4th Annual New Media Expo, August 14-16, 2008

Online registration for the 4th Annual New Media Expo is now open. This year the expo will be held at the Las Vegas Convention Center on August 14-16, 2008. This show has become the definitive must-attend event for corporate content creators, independent media makers, and production companies who produce podcasts, online video, and blogs. This year you can look forward to a jam packed three days of keynotes, conference sessions, an exhibit hall, and hallway conversations with people who are making it happen and shaping the world of new media. Yours truly will be at the show and presenting one of the sessions, “Practical Sound Recording and Editing Techniques For Better Video.” Well worth a long weekend in the city of simulacrum, and there’s nothing fake about the Expo, the evolution of new media is real and in our midsts.

Lowell Film Festival: April 4-5, 2008

The Lowell Film Festival will presents a series of documentary and feature films on the subjects of globalization and immigration this year along with panels on filmmaking. Always an “immigrant city”, Lowell stands today in the midst of a population transformation no less profound than the one that shaped the city in the middle of the 19th century. Come and explore what globalization and immigration means through films, locally produced shorts, and discussions with the filmmakers involved in the productions.

The Opening Night Reception is on April 4, 2008 at 6pm and the festival runs all day April 5, 2008 and admission is free. The headliner film on Friday night is Sacco & Vanzetti, a documentary about Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, two Italian immigrant anarchists who were accused of a murder in 1920, and executed in Boston in 1927 after a notoriously prejudiced trial. The screening will be followed by Q&A with producer Peter Miller. The headliner film on Saturday night is Abderrahmane Sissako’s Bamako, a fascinating film (which I saw a while back at the MFA) that deals with the World Bank and the IMF by telling the story of a trial court set up in the courtyard of an African home. Amidst pleas and the testimonies, life goes on in the courtyard.

New regulations regarding air travel with Lithium & Lithium Ion (including Lithium Polymer) batteries

Effective January 1, 2008, the Department of Transportation (DOT) will no longer allow loose Lithium & Lithium Ion (including Lithium Polymer) batteries in checked baggage. These recent revisions have added the inconvenience of having to carry-on all of your batteries, so this may impact media makers who travel with some of their equipment in checked baggage.

Facing Realities: Dialogues in Boston Documentary Filmmaking

The LEF Foundation recently announce its support of a new film screening series, Facing Realities: Dialogues in Boston Documentary Filmmaking. The film series is part of an effort to highlight the history and deepen the understanding of Boston’s documentary tradition, which continues today. The first screening in the series will be held on Saturday, March 22, 2008 at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Films include Forest of Bliss (Robert Gardner, 1986, 90 min.) and Today the Hawk Takes One Chick (Jane Gillooly, 2007, 72 min.) followed by a discussion with Robert Gardner and Jane Gillooly led by film scholar Scott MacDonald. Visit the Facing Realities web site for more information. Photo:
Bell and Howell Regent 8mm
by aka Kath

Slides from 18th Pro Video Show Seminars

Here are my presentation slides from the three seminars I gave this weekend at the 18th Pro Video Show.
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Boston Media Makers, Meeting Notes, March 2, 2008

Here are some highlights from the March 2, 2008 meeting of Boston Media Makers.

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Gravityland debuts on March 3rd

There is a gradual revolution of quality original media emerging on the net. One example of this is Gravityland, scheduled to debut on March 3rd, a web series about people trying to get a grip on their world with a new episode every week. In addition to weekly episodes Gravityland will feature a blog with live video streams, viewer challenges, interviews, podcasts, and more, five days a week. Gravityland was created by multi-hyphenate John Herman and if it’s anything at all like his previous endeavors, we’re in for a special treat.