I wanted to also give a big thank you to Chip, Hugh, Lisa, Alexandra and Susan for taking time out of their schedule to make this possible.
Links & Plugs:
Donate to the 'Junct tour via Paypal (will be billed under Hidden River Arts)
Sunday, April 15, 2012
'junct: the poster/DVD concept
So I decided to whip up a little vodcast explaining a bit of the process involving the graphic work for 'Junct that had been done recently. This is not the final product and I suspect that there will be many changes made until the final product is agreed upon. I just wanted to share a little behind the scenes stuff for those of you that have been keeping tabs on the project.
Monday, April 9, 2012
Welcome to Exotic Pittsburgh!
Today my partner formally announced the ‘Junct tour on her blog earlier this morning. You can read her articulate piece HERE before jumping back to my blog to get the disjointed version written on a third grade level, in crayon. Though we do not have all the dates locked in we are currently looking for ambassadors* in different cities that are willing to help set up screening/poetry/art type events as well as help promote the shit out of it. As it stands I took May 19th-28th off from the day job. I’m still working on coverage for the night job and both weekends.
*Ambassadors need to suggest a not to be missed eating establishment. I have to mention I’m barely 100 pounds soaking wet and I need to eat or I get cranky, fast. Personally I don’t need fancy and expensive. I’m looking for grease pits and places that serve food that make your arteries harden just looking at the dish.
At this rate we are trying our best to be realistic about the route. I had hoped for us to get out to the west coast but due to time constraints I think we will be making that a trip unto itself. I can hustle when motivated but I doubt the cops would find the humor in my Jersey hijinks.
85 in a 25, probably a bad idea.
That leaves us with a PA, OH, MI, IN, IL, KY, WV loop. Travel time roughly 1 day 12 hours with 6 stops. The longest stretch is a little over 8 hours heading from the WV area back to Philadelphia. Ultimately it will be left up to what places would like to host us.
At the time of this post we’ve had two screening inquiries: one in NJ at my Alma Mater and the other in Chicago. Once locked in I will be creating events on the 2255 Facebook group as well as listing them on my website.
In the meantime my friend Chip and I have been monkeying around with the shoot photos from a couple weeks back trying to come up with a layout we all like for the posters/DVD covers. Below is a few samples (1st layouts) of what we had envisioned. I’m sure these will change dramatically before the final version, but it’s a start.
#1 First mockup I worked on. The more I stare at it the more I want to bump up the font size of the slogan 'Can you spare some social change?' Possibly left justify and run it down the sides.
#2 Mock up I worked on. The location I had picked for the shoot had the electric plant in the background. Unfortunately it can't bee seen beyond the trees.
#3 Mock up is Chip's crack at it. I like the approach he took by adding a blue hue to the entire photo.
Links Mentioned:
Monday, March 19, 2012
Footage from the Left Forum
My friend Scott was kind enough to shoot some footage during the panel this past weekend using a little 'flip cam' like apparatus I had tossed into my bag last minute. The clip below is about 14 minutes long and contains the other speakers (Brianne, Nathan and Monica) talking about their respective causes.
The audio quality sucks pretty hardcore due to the air conditioning but you can get the general idea.
Contains (in no particular order):
Forgive Student Loan Debt
Default: The student loan documentary
Free U Philly
New Faculty Majority
Homeless Adjunct
Contains (in no particular order):
Forgive Student Loan Debt
Default: The student loan documentary
Free U Philly
New Faculty Majority
Homeless Adjunct
Saturday, March 17, 2012
It’s good to be a panelist
This year’s panel went much better than last. I should have known it was going to be a good day between the impeccable weather early on and the fact that we didn’t have to wait in the line wrapped around the Pace building for our tickets. Panelists got fast tracked to the front of the line. We had our tickets in hand within five minutes and had plenty of time to grab breakfast before we went on at noon.
Just prior to our time slot we briefly met with the other panelists Brianne, Nathan and Monica. All of them were super cool and spoke on a number of things regarding the debt students encumbered to receive a higher education and alternate forms of education (Their links listed at the bottom of this blog). While they spoke I did my best to live tweet the event though I probably came off as some jerk off on their cell phone.
“That asshole is still on her phone. She hasn’t put it down in twenty minutes!”
I swear for those of you that were there at the panel I was paying attention. I had hoped that the Left Forum would have picked up on one of several hashtags I planted to RT them but it appears that it didn’t work. (Boo-Hiss). So much for me being clever.
We screened only raw excepts of ‘Junct for the audience. Most of it was footage we had shown down in DC back in December but we also added a clip from the Temple U. walk out that took place last summer. Overall the screening was well received. I had one complaint afterwards about the audio but it was something I had picked up on as well during the screening and can adjust in post. Still, it was nice to get that feedback as reinforcement.
I was a little concerned during the panel when I looked out at the audience and wondered if maybe they had checked out completely. A few of them looked like they were taking notes, but they could have easily been drawing stick figures. To my surprise during the Q&A session people started hammering the other panelists with questions and their thoughts on the subject. People had detailed notes and were writing down websites almost as fast as the people suggesting them. What I found the most fascinating about this particular forum was the fact that there were only 3 people who were contingent faculty. The rest were either students or people genuinely interested in the subject. I have to assume that the message we are trying to present in ‘Junct is slowly creeping out. This is no longer a subject that only Adjuncts are aware of. The next step is to make this public knowledge. Hopefully ‘Junct can acheive that once we unleash it, like a Kraken.
The only thing I regret about the panel is we didn’t get a chance to really talk about the next step with ‘Junct; the potential US tour. I’m not overly concerned because we do not have any of the specifics hammered out but it would have been nice.
 |
| Default: The Student Loan Documentary |
The positive thing that came out of panel was meeting with one of the reporters at The Chronicle for Higher Education. They are interested in interviewing DLS and I about the documentary. The reporter is supposed to contact us in a week or so with questions. They want the real low down on the film so it should be interesting to see what they print out of my quotes.
“You do realize you dropped the F bomb 26 times in the span of three minutes?”
The randomly cool thing was the minor celebrity we had in the audience. Captain Ray Lewis, the retired cop from Philly that got arrested at OWS was there listening to us. I didn’t get a chance to talk to him personally but how fucking cool is that?
“27”
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
'Junct Movie Poster and DVD cover
‘Junct: The Trashing of Higher Ed. in America
March 31st 10a-2p (South Jersey) Need the following for the photoshoot:
Professor- (Male or Female) 40-60 dressed in business to business casual clothing.
4-5 Students- (Male and Female all ethnicities) 18-24 Must pass for this age range. Street clothes: Jeans, t-shirts, jackets (no sweats/no logos)
Non-Paying gig. In return will be food, copy and credit (thank you on ‘Junct’s IMDb page) Must have own transportation and expect to be there for the full four hours. Exact location TBD once the date draws closer. The final product will be in the form of DVD covers and movie posters to promote the documentary.
More info about ‘Junct can be found at the following links:
IMDb
2255Films
Homeless Adjunct
2255Films on Facebook (Inquirer here at this link if interested in being a part of the shoot)
March 31st 10a-2p (South Jersey) Need the following for the photoshoot:
Professor- (Male or Female) 40-60 dressed in business to business casual clothing.
4-5 Students- (Male and Female all ethnicities) 18-24 Must pass for this age range. Street clothes: Jeans, t-shirts, jackets (no sweats/no logos)
Non-Paying gig. In return will be food, copy and credit (thank you on ‘Junct’s IMDb page) Must have own transportation and expect to be there for the full four hours. Exact location TBD once the date draws closer. The final product will be in the form of DVD covers and movie posters to promote the documentary.
More info about ‘Junct can be found at the following links:
IMDb
2255Films
Homeless Adjunct
2255Films on Facebook (Inquirer here at this link if interested in being a part of the shoot)
Monday, March 5, 2012
Left Forum & Beyond
My partner in crime DLS recently returned from Chicago’s AWP and I’m eagerly awaiting the next batch of interview videos via Federal Distress. I’m hoping that it arrives by the weekend so I can begin to hack and slash it to bits in time for this year’s Left Forum. While I don’t know the contents of the latest batch I’m assured by DLS they are phenomenal. That’s all the reassurance I need.
We (Mostly DSL talking and me showing pretty pictures barring any technical difficulties) will be heading up a panel at the Left Forum on March 17th at high noon. The panel is called:
Try to say that five times fast. Details on the location, other speakers and the panel itself can be found at the link above as well as at the end of this blog. Tickets for the day I believe are $25 dollars. If you are in the NYC area I suggest you go, if not for us, than the many other panels being conducted over the weekend. Michael Moore has been recently confirmed by the Left Forum as their main speaker on Saturday night at 7:30. Hope to see some familiar faces there.
The other big news (which technically I shouldn’t be blabbing about until it’s locked in) is that we *may* have a huge sponsor to help promote ‘Junct in the form of the mother of all road trips. We are currently in negotiations with the sponsors trying to crunch numbers to make this crazy cross country trip a reality. So please keep your fingers crossed and your couches available. The preliminary route includes: DC, KY, TN, LA, TX, NM, CA, WA, IL, IN & OH. Which I’ve dubbed the music & food porn run. It will take approximately two weeks to conduct. The other two routes consist of a NE run and a Snowbird run, each clocking in around a week give or take a day, depending on how much I mash the pedal to the floor. I plan to vlog each day of the trip (so expect bizarre stuff here). I’ve already got a few volunteers for certain legs of the journey to help with the driving and to fend of boredom.
That said, I have a feeling DLS and I will be spearheading a crowd funding campaign to make these trips happen.
Sites mentioned:
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Trailer for 'Junct
I spent the majority of this evening cutting the first trailer for:
'Junct: The Trashing of Higher Ed. in America
Here is a sneak peek of what's to come.
'Junct: The Trashing of Higher Ed. in America
Here is a sneak peek of what's to come.
Monday, January 23, 2012
...and so it goes...
Well overdue for an update on ‘Junct, so I will keep it to the bare minimum for those that actually have been keeping tabs. Everything on my end as far as video work is completely caught up and catalogued. I suspect at some point in the near future I will be taking a field trip to the national archives once the groundwork is laid out for the film. There is also one more interview I would like to secure (if possible) but it will come down to time, money and the subject being willing to be interviewed. I truly believe if we score that interview (along with some news footage I hope to acquire) it will be what we need to push ‘Junct over the top.
Dare I say I see the end in sight?
In the meantime there are a couple panels happening within the next couple of months. This Saturday in Washington DC my partner in crime DLS will be speaking at a NFM event about:
Some of the other speakers include people we’ve already interviewed for the documentary. As far as I know I will not be in attendance but I strongly urge those of you interested in the topic and native to the DC area to go register and check it out.
The weekend of March 17th DLS and I will be back in New York City for this year’s Left Forum at Pace University. As of right now I do not have the exact date and time that our panel is on but we will be screening more excepts from ‘Junct as well as answering questions about the film. Also slated to be on our panel is the filmmaker of Default: The Student Loan, A representative from NFM, Someone from the Free University Movement (no link that I’m aware of), plus one other person. The tentative topic will be Occupy the University. As the date draws closer I’ll post more information along with a concrete list of speakers for our panel.
On a somewhat related note I was informed that Michael Moore would be attending the Left Forum. How funny would that be if he actually sat in on our panel? If that happens I will try to sneak a picture of him to post on the twitter feed.
Links Mentioned:
Sunday, November 20, 2011
SEIU 500
Back in February I hustled down to DC to conduct a handful of interviews for the ‘Junct documentary. During the course of that weekend DLS was asked by AL of SEIU 500 CAL to be the keynote speaker for their 3rd annual forum in DC. That was this weekend. I find it amazing how quick these things have been sneaking up on us.
Roughly two weeks ago I get the email from my partner reminding me of the event and how her wish was to incorporate more clips from the doc into her keynote speech. Initially she had wanted to speak for 20, screen for 20 and for the last 20 field questions. Over the course of the two weeks it morphed into a speak, clip, speak, clip format. Which was far more manageable for me since the bulk of footage I have is comprised of interviews and not much in the way of fancy B-roll. Twenty minutes of solid interviews would have been a snooze fest, despite the fact that the audience is very much invested in the subject. I’m glad the twenty minute block was scrapped early on.
I got the clips pulled after work on Wed/Thurs night of this past week, rendering out a couple thumbnails for DLS to preview to see where we could trim the fat. We had roughly 25 segments that she wanted to address during her speech but got it down to 15 after weeding a few out and combining others. The runtime however clocked in at 30 minutes and it was midnight on Thursday, we had to lock it down. I set it to render and right before the day job I built the DVD menu. I hit the burn button and left for work, hoping the DVD would be done and playable by the time I got in that night. Otherwise I knew I’d have my laptop set up in the backseat of my truck on my commute to DC.
Luckily it worked. I quickly gathered my crap and took off for Philly to pick up DLS before trekking down to DC. We managed to get turned around a couple times before finally finding the hotel at 10pm.
“Look kids...white house...dupont circle...”
Morning came too soon. I’m impressed with the fact that I managed to brush my teeth and hair. I looked *almost* human as I schlepped my gear into the SEIU building at 10am. We managed to find some seating in the back of the conference room, but not together. We had a professor, in his forties, wedged between us. He teaches economics, at I think AU. His day job is working for the big bad government. This shouldn’t have surprised me considering we were in DC, but it was still pretty cool reading his business card and seeing the embossed ‘The Library of Congress’ emblem on it. I tweet and FB status this revelation, which only solidifies what a nerd I am.
The panels were interesting. One woman was talking a little about her archeology work in Pompeii (no pictures unfortunately) and how one college capped the amount of classes contingent can take on during a typical semester. Because of it she was having difficulty affording the month long digs in Italy.
Another talked about the inroads she was making expanding the LGBT studies at one of the local colleges. She did this really cool spoken word piece comparing contingent faculty to sex workers. I’m hoping to get a copy of that speech or better, video of her performing that piece. This chick is seriously bad ass. Hopefully she won’t kick my ass for posting her picture ‘Wonder woman with a hard on’ and linking to her site.
Photo of Loraine Hutchins taken by Sharon Farmer
By the time we got to the keynote speech the forum was running roughly an hour behind. It really wasn’t a big deal in my opinion and I think it’s all too common at these things to linger behind. DLS adapted her speech a bit after listening to the other panels and we ended up running through 5-6 segments instead of the full 15. We were pretty sure people were starving by this point, so we wrapped as quick as we could to avoid the pitchforks and torches!
We grabbed food and wrapped up round table style with about 12 people, discussing the movement and how to raise awareness. It was interesting listening to their different analogies and discussing strategies. In that informal little gathering it didn’t really matter if you were part of the union or some other organization. In fact they let it slide that I wasn’t an educator. Now that’s pretty cool...
Next up DC at the end of Jan.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
SEIU forum THIS weekend in Washington DC
I know I promised a blog on my lost weekend, but after about two paragraphs it fizzled out. It might be something best saved for another time or perhaps not for the masses. I guess it all boils down to inspiration.
Anyway, we will be down in DC this weekend promoting ‘Junct. My partner DLS is the keynote speaker for this years SEIU500 forum. She will be touching on a number of subjects that will be covered in the documentary along with the current political climate and the OWS movement. She will also be fielding questions afterwards.
Information on this years SEIU forum can found here and I believe it is free and open to the public. You don’t need to be an educator to attend the conference.
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