Tag: Assignment

What is Black Cinema? A Video Story. Film Criticism [Assignment]

by Briana M. Andrews, posted in Assignments, New Media Production

Here is an excerpt from one of my Film Criticism assignment submissions.  The final video story is a 10-minute travel through time with b-roll curated from various online sources to corroborate the message.  I explored the meaning of black cinema, the history, cultural significance, theories, challenges, and future.  I highlighted the origins, silent film era, race films, blaxploitation films, the work of pioneer Oscar Michaux, independent cinema, notable challenges, the structure of Hollywood narratives, and the theories of Manthia Diawara, bell hooks and Haile Gerima.  The later describes cinema as a weapon, and “one of the most unexamined, unscrutinzed tool(s) of colonialism” detailing how mass media exploitation prescribes a view of blackness that perpetuates the disenfranchisement of Black Americans. 

What is Black Cinema? Film Criticism. Video Story. Assignment Submission. Screen Capture. Professor Sam Harman. Howard University.
What is Black Cinema? Film Criticism. Video Story. Assignment Submission. Screen Capture. Professor Sam Harman. Howard University.

What is Black Cinema anyway? 

Black Cinema is defined as classification used to describe film which involves the participation and/or representation of black people.  Now, this definition is quite broad and leaves some room for interpretation.  It could mean the film black cast, a black crew, a black director, a black story, or a focus on black audiences.

Alternatively, black cinema has been defined as a film recounting relatable common experiences and containing cultural elements that celebrate Black Cultural Identity.

Film director, Gladstone Yearwood defines black cinema as a body of films produced in the African diaspora which share a common problematic.  These films are a cultural expression of the survival impulse of African American culture and its struggle against marginalization.

Conclusion

Black cinema is not an isolated phenomenon. It has always been linked with social issues in the black community and served as the imagination of our aspirations.  Although challenges remain with funding and access, there is definitely a market for black stories.  It’s interesting to speculate in what direction black cinema would go.

If you would like to view the entire video story, send a message on the contact page or sign-up for mailing list.  I can also forward my voiceover transcript.  Best regards!

Freelance Spotlight: Introducing G-Pilot, Hip-Hop Artist [Shooter, Producer, Editor]

by Briana M. Andrews, posted in New Media Production, Shoots

Be on the lookout for Introducing G-Pilot. Briana M. Andrews served as the Shreditor (shooter, producer, editor) on this project which includes an interview, in-studio performance and music video featuring up-and-coming hip-hop recording artist G-Pilot. G-Pilot is currently promoting his new smash single “W.I.N.” A natural in front of the camera, G-Pilot discusses his entrepreneurial endeavors, connection to rapper Common, inspirations and why he opts to create positive rap content.

  • G-Pilot Rapper - Introduction - Interview - In Studio Hip-Hop Performance B-Roll
  • G-Pilot - Rap Recording Artist Music Video for song WIN W.I.N - Interview Stills - BibbyFame Digital - Shot by Briana M. Andrews
  • G-Pilot Hip-Hop Recording Artist Exclusive Interview by Briana M. Andrews - BibbyFame Digital

Visit G-Pilot on Instagram and click here to listen to his music on Soundcloud.

[MAPR Blog Post] Gen Z Usage Evaluation | Social Media Strategy: Return of the MAC

by Briana M. Andrews, posted in Assignments, Strategic Communication

There are many factors to contend with when developing an online presence, whether personally, professionally or on a client’s behalf.  Basic PR 101 prompts us to revisit the good ‘ole MAC Triad … MESSAGE, AUDIENCE and CHANNEL.  The first step in your social media strategy should be to determine your MESSAGE  Essentially, this is the WHAT and WHY of your page.  What is your page about?  What is your call-to-action or desired outcome?  Why would a visitor be interested in your content?  Next, you determine your AUDIENCE.  This represents WHO and HOW of targeted company messages.  Who are you trying to connect with?  How would they benefit from your product of service?  Last you have the channel, which represents WHERE and WHEN of message dissemination.  Where are you posting? Twitter? Instagram? Facebook? When are you posting?  Research should be conducted to determine optimal time for engagement and post frequency for each platform.

As many of you know, I manage the socials for BibbyFame Digital, LLC.  However, aside from my personal and professional usage, I was also elected to the e-Board for the Theta Mu Chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.  As Epistoleus, I serve as the Chapter Historian, as well as the Social Media and Public Relations Chair.  I manage our social media accounts, with large premium placed on our Instagram and Rowan University ProfLink.  I write captions, design flyers, take photographs, produce social video etc.  In addition, I monitor engagement, use appropriate hashtags and respond to inquiries.  Since assuming the role in July 2018, I developed and implemented a strategy to foster organic growth.  Content is centered on the following objectives:

  • To promote events and programs
  • To visually document our sisterhood and the overall experience of being a Soror in Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.
  • To highlight chapter member achievements
  • To demonstrate chapter participation in volunteer and community-serving activities
  • To raise awareness for select causes

As the saying goes, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”  All Theta Mu posts are planned in accordance with the Chapter events calendar.  Some of the accounts followed include @SGRhoUpdates @SGRhoNER for our organization headquarters and region. Last summer, when working as a Photo & Video Intern for Jill Lotenberg, I filmed and edited an interview with Ryan Serhant from Bravo’s Million Dollar Listing.  During the interview, he summarized their social media strategy and explained the importance planning out company posts in advance for each week.  He also shared how he uses analytics to steer activity.  For instance, based on statistics for his company and industry, posts are primed for the most impressions and engagement during the workday.  He mentioned aiming to post around 2pm EST. 

An important takeaway from my Epistoleus work and internship experiences which include socials / digital / interactive is to maintain professionalism in the online space.  Something as simple as a spelling error can negatively impact company credibility.  If the company uses specific styling, colors and fonts, it is imperative that consistency is maintained without deviation.  The logo, crest and artwork must have the correct sizing and proportion.  We’ve all observed images that are stretched and can agree that isn’t the company impression you’d like to leave.  Social media revolutionized the way we share and distribute information; proper usage can provide tremendous value. 

Women In TV & Film – New Media Practicum Proposal [Submitted]

by Briana M. Andrews, posted in Assignments, Women In TV & Film

We need film more than ever!  Film connects people through the art of storytelling.  Much of what we see in film has roots in our backgrounds, upbringing, demographic area, socioeconomic status, cultural norms and gender.  The film industry cannot be a monolithic arena and expect to be relevant with diverse communities.  Film has to serve our communities, and reflect it.  For my New Media Practicum project, I will create a forum for diversity and inclusion in film.  Read my full submitted proposal here, and view the associated presentation here.

There is value in each of our experiences; women need to find our own voices, control the narrative and take ownership of our portrayal in film.

DRAFT – Runna Boy Subway Jamal Unity 3D Game – Unpublished

by Briana M. Andrews, posted in Assignments, New Media Production

Please note, the game “Runna Boy Jamal Subway” is no longer being submitted as my final project.  Rather, this is a display of my progress in creating the game.  This process is very time consuming and I couldn’t complete within the time confines of the semester.  My final, an interactive HTML narrative created on Wix along with partner, Chris Rivera is here.

This video shows me playing the game on the backend.  Initially, I thought I’d be able to use a standalone player or export for play and publishing through Google Drive or DropBox.  However, I recently learned they discontinued that functionality.  I registered for an account on Wooglie, a Unity 3D game portal.  However, you have to complete a process of being accepted as a developer before you can publish.  Ultimately, the semester is ending and I am running out of time to complete the Unity game.  You won’t be able to see it in final form, but through this screen grab video, you can see my progress.

 

 

Final Project – Reflection & Conclusion

by Briana M. Andrews, posted in Assignments, New Media Production

Working on the final project was a tremendous learning experience.  Ultimately, I wasn’t able to get the Unity game to my satisfaction (good thing I had a contingency plan).  I am not sure how to post the game because DropBox no longer lets users render HTML content.  I would like to share so my peers can view my progress and provide feedback, however, I feel like it is somewhat glitchy as a standalone export.  I worked on this roughly 2 weeks and worked solo on it.   With additional time I can make a solid mobile game using the Unity engine.

I worked on an Interactive HTML Narrative with partner Chris Rivera and we developed “Last Call.”  The most important factor was ensuring functionality, appropriate images, and a story line that is easy to follow, and relatable to our target audience.  In this HTML story, the user makes selections to help the character Ariel Combs get to class on time.  It was hard figuring out what things did at first, but once I got in the pattern and learned how to navigate using the Wix platform, it was easy and straight-forward.

Final Project – Progress & Challenges

by Briana M. Andrews, posted in Assignments, New Media Production

I am going through the process of creating the road, environment and character.  The final product should have one button play to start.  I am trying to develop a basic game.  I am still toying with ideas for a name.

This process is actually harder than I thought.  It’s very time consuming and challenging, especially in a time crunch.  Some developers work on projects for months, even years before publishing.  I have been reading articles, watching videos and spending hours trying to configure what will ultimately be a quite basic game.  I will figure out how to publish on a website, since I won’t be able to display a mobile interface to the class.

Unity 3D: Final Project Proposal & Game Idea

by Briana M. Andrews, posted in Assignments

I started to develop a game in Unity 3D.  I wasn’t familiar with the game development engine prior to doing research for this class, but I was astonished to learn about half of the existing mobile games were developed using this platform.  I’ll admit I am still toying with the idea of doing a narrative, and possibly even finding a partner. However, as of right now … I am moving forward solo with my game idea.

I will have a lot of work over the next couple weeks familiarizing myself with the interface and developing a functional game.  I am working on creating am arcade-type, endless racing (or infinite runner) game.  This will feature simple gameplay and one motive: to keep going.  I’d like to make it colorful and fun.  I am still trying to figure out to how implement a character and so forth. There are several apps that are comparable, such as Minion Rush, Temple Run and Subway Surfers.  Nonetheless, I am looking forward to gaining proficiency in this platform and can imagine loads of future uses.

Project Snapshot:

  • Working Solo
  • Using Unity
  • Infinite Runner model
  • Building visual design elements in Photoshop

Feel free to share insight with how you feel about my idea.  I am reading through peer blogs and can see quite a few interesting proposals.  Best of luck to you all, I am eager to see what you all come up with.

HW – Research Review – Unity3D

by Briana M. Andrews, posted in Assignments, New Media Production

Unity is the creator of the world’s most widely used real-time 3D development platform.  Over the week, I looked into the various ways Unity3D has been used in the industry.  The first version of Unity was created in Denmark and launched in 2005.  The creators were determined to generate an affordable game engine for amateur game developers.  Several major versions of Unity have been released since its launch, the engine can be used to create simulations, as well as 2D and 3D games.  The platform gives developers around the world technology working with the likes of Facebook, Google, and Microsoft for the latest releases.  It offers an easy workflow, simple asset pipeline, and drag-and-drop interface of Apple’s Final Cut Pro product.

One of the things I find most appealing and interesting about the possibilities and uses of this platform is mobile technology.  Unity3D accounts for 50% of mobile games – Source: https://unity3d.com/public-relations.  There are hundreds of games, and some of the ones I recognized include Angry Birds 2, Angry Birds Epic, Sonic Dash and Pokemon Go.