I feel like a nervous pianist, sitting in front of an amazing new instrument. I have been told it has the power to resonate across the world. My nervous hands hover over keys. I’m testing now my sounds. Can I communicate heart and mind to others? And do they want to know mine?
This is my first blog entry, ever. But I’ve been reading everywhere about the potential power of blogs. The goal of Brooklyn Young Filmmakers Center’s blog is to test out the “THE POWER OF US” (see the BYFC News, Winter 2007). We are a non-profit run by volunteers of diverse ages, mostly women of color. We are working to open up a Career Guidance & Networking Center for jobs in film that will serve both adults and teens. This blog will help us get out information about film careers and film literacy to working-class people – and we hope it will help us raise support to open our center.
Me, I’m a middle-age, working-class black woman. I have no health plan or savings. I have very irregular income based on freelancing jobs and teaching. I’m a renter hanging by fingertips in rapidly gentrifying Fort Greene, Brooklyn. I came to New York to study filmmaking after a first career in California in social work (rape and family violence). While scrambling for survival work, I took all kinds of filmmaking and acting courses, here and there, and got firsthand experience as a PA on low budget productions. I made two uneven short films years ago. And I have scripts I have written sitting in a stack on my shelf. Pretty impressive, huh?
Well, I’m also founder/director of Brooklyn Young Filmmakers. I’m a systems thinker and a dreamer, and a pretty damn good teacher and writer. And for some years, through the educational activities of BYFC, I’ve been talking to and studying filmmakers on all levels, from junior high school level to union level.
One of my co-conspirators, Yu Yu, is also co-moderator of this blog and the BYFC webmaster. She’s handling her end from India, where she now lives. She’s worked with me on BYFC since she was a 16 yr old youth media producer here in New York --she’s now 25.
Stay tuned, and you will be meeting a passionate group of co-conspirators who believe that filmmaking and film studies can be used as an incredible vehicle for changing the lives of working class people – even if they never go into film careers.
This is my first blog entry, ever. But I’ve been reading everywhere about the potential power of blogs. The goal of Brooklyn Young Filmmakers Center’s blog is to test out the “THE POWER OF US” (see the BYFC News, Winter 2007). We are a non-profit run by volunteers of diverse ages, mostly women of color. We are working to open up a Career Guidance & Networking Center for jobs in film that will serve both adults and teens. This blog will help us get out information about film careers and film literacy to working-class people – and we hope it will help us raise support to open our center.
Me, I’m a middle-age, working-class black woman. I have no health plan or savings. I have very irregular income based on freelancing jobs and teaching. I’m a renter hanging by fingertips in rapidly gentrifying Fort Greene, Brooklyn. I came to New York to study filmmaking after a first career in California in social work (rape and family violence). While scrambling for survival work, I took all kinds of filmmaking and acting courses, here and there, and got firsthand experience as a PA on low budget productions. I made two uneven short films years ago. And I have scripts I have written sitting in a stack on my shelf. Pretty impressive, huh?
Well, I’m also founder/director of Brooklyn Young Filmmakers. I’m a systems thinker and a dreamer, and a pretty damn good teacher and writer. And for some years, through the educational activities of BYFC, I’ve been talking to and studying filmmakers on all levels, from junior high school level to union level.
One of my co-conspirators, Yu Yu, is also co-moderator of this blog and the BYFC webmaster. She’s handling her end from India, where she now lives. She’s worked with me on BYFC since she was a 16 yr old youth media producer here in New York --she’s now 25.
Stay tuned, and you will be meeting a passionate group of co-conspirators who believe that filmmaking and film studies can be used as an incredible vehicle for changing the lives of working class people – even if they never go into film careers.
To you, we may seem to be walking in Don Quixote’s footsteps, as we refuse to be sidetracked by the statistics and boxes that society, and too often funding sources, judge by. Usually the value of a program is determined by what can be reduced to numbers and neatly fitted into a tight category. Who wants to fund discussion and research; development of curriculum and informational handouts; and intergenerational educational forums and networking opportunities? (Please let us know!) We’ve been doing it as volunteers, with a few small grants and lots of in-kind help from community institutions and film professionals.
Say, do you know how many community centers the New York City Housing Authority ( www.nyc.gov/nycha ) has in Brooklyn alone? Over fifty! Brooklyn Young Filmmakers has an office in the Whitman Center, a NYCHA community center in the basement of a public housing residential building. It’s right off Myrtle Avenue, across the street from Fort Greene Park. This may be more geographical info than you want, especially if you are across the world – but you are forewarned! The BYFC blog is also going to be about location. It’s a great part of who we are --Rah! Brooklyn! Rah! (see Director's Message for more information)
We believe we can nurture a lot of birds from one hand. So what will our blog be about? Film / careers / students / teaching / funding / survival / location / community / India / links / how you can support us. It’s all fair game, because it’s our game. We also will be alerting you, as bit by bit, we add more info to our website. Don’t miss our new Summer 2007 issue of the BYFC News, which features my interview with John Ford, former Property Master and current President of Local 52 (Don’t know who Local 52 represents? – Then check it out!).
Well, I’ve written my first blog entry. And now we play tag. Who will send me the first comment? --- BklynTAG (Trayce Allyson Gardner)
p.s.
Plus check out Video Jug for some great short instructional videos on filmmaking and scriptwriting.
Alfred Hitchcock’s birthday is today, August 13th (born in 1899). To learn more about the vision and techniques of the director who put Freud into the movies see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Hitchcock and http://hitchcock.tv/ The last film for Bryant Park’s outdoor summer screening series is PSYCHO on August 20th (Manhattan, 42nd & 6th Avenue, sundown)
Say, do you know how many community centers the New York City Housing Authority ( www.nyc.gov/nycha ) has in Brooklyn alone? Over fifty! Brooklyn Young Filmmakers has an office in the Whitman Center, a NYCHA community center in the basement of a public housing residential building. It’s right off Myrtle Avenue, across the street from Fort Greene Park. This may be more geographical info than you want, especially if you are across the world – but you are forewarned! The BYFC blog is also going to be about location. It’s a great part of who we are --Rah! Brooklyn! Rah! (see Director's Message for more information)
We believe we can nurture a lot of birds from one hand. So what will our blog be about? Film / careers / students / teaching / funding / survival / location / community / India / links / how you can support us. It’s all fair game, because it’s our game. We also will be alerting you, as bit by bit, we add more info to our website. Don’t miss our new Summer 2007 issue of the BYFC News, which features my interview with John Ford, former Property Master and current President of Local 52 (Don’t know who Local 52 represents? – Then check it out!).
Well, I’ve written my first blog entry. And now we play tag. Who will send me the first comment? --- BklynTAG (Trayce Allyson Gardner)
p.s.
Plus check out Video Jug for some great short instructional videos on filmmaking and scriptwriting.
Alfred Hitchcock’s birthday is today, August 13th (born in 1899). To learn more about the vision and techniques of the director who put Freud into the movies see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Hitchcock and http://hitchcock.tv/ The last film for Bryant Park’s outdoor summer screening series is PSYCHO on August 20th (Manhattan, 42nd & 6th Avenue, sundown)
What Hitchcock said to a woman who complained that PSYCHO’s shower scene so frightened her daughter that the girl would no longer shower: "Then Madam I suggest you have her dry cleaned."
Labels: About Us
Sounds like BYFC is a great organization. And your blog post here was a good & inspirational thing to read. I am an independent filmmaker & self-distributor currently based in DC area & I blog a lot. I mentioned your post here at my blog, check it out at:
http://diyfilmmaker.blogspot.com/2007/08/brooklyn-young-filmmakers-are-now.html
Good luck with BYFC. Talk to you soon.
- Sujewa