The Artist & PressPausePlay: Films for Our Time

PressPausePlay from House of Radon on Vimeo.

When we look back at every other industry that was built in the 1920's and 30's we look back and say, 'We wish we were there then because, wow, wouldn't it have been cool what we could have done?' This is even bigger than that.  And most people are ignoring it saying, 'oh there's a recession, rah rah rah.' This is the best shot you've ever got.                                               ~ Seth Godin in PressPausePlay

Do you remember the scene in The Artist when silent film superstar George Valentin has his nightmare of a world filled with sound?  My favorite shot is when a feather delicately floats down then unexpectedly hits the ground with a loud BOOM.  Like many before and after him, poor George found himself in a world rapidly changing due to technology - a world where one minute you're at the top and the next minute you're spiraling out of control trying to cling to the what used to work. 

I loved The Artist.  All I knew about it going into the theater was that it was a modern film shot audaciously as a silent black-and-white film.  Knowing only that, I settled into the theater prepared to be transported to another time and another place.  What I didn't know going in was how closely the film parallels the current reality of the film industry.  One genius aspect of the film is how it transports you to the 1920's while still maintaining a foot solidy in 2012.

I adore the irony of The Artist winning the Oscar for Best Picture... after all, The Academy has a reputation for being old-school and the SOPA controversy is framed as a battle between Hollywood and the tech industries. But then there is Harvey Weinstein's delicious take on the whole thing.

What is the message at the heart of the film? "... it’s a film about technology. We are surrounded by all these magical gadgets, we’re texting, tweeting, reacting, and blurting, but it’s getting in the way of our humanity, just as the advent of sound was getting in the way of George’s art. What’s happening with technology, people can’t really have conversations.” But you don’t have to give in, you can resist. Just because technology changes doesn’t mean you have to let it change you."                      - Harvey Weinstein on The Artist

While The Artists beautifully illustrates the emotional havoc disruptive technology can create, the documentary PressPausePlay artfully explores our world as it is transformed by digital technology.  By weaving stories on both sides of the disruption in the film, music and design industries, the film doesn't spell things out for you... the film... and our world... well, they're more complicated than that.  If you're looking for clear cut answers, PressPausePlay isn't for you.  

One thing that is evident from both The Artist and PressPausePlay is, that as technology changes so to must business models. Like with the dawning of the "talkie" era, the film industry is struggling with how to move forward.  Specifically, the stinging defeats of SOPA indicate the expectations of an online world.   But as indicated in PressPausePlay, we don't really live in a black and white world where its "us vs. them" - but rather, to thrive, we must ask ourselves, how can we embrace change, like the former Fox Broadcasting Chief, Barry Diller.  

After all, don't you remember how happily George Valentin danced when he finally embraced change?

Right now we' re not in a world where we can determine or predetermine where we think things are going to be. We're all operating in the dark. we have no clue as to what's going to happen and that to me is what makes it all fun. 

- PressPausePlay

dMBA - There's an App For That

Last week we wrapped up our 1st fall term in Year 2 (Y2) of the dMBA program. With classes in Business Law & Ethics, Project Management and Applied Digital Convergence (ADC), its exciting to observe how Y2 builds on Year 1 (Y1).

Y1 was all about the "nuts and bolts" of business, you know, the theories and science of business - accounting, finance, marketing - the foundation of a solid business education. Now, if Y1 was all about the science of business, Y2 is unfolding to be about the art. The rich class discussions in Law and ADC require critical and creative thinking as these areas are more finessed and not so black-and-white as most of the courses from Y1 - but these Y2 discussions wouldn't be possible without the foundation of Y1. Perhaps more importantly though, is that Y2 is allowing for the application of the principles we studied in Y1 and putting them into practice with new courses like Project Management and New Venture Creation.

My favorite application, however, is happening outside the classroom. I am currently producing a short animated film and am having a blast! Working on this film has put me back in touch with my creativity and I am loving it! From directing the voice actors to collaborating with the illustrator and animators, this creative outlet is just what I need to balance out all of my studying!

Just as rewarding, however, as the creative outlet, this production has helped me see how much I've learned since beginning the dMBA program. Perhaps if I hadn't produced anything before, I wouldn't notice what all I've been learning. With this film, my 1st since starting the program, I notice that I'm thinking about, and managing, the project in a more holistic way. From our HR courses to Accounting to Interactive Technology & E-Commerce to Law, I am now instinctively applying what we're learning in the classroom to the production process.

I'm thrilled to be returning to my creative roots, but am even more thrilled to apply to the creative process all that I've been learning!

* The above illustrations are an early storyboard from my current film illustrated by Zara Steadman.

Jeff Skoll on Technology and Social Change

Last week I wrote about my experience of learning to converge digital tools with the entertainment industry. Here's a take on it from Participant Media's founder, Jeff Skoll with a big dose of social change mixed in:

A Minute with Jeff Skoll on

Technology and Global Social Change

Making Movies That Matter

This video is a TED Talk from Jeff Skoll, founder and chairman of Participant Media, the company where I'll be interning this summer. Watching this video has me more excited than ever to work with them!

Coen Brothers, look out!

Meet Brandon and Jonathan, the next generation of filmmaking brothers.

I recently volunteered with Mobile Film School, a non-profit bringing media arts education to under-served communities. The students of Eastside Memorial Green Tech High spent two days shooting on the topic of "stereotypes" and I had the privilege of mentoring them as they learned how to edit with Final Cut Pro (FCP).

These kids are smart as whips and though new to FCP, they picked it up quickly. It was incredibly rewarding to help them build their fluency with digital technology so they can give voice their own stories. And I learned a ton from them!

It was great spending the day taking a break from schoolwork - getting away from the business side of things - and diving back into the creative side again. But the best part of the day? Jonathan giving me a big ole' hug at the end and telling me how glad he was I came and how much he enjoyed working with me. ***Sniff***

Course in Human Relations & Organizational Behavior Re-Framing My Thoughts on Storytelling

I’ve been on Winter Break for a few weeks now – it’s been glorious to sleep in, relax w/ family & friends and most of all, NO DEADLINES to worry about!

So steeped in relaxation since my last final (Accounting – aggggghhhh!), that it came as something of a surprise when, over happy hour with a girlfriend recently, I found myself with “business-school speak” quite naturally dripping off my tongue. My friend, Stephanie, recently started a new job where she manages the Programs department for a national non-profit. It had been a while since I had seen Steph (since just before the semester started to be exact – no surprise there), and, given my natural curiosity about people, I gave into my usual habit and ended up “interviewing” her about her new position.

A part of Steph’s role requires her to manage volunteers once they’ve been recruited and trained. One challenge for her is retention, and as I continued to interview her I learned that most of the turnover seems to be tied to volunteers who come in with unrealistic expectations.

As a media producer, my first thought was, of course, “Let’s make a training video to address this issue!” So we brainstormed on ways to frame a video that would help manage the expectation of a potential volunteer. But then our conversation went even deeper – and for this I give credit to the Human Relations & Organizational Behavior (HR/OB) class I took this past semester.

First, thinking from the Organizational Behavior perspective, I asked her questions that allowed us to identify a breakdown in communication between her department (Programs) and Marketing (who is responsible for recruiting volunteers). Then, by looking at the issue from an Human Resources perspective, I suggested that the video, through the means of telling a compelling story, needs to address the HR topics of on-boarding, organizational culture & cultural fit and training & development.

Suddenly I stopped myself – poor thing – it was a Saturday night and in my excitement, there I was grilling her about work. But she told me to fugggedaboutit – turns out she was super excited to think about these daily work issues from a fresh perspective.

Who knows what will happen with this idea (perhaps it could be my capstone project in my final semester), but regardless, Steph was very excited with how I was able to break down the issues and supply practical business solutions to an ongoing issue. And I am SUPER excited, that after just one HR/OB class (more to come in the Spring), that I was able to enrich my story-telling capabilities and include these additional facets of traditional business principles.