. They said the credit would probably amount to about $40 million in its first year.

In this session, the overwhelming majority of attendees were aspiring or current filmmakers. Fewer were current or would-be technical helpers, and only a tiny handful were would-be actors.

Are You Coming?

2009-07-07T11:24:00.000-07:00

In the News Again

2009-07-07T11:20:00.000-07:00

PAHfest Motown 09 is getting a lot of press...Channel 4 did a story last night--but I missed it! Oh well, here is another!

PAHfest feature in the Michigan Film Office--click me to go to the link!

Project Accessible Hollywood Motown 2009
05.21.09
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, May 21, 2009
Metro-Detroiters Encouraged to Share Their Stories During PAH-fest Motown 2009
Applications for Film Competition Due June 20

LIVONIA, Mich. – Madonna University will host the third annual Project Accessible Hollywood (PAH-fest) Motown this summer. The unique, entirely free, digital media festival travels to cities throughout the U.S. and internationally, engaging everyday people in the art of movie-making and digital storytelling. Competitions and events will take place at Madonna’s Livonia campus Monday through Sunday, July 13-19.

The Mobiflicks competition is the festival’s main event. Throughout the week, pre-selected teams, whose members represent diverse backgrounds, create short films. The teams are provided with professional coaching and equipment as they write, produce, shoot and edit, turning their story into a six-minute movie. The competition is open to all. Those interested in participating must submit their story idea, approximately 250 words, to www.pahnation.com by Saturday, June 20, 2009.

“Not only is Mobiflicks fun, but it provides an outlet for individuals, communities and organizations to share their stories,” said Sue Boyd, Madonna University broadcast and cinema arts instructor and PAH-fest organizer. “The competition also is an exciting experience for anyone considering a career in Michigan’s burgeoning film industry.”

Last year’s winning film, entitled “Espranza,” told the story of a Detroit native who founded the Detroit Hispanic Development Corporation (DHDC), which provides a fun, safe environment for local youth.

This year, Mobiflicks teams will include composers, who will create musical scores for the short films. Composers can apply to be matched with a team by submitting an MP3 file of their work on the PAH-fest Web site, www.pahnation.com, by June 20.

PAH-fest creator Christopher Coppola looks forward to the one-of-a-kind stories he encounters during PAH-fest Motown. “There are pockets of magic within Detroit families and communities,” he said. “PAH-fest Motown is an excellent opportunity to bring to light the positive stories of a city that lately has received a lot of negative press.” Coppola, nephew of director Francis Ford Coppola and brother to actor Nicholas Cage, will return to Madonna’s campus for the festival.

Mobiflicks films will be screened during the Festival Closing Ceremony, and cash prizes will be awarded. Afterwards, all films will be posted on the PAH-fest Web site for viewing. For more information about Mobiflicks, or to view a full schedule of PAH-fest events, visit www.pahnation.com, or call Sue Boyd at 734-432-5578.

Madonna University’s broadcast and cinema arts program prepares students for careers in broadcast, film and other digital media industries. The program, grounded in the liberal arts, combines an integrated theoretical and intensive hands-on approach for professional preparation. Madonna University’s new “green” Science and Media Building, recipient of a $1.5 million Kresge Foundation Challenge Grant, opens fall 2009. PAH-fest participants will have an opportunity to see the building and the digital technologies that will be available to broadcast and cinema arts students.

PAHfest in the Great Lakes IT Report!

2009-07-02T09:29:00.000-07:00

Posted: Wednesday, 01 July 2009 5:42PM

Film, Video Fest Returning To Madonna U

Wannabe movie-makers will have the opportunity to tell their stories during PAH-Fest Motown 2009, July 13-19, at Madonna University’s Livonia campus, l36600 Schoolcraft Road.

It's the Detroit-area’s third annual Project Accessible Hollywood festival -- a unique, entirely free, digital media festival that features a full schedule of activities where participants create everything from cell-phone movies to six-minute digital films. The events and competitions are open to people from all walks of life -- no filmmaking experience is necessary, just a story to tell.

Members of the community are invited to participate in the Digi Portrait, Tone Poem and Cell Phone Art competitions. Professional coaching is provided and software and cash prizes will be awarded. Throughout the week, pre-selected teams will write, produce, shoot and edit six-minute movies for Mobiflicks, the festival’s main event. The movies are screened and prizes are awarded for all of the competitions at the closing night ceremony.

“PAH-fest has been held in Motown, at Madonna University, more times than any other city,” said PAH-fest creator and filmmaker Christopher Coppola. “The interesting stories of the hardworking residents and close-knit communities make the Motown event unique.”

Coppola, nephew of director Francis Ford Coppola and brother to actor Nicholas Cage, plans to be on campus again this year for the festival.

Exciting new additions to this summer’s PAH-fest include a presentation by award-winning Detroit filmmaker Harvey Ovshinsky, and a seminar on film animation by digital creative director and animator Eric Bruneau. Labeled “one of this country’s finest storytellers” by The Detroit News, Ovshinsky’s work spans the universe of print, broadcast television and radio, and digital storytelling. Nominated for four Academy Awards, Bruneau has been recognized for his compositing and supervisory work on such technically-challenging films as Star Trek: Nemesis and Stealth, Spielberg’s Minority Report and Artificial Intelligence, and Sony Pictures Imageworks’ Contact, Starship Troopers, Stuart Little, Godzilla and Charlie’s Angels.

For more information about PAH-fest Motown, visit www.pahnation.com, or call (734) 432-5578. All events are held at Madonna University, 36600 Schoolcraft Road (I-96 and Levan Road) in Livonia.

The detailed schedule for PAH-fest Motown 2009 is as follows:

Monday, July 13:
Digi Portrait Competition – Bring a video-enabled cell phone to create a two-minute portrait of yourself or someone else. A complete Adobe editing system is provided for you to edit your piece. 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Colonnade Lounge

Tuesday, July 14:
Tone Poem Competition – Bring a video-enabled cell phone to record imagery that visually expresses an original musical composition. Editing software and technical support are provided to help you complete your piece. 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Colonnade Lounge
Film Animation Seminar – 7-8:30 p.m., Room 2103

Wednesday, July 15:
Mobiflicks Teams Orientation – 11 a.m., Room 2103
Presentation by Harvey Ovshinsky – 7 p.m., Kresge Hall

Thursday, July 16:
Mobiflicks Teams Shoot Day – 8 a.m.
Cell Phone Art Competition – Bring a video-enabled cell phone to create a one-minute movie about a topic Christopher Coppola assigns that morning. Editing system provided. 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Colonnade Lounge (bring a cell phone that can shoot video)
Student and Alumni Film Screening and Q & A – 7 p.m., Kresge Hall

Friday, July 17:
Mobiflicks Teams Edit – all day
Wine & Cheese Reception Fundraiser – 7-8 p.m., $50, Franciscan Center Studio
Creativity Panel, featuring artists, filmmakers and musicians – 8-9 p.m., Room 2100

Sunday, July 19:
Closing Night Ceremony – 7 p.m., Kresge Hall, Prizes will be awarded for all categories.

Article is here.

PAHfest Motown

2009-06-29T12:26:00.000-07:00

Madonna University
PAH Fest Motown 2009

Monday, July 13 10am-5pm Digi Portrait Competition Colonnade Lounge
7pm-8pm * File-Based Workflow for Film Room 2100
Jon Rutherford of Macprofessionals

Tuesday,July 14 10am-5pm Tone Poem Competition Colonnade Lounge
7-8:30pm * Seminar on Film Animation Room 2100
Eric Bruneau

Wednesday,July 15 11am Mobi flicks Teams Orientation Room 2103
7pm *Keynote Address
Harvey Ovshinsky
Detroit Storyteller and Filmmaker Franciscan Center Studios

Thursday,July 16 8am Mobi flicks Teams Shoot Day
10am-5pm Cell Phone Art Competition Colonnade Lounge
6pm Alumni Barbeque St. Francis Pond
7pm Alumni/Student Screening Kresge Hall

Friday,July 17 All Day Mobi flicks Teams Edit
7-8pm Wine & Cheese Receptiom Franciscan Center
($50.00 per ticket) Studios
8-9pm * Creativity Panel Room 2100

Saturday July 18 3pm All Mobiflicks in

Sunday, July 19 7pm *Closing Night Ceremonies Kresge Hall
Host: John Akouri

* These events are streamed live.

The 2009 Emmy Award Goes to..........

2009-06-08T04:25:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday evening (June 6, 2009) at the 31st Annual Michigan Emmy Awards Gala held at the Sound Board Theatre in the Motor City Casino, Christy Derry won the student Emmy Award in student production. Her piece, “The Dexter Cider Mill” won “Best Student Production – Program category.” Students from colleges and universities all over the state compete for the award, which is judged by professionals in the television industry from across the United States and Puerto Rico, and all of whom are from outside of Michigan, so the judging is unbiased and on a national basis.

These Emmy awards stand for exactly the same “outstanding Achievement in Television” as those seen on network television each fall at the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Emmy Awards, and the work is recognized on a national level. To be nominated for the award is an honor in itself (entries must meet high criterion using national professional standards to even get a nomination), and the Emmy is the highest honor given by the National Academy (NATAS) in the television industry for production.

This marks the 3rd year in a row that Madonna University has won the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Michigan Chapter Student Emmy Award and needless to say, I am very proud of our BCA program, our students, and our faculty. Two pictures from the event are attached.

Congratulations, Christy.

Signed,
Chuck Derry

PPPsstt...we are all proud of your accomplishments Christy..keep it up!
Signed,
The Rest of Us ;-)

First Place at the MovingMedia Festival!

2009-06-02T06:51:00.000-07:00

Graduate Christy Derry snagged another award recently as she took First Place for her documentary “The Dexter Cider Mill” at the MovingMedia Festival in the Documentary category. Way to go Christy and good luck Saturday at the Emmy Awards!

Pass this on!

2009-05-22T06:33:00.000-07:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, May 21, 2009

Metro-Detroiters Encouraged to Share Their Stories During PAH-fest Motown 2009
Applications for Film Competition Due June 20

LIVONIA, Mich. – Madonna University will host the third annual Project Accessible Hollywood (PAH-fest) Motown this summer. The unique, entirely free, digital media festival travels to cities throughout the U.S. and internationally, engaging everyday people in the art of movie-making and digital storytelling. Competitions and events will take place at Madonna’s Livonia campus Monday through Sunday, July 13-19.

The Mobiflicks competition is the festival’s main event. Throughout the week, pre-selected teams, whose members represent diverse backgrounds, create short films. The teams are provided with professional coaching and equipment as they write, produce, shoot and edit, turning their story into a six-minute movie. The competition is open to all. Those interested in participating must submit their story idea, approximately 250 words, to www.pahnation.com by Saturday, June 20, 2009.

“Not only is Mobiflicks fun, but it provides an outlet for individuals, communities and organizations to share their stories,” said Sue Boyd, Madonna University broadcast and cinema arts instructor and PAH-fest organizer. “The competition also is an exciting experience for anyone considering a career in Michigan’s burgeoning film industry.”

Last year’s winning film, entitled “Espranza,” told the story of a Detroit native who founded the Detroit Hispanic Development Corporation (DHDC), which provides a fun, safe environment for local youth.

This year, Mobiflicks teams will include composers, who will create musical scores for the short films. Composers can apply to be matched with a team by submitting an MP3 file of their work on the PAH-fest Web site, www.pahnation.com, by June 20.

PAH-fest creator Christopher Coppola looks forward to the one-of-a-kind stories he encounters during PAH-fest Motown. “There are pockets of magic within Detroit families and communities,” he said. “PAH-fest Motown is an excellent opportunity to bring to light the positive stories of a city that lately has received a lot of negative press.” Coppola, nephew of director Francis Ford Coppola and brother to actor Nicholas Cage, will return to Madonna’s campus for the festival.

Mobiflicks films will be screened during the Festival Closing Ceremony, and cash prizes will be awarded. Afterwards, all films will be posted on the PAH-fest Web site for viewing. For more information about Mobiflicks, or to view a full schedule of PAH-fest events, visit www.pahnation.com, or call Sue Boyd at 734-432-5578.

Madonna University’s broadcast and cinema arts program prepares students for careers in broadcast, film and other digital media industries. The program, grounded in the liberal arts, combines an integrated theoretical and intensive hands-on approach for professional preparation. Madonna University’s new “green” Science and Media Building, recipient of a $1.5 million Kresge Foundation Challenge Grant, opens fall 2009. PAH-fest participants will have an opportunity to see the building and the digital technologies that will be available to broadcast and cinema arts students.

###

Great News!

2009-05-13T10:28:00.000-07:00

Christy Derry, has been nominated for an Emmy for her piece about the Dexter Cider Mill! Way to go Christy. She finds out June 6th if she won the bling, but whether she wins or not...it was a great job! Congrats to Christy, let's cross our fingers for three in a row!

And the Ernie goes to.......

2009-05-01T10:10:00.000-07:00

This year’s Ernest Nolan award for BCA goes to none other than our own Christy Derry. Christy worked hard during her (oh too short) stay at the University not only on classes but all the time she dedicated to the Broadcast Club. She received highest honors for her GPA and was always around to lead any project and to make sure it got done. She also picked up at least one Emmy along the way (waiting to see how this year’s competition pans out!) Way to go Christy!

BCA Event

2009-04-27T06:58:00.000-07:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Jeremy Salo
Michigan Production Alliance
P.O. Box 1059
Novi, Michigan 48376 - 313.447.0566
jsalo@clvpro.com
http://www.mpami.org

MICHIGAN PRODUCTION ALLIANCE
Educational Event: “Audio Field Recording”

Featuring Presentations on recording audio on location. A panel of industry professionals will discuss traditional methods as well as new surround sound state of the art capturing methods.

The Michigan Production Alliance (MPA) will present a session on how to record good sound for television and motion pictures while out on location. You will learn some tips of the trade and be able to ask questions. Join us Thursday May 21, 2009.

Networking: 6pm
Presentation: 7pm – 9pm

This event will be held at:
Madonna University 36600 Schoolcraft Road in Livonia 800.852.4951 MAP
In room 2100. Please park near entrance C.

Production veteran and inventor Gary Pillion will demonstrate a complete portable surround sound package. Other seasoned audio engineers from Southeast Michigan will also discuss what is necessary and HOW TO RECORD PROFESSIONAL AUDIO IN THE FIELD.

Refreshments will be served courtesy of the Madonna University Broadcast Club.

MPA members, as always FREE, others $5.

Sponsored by the Madonna University Broadcast Club

F I L M M I C H I G A N!

We're in the Home Stretch

2009-04-14T13:28:00.000-07:00

The new building is getting closer--in fact we get the keys this week! During Spring/Summer term we will be moving into our new home and with any luck up for classes in the fall. Here is a great shot Chuck sent me of Mike wiring our rack room.

BCA President Makes the news!

2009-03-11T08:43:00.000-07:00

Dexter's Derry is helping bring Hollywood to Michigan

By Sean Dalton, Staff Writer

PUBLISHED: March 5, 2009

Christy Derry represents the future of what many in Michigan hope will turn into a booming industry - filmmaking.

The lifelong Dexter resident is currently finishing her studies in Broadcast and Cinema Arts at Madonna University in Livonia.

Derry will graduate this coming May. She would like to start her own studio right here in her home-state, but that's not all she's going to contribute.

Her film "The Dexter Cider Mill," about the oldest continuously operating cider mill in the state, is a 10-minute documentary that won the Madonna University Broadcast Club's Film Festival.

Not only is that an honor, but it also means Derry's film will be entered into the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Emmy Awards, giving Derry not only a shot at the resume bullet point of a lifetime, but also exposing her beloved hometown to a broad national audience that she hopes will share the love she has for Dexter.

"I have my fingers crossed," Derry said excitedly Monday. Her film involved cider mill present and former owner, before handing the business down to his daughter, Richard Koziski. "It's mostly Mr. Koziski talking about how to make cider, and I did a voiceover about what they do there and how long it's been running," she said.

Derry started work on the film in August 2007, although the result of a brief two-week filming required much more time to edit into an eligible work for Madonna's film festival and the Emmy's.

It wasn't difficult molding what she had to work with into a winning film, she said. And there was no shortage of passion on her part.

"I love the community I grew up in," Derry said. "I'm proud to say that I'm from Dexter and that I grew up there, and I hadn't heard about anyone ever doing a video on the Dexter Cider Mill so I thought, "Hey, why not?'"

For those new to the area, Dexter's cider mill has been churning out cider for over a century - 120 years to be precise.

Where she's been

Derry has wanted to act since she was just 15 years old, starting in the drama program at Dexter High School as a sophomore.

"Acting has been my main focus since then," she said. "It started with a school play in sophomore year, after having been a member of the drama club since freshman year."

Then head of the program Jerry Wilcox gets much credit for where Derry is at now, she says. "He really kind of lit the fuse for me."

During her sophomore year, Derry auditioned for a part in the club's production of Dracula. Competing with some very driven juniors and seniors denied her the leading role she sought, but Wilcox wrote in a special part for a young person that he saw something special in.

"So I was 'Nina,'" Derry explained, laughing. "In the very opening I walked about as a dead girl and was immediately killed by Dracula ... then I played a (ghost) woman in act 2 and scared little children by offering them candy."

It wasn't the most glamorous stage debut, but Derry says she had fun and got a little taste of something ... indescribable.

"It was just an incredible feeling," she said. "I will always remember that experience of how it feels with everyone watching you on stage."

Derry isn't sure if the feeling came from the adrenaline rush of so many eyes being on her at once or if it was the canvas she became for a character and a story with an entire audience's suspension of disbelief at her disposal, but she is sure of one thing.

"It's something I would like to experience for the rest of my life."

She's run with it ever since, attending Madonna University, acting as the Broadcast Club's president, traveling to New York and branching out into modeling, filmmaking/editing and dance.

Despite all of the side-adventures, acting remains the dominant priority, when schedule and financial need allow.

"Unfortunately I haven't been able to spend as much time on it, since I want to get through school, and lack money," Derry said. "When you first start acting (not making a lot of money) is part of it, so I'm just doing all of these other things to make money and get my feet wet in the industry doing what I want to do."

Commercial work, theater projects, television, web and film work and various training projects have built up her profile and resume. More recently she attended the New York Film Academy's 1-year program, which she returned from last September.

She's also going to appear as an extra in upcoming 2010 comedy film "High School," in which the high school valedictorian falls in with some of his stoner classmates and faces failing a drug test and potentially graduation. In the film he cooks up a plan to bake the rest of his graduating class so everyone will fail out in spectacular comedic fashion.

Derry admits it's not the most glamorous start, but it's a start nonetheless.

Where she's going

Derry sees potential all around her in Dexter and the rest of the state.

She says she is excited to touch base with the folks responsible for Dexter's wildly successful Encore Musical Theatre, which garnered enough attention in its first production that a third week of scheduled performances had to be planned at the last minute.

"It's certainly exciting and I've heard wonderful things about their first production," Derry said.

The girl who travels 35 minutes from Dexter to Madonna added that she plans on starting her own production company, hoping for similar success and support.

She would like to start out small producing wedding and recital films and quickly get to the point where people take advantage of the fact that she can do more complex projects like documentaries.

"If people were to ask me to do a 60 minute documentary on something I would love to be there to produce it and edit it and get them the finished DVD of the finished product," Derry said.

While she loves acting, she also considers herself a good video editor where post production is concerned, going so far as to tutor in Apple Final Cut Studio in preparation for becoming certified in the popular video editing software suite.

It's also very exciting to be a part of an important effort to retrain people for the coming Hollywood move to Michigan, in light of massive tax incentives to film here.

"It's incredible because that brings the acting jobs here to Michigan," Derry said. "It's also exciting for someone starting out, because you can work for free as a production assistant on one movie and then the next time you'll actually get hired and get paid, as you slowly move up that ladder."

Derry says she wants to be a part of that industry move to the state not just because of her passion for acting and production, but because it will allow her and many people like her with family and roots in Michigan to pursue those dreams that would once require uprooting and moving to Manhattan or Los Angeles.

"Instead of me having to move where I can't afford to live, I can stay here and have an edge," Derry said of her career strategy of staying put.

She says she thinks the studios will eventually move more and more to Michigan, not just because of the tax breaks, but because the state has a balance of seasons, beautiful natural resources, several lakes and a wide variety of urban, suburban and rural areas that should fit almost any project that she can conceive of.

"It's huge because eventually these studios aren't going to be able to afford to bring their crew with them and a lot of them don't bring a crew from L.A.," Derry said. "They want to hire the people that are here into the industry and there's also a whole bunch of workshops and such that are going on right now that are creating a lot of talk and we're trying to teach people what they need to do to be a part of this industry, work in it and make it flourish."

Staying in Michigan will allowed her to keep her "head start" in the business she loves, without having to compete with a "sea of people" out of state.

Derry says she hopes others will follow suit and keep their edge by staying in Michigan and working to build up the state's infant film industry.

For more information visit www.christyderry.com.

Story is here

Boot Camp a Success!

2009-02-18T06:52:00.001-08:00

The Michigan Production Alliance conducts a variety of events educating and informing members of new and enhanced resources and technologies effecting the Midwest production community. February 7th the P.A. Boot Camp was held on the campus of Madonna University. The event was sponsored by our own Broadcast club and was totally sold out. Christy Derry, President of the Broadcast Club was there to introduce the participants to our school and the BCA program and several students took advantage of the "free to BCA members" offer and attended the camp. As you can see by the pictures, students were there taping the event for the news broadcast and future b-roll needs. This was a great event and very successful and I am sure we will see these fine folks back on campus soon!

Alum Wins Award

2009-02-10T10:51:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to our alum Scott Kennedy whose daily videocast won B2B Media Business's award for best regular videocast in the "large B2B" category. Scott is part of a team that won this impressive award. Scott serves as director/editor on this project. If you want to check out the site follow this link.

Auto News

We are proud of you Scott!

FREE TO BROADCAST CLUB MEMBERS!

2009-01-28T07:24:00.000-08:00

P.A. Boot Camp at Madonna Will Prepare Community Members for Michigan Film Jobs

Detroit (WWJ) -- The public is invited to train for jobs in Michigan’s burgeoning film industry at Madonna University during “Production Algebra / Production Assistant (P.A.) Boot Camp,” offered through the Michigan Production Alliance (MPA).

The unique workshop, hosted by the Madonna University Broadcast Club, takes place Saturday, Feb. 7, from 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

The P.A. Boot Camp will provide more than just an overview of what is expected of production assistants on both film and video sets. MPA instructor Mark Adler will engage students with demonstrations, hands-on activities, form usage exercises, and give a review of set/client etiquette. Students will gain job search tips from a panel of production professionals during an informative discussion on local production companies, unions and film organizations, and the resources they offer.

“Those who attend the workshop will gain valuable skills and credentials that will help prepare them to work in Michigan’s growing movie industry,” said Charles Derry, director of Broadcast and Cinema Arts at Madonna University.

Michigan lawmakers recently established incentives to attract filmmakers, and Allen Park city officials recently announced that they are negotiating with a major Hollywood studio to build a complex in Allen Park, creating about 3,500 permanent, full-time jobs.

The P.A. Boot Camp takes place at Madonna University’s main campus in Livonia, room 1605, located at 36600 Schoolcraft Road, at the intersection of Levan and Schoolcraft Roads, off I-96.

The cost is $40 for general admission and $35 for students. For more information contact Mark Adler at (313) 447-0566.

Register and pay online at www.mpami.org.

See Story Here

More Good News!

2009-01-27T05:46:00.000-08:00

Madonna University receives $1.5 million Kresge grant
BY KEN ABRAMCZYK • OBSERVER STAFF WRITER • JANUARY 25, 2009

Madonna University has received a $1.5 million grant from The Kresge Foundation to support construction of its $20 million Science and Media Building.

Madonna's new 60,000-square-foot "green" building, located between the University Center and the main academic building at the main campus on the northwest corner of Schoolcraft and Levan, will provide the university's science program with instructional laboratories in the physical and biological sciences, classrooms, seminar rooms, a lecture hall and a high-definition media studio, along with state-of-the-art production facilities for its broadcast and cinema arts program, a lecture hall, classrooms and seminar rooms.

"It's the first time we've had a grant this size," said Sister Rose Marie Kujawa, Madonna University president. "It is wonderful that we are being recognized by a prestigious organization of this caliber." To meet the challenge, Madonna will raise $3.25 million by January 2010, as part of the University's Leading the Way Capital Campaign.

The facility is expected to be completed in April. Science and cinema arts programs will be expanded and upgraded.

"The science programs have really grown," said Karen Sanborn, director of marketing for the university. "Environmental science, biomedical, pre-med, pre-pharmacy and forensic science all continue to grow."

The new facility's completion will be "perfect timing" with the new high-definition television broadcasts available and the burgeoning film industry in Michigan, Sanborn said. "We've just added (director and actor) Christopher Coppola to our faculty. This facility will have editing suites and studios that are state-of-the-art."

Chuck Derry, director of broadcast and cinema arts, said the studio will prepare students for when all production will be digital and sent by wireless technology to theaters, rather than the traditional film or DVD operated by a projector or computer. "It will put us right up there with the best of the TV stations," Derry said.

Recycled materials, energy-efficient windows and lighting, a "green" roof and other environmentally friendly construction elements will enable Madonna to qualify the building for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. Madonna's Science and Media Building is Livonia's first LEED-certified building.

BCA in the News!

2009-01-27T04:26:00.000-08:00

Excerpts from:

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Productions open roles for workers
Film jobs get Michigan rolling
Schools rush to add courses to prepare students for growing sector

Marisa Schultz / The Detroit News

Madonna University's new $20 million Science and Media building will open in the fall and includes state-of-the art production facilities where students can create movies using the latest digital production equipment. The university got another boost when Christopher Coppola, nephew of director Francis Ford Coppola and brother to actor Nicholas Cage, joined its faculty last year.

At Madonna University, Coppola teaches students to create movies by mixing "old school" filmmaking techniques with "new school" digital media technology. With the new studio, he envisions students producing six to seven low-budget "digi flicks" a year, building their experience and a "bullpen" of Michigan-based talent that Hollywood can tap, he said.

And while most of the new training courses involve off-screen work, students have found acting roles in Michigan-based films. Madonna senior Christy Derry, 20, worked as an extra in "High School," which filmed at Howell's vacant Parker High School. Her role as the "sporty student" didn't have lines, but she's optimistic she'll land a larger role in a Michigan-based film.

Full Story

And the Winners Are.......

2009-01-21T05:41:00.001-08:00

A hearty thank you to everyone who submitted a film into, supplied food for, and/or attended the Second Annual Madonna University Broadcast Club Film Festival. We had a great group of people(including about 15 non-Broadcast Club Madonna students) and had a lot of fun!!! Of course, a hearty hip hop hooray for all of the winners of the Film Festival:

1. Christy Derry : Dexter Cider Mill
2. Chris Nickin, Alvin Riley, Lauren Champlin : Later
3. Laura Hilbert : Forgotten Detroit

All 3 entries will be entered (with all fees paid for by the Broadcast Club) into NATAS's Student Emmy competition. And of course, they'll live on in Madonna U fame/infamy.

Our next Broadcast Club meeting will be at 3 PM in the TV Studio this Wednesday (January 21). Our meeting will also include a brief workshop on DVD Studio Pro, a program used for making DVDs. Hope you can make it and bring some folks along for fantabulous times.

Rock On!!!

Nicholas Modelski
Secretary, Broadcast Club

Free Movies! Friends! Fun! and Food!

2009-01-06T10:23:00.000-08:00

Read and Rock a thon

2008-11-01T06:14:00.000-07:00

Madonna University ran a 24 hour Read-a-Thon and like true BCA Spirit the students from the Modern Radio 1 class were there to spin some tunes to keep the event festive and help get the word out via the world wide web. They did an awesome job!

As you can see by the picture, Nick was there "supervising" the entire time. You know we jest Nick without your guidance and support nobody would have made it through the night.

Great job guys! Rock on!

To listen to Madonna University's station go to Live 365.com .

Back from Tinsel Town

2008-10-29T15:03:00.000-07:00

Yes, we are back from Hollywood full of exciting stories and tired feet! It was a great time and I know everyone on the crew learned a lot and got a lot out of it. Thanks to fellow instructor Christopher Coppola and everyone from the PAH team.

Here are some pictures to help tell the tale. Check out the vlogs at pahnation.org too!

Puttin on the Ritz

2008-10-04T06:25:00.000-07:00

Here Sara, Chris and Christy are at the Ritz for the big Gala party for our new building. They got to have a little dinner, run a little camera and see the video we have all been working so hard on. You'd like to see it too? Take a peek!

Leading the Way Gala Event

(Takes a bit to load be patient)

On the Job

2008-09-25T12:01:00.000-07:00

The Interns have been hard at work on a video project for a big fund raising dinner at the Ritz this month and here they are with Sr. Rose Marie, President of the University. They did a great job--the learning never ends!

Welcome Back!

2008-09-10T04:31:00.000-07:00

President Christy Derry called this meeting of the Madonna University Broadcast Club to order at 6:12 PM on September 9, 2008.

Christy welcomed everyone for this first meeting of the Broadcast Club in the Fall 2008 semester.

Dues will be $10 for the year, and are due by Sept. 30. Please fill out a new registration form even if you have registered last year. It helps us to keep our contact info current. As mentioned earlier, graduates will be kept on the list, unless they want to be taken off. Just send an e-mail to me (collie1010@aol.com) if you want to be taken off.

With the unfortunate departure of Tae-Hun Park, the Broadcast Club is currently searching for a new webmaster. Duties include uploading videos and photos of Broadcast Club events and projects, as well as keeping our website current. You can contact me, Christy Derry (angelle166@hotmail.com), or Chuck Derry (cderry@madonna.edu) if you are interested.

Madonna is going to PAH-fest Hollywood this year, October 12 - 19, 2008. PAH-fest stands for Project Accessible Hollywood and is a film competition where people are given the equipment and coaching to make their stories into films over a few days. MU students are making the trek again and lending their expertise and skill to competition participants. MU students pay their own plane ticket and accomadations. You can take this for class=2 0credit (BCA 3180; up to 3 s.h.) at a reduced rate. Contact Sue Boyd (sboyd@madonna.edu) for more info.

The Broadcast Club will again be hosting a film fest. Submissions are accepted from all students and are due by the end of the Fall term. These can be pieces from your classes or stuff you've put together on your own. The Film Fest is set to take place Jan. 11, 2009, around 6 PM. The top 3 films from the festival will be sent (all entrance fees paid) to the Student Emmy competition.

The Writing Center at Madonna is hosting a 24-hour Write-a-thon (noon Oct. 31 - noon Nov. 1) this year to raise awareness about the Writing Center and raise some money for a good cause. The Broadcast Club has decided to team up with the Writing Center, and Madonna University Radio (http://www.live365.com/stations/madonnauniversity2) will be doing its first-ever 24-hour radiothon in conjunction with the Writing Center to raise money for the same cause and have loads of fun. Although you have to have taken the radio class to DJ solo (there's still time to register), you are welcome to come by and hang out, breakdance, etc.

Rush Week is going on through Thursday, 11 AM - 1 PM (really not that bad, since we always have foodand 5 PM -7 PM. Come by and see us and send some cool folks our way. I should be down there Wednesday spinning some tuneage for both shifts via Madonna University R adio. Look for more info on regular broadcasts soon.

Due to the poor attendance at this meeting, we are asking for better meeting times. These would have to be any day Mon. - Thurs., and we're looking at either Noon - 1 OR 6 PM- 7 PM. A sheet will be going around in the TV Production class tomorrow for you to indicate your preferences, and the sheet will be on the bulletin board in the editing lab for those who aren't in the class. We should know what day and time we are meeting after next Tuesday.

A motion to adjourn was made and seconded, all of the membership approved the motion, and this meeting was adjourned at 6:40 PM.

If you have any questions, suggestions, or would like to suggest a better meeting time, please contact me and I'll put it into a box and draw three to read...

Til Next Time,

Nick Modelski
Secretary, Broadcast Club

PAHfest Motown Memories

2008-07-29T10:45:00.001-07:00

Thanks to Kathleen Thompson for snapping all these great shots!

Dave Misses You!

2008-07-20T10:16:00.000-07:00

Seems Grandpap PAH Gnome has been out fraternizing with all kinds of errr statues? And having quite the time in Livonia. We can only hope he makes his way back to Livonia for all the great movies. Remember Grandpa PAH, there’s no place like gnome.

Yikes---Grandpa's been in the prune juice again..OUCH!

On with the Show!

2008-07-20T07:09:00.000-07:00

Overture, curtains, lights, this is it, the night of nights
No more rehearsing and nursing a part we know every part by heart

Overture, curtains, lights this is it, you’ll hit the heights
And oh what heights we’ll hit on with the show this is it

Tonight what heights we’ll hit on with the show this is it.

Join us tonight on the campus of Madonna University in Livonia as our stories of Michigan are told through the eyes of her people. Christopher Coppola’s PAHfest Motown 08 ends with a bang at closing night ceremonies. Join us for this wonderful evening 6pm Kresge Hall.

******Special thanks to Tom from our Maintenance Department for coming to our rescue like a Knight in Shining Armor yesterday slaying the Air Conditioner beast…cool air was returned once he rode on steed toward the beast with some quick thinking on his part and contestants were once again treated to the cool air. One more example of the great teamwork on our campus.

2008-07-19T14:21:00.000-07:00

So here is the question...is Big Boy the napper or is Grandpa PAH out partying with fellow mascots? Oh Dave, we are so confused and are worried your gnome has turned into a party gnanimal.

Bullseye!

2008-07-19T13:17:00.000-07:00

It seems that Grandpa PAH somehow managed to wiggle off the grille and Chinese food is back on the menu techfolk! While takeing a little break to make his way back to his friend Dave, Grandpa PAH thought it was a good idea to take a rest at the local mall. We are thinking he isnt the pointest head in the gnome village looking at that sign. Well, it will be interesting to see if he actually makes it back...in the meantime if you see either a wandering Gnome or a Gnome knapper in the vecinity, take heed. Poor Dave wants his friend back!

Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight

2008-07-19T11:52:00.000-07:00

It seems the clever Grandpa PAH managed to wiggle out of the ropes and escape the speeding train in the nick of time..whew! However, the gnomenappers caught up with him and now it looks like poor Grandpa is on the menu for tonight's tech dinner--OH NO! Brett...sing that song!!

Where is Dudley Do-Right??!!??

2008-07-19T05:01:00.000-07:00

It seems things are getting worse for our little Gnome friend Grandpa PAH as demands are going unheeded. It seems Brett's love of OSU is more important than his friends Gmome...say it ain't so Brett! At this point, we fear his only hope is Dudley Do-Right coming to the rescue. Alas...poor gnome you were a very loved mascot. (Wonders is Mr. Snaggle had anything to do with this?!?! Could this be a mascot rivalry!?!?! Perhaps Biker Cat is behind the gnomenap!>!>))

Gnomenapped!

2008-07-18T20:54:00.001-07:00

We gave you fair warning yet you did not believe us..so Grandpa PAH has been Gnomenapped!

Along the way, he met a friend..or did he!!!

And now we fear he is in a real pickle. If demands are not met his fate may be very ugly.

PAH Mischief

2008-07-18T14:55:00.001-07:00

We are holding Grandpa PAH ransom. To get him back your teammate Brett needs to sing the Michigan fight song at dinner. Otherwise, you may never see him again!

Friday at PAHfest

2008-07-18T06:52:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday!

Yesterday was a wonderful day at MU as our PAHfest teams scurried out into the wonderland of film production shooting their movies. We hear it was hot but nothing can dampen their spirits! People came out from all over the community to make Cell Phone Art and I will update you when you can begin to watch and vote for your favorites. Finally, Mr. Josh White, Jr. was on hand to raise our spirits and inspire us. Its hard to describe his performance so Ill leave it at one word.WOW!

Today, our mobi-flick teams are in the trenches of editing and many will remain the evening chained to their project. We will keep them going with sweets and caffeine but if you see them give them your supportthey would appreciate it!

If you know of a musician with an original composition invite them to our Tone Poem competition. Come down to the Colonnade Lounge to learn moreour always ready to help Jeff Wheels Fleshner will be on hand.

Since many of you are leaving for the weekend I want to remind you that our closing night ceremonies takes place Sunday at 6pm in Kresge Hall. Dennis Neubacher from Channel 7 News will be our MC we promise a lot of laughs, some tears and an inspirational time!

My thanks to the entire Madonna Community for all the love and support this week. You people have been amazing and your wiliness to share and help is truly uplifting. From the whole PAH Nation thank you.

PAHfest Thursday, July 17th

2008-07-17T04:25:00.000-07:00

If you missed Sister PAH yesterday shaking her “booty” on the virtual dance floor you missed one of the best sites I have ever seen. Sr, Nancy you rock in this world and the virtual one too! Thanks for the PIC Kathleen.

Today promises to be another busy productive day as the mobi-flick teams head out with camera in hand to make some movie magic.

Meanwhile, back on campus the incomparable Mr. Josh White, Jr. will be on campus telling his stories through song. If you haven’t yet had the opportunity to see Josh, well you are missing a rare treat. The man’s list of credits reads like a who’s who in the entertainment industry. The concert takes place from 1:00-2:30pm in 2100. Invite your family and friends to join us, very family friendly and guaranteed to put a song and smile in your heart.

Additionally, all day long we have Cell Phone Art happening in the Colonnade Lounge. If you haven’t done this those on campus can testify it’s easy, fun and you can win some great prizes.

Wednesday's PAH lineup

2008-07-16T05:19:00.000-07:00

We are very excited about today’s line-up of activities. They are spread over a nice timeline so we hope everyone can be part of something today. Christopher Coppola will be around so you will have an opportunity to meet him as well if you have not had the opportunity!

Spend your lunch with us! From 12-2pm in Rm 2100 be part of a special virtual concert in Second Life. Eat some pizza on us and listen to an amazing singer, Ridha Ibrahim. Ridha is an incredible entertainer who sings and composes in 4 different languages. He will be debuting some of his original work at the show as well! We will have computers set up so you can experience Second Life virtually as well. This will be amazing! Additionally, several news outlets have expressed an interest and may be here so lets make sure the room is full of PAH party goers. 12-2pm Room 2100
Take Me to the concert

If you miss our free lunch (heaven forbid) then head down to the Take Five Lounge as our own DJ Nick Modelski spins the Motown hits. Hot Dogs and hamburgers will be heating up the grille! 5-7pm Take Five Lounge

And to end the night—students and alum will be showing off their work on the big screen as we celebrate with a movie screening for our alumni. See their work and support their efforts! This should be a lot of fun and the young film makers will be on hand to answer questions so be ready to pick their eager young minds! 7-9pm Kresge Hall

It's Tuesday, It's PAH!

2008-07-15T04:11:00.000-07:00

It's Tuesday July 15th and today we head down town to Circus Vision
1340 Atwater Street (the corner of Atwater & Rivard Streets).
10-2pm

Tonight 7:00pm in Room 2100 we have a amazing Creativity Seminar lined up for you. Join us it's going to be great!

The Motown Collection

2008-07-13T06:41:00.001-07:00

As part of PAHfest Motown 08 one of my friends who is a gifted virtual clothing designer in Second Life made an entire collection of Motown inspired gowns and is selling them. All proceeds will go to help support PAHfest Motown. I feel very blessed to have her help. It's great to see that creativity in the digital realm is not just limited to the idea's we present people and that Christopher has helped to spark many creative outlets. Thank you Lemania, your help is greatly appreciated and your designs are truly inspiring. (All gowns can be purchased at the Detroit Life site and will go to help pay for our festival. )

Mr. Josh White, JR.

2008-07-11T15:20:00.000-07:00

Join us for PAHfest Motown 08 as Josh White, Jr. once again graces our campus. 1:00pm-2:30pm Thursday July 17th in Room 2100. This is a don't miss event!
Thanks to Jillian, Krystal and Mark for putting this spot together!

Second Life Virtual Concert

2008-07-08T17:58:00.000-07:00

We are gearing up for PAHfest and Jillian and Alvin lent a hand making this cool PSA. Make sure you visit the campus the week of July 14-20th, there will be so much going on! If you can't join us on campus, join us in Second Life. go to www.secondlife.com and download the free software. We will see YOU in the "Detroit Life" SIM.

SLURL

Get Your Game On!

2008-07-03T06:24:00.000-07:00

PAHfest MOTOWN 08 is quickly upon us ( July 14-20 ) so I have included a list of some of the happenings. If you can’t make it on campus, we will have lots of ways for you to watch and even participate. We’d love to see you come by Wednesday for pizza and a concert but if you can’t make it, go to www.secondlife.com and make a free account for yourself. I will be providing more information on location and information on our performer, Ridha Ibrahim, but until then get your avatar, put your party clothes on and we will see you in world or on campus! Special thanks to Network Services, Second Life, loudbaby.com, Merit and Brighthouse for helping with all the technology for the concert.

***** means it will be a lived streaming event

Monday, July 14th

DigiPortraits Competition
West Colonnade Lounge
10am-6pm

Panel-The New Michigan Film Initiative***
Room 2100
7pm-8:30pm

Tuesday, July 15th

Circus Vision
TBD
10am-6pm

Wednesday, July 16th

Mobiflicks Teams Arrive
Rm. 2103
11:00am

Music of the World with Ridha Ibrahim****
Room 2100 & Second Life
12:00noon-2:00pm

Mobiflick Teams Equipment check-out & Training
Rm 2103
2:00pm-5:00pm

Welcome BBQ
Take Five Lounge
5:00pm-7:00pm

Student/ Alumni Film Screening****
Kresge Hall
7:00pm-9:00pm

Thursday, July 17th

Mobiflick Teams Shoot all Day

Cell Phone Art
West Colonnade Lounge
10am-Christopher Announces Topic
10am-6pm Competition Takes Place

The Stories and Songs of Josh White, Jr.****
Room 2100
1:00pm-2:30pm

Friday, July 18

Mobiflick Teams Edit all day

Tone Poems
West Colonnade Lounge
10am-6pm

Saturday, July 19th

Mobiflick Teams Edit

Sunday, July 20th

Closing Night Ceremonies with Dennis Neubacher****
6:00 pm-8:00pm
Kresge Hall

A Winning Moment

2008-06-10T05:46:00.000-07:00

They say a picture is worth 1000 words. If that is the case I think this video is worth a million. Congrats Dave! Special thanks to Dan for converting this and getting on line so quickly!

Follow this link:
Dave trying to get a job!

And the Emmy goes to...Dave Brown!

2008-06-09T12:52:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to send a big congratulations to Dave Brown who, this past Saturday, was awarded the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences(NATAS) Michigan Chapter, Student Emmy Award at the 30th Emmy Awards Gala inthe Gem Theater.

We are all very proud of Dave whose entry "Nankin Mills: Best Kept Secret" was selected over multiple entries from 7 other universities and colleges across Michigan. This is the second year in a row Madonna University Broadcast and Cinema Arts majors have won this important award.

The judging for this award is done on a national level, by professionals in our industry across the country and reflects outstanding excellence intelevision production. Dave originally wrote, shot and edited this as an assignment in my Field Production and Editing II class. The photograph is of Dave giving his acceptance speech before the Academy.

Congratulations, Dave, on an outstanding job!

Charles D. Derry
Director, Broadcast and Cinema Arts Major
Madonna University

PAH-fest Motown 2008

2008-06-05T12:28:00.001-07:00

PAH-fest MOTOWN July 14th-20th

We are pleased to announce PAH-fest MOTOWN will be coming back to the campus July 14th-20th. We have so many things planned we hope you can spend some or all of the week with us. We are still finalizing the schedule but here is a sneak peak of some things to come.

Mobi-flick Competition: Last year 7 teams of 4 people came on campus and told the stories of Michigan. It was wonderful to see. If you or someone you know (great thing for clubs, organizations, etc to get involved in) would like to submit your story idea’s have them go to www.pahnation.com and write their 250 word entry. The people from Hollywood will help us select 6 teams to tell the stories of Michigan. Teams will be given everything they need (equipment, professional help and a whole lot of support) to tell their stories. Entries are due June 20th.

Once again there will be opportunities to compete in Cell Phone Art, Circus Vision (for kids 14 and younger) DigiPortraits and Cellular Tone Poems. All this will take place in the West Colonnade Lounge from 10-6 each day.

Other great events you are invited to include but not limited to:

Wednesday July 16th- Come have lunch on us and experience an amazing event as we enjoy a virtual concert from Italy. This is going to be way cool as musician Ridha Ibrahim performs in his studio in Italy while his avatar self is in a 3d chat real, “Second Life”. While this is all happening, Madonna University will be streaming video to Second Life and you can attend the concert as well from one of the computers we will have set up. OK, I know this sounds really strange, but trust me it is going to be an amazing event. Ridha is well known in Europe and sings in 4 different languages including Arabic, French, Italian and English. Pizza will be on us, so plan on spending your lunch in our cool PAH Disco (Rm 2100).

Thursday July 17th-JOSH WHITE, JR. vocalist, guitarist, songwriter, actor, recording artist, teacher and social activist will be once again bless us with his wonderful song and stories. Josh White, Jr. became, a 'hit' literally over night at the age of four, by performing with his legendary father JOSH WHITE one night at New York's famed "Café Society" night club (America's first integrated nightclub). He has appeared on such American shows as "Today," "Merv Griffin," "Steve Allen," "Joey Bishop," " Mike Wallace," "Mike Douglas," " Della Reese," "Gary Moore," "Arthur Godfrey," "Kate Smith," "Donald O'Connor," and "Hootenany. Josh White, Jr. received Honorary Doctorate Degrees from the University of Maine, and the University of West Florida; was named the "Voice of The Peace Corps" and "Voice of VISTA" by the US Government in 1980; in 1982, he shared the stage with his mother at the Smithsonian Institution's 100th Birthday Celebration of Franklin Roosevelt. In 1983, he was presented with "Keys to the City" by Detroit and Lansing, Michigan, and on April 20, 1983, the State of Michigan honored he and his father with "JOSH WHITE and JOSH WHITE, JR. DAY"; in 1984, he was named "Michigan Man of The Year;" in 1984, NACA (National Association of Campus Activities) honored Josh with its first "Harry Chapin Humanitarian Award" at Opryland in Nashville; in 1987, he was honored to be named the Host and Emcee for the final two legs of festivities for Pope John Paul II's grand tour of America. That is just the TIP of the iceberg folks! So walk on down to 2100 this is a show you really do NOT want to miss!

That same night join us for a BBQ and a night to celebrate the films of our students and Alum as we host a Student/Alumni Film Festival. The screening will take place in 2100 and the BBQ (great food!) will be outside the Take Five Lounge. This will be a special evening celebrating the wonderful work and accomplishments of our students.

Sunday evening will be our awards ceremony. Of course everybody is a winner at PAH-fest so this is more a night to watch movies and celebrate with friends. This is a wonderful event and Channel 7’s Dennis Neubacher will once again be our MC for the evening.

We are Gearing Up for PAH-fest Motown 2008!

2008-06-02T10:29:00.000-07:00

Contact: Karen Sanborn, Marketing Director
Email: ksanborn@madonna.edu
Telephone: 734.432.5740

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, June 3, 2008

Hollywood Hits Motown Again this Summer
PAH-Fest Motown at Madonna University July 14-20
LIVONIA, Mich. – It will be lights, digital cameras and action again this summer as Madonna University brings Hollywood to Motown. Project Accessible Hollywood (PAH) is bringing its caravan of innovation and talent to the University for the second annual PAH-fest Motown July14-20 This unique digital media festival celebrates the lives of everyday people and is the brainchild of Christopher Coppola, nephew of director Francis Ford Coppola and brother to actor Nicholas Cage. Coppola plans to be on campus again this year.

“I have always been impressed with the stories of hard-working men and women just trying to get by in life, sacrificing to provide for their children,” said Coppola. “These everyday people know what's important in the scheme of things and have a lot to teach us.”

PAH-fest is entirely free. The events, all held on Madonna University’s Livonia campus, include learning seminars and film nights with Hollywood notables. A cell phone art competition and a self-portrait contest also will take place. This year a special lunchtime concert, featuring Ridha Ibrahim in Italy, and online avatar dancers, will give more people an opportunity to take part in the movie making.

The Mobi-Flicks competition involves producing your six-minute story with the help of film professionals. Teams from all over the world are invited to submit their film ideas. Anyone can participate. PAH-fest provides the equipment, coaches and training. To be considered for the Mobi-Flicks competition, PAH-fest hopefuls must complete the entry form at www.PAHfest.com by Friday, June 20. Finalists who are from out-of-town will be housed in Madonna’s dorms.

“We had great teams that created awesome movies for last year’s Mobi-Flicks competition,” said Madonna instructor and PAH-fest organizer Sue Boyd. “They were people from all walks of life, with interesting stories to tell. That’s the whole purpose of PAH-fest – to make Hollywood, or the movie industry accessible to everyone.”

Coppola is committed to educational endeavors, bringing the arts to high schools and colleges across the country. He has expressed interest in developing a training program at Madonna University, giving students the knowledge and skills to work in the entertainment business.

Madonna University is home to an award-winning Broadcast and Cinema Arts Department. In addition to an MTV Music Television Network Award, several Michigan Cable Television awards, and Detroit Producers Association Public Service Announcement Awards, students in the Broadcast Club recently won two Emmy awards.

What Wat the NAB Buzzzz

2008-05-20T06:12:00.000-07:00

Here is a summery of NAB by Dan. I thought it was interesting and figured some of you might get some valuable information from it.

The 2008 NAB (National Association of Broadcasters) convention saw a maturation of high definition television equipment. It used to be that the broadcasters didn’t like the fact that non-broadcast people would attend their show to find out what was on the horizon as far as radio and television equipment was concerned. Perhaps some of that sentiment still remains but this is the first year that I felt the broadcast moniker the convention is famous for was holding back the rest of the industry that makes a living from recordable sound and moving images.

I went to the JVC booth who last year said there was no reason why anyone would need a resolution beyond 720P so they were holding the line there. This year they sheepishly admitted that the newest models would in fact output 1080i video though they still maintained that 720 would be better.

A number of companies touted the ability of their HD cameras to stay within the 20 MB uplink limit. While this might be a selling point for broadcasters I don’t see it that way at all. If I am not doing a satellite uplink what good does that limit do me?
Many of the cameras I was considering produce a much higher bandwidth than that even at interlaced scan rates.

Routing signals throughout a facility is the heart of the system, major advances in capabilities were demonstrated by a number of vendors. This year most of them could handle 1080P routing at 29.97 frames per second. If you mentioned the ungodly unbroadcastable rate of 59.94 the reaction was predictably similar to what the JVC guy said last year about cameras. The same was true about video switchers. A few vendors such as Sony said they could do it, but much like Grass Valley they could only do this in a Dual Link scheme. The dual link solution which is common for any crazy people trying to plan ahead to handle 1080P 59.94 video is implemented via a two cable system so on a video switcher a 24 input switcher can now only handle 12 inputs. The same is true of the routing switcher; if you plan on a 64 x 64 routing switcher but you want to run the dreaded 3 GB per second video we are planning on using, you end up with a 32 x 32 routing switcher that is outgrown before it is even installed.

There were two big buzzes heard in hushed conversations around the show floor, one was about UHDTV or Ultra High Definition Television. NHK showed what they now call Super High Vision which is capable of 7,680 x 4,320 resolution which is 16 times current HDTV standards and yet not even twice that of the Red One. Red cameras are no longer just a pipe dream of some sunglass maker who wanted to rock the digital production world. Red has delivered near 2000 of these cameras and nearly everyone who uses it becomes an instant believer. These cameras go well beyond the 3 GB per second milestone that all of the major manufactures are targeting for next year or possibly the year after. 1920 x 1080P 59.94 is 3 GBps. Red delivers up to 4096 x 2304 at up to 180fps even with compression that would be well over 6 GBps.

Why should I care about any of this? The other buzz at NAB was that finally three dimensional television had finally come of age. The flat panel television we all dreamed of and saw demonstrated back in 1980 didn’t become a common household consumer item until 2000 even though the plasma television was invented in 1964. The rumblings I heard were clear, a number of directors having shot their first 3-D production had said that they would never should another movie that wasn’t 3-D. This development, which may be a few years away from full implementation is certainly another reason why any facility being designed today should consider how it will handle developing digital video systems requiring high bandwidth pathways between cameras, routers, control rooms and display devices.

And the Emmy Goes to.....

2008-05-08T11:16:00.000-07:00

WOW, what can we say, it looks like out of the 7 schools participating in this years Michigan Emmy Awards a Madonna University student has once again taken top honors. Dave Brown's entry "Nankin Mills: Best Kept Secret" is the ONLY student entry that made the cut. WOW! Way to go Dave. ((Not to brag but this is two years in a row for Madonna U..what can we say our kids have talent!))

Congrats to everyone who worked hard on your productions, we are proud of you all and the hard work you put into your work. May all you have learned while in our hallowed halls help you as you continue on with your careers.

Too Cool Dave!

2008-05-07T10:07:00.001-07:00

Bill Bresler from the the Hometown Newspapers (and a Madonna instructor) snapped this awesome shot of Dave Brown during graduation ceromonies. How can you not love this--you are too cool Dave!
CAPTION READS: David Brown, of Livonia, earned a degree in television and video, so naturally recorded his own graduation.

You Did It!

2008-05-05T11:52:00.001-07:00

Congratulations go out to Dave, Ashley, Becca and Brett our wonderful BCA majors that are now about to hit the jobs market! We know they will do well. Congrats, we will miss you guys. Don’t forget to come back and visit often!

P.S. We got a big chuckle when Dave came across the stage with camera in hang and got us a cool POV of the stage--way to go DAVE!

Way to Go!

2008-05-01T09:42:00.001-07:00

Congratulations go out to Ashley Gray and Brett Gerken for being awarded the “Ernie Award” for their dedication and hard work in BCA. We are so proud of them and know they are going to go on and do great things. Join us in congratulating these amazing (now) alum!

Lights! Camera! Michigan!

2008-04-29T06:38:00.001-07:00

Mitch Albom hosted a town hall meeting about the new film incentive package the State of Michigan is offering on Monday April 28th to an overflowing audience at the Grace & Wild Studio’s. Among the crowd were graduates Ryan Nagorson, Ashley Gray, Jeremy Salo, Brett Gerken and Dave Brown. Faculty members Chuck & Pat Derry and Dan Boyd were also in attendance.

NAB Update

2008-04-16T09:41:00.000-07:00

As we spend our days in Las Vegas at the NAB it’s really pretty interesting to see former students and friends here on the floor. The first evening we managed to secure an extra ticket for our graduate Scott and we all headed to the big party Fuji put on. It was great talking to him and learning all he has going on in his life while consuming large quantities of sushi. The next evening we found a familiar face at the Hilton, Christopher Coppola. After a short chat our dear friend Nick Paine and the lovely graduate of ours, Maggie, came in and joined in the conversation. They were working on a video project and needed a little Wizard of Livonia help, so Dan gave a hand. While on the floor yesterday Darryl Shreeve one of our PAH-fest MOTOWN coaches said hi at the JVC booth. It’s very cool to see so many familiar faces so far from home. But right now, I wish I was Dorothy and could click my heels together three times and say, “There’s no place like home.” Because, she got that right!

NAB Surprising Moment

2008-04-15T09:42:00.000-07:00

A team from the University has headed out to the NAB (National Association of Broadcasters) convention in Las Vegas this week to help determine what equipment will be put n the new TV Studio. While walking about the huge display of equipment, ChucK Derry stumbled upon an interesting site. It seems our students, Dave Brown, Brett Gerken and Christy Derry are featured on a picture at the display for Porta-jib. It was kinda cool seeing and letting the whole world observe our students in action.

A Construction Tradition

2008-04-07T08:32:00.001-07:00

Wednesday, April 2nd marked another milestone in the Science and Media Center construction. At 1 p.m. a Madonna University banner, an evergreen tree and the U.S. flag were affixed to a steal beam and hoisted to the top of the building and put in place.

A large contingent of Broadcast Club members and students from the Television News Class were on hand to tape this historic occasion. We continue to move forward setting our sites on a shiny new building!

Graduate Profile

2008-04-02T13:51:00.000-07:00

My name is Eddie Williams and I graduated from Madonna University in 1993 with a BA degree in Communications. Charles Derry was my instructor at the time. I have now retired as an Analyst from Ford Motor Company after almost 35 years. I just wanted to drop a line to say thanks for a fine education. Since I’ve graduated, little did I know that the degree that I received there, would prepare me for a professional career after retirement. I now work for WTCT (Total Christian Television) which is the second largest Christian TV station in the world here in Marion Illinois. We broadcast to 170 Nations around the world. We’re also on Direct TV, and Comcast and Dish just to mention a few. I’m now an On Air Host and Program Director for the station. I just wanted to say how much I appreciate Madonna University and I will be sending a contribution in the next few days. I attached a photo of the team I work with. I’m the guy all the way on the right in the black suit. God bless you all and thank you. Please keep up the great work there, and continue to tell the other students that they can make it! God Bless!

Yeah Nic!

2008-03-24T07:46:00.000-07:00

Congrats to our major Nic Modelski recipient of Michigan Campus Compact’s Outstanding Student Service Award for 2007-08.
HEART AND SOUL AWARD recognizes undergraduate and graduate students for their time, effort and personal commitment to their community through service.

Way to go Nic!

Till August Blooper Reel

2008-03-20T05:30:00.000-07:00

Along the way of any great movie making set--a large amount of "bloopers" are gathered. As the students in the Cinema class at MU put together their movie "Till August" they are happily sharing some of the lighter moments with us all. We are sure you will get a chuckle out of these. Christy Derry put this reel together with the help of a lot of silly friends!

Construction Update

2008-03-17T07:52:00.000-07:00

As you can see, the new TV Studio is progressing nicely! Here a bunch of students and some of our wonderful faculty are out in the snow checking out the site. It won't be long now--keep checking back with us to see the progress!

Meet & Eat!

2008-03-13T05:53:00.000-07:00

After two great Madonna Magazine shows, the Madonna University Broadcast Club met to go over some of the happenings coming up. As you can see, Christy the President of the club is currently taking courses in NYC to further her acting portfolio but meets via the WWW. I understand the new tshirts were also passed out—and they are very cool! Kudos to all who worked so hard to make that happen.

Dedication

2008-03-08T07:06:00.001-08:00

Spring BREAK?

The news class took the opportunity to use the week to get their soon to be first newscast ready. Pictured you see the class hard at work preparing their stories and organizing the show. Way to be a team! Rumor has it the students from the production class featuring the Madonna Magazine program also came in and practiced. Is great to see such dedication.

Omelet’s and Dinosaurs?

2008-02-27T11:21:00.000-08:00

Yesterday the students picked up on “The Never Ending Story” and here are a couple of shots of them working with the green screen. Keep checking in for more updates .

Spotlight on our Alum!

2008-02-26T07:09:00.000-08:00

Periodically (depending when I get stuff!) I will be featuring an alum from the Broadcast and Cinema Arts (formally TVC) program. This week we would like to feature Nora Shkodra, who I am told recently tied the knot and is in happy newlywed mode! CONGRATS! For those of you who do not know Nora, she graduated this year.

And now, what is she up to?

Nora currently works as production assistant at a post production house called “Communicore Visual Communications.” www.communicore.tv She says she does a lot of what our interns do in the TV Studio here at Madonna, duplication, digitizing media into the non-linear editing systems, encoding, linear editing and other editing prep tasks.

In March she will be anchoring at Albanian Community TV Michigan, which airs on Comcast cable twice a week for an hour. They also broadcast their program on the internet at www.actvm.com.

Yeah Nora…keep up the great work!