http://www.filmaka.com/film.php?film_id=b85481ba-c606-102b-8633-00301b4506f4

WINGS
commercial - contest entry
TRT 1′07

Dana and I did it again with this short film we’ve dished up for the Red Bull Short Film Competition. No viewers’ choice for this one, but definitely be sure to check it out and let us know what you think!

CHANGE.

Senator Barack Obama’s Presidential Nomination Acceptance Speech
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Democratic National Convention
Denver, Colorado
TRT 43′39

vs. STAGNATION.

Former POW says Senator McCain is “not cut out to be President”
http://therealmccain.com/butler
TRT 4′10

]]> http://newgrowthmediainc.com/home/2008/08/31/change/feed/ http://newgrowthmediainc.com/home/2008/08/19/vote-for-my-short-in-the-i-love-ny-film-competition/ http://newgrowthmediainc.com/home/2008/08/19/vote-for-my-short-in-the-i-love-ny-film-competition/#comments Tue, 19 Aug 2008 21:03:46 +0000 Robin http://newgrowthmediainc.com/home/2008/08/19/vote-for-my-short-in-the-i-love-ny-film-competition/ UPDATE: Monday, September 1, 2008

Viewer’s Choice voting has ended. I’ll keep you posted as I find out if we won for any of the qualifying awards: Viewer’s Choice, Regional and Grand Prize. THANK YOU for all of your votes!

The short film I produced and edited is a finalist in the “I LOVE NY” short film competition.

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1563681/i_dont_like_new_york

Vote for 14 — “I Don’t Like NY”
[trust me — we really DO LOVE NY!]

The short was written, directed and shot by by new partner in crime, Dana Verde. She recently graduated with her Master’s from London Film School, and we met through New York Women in Television and Film. I haven’t had this much fun making a film in a long time, nor have I found such a copacetic collaborator. This is the first of many to come from a duo of dynamic and driven Sista directors. Something else cool about Dana Verde — her name literally means “green light.” Robin means “shining with fame.” We were born to make films.

Originally, she wrote and I edited the short to Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. It was definitely hilarious, but we of course had to yank and replace it with royalty-free tracks. At the time of submission, I happened to be working on a commercial directed by the legendary Tom Schiller. I didn’t realize who he was when I asked if I could show him my short and get his feedback. He laughed, told me it was funny, and even gave me some music off his computer to consider for the re-edit. Then I went home and googled him. He is one of the original Emmy award-winning writers and filmmakers for Saturday Night Live. Whoa… Love the journey, y’all…

Our stars of the film were also the SWEETEST and SPUNKIEST little old ladies we could find! Both were not only pros and game for the concept, they also contributed many ideas that ended up in the edit. I have a new Jewish grandmother. And Dana is already writing another script for our star actresses, and might even bring my own comedy-telling mother in for the ride…

FERRET PORN
TRT 0′47

I spent a few weeks in June prepping for and teaching at Harambee Music Video Production Academy in East Orange, NJ, a program of Elmwood Presbyterian Church.  I also consulted on the edit for their entry in Verizon’s How Sweet the Sound gospel choir contest.  In this video, the youth choir, G Fy G, is opening for Cee Cee Winans at New Jersey Performing Arts Center.

It was a pleasure to do, and called on the memories of my Southern Baptist roots.  We found creative ways to present the single camera footage of their live performance and incorporate the rehearsal cutaways and make an energetic and engaging piece.  Enjoy the music and video, and let’s wish them great success in the competition!

Wow! I had an incredible experience as an instructor for the first Keio Academy Summer Japanese-English Digital Media Creation Camp in Purchase, NY. It was co-sponsored by DCTV’s youth media program, Pro-TV. For two weeks, with the help of translators, I had a group of five Japanese students and taught them to envision, shoot, and edit a short video. There was a team of 10 instructors total, each with their own group of 5-7 students. The assortment of videos at the end, were pretty phenomenal, especially considering the time, language and cultural barriers that we all faced to various degrees.

It was quite humbling for me to realize the extent of how different our cultures really are. Yes, I love sushi and Japanese animation and even practice a Buddhist discipline born in Japanese. That does not make me a Japanophile, even by dilettantish standards. So my enthusiasm and passion for the students, their ideas and the craft of making media was often received as very aggressive, intimidating, and even rude. I realize that even with the best of intentions, and as we try in earnest to build cultural bridges and meet halfway, it actually only reaches a quarter of the way on both sides. There is still a huge chasm to fill. And the only way to fill it is to openly acknowledge what you do not know and try to understand, listen, and learn.  You have to give it time, patience and compassion.  And ou have to give it to yourself as much as to the other and try not to take things too seriously. It’s Basic Diplomacy and Being a Human Being 101, a lesson reinforced from my experience with my students. In the end, we turned the camera onto ourselves to examine and discuss our misunderstandings and perceptions, and made a beautiful short video of their thoughts and experience of being Japanese and being American.

http://www.lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080803/NEWS02/808030334/1220/NEWS020
http://business.rutgers.edu/default.aspx?id=1523

WATERSLIDE
music video - HD
TRT 3′26

I had the pleasure early summer of working as a production assistant on the music video “Waterslide“, directed by Véronique Doumbé of Ndolo Films, and music artist Scottie Gage. The video is a runner up in Shooting People’s Grand Watch Film competition.

EMERGE: NEW GROWTH MEDIA
Honors Thesis Screening

Monday, May 19, 2008
2:00 - 4:00 pm

Paul Robeson Gallery
Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey
Newark Campus
350 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Blvd.
First Floor
Newark, NJ 07102
973 353 1610
http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/artgallery

Map:

Public Transportation:
Rail from Harrison, Jersey City, Hoboken, NYC:
PATH to Penn Station, Newark, AMTRAK (1-800-872-7245; www.amtrak.com) and New Jersey Transit (1-800-772-2222; www.nj.com/njtransit). Trains also stop at Newark Penn Station.

From Penn station-Newark to campus: You may take a $6 taxi ride to campus or take the City Subway (entrance is by McDonald’s) to Washington Street (2nd stop) for 65 cents.

For driving directions, please see gallery website for directions.

http://lovenewark.wordpress.com

As part of my final group project in my Creativity in Business Decisions seminar with Professor dt ogilvie [lowercase required], I helped shoot and edit a team video to promote the City of Newark experience.

Newark is in a momentous renaissance of development, arts, small business and grassroots communities. I’ve gotten fairly acquainted with the city over the years as a student and filmmaker. As a team, we all agreed that its diversity of people and activities have been overshadowed by its volatile season in the 60’s and urban decay up to the 90’s.

So our team of six people photographed and videotaped what we considered Newark’s treasures, and collaborated on a script that celebrates what we find unique and exciting. And we propose that the residents and fans of Newark should do the same — become ambassadors for the City of Newark and promote what you love about it.

A third profile on me and New Growth Media was also published by the New Brunswick Media Relations Department.

http://news.rutgers.edu/medrel/news-releases/2008/archivefolder.2008-02-11.2860899469/rutgers-class-of-200-20080509

Rutgers Class of 2008: Ten Graduates to Watch

News Release Published: 09 May, 2008

Robin Laverne Wilson
Hometown: Converse, Texas
Major: Interdisciplinary, with concentrations in media and business, Newark College of Arts and Sciences

Media Student Performs Art, Pursues the Art of the Deal

There is nothing conventional about Robin Laverne Wilson, starting with the unusual academic journey she began at the University of Texas at age 16 and resumed more than a decade later at Rutgers-Newark.

Returning to school in her 30s, she continued to carve her own path, creating an interdisciplinary major that includes MBA-type business seminars, performance art and production internships at underground film festivals.

At this juncture in her life, Wilson had clearer goals, but she had to work her way back to acquire the skills. “As a creative person, I knew I needed the business savvy to create and close deals,” she said. “I needed to empower myself as an artist.”

A Texan with a great love for New York, Wilson was well positioned on the Newark Campus to seize opportunities across the Hudson River. She was an artist-in-residence at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center and held internships at New Line Cinema, the New York Pops, the Brooklyn Underground Film Festival and VH1.

For her senior Honors College project, she started her own production company, “New Growth Media.” She is producing a short documentary about the burgeoning arts scene in Newark and another, more experimental piece on unspoken thoughts among strangers. Last year, she won a Michael S. Libretti Scholarship Award from the New Jersey Broadcasters Association for her earlier work.

Wilson’s goals following graduation are twofold. She plans to start work at a production company while also developing her own projects around what she calls “experimental work, personal work.” As a producer, she hopes for just enough success to “be on stage someday at the Academy Awards.”