digifilmvid.com

About

About DigiFilmVid:

DigiFilmVid is a blog created by the Digital Film and Video Production – Online Video and Mobile Content class at The Art Institute of California- San Francisco.  This groundbreaking course in new media was lead by instructor, and  film producer Marc Smolowitz and made up of students studying Digital Film and Video Production, as well as Web Design and Interactive Media.  Bios of the instructor and each student involved can be found below.  DigiFilmVid.com was created in order to archive and share the experiences of this class and future endevours on an ongoing basis.  The site, as well as all of its content was designed and prodocued by the students who participated in the course.

Guest Speakers:

One of the key features of the course was the guest speaker component.  Each week, 2-4 prominent professionals in the new media industry came to  share their wisdom and professional insights with the class.  These mini lectures were recorded by the students in the class.  The highlights of each guest lecuturer, as edited by the video team, can be found in the Out Takes Vlog on this site.  A special thanks to all of the guests speakers who were kind enough to share their wisdom and expertise to the class and allowed us to broudcast our footage to the world.

Research and Observation:

In order to learn about the many different aspects of new media that exist, each student was assigned their own topic to research and share with the rest of the class.  These areas of focus included animation, citizen journalism, video blogging (vlogging), and webisodes.  A wealth of online resources such as VodPod, Flickr, Slidewhare, and Twitter, amongst others, were used to learn more about these topics.  Each student recorded their experiences and observations through weekly journal entries. Mcuh of this content can be found in the Student Experience section of this site.

New Media Experiments:

Another major part of this course involved experimenting with emerging technologies.  Throughout the course, students were required to engage in continous dialogue via Twitter with their classmate, guest spekers and the greater web community.  Past and future contriubutions to this dialogue can be found in the Twitter feed of this site and tracked on Twitter using the #DFVP hash tag.

Production:

Throughout the course, each student was given an opportunity to take a hands-on approach to learning about new media and mobile content.  By working on individual and group projects, students were able to dive in to the world of content production first-hand.  Several unique projects were completed throughout the course, and can be found in the Student Projects section of this blog.

Meet The Team:

Marc Smolowitz - Instructor/Executive Producer

Marc Smolowitz is an Academy Award-nominated film, television & new media producer (“The Weather Underground” 2003, “Trembling Before G-d” 2001) and Executive Producer / Consultant to a diverse slate of San Francisco-based media and technology companies. Most recently, he was the Producer at TellyTopia, a Silicon Valley new media company specializing in IP-TV and VOD product functionality for cable companies. Currently, he is on the faculty at the Digital Film Making program at the Art Institute of California, San Francisco, and also serves as Chair of the Technology Impact Circle at Full Circle Fund, an engaged philanthropy group that gives grants to Bay Area nonprofits. His forthcoming films include “The HIV Story Project,” a short film compilation that brings together filmmakers working in creative collaboration with people living with HIV/AIDS. Learn more at http://www.linkedin.com/in/marcsmolowitz. Follow him on twitter

http://twitter.com/marcsmolowitz

Web Team:

Justin Mahon – Web Team Lead – Web Design & Development
Justin is currently pursuing a Bachelors degree in Web Design and Interactive Media while founding his own small freelance interactive media production business, Mahon Media. Justin’s passion lie in friends, outdoor adventures, disc golf, and travel.

www.mahonmedia.com – twitter.com/justinmahon – http://www.linkedin.com/in/justinmahon

Cara Marsh – Web Design & Development
Cara Marsh started as a fine artist working in oil and acrylic paint and eventually enrolled in the Web Design and Interactive Media program at the Art Institute of California – San Francisco. She started her scholastic career in web design and interactive media in 2007 and plans on graduating March 2009 with a Bachelor of Science. She is currently working a couple freelance websites and does photography and painting in her free time.

https://twitter.com/DFVP_Webisode1 – http://www.linkedin.com/in/caramarsh

Max Harris – Web Design & Development

Max is currently studying web design and interactive media at The Art Institute of California – San Francisco. Before moving to San Francisco, he grew up in Los Angeles and lived in Canada for four years. Some of his professional strengths include web design, content production, social media, and photography. He is proficient in using Photoshop, Dreamweaver, WordPress, and Flash. His other interests include music, art, film, and politics.

http://twitter.com/DFVP_Citizen2

Video Team:

Carl Sturges – Video Team Lead – Cinematographer/Editor/Director
Carl grew up in southern California. Discovering his love for cinematography through filming and editing rollerblading videos, Carl went on to receive awards such as best video of the year & best section of the year with his third full length skate feature. He was hired by numerous companies within the industry to produce videos and online video content. Soon Carl was picked up by Action Sports Television. Spending three years on tour and traveling the world Carl became an assistant producer/cinematographer/editor for The LG Action Sports series, The Mobile Skate Park Series, Fuel TV, Echo Entertainment, and the Action Sports Association. Leaving the television industry Carl started work for Apple Inc. Working in 3 different retail locations from southern California to San Francisco as well as Apple Corporate. Carl went from Mac Specialist to Creative Specialist also producing video content for apple retail and development in Cupertino CA. Most recently Carl has been focusing his full attention on acquiring his Bachelors of Science degree in Digital Video and Film Production at the Art Institute of California San Francisco. As well as obtaining clients to produce work for through his start up production company, Kwality Media. www.kwalitymedia.com.

carl@carlsturgess.com – www.carlsturgess.com – www.twitter.com/carlsturgess

Roger K. Remera
I, Roger K Remera was born and raised in the country of a thousand hills, Rwanda. I attended school in Congo, the new DRC, where I spent eight beautiful years before returning to Rwanda to finish my BA in Psychology. Upon returning things were not good at all. The introduction of a multiparty system did not help the country to grow, but instead it divided it into groups, which it seems were the tools that lead Rwanda into Genocide in 1994.

Afterward things were still not great either. The country was completely destroyed and the people were obligated to rebuild their beautiful country. It was decided that everyone would take part in the reconstruction, helping each other regardless of their ethnicity.

Afterwards, I realized that communication was the key to conflict resolution, so once in the U.S., I went to study “Communication Radio and TV” at the University of Houston until I was given a chance to work for Peace with AFSC in the Peace Building Unit.  Currently, I am a full time student in Digital Film and Video Production at the Art Institute of California – San Francisco, where I expect to use my intellectual knowledge to achieve my future projects of making a documentary about the Genocide in my country and all areas of conflict in Africa. Like Lorenz Oken said: “ The eye takes a person into the world. The ear brings the world into a person.” Therefore, I want to use that combination to educated people.

Please follow me at Twitter as DFVP_DIY2

Kristina Snell
Kristina grew up on a small farm in the rolling hills of Badger California riding horses, milking cows, hiking and gardening with her many siblings. Yes, indeed not much time if any was spent on computers. Little did she know that she would find a love for video, web and technology, which she would not be able to walk away from. Fling the nest she moved around a bit spending most of her time in Santa Cruz, Hawaii and India. A few years back she decided to settle in SF and go to The Art Institute to get her Bachelors of Science degree in Interactive Media Design. So what then inspired this decision? Well several things. In deciding what to study art, design and technology is what caught her attention most. Nothing else felt as compelling as this. Everyday events turned into stories in her head but with special effects. How could these events and ideas be captured and brought to life? Technology was the key with which the imagination could be brought to life. Thus her love for multimedia sprouted and grew.

Kristina.snell@gmail.com

www.twitter.com/vloger2

Brooke A. Price – Digital Film Video Production
Brooke is originally from Oakland but now lives in Fresno Cali. Brooke is an aspiring actor and film producer who is trying to make a name for himself. He is working on an online skit show and currently attends the Art Institute of California – San Francisco. He is working toward a Bachelors of Science degree.

Facebook- Brooke Price

http://www.myspace/supersoberstealingkrew

David B. McAdams
David B. McAdams is a Digital Film and Video Production student at the Art Institute of California – San Francisco in San Francisco, California. He was born in Dallas, Texas on October 28, 1963 and graduated from Hugo High School in Hugo, Oklahoma in May 1982. Knowing his future was with the US Air Force, he joined under the Delayed Enlistment Program in February 1982 and entered Basic Training in December 1982.  Over his 22.5 years he served in the Republic of South Korea, Germany and the Centennial U.S. His Military Awards include the Meritorious Service Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, Air Force Commendation Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, the Air Force Achievement Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster and the AF Outstanding Unit Award with seven Oak Leaf Clusters. David retired from the USAF 1 June 2005 at the rank of Senior Master Sergeant (E-8) and hired on at Sealy Richmond California the same day as lead Production Supervisor for night shift.  In July 1997 he was promoted to his the position as Production Superintendent. David was in charge of the Sealy Western Region Distribution Center.  He oversaw the monthly shipping of over $100,000 of raw materials and finished goods to Oregon, California and Arizona.  In November 2008 he became a full time student at AiCASF. David holds a Community College of the Air Force Associate’s Degree in Aircraft Armament Systems Technology and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Professional Aeronautics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.  He is married to the former Janet M. Nicholls from St. Paul, Minnesota.