Media Soup

I had a good ol’ time taping an interview with my grandfather Ben Klein on his 93rd birthday.

I think this one is my fovorite, but here is the whole playlist:

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=8F59B980A7DA9A88

Doing some research for my undergrad class, and I came across Steenbeck’s website.

http://www.steenbeck.com/

They are still making and repairing film editing machines . . .

Saw a fascinating show at the 9:30 club last week. (Thanks, John for inviting me!)

Turns out that NPR simulcast the whole thing, along with a nice write up.

Lately, I have been thinking a lot about media as power.

I am interested in the HIV/AIDS issue partly because it is addressable almost 100% through education and empowerment - through media.

This issue, as well as others, is being moved substantially - not by governments but by media stars. And I don’t mean they are just raising money - they are interacting directly with a worldwide audience to educate and change perceptions - with many issues such as HIV/AIDS, this change alone goes a long way to solving the problem.

Some of the folks I work with refer to this as “social marketing” which is an interesting concept.

The lever being used most effectively in many political issues today is not money or might, but media itself.

A critical question to me is what are the most powerful forms of media? How are they being used? and what is the effect?

Ok, it’s hokey question, but check out the response that NPR got when the posted it in an interesting way.

So, these are mine (if you are going to have a blog, you might was well post miscellaneous crap like this, right?):

Chinatown
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Fog of War
Rushmore
Gosford Park
Breakfast at Tiffany’s
Casablanca
Spirited Away
American Beauty
Night and Fog

While I have nowhere near the techno-lust that Rob has, I must admit that it was cool to see a brand new Mac Pro (8 processors, 5 gigs of RAM) and the Panasonic P2 HD camera sitting in my living room.

It reminded me of capturing DV through Firewire into FCP for the first time. That was the Summer of 1999.

I wonder what resolution we will be working in 8 years from now, in 2015?

More student work, this time by Evan Madow:

http://smpa.evanm.com/emsnbc.htm

Not exactly sure why, but I have begun to follow sports much more as an adult. This is a bit strange to me, because I didn’t play, or even watch much sports as a kid. Now, I see sports as a microcosm where moral, ethical, political, racial, and now bio-ethical issues play out in sharp contrast.

This week, two NFL football stars were caught doing something “bad.” Michael Vick of the Atlanta Falcons was connected to a dog fighting ring, and Ricky Williams, formerly of the Miami Dolphins, tested positive for marijuana. I’m not exactly sure how many positive marijuana tests this makes for Williams, but it is more than 2 and his drug use has already had him suspended from the league.

It is not yet clear what the consequence will be for either player, but, especially because he is a multiple offender, the early talk is that Ricky Williams’ career in the NFL might be over. Vick may or may not face a suspension, pending an investigation. William’s excuse is that he has a medical/psychological problem that marijuana helps him deal with. Vick’s explanation is that it was family members who were responsible, and he was unaware.

Much of the reason that the moral and ethical aspects of sports are magnified is the idea that these people are role models. So, sorry for the cliche but, are we telling our children that using a medical treatment that is not approved by the government is on par (even possibly worse) than participating in or condoning animal cruelty?

I am not the biggest fan of Michael Moore. I think he has given doc makers a bad rep. I do think that Roger and Me is good, and Bowling for Columbine is actually a great film. Most of his other work, I can take or leave.

Anyway, Moore is in the news again this week. It seems he went to Cuba for his latest film, and the now the Bush administration has begun an investigation into whether he violated the Cuba travel ban.

Now, IMHO, the travel ban is one of the sillier things this government has done in the last 50 years. In this case, the administration seems to be giving an adversary exactly what he wants: publicity.

There is a parallel here to some more important issues. Today, Michael Moore is beside himself with joy, knowing that his place in the spotlight has been assured. On the day we invaded Iraq, Osama Bin Laden was similarly beside himself with joy, knowing that the war he sought to ignite would sustain for years to come.

Just added Snap Shots to the site.

Anyone like this?

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