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Archive for 2015

spockA brief message to note that the flags are flying at half-mast at mediateacher.net in appreciation of the recently departed Leonard Nimoy.  This fine actor whose career became indelibly intertwined with his portrayal of the half-Vulcan half-human Mr. Spock in the Star Trek storytelling universe, provides such an inspiring example of the opportunities to connect with audiences as an artist and the ways in which media can evolve and adapt complex relationships to narratives that emerge over time.  This includes exchanges with fans, including one from a fanzine in the 60’s which gives an inspiring example of the breadth and depth of this actor’s wisdom and sensitivity.  Here in the pages of FaVE is a message about personal identity that is decades ahead of its time.

On a personal note, I can attest that a few times stories have been shared with me by friends who were at intimate social gatherings — far from red carpets or sci-fi conventions — at which Mr. Nimoy was a participant and that his presence was warmly and genuinely beneficent, without fail.  I would also encourage any who are interested in the work of Leonard Nimoy and his contributions to Star Trek to seek out his other work, including his photography, writing, and non-Spock acting such as Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

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Oscars2015463790992This year’s Academy Awards nominees feature some movies that are so full of media literacy lessons – like Boyhood which was discussed in an earlier post, American Sniper which will be the subject of a new post on mediateacher.net that will appear this week, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) which features truly groundbreaking collaboration between director Alejandro González Iñárritu, cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki (featured in Moving Images and a number of mediateacher posts), its actors including Michael Keaton, and percussionist and composer Antonio Sánchez, among others – and it will be very interesting to see the ones chosen in various categories by the Academy voters.  The tricky relationship of history, truth, authenticity, and accuracy that has been seen in debates related to Selma and The Imitation Game as well as the multiply-controversial American Sniper is a key thematic core to lessons in Moving Images, and there will be upcoming posts that feature information and links within our already well-developed category of social studies-related media lessons.

Me-and-My-Moulton-post1Meanwhile, for most of the general public, the categories for the short films are the most unknown quantities on the Oscar ballot.  You might want to check out this piece by A.O. Scott for any last-minute info and for a short film that shows the nominees for animation.  One of the animated shorts, Me and My Moulton, is by Torill Kove, who directed past winner The Danish Poet, which is available with other past winners on an excellent BluRay by Shorts International.

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white3f-2-webIn a sly ad that played during this year’s Super Bowl, one commercial messed around with our media literacy backgrounds through the familiar context of the local pharmacy: Bryan Cranston made a new appearance in the Walter White persona from Breaking Bad to advertise issues of trust and authenticity related to an insurance company.  This piece was penned by Kevin Goff, copywriter and creative director for advertising agency Leo Burnett of Chicago.  Yes, that Kevin Goff — our interviewee for Chapter 3 (Sound and Image) of Moving Images.   For those wishing to pursue further explorations of principles of communication linked to short-form pieces and advertising, you might want to check out the earlier post What Exactly is that Movie?  As a matter of fact, I will be using it for the next couple of weeks in my own classes.  You will find lots of fun material to learn from, debate, and play with.

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Snapchat 101

SnapchatStoriesI get these questions all the time from fellow educators: “So how do I integrate Snapchat into my classes?” or “Can I write an entire curriculum based on Snapchat?” or “How do I fully integrate a digital learning environment into my teaching and stay up with the kids?” or “What is it that those youngsters are sending to each other all the time?”  Well, here is that initial tutorial you have been asking for.  And the little movie is pretty funny.  It’s by New York Times reporter Nick Bilton and Casey Neistat, who is a YouTube filmmaker.  Moreover, his videos Make It Count and Crazy German Water Park both fulfill the Chapter 5 portrait project, one as a self-portrait and the other as a portrait of place.

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Khadija-Al-SalamiOne of the featured films for study in Chapter 6 of Moving Images is the short A Stranger in her Own City by filmmaker Khadija Al-Salami (who, when contacted about using an image from her movie for Moving Images, graciously offered it gratis since it was for an educational publication).  This exceptional short documentary portrays Nejmia, a 13-year-old girl in Yemen who does not feel she should wear a veil, as she walks freely about the capital city of Sana’a and interacts with other children, various men who harass her for her choices and behavior, and the imam of the great mosque of Sana’a, who embraces and supports her.  The movie is available on issue 3 of the DVD magazine Wholphin.  Since making that movie, Al-Salami, who lives in Paris and has received the Légion d’Honneur, has made a number of other documentaries, including Killing Her Is A Ticket To Paradise, about a female journalist who displeases hardline fundamentalists, and The Scream, about women’s roles in the 2011 uprising against President Ali Abdullah Saleh of Yemen.

Al-Salami recently won a major award for her feature I Am Nujoom, Age 10 And Divorced, about a Yemeni child bride, which won the top prize at the Dubai International Film Festival, whose jury was headed by American director Lee Daniels.  Here is an interview with Al-Salami about this movie and her work as a female filmmaker working in France and the Middle East.

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