I'd like to gradually make some connections here between our project here at reelate and other projects that have things in common with what we're up to.
The first one I'm profiling here is The Organic City. This project makes a direct connection between a place and its stories -- and that's exactly one of the most important features of reelate.
Several things about Organic City are a bit more fluid than reelate -- stories on their site may be written, audio & video -- ours are focused simply on multimedia stories. Organic City encourages all kinds of stories -- fiction and fancy just as frequently as documentary and journalism. While reelate will include elements of fictionalizing and flights of fancy -- our stories will all fall within the (wide, and often inventive) genre of documentary.
The commonalities of the program are more worthy of consideration of the differences. The Organic City is such an admirable project because it is so multi-vocal, because it personalizes the public sphere in a way that opens up place to possibility.
Once I feel the memories and impressions and histories that a place has been for someone else -- my own destiny here feels wider and more promising...
Monday, December 22, 2008
Manifesto
We believe that stories are the oxygen of any community,
We believe in stories that you can SEE and HEAR (and hopefully feel),
We believe that since films are more make-able, more people should make them,
We believe that stories create connections among people,
(And since we live in a world where connections between neighbors are dwindling,)
We believe that stories will pull neighbors back into neighborliness,
We believe that while the web often disconnects us from where we live, it can and should connect us to where we live,
We believe that Canton and Stark County are full of interesting people with riveting stories,
We believe that there are storytellers who need a place to share their gifts,
We believe that storytellers and stories and local audiences will breath new life into Canton and Stark County.
We believe in stories that you can SEE and HEAR (and hopefully feel),
We believe that since films are more make-able, more people should make them,
We believe that stories create connections among people,
(And since we live in a world where connections between neighbors are dwindling,)
We believe that stories will pull neighbors back into neighborliness,
We believe that while the web often disconnects us from where we live, it can and should connect us to where we live,
We believe that Canton and Stark County are full of interesting people with riveting stories,
We believe that there are storytellers who need a place to share their gifts,
We believe that storytellers and stories and local audiences will breath new life into Canton and Stark County.
Who We Are
We are artists, storytellers, designers, and webtrepeneurs who are working together to make sure more stories circulate in our community.
We are pulling together talented people to help those stories come to fruition.
We are many volunteers working to make this possible.
And the three of us who started all of this are Scott, Andrew & Jay.
We are pulling together talented people to help those stories come to fruition.
We are many volunteers working to make this possible.
And the three of us who started all of this are Scott, Andrew & Jay.
Friday, December 19, 2008
How will the storytellers be selected?
Using a blind review process, story-coaches facilitators and grant directors will select storytellers based on a simple application, using the following criteria (which will be published and available to storytellers):
• A promising story to tell
• Demonstrated ability to complete a project
• Diversity of voices (diversity of gender, race, age, civic-sector & city-region)
• Sponsoring partners participation*
much more information is available here:
How to become a relate storyteller...
*since Malone University is sponsoring and hosting this project, five of the storytellers will be students currently enrolled at Malone University.
• A promising story to tell
• Demonstrated ability to complete a project
• Diversity of voices (diversity of gender, race, age, civic-sector & city-region)
• Sponsoring partners participation*
much more information is available here:
How to become a relate storyteller...
*since Malone University is sponsoring and hosting this project, five of the storytellers will be students currently enrolled at Malone University.
What are the roles of people who will be involved?
During this first cycle of this project, all participants will be volunteers. As the project continues, various participants may receive stipends for their help depending on the receipt of future grants and potential models of economic support.
Currently three grant directors have been developing this project: Andrew Rudd, Associate Professor of Communication Arts at Malone College, Jason Oldaker, Web Developer with Shout It Louder, & Scott Meier, Designer with Scribblewerks.
Grant Directors. (70 – 100 hours) Responsible for oversight, training, communication, volunteer recruitment and coordination, assessment and web management and design.
Administrative Support. (1 – 20 hours) Any volunteers interested in the project, but not interested in one of the other skill-specific roles below
Story-coaches. (10 – 15 hours) Experienced media producers who will help storytellers develop stories, solve story problems, overcome technical hurdles, refer problems to facilitators and grant directors.
Facilitators. (5 – 20 hours) Our own geek squad, dedicated to solving problems with technology, primarily during Seminars Three and Four.
Artists. (1 – 100 hours) Artists may be involved as photographers, painters, designers, illustrators, animators, light technicians, or many other roles, supporting storytellers depending on the nature of the particular story.
Technicians. (1 – 20 hours) Each storyteller may want to partner with proficient recording engineers, editors, and photographers to execute the various parts of the process.
Musicians. (1 – 50 hours) Musicians may donate music which they have already recorded or develop a score specifically for the stories. Individual storytellers will decide how to collaborate with musicians based on their unique stories
Currently three grant directors have been developing this project: Andrew Rudd, Associate Professor of Communication Arts at Malone College, Jason Oldaker, Web Developer with Shout It Louder, & Scott Meier, Designer with Scribblewerks.
Grant Directors. (70 – 100 hours) Responsible for oversight, training, communication, volunteer recruitment and coordination, assessment and web management and design.
Administrative Support. (1 – 20 hours) Any volunteers interested in the project, but not interested in one of the other skill-specific roles below
Story-coaches. (10 – 15 hours) Experienced media producers who will help storytellers develop stories, solve story problems, overcome technical hurdles, refer problems to facilitators and grant directors.
Facilitators. (5 – 20 hours) Our own geek squad, dedicated to solving problems with technology, primarily during Seminars Three and Four.
Artists. (1 – 100 hours) Artists may be involved as photographers, painters, designers, illustrators, animators, light technicians, or many other roles, supporting storytellers depending on the nature of the particular story.
Technicians. (1 – 20 hours) Each storyteller may want to partner with proficient recording engineers, editors, and photographers to execute the various parts of the process.
Musicians. (1 – 50 hours) Musicians may donate music which they have already recorded or develop a score specifically for the stories. Individual storytellers will decide how to collaborate with musicians based on their unique stories
What is the Development Cycle?
SESSION ONE: Pre-Planning the Process: (two hours) Storytellers meet each other and program coaches. Watch several stories. Tips for committing to the right story. Ethical issues of storytelling and stories. Overview of the entire process (with example). Tips for recruiting help (finding music, artists and technicians). Review of Timeline.
SESSION TWO: Shaping the Story: (one hour) Storytellers share their stories. Storyboarding skills taught. Principles of good storytelling. Q & A between storytellers and coaches.
INDIVIDUAL MENTORSHIP: Each storyteller will be assigned a story-coach. Story-coaches will be experienced media producers who will help the storyteller solve story problems, technical glitches and serve as a communication conduit to facilitators and grant directors. Each storyteller will meet with their story-coach at least once between session one and two.
STORY BUILDING: Each storyteller will collect images and narratives during this period, shaping and reshaping their stories. Grant directors and storycoaches will offer production support during this time, aiding in scheduling, obtaining legal rights (when necessary), and making connections between artists, technicians, storytellers and story-subjects.
SESSION THREE: Digitizing Materials: (one hour) Introduction to the technical tools needed for uploading photos, videos, and audio recordings to computers. Hands on practice.
SESSION FOUR: Pulling Things Together: (four hours) A brief overview of the editing process (many will have already started to edit). Intensive editing session including collaborative involvement from story-coaches and facilitators.
SESSION TWO: Shaping the Story: (one hour) Storytellers share their stories. Storyboarding skills taught. Principles of good storytelling. Q & A between storytellers and coaches.
INDIVIDUAL MENTORSHIP: Each storyteller will be assigned a story-coach. Story-coaches will be experienced media producers who will help the storyteller solve story problems, technical glitches and serve as a communication conduit to facilitators and grant directors. Each storyteller will meet with their story-coach at least once between session one and two.
STORY BUILDING: Each storyteller will collect images and narratives during this period, shaping and reshaping their stories. Grant directors and storycoaches will offer production support during this time, aiding in scheduling, obtaining legal rights (when necessary), and making connections between artists, technicians, storytellers and story-subjects.
SESSION THREE: Digitizing Materials: (one hour) Introduction to the technical tools needed for uploading photos, videos, and audio recordings to computers. Hands on practice.
SESSION FOUR: Pulling Things Together: (four hours) A brief overview of the editing process (many will have already started to edit). Intensive editing session including collaborative involvement from story-coaches and facilitators.
How will the storytellers make the micro-documentaries?
The storytellers may tell a personal story of their own, or record the story of someone else. Most of the mini-documentaries will consist primarily of still photographs, first-person narration and music.
The process of production will include developing the story-outline, shooting photos, (or) discovering archived photos, recording voice (or video) narration, selecting music, digitizing these materials, editing the story together and publishing the stories to the web and to DVD.
This artistic process will be, generally, quite collaborative. Most storytellers will recruit musicians, photographers and technicians to assist them. The development cycle will focus on connecting the storytellers to these resources and supporting them as they face various obstacles in the production process.
The process of production will include developing the story-outline, shooting photos, (or) discovering archived photos, recording voice (or video) narration, selecting music, digitizing these materials, editing the story together and publishing the stories to the web and to DVD.
This artistic process will be, generally, quite collaborative. Most storytellers will recruit musicians, photographers and technicians to assist them. The development cycle will focus on connecting the storytellers to these resources and supporting them as they face various obstacles in the production process.
A Longer Overview
In January, 2009, REELATE will pilot the project gathering a small group of storytellers – college students, high school students, professional videographers, local artists and other storytellers – and help them develop mini-documentaries through a series of training sessions, individual mentorship and production support.
Using curriculum materials developed by The Center for Digital Storytelling at UC Berkely (and tested in the classroom at Malone University), and hosting the stories on space provided from the local startup ShoutItLouder, these storytellers will shape our first group of stories over the course of six months.
An Arts in Stark grant has been awarded to reelate, and we're grateful for the support that will buoy our efforts along.
Each half year, a new cohort of storytellers will enter the program, and through the training seminars, develop new stories to be added to the web.
As local high schools, non-profit organizations, and community-based initiatives want to partner in the project, they may provide the cohort of storytellers for any given cycle.
While these stories will be archived on the web, we will employ Creative Commons licensing, allowing the stories to be shown in other contexts and archived by other organizations, too.
Using curriculum materials developed by The Center for Digital Storytelling at UC Berkely (and tested in the classroom at Malone University), and hosting the stories on space provided from the local startup ShoutItLouder, these storytellers will shape our first group of stories over the course of six months.
An Arts in Stark grant has been awarded to reelate, and we're grateful for the support that will buoy our efforts along.
Each half year, a new cohort of storytellers will enter the program, and through the training seminars, develop new stories to be added to the web.
As local high schools, non-profit organizations, and community-based initiatives want to partner in the project, they may provide the cohort of storytellers for any given cycle.
While these stories will be archived on the web, we will employ Creative Commons licensing, allowing the stories to be shown in other contexts and archived by other organizations, too.
Why a web-based initiative?
While many contemporary narratives about the web depict it as a kind of place-less utopia, the end of geography and boundaries, many users find that the web offers new, unique ways to reconnect ourselves to the geographic space where we live.
Sites like outside.in, placeblogger, spot.us and hyperlocal.org feature various notions of citizen-journalism – people who live in a place driving (and sometimes crafting) the stories that get told. Other projects like The Organic City have broadened their sense of hyperlocal to more kinds of stories.
Our hope is that the connecting power of Web 2.0 will be combined with the powerful connections stories can forge between people – building people’s interest and investment in local concerns, local voices and local artists.
Sites like outside.in, placeblogger, spot.us and hyperlocal.org feature various notions of citizen-journalism – people who live in a place driving (and sometimes crafting) the stories that get told. Other projects like The Organic City have broadened their sense of hyperlocal to more kinds of stories.
Our hope is that the connecting power of Web 2.0 will be combined with the powerful connections stories can forge between people – building people’s interest and investment in local concerns, local voices and local artists.
What's a micro-documentary?
These “micro-documentaries” are simply short movies (about 5 minutes long) which tell a story about a person or a project based in Canton.
Depending on the artists developing them, these multi-media stories might include still photos, video footage, music, film, voice-over narratives, interviews, inter-title cards or many other mixed-media representative forms.
Programs like The Center for Digital Storytelling, Stories for Change, and Media Storm all demonstrate the ways that multimedia storytelling can share Big Stories in a short form.
Depending on the artists developing them, these multi-media stories might include still photos, video footage, music, film, voice-over narratives, interviews, inter-title cards or many other mixed-media representative forms.
Programs like The Center for Digital Storytelling, Stories for Change, and Media Storm all demonstrate the ways that multimedia storytelling can share Big Stories in a short form.
What is reelate?
REELATE is a web-based initiative that develops and showcases stories about Canton artists, activists, leaders, and unique citizens. Through micro-documentaries, these stories make connections between people, ideas and actions in the Canton area.
Welcome!
Not sure how you've wondered here, but I'm glad to host you.
This is just one (of many) places where you can find information about reelate.
Feel free to meander through the links to the left.
Our primary site can be found at:
reelate.org
if you subscribe there you can find out up-to-the-minute info about what's going on with the reelate stories.
This is just one (of many) places where you can find information about reelate.
Feel free to meander through the links to the left.
Our primary site can be found at:
reelate.org
if you subscribe there you can find out up-to-the-minute info about what's going on with the reelate stories.
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