Fig Media partners with Split
Pillow to document a day of filmmaking for kids.
On
April 21st 2007 fig media partnered with Split Pillow to document
an outreach program for underprivelaged inner city kids at
the Marrilac House in Chicago. fig shooters Melissa Martens
and Lauren Pollock shot a one of a kind documentary to help
promote the program and spread the vision that splitpillow
has for youth programs in Chicago.
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fig spent 8 hours shooting the documentary
during the program. The program is a fast-paced workshop where
kids get to write, shoot, direct, act, and edit their own
short films. The program takes 10 counselors, 5 video cameras,
5 laptops, three coordinators and a documentary film crew
to produce. Students spend the first part of their day learning
about product placement and media literacy. Then they divide
into groups, 5 students for two counselors. They write their
film in one hour, with one rule...they must use a product
that spilpillow gives them in their films. After the writing
process and storyboarding, shooting begins. While this is
going on fig is busy covering the different teams, and shooting
interviews. Then there is a pizza lunch, where the footage
loads into the laptops, and then editing begins. fig works
with the program creators, Jason Stevens and Jacky Lewkovich
to create compelling interviews and have tons of fun doing
it. After the shoot it is off to the editing suite to finalize
the product. Tanya Cascoe, a fig intern, later took the footage
and cut together a fun narrative that gets people to move,
and tells the message of the program. Working with director,
Melissa Martens, Tanya put the final touches on the documentary
with color and music. Once the edit was finished, it was screened
with the student films at the Marrillac house.
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The documentary goes
out to all the students, parents and councelors involved in
the program. It also get used to submit with grants to get
more money for the program and helps illustrate the vision
of the organization in a fun and entertaining way that creates
buzz.
This project was in line
with Fig's mission to create short films that change the world
and inspire others to do the same. fig works with the Edgewater
Community Council to help facilitate youth programming and
teach classes, next steps...have a Split Pillow partnership
that grows to all of figs outreach programs eventually becoming
city wide, then nation wide, then world wide. This mission
is close to the hearts of many of the fig staff. After the
documentary was screened at fig for the first time, many of
the staff was moved thinking about the children they teach
in their lives and how important it is that we as a company
take responsibility for getting the arts to our youth.
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Date:
April 2006
Location: Merillac House
Client:Split Pillow
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Cinematogrpahers:
Melissa Martens and Lauren Pollock
Stills on this page taken from video
One
5 minute documentary on DVD for students, councelors and paretns
Documentary can be used for promotion of the program, pitching
the program for grant money, and educating the public about
the capabilities of splitpillow outreach.
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