I had the honor of being asked by the gracious and giving Christopher Coppola – who just lost his father, August, this week – to be one of the judges for PAH-FEST Hollywood 2009. If you don’t know what PAH (Project Accessible Hollywood) is, take a moment to find out, because it’s a very important part of lending a hand to let all voices be heard.
It was amazing to judge… in the Circus Vision category I saw children being challenged to talk about more than whether or not they’d been to a circus, but to use that premise to get them thinking about how to represent rings, animals, flying, balance, colors, funny and opposites on the same school playground… brilliant!
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Cellphone Art got me thinking about what are is and isn’t as various themes were explored by media makers in the contest.
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Digiportraits and Tone Poems both moved me, but to opposite sides of the emotional spectrum.
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Digiportraits had me on the edge of my seat to find out more about people; what they’re about and our universal connections to one another.
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Meantime, Tone Poems had me smiling and bopping my head and feet most of the time. I loved them both in distinctly different ways.
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But my favorite category has to be Mobiflicks, hands down. At least two of the pieces moved me. I’ve posted them here and I hope you’ll take a moment to watch and comment below on what you thought.
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This is more than ‘new’… it’s democracy in action. It’s connectedness. It’s a microphone and a platform. I haven’t felt this close to the tone of what things are really like in Southern California until I took the time to watch each and every one of these videos and rate them. Considering the limits on time, technology and money, it’s almost a shame to rate them as they are all amazing examples of the human spirit using what they have at their fingertips – mobile phones and Flip cameras – to express themselves and make an impression.
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To all whose work, I had the opportunity to rate, I salute you. Working in television news – new media specifically – for more than a decade, I dare say you are more talented than some of the highest paid ‘names’ I know who are at work for money, not to spread the word.
Christopher R. Coppola
August Coppola, Photo Credit: Alain McLaughlin / San Francisco State via The Los Angeles Times
As a side note, I mentioned above that Christopher Coppola lost his father this week and the memorial service was only a few days ago. I noticed he posted a rather poigiant quote on his blog…
Death is always, under all circumstances, a tragedy, for if it is not then it means that life has become one. – Theodore Roosevelt
Christopher gives life a license to be heard in new and more accessible ways than ever. He does his father proud.
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