One of the standout projects I worked on in recent weeks is a freelance assignment completed with Federal Media Solutions. This Washington, D.C. based video production company also provides event coverage and audio-visual services.
This shoot of the Minority Tech Foundation took place in southern Maryland. Below find BTS and a candid from the shoot.
BACK TO SCHOOL is here again! However, the classroom setting looks quite different this year for many young scholars. Teachers and parents alike are making necessary adjustments in light of the coronavirus pandemic, while officials are making determinations on the safest educational delivery methods. For this Freelance Spotlight, I’d like to highlight my recent work with an inspiring young educator, Meleah Campbell. This indoor shoot was completed while adhering to all COVID-19 safety guidelines.
Boasting almost 30k followers on Instagram alone, the UC Davis and Loyola Marymount educated, Teach America alum uses her social media platforms to champion for literacy and the arts. Ms. Campbell does an amazing job digitally interacting with her preschoolers and I was thankful for the opportunity to work with her on capturing images for sponsored posts. Here are a few snaps I captured for her paid partnerships with Advancement Courses (a Wiley Learning company) and Lakeshore Learning.
Personally, I am no stranger to distance learning. I completed high school with an online, Middle States accredited homeschool program, then resumed physical classes for college. Despite the circumstances prompting the change, I am happy to see more minority families exploring homeschool options and finding alternate methods for educational enrichment.
Visit Ms. Campbell’s website and Instagram profile.
The Association for Women in Communications (AWC) announced Briana M. Andrews as a WINNER of the 2020 Clarion Award in the Student Wildcard category for her Women in TV and Film, Interactive Media / Mini-Documentary project. Read Press Release.
Winning a Clarion is a great honor and achievement; this award-winning entry will be recognized during a fall virtual event. As one of the most prestigious competitions of its kind in the country, the 2020 competition attracted entries from 20 states and two countries, with entries judged by teams of experts from all aspects of the marketing and communications fields.
This interactive media project and short documentary was created during a New Media Practicum course at Rowan University, led by Writing Arts Professor Rachael Shapiro. Andrews utilized social media as a promotional avenue and culminated with the creation of a short documentary to display individual efforts toward increasing diversity and inclusion in film. This includes behind-the-scenes footage from the Andrews’ produced To Each, Her Throne web series, and the Daughters of Solanas dramedy short from the New York iteration of the Women’s Weekend Film Challenge. Find excerpts from the project at www.womenintvandfilm.com.
Founded in 1909, the Association for Women in Communications has nearly 1,200 members worldwide. AWC champions the advancement of women across all communications disciplines by recognizing excellence, promoting leadership and positioning its members at the forefront of the evolving communications era. For more than 40 years, the AWC Clarion Awards have recognized small business, large corporate, nonprofit, agency and government communication specialists internationally who demonstrate excellence in clear and concise communications. For a complete list of Clarion Award winners this year, please visit: www.womcom.org/clarionwinners.
Here are a few stills from Let Live, the dramedy short, written and directed by Briana M. Andrews. A preliminary edit was screened virtually for the Howard University 1st Year Film MFA cohort. The final cut will include additional sound editing and color correction. We cannot wait to share it! Thank you for your continued support.
Visit the previous post from the last day on set for BTS, shoot dates, locations, and crew member details.
Let Live, the dramedy short, written and directed by Briana M. Andrews, owner of BibbyFame Digital, LLC and current Howard University Film MFA candidate has officially wrapped production and entered post.
Enjoy some photos from our last day on set.
We’d like to thank each member of the #LetLive cast and crew for working tirelessly on set these past few days. We would also like to thank all contributors, including catering service and venue for their assistance in helping this production come to life.
Veritas et Utilitas, “Truth and Service” is the motto for Howard University and represents a vital component of the school’s identity. I have a special affinity for educational initiatives, particularly those that drive young minority women to CREATE. Service is a lifelong commitment and over the years, I volunteered hundreds of hours at various community-based and 501(c)(3) organizations. While Howard University Day of Service (HUDOS) draws mostly undergraduate students, I was intrigued and sought a way to get involved. I am pleased to announce I was selected for the Steering Committee and serve as the Photographer / Videographer on the Media Team.
To me, HUDOS provides a phenomenal way for students to become immersed in both the university and the community-at-large. I am thrilled about having the opportunity to create visuals displaying Howard students as they come together, working hard to make a difference. Check out one of my promo edits created using supplied photos and footage curated from HUDOS over the last two years, along with graphics I created to accompany student quotes on the service experience.
I am pleased to introduce you to Thug Motivation. This is a drama short-film written and directed by (me) Briana M. Andrews, Rowan University senior and owner of BibbyFame Digital, LLC. The shoot took place over the weekend, and it was a awesome demonstration of teamwork and resourcefulness.
This story is an actor’s plea for “less thug, more motivation.” The protagonist, Kevin, played by Howie Jones, senior Computer Science major at Rowan University expresses frustration because he is a classically trained actor, however, he’s routinely cast and sent on auditions for demeaning roles which he reluctantly accepts. During this contentious meeting with the casting director, he lashes out about degrading role offers and visualizes inspirational, thought-provoking roles that contribute to humanity.
Gang-members and thug roles are disproportionately played by black actors. However, this isn’t reflective of the actual demographics of American gangs. While Thug Motivation shares the story of one actor, it serves as a launchpad for discussion on casting directors engaged in type-casting, limited role opportunities, inadequate African-American representation in film and potential societal implications from such imagery.
I submitted this screenplay for consideration earlier this semester and in recent weeks, I presented the look-book and defended the film concept. There was no budget for this film, however, campus resources were at our disposal for equipment. For the film setting, we converted an 8-max group study room at Campbell Library into a convincing office location. I am extremely proud of the entire team. I also appreciate their open-mindedness and willingness to wear several hats to pull this off successfully.
The film, Daughters of Solanas is now complete and on IMDb. I am credited under Camera and Electrical Equipment for my work on the set handling BTS. I also manage the social media presence for the film; you can read about this in the previous blog post. The screening for Daughters of Solanas will take place next week at the Museum of Moving Image. Here are a few photos I took of the crew, which consisted of 27 women. Bravo!
Creating the dramedy, Daughters of Solonas was an incredible experience and I’m excited about our screening next week at the Museum of Moving Image in Astoria, NY. One of the items on my filmmaker bucket list was to work on a film with an all-female cast and crew. This month, I will have the opportunity to complete that, twice over. The Women’s Weekend Film Challenge bought together women from all walks of life … different races, different socio-economic statuses, different religions, different education levels … complete strangers, all coming together with the common objective of creating a short, in a really short period of time. The footage looks amazing, the film was submitted, the screening is next week and at a later date, the festival submission activities will commence.
Personally, I would like to thank Tracy Sayre and Katrina Medoff for their work organizing the Women’s Weekend Film Challenge, and for all of their efforts for women in film. They emphasize how much representation and diversity matter. These are causes that are obviously very close to my heart. Some of the challenge sponsors include RED cameras, Gotham Sound, IDX, Zeiss Lenses, AbelCine Brooklyn Lighting and Grip, Lightbulb Grip and Electric and Below the Line.
I handled BTS photo / video on this project. I also created and manage the socials. Check out and follow @DaughtersofSolanas on Instagram and Facebook. A photo-story BTS montage can be found below. I’ll be sharing some video of the crew (Team Banks) in action in the near future, stay tuned.
Below, please find an interactive project new media sampler consisting of snippets from projects completed this semester. I am completing both Post-Production and New Media Production with Professor Erika Tsuchiya. For those courses, the method of submission includes an separate class EduBlog (visit my temporary class site here), and heavy use of private Google Docs portals.
I am excited about using Adobe Animate, Mixamo, Adobe Fuse, MIT Scratch and Unity3D. Before this course, I had no idea almost 50% of mobile games are developed using Unity.
BibbyFame Digital, LLC: Photo, Film & Interactive Media 