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Current TV to Air Media Studies Student Documentary
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Documentary film students Connie Melkonian (foreground) and Amanda Van West (background) show off their editing skills. |
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Working alongside award-winning filmmakers Sam Green and Kevin Epps
during the spring semester paid off in a big way for a team of
University of San Francisco media studies students, when Al Gore's
Current TV agreed to air their documentary.
The piece, Pop! How Japanese Culture Took Over My Life,
offers a behind-the-scenes look at a San Francisco subculture,
comprised mostly of young adults in their teens and 20s, who love
Japanese rock music, or J-rock, and dressing up as their favorite anime
cartoon characters. The adoration of Japanese pop culture is far from
unique to San Francisco, however, with communities organized online in
many major cities and members running the gamut of racial and ethnic
backgrounds.
"I really knew nothing about the subculture before
this documentary, so it was easy to write off," said senior Amanda Van
West, a co-producer on the film along with Dave Binegar, Connie
Melkonian, and Aiza Bonus. "But, once we talked to (Japanese pop
culture enthusiasts) and learned about the creativity that goes into
it, I developed a newfound respect for them."
Working on the
piece for Green's advanced documentary production class at the USF
helped convince Van West, who had been drawn to print journalism
previously, that video production might be a better choice. "Video
seemed more creative and social," she said.
Along with talking
up their favorite J-rock bands in online forums, some Japanese culture
enthusiasts take part in Cosplay, or costume play, spending hours and
hundreds of dollars recreating the intricate costumes of their favorite
anime characters from scratch and taking on the characters' personas at
conventions.
Pop!... immediately struck him as
something Current TV would be interested in, said Epps, who regularly
works with Current TV producers and is best known for his films Straight Outta Hunters Point and Rap Dreams.
"A lot of people haven't heard of J-rock or if (they) have (they've)
only heard a little," he said of the documentary, which Current TV is
considering running as a two-part series. "It was informative,
insightful, appealing, and very well produced."
While growing up
a world away from USF in San Francisco's Hunters Point neighborhood
with many of the rappers, gang members, and drug dealers in his films,
being a part of the documentary class has showed him that he shares a
common language with students in media and technology, Epps said. "They
definitely keep me on my 'A' game."
Green, adjunct professor of media studies and director of the Oscar-nominated documentary The Weather Underground, called Current TV's interest in buying Pop!... a coup for the class, the Media Studies Department, and the university as a whole.
Working
with Green and Epps was a great education, said senior Binegar, whose
background includes prior work for several television production
companies and co-founding USFtv. "Both of them provide a lot of
real-world experience and have connections to the Bay Area media
scene," he said.
For Green, who has taught the course for three
years, bringing Epps onboard to co-teach seemed logical given he'd
participated as a speaker in several classes before. "I've always been
struck by how good he is with students," Green said. "There's a lot
that Kevin brings to the class: his experience, his sensibility, his
skills as a filmmaker, and his connections."
In fact, it was Epps' connections at Current TV that helped get Pop!...
through the door, according to Binegar. The details of the airing are
still being finalized, but the piece is expected be broadcast sometime
this summer, Green said. A version is already available online.
Co-founded
by former Vice President Al Gore, Current TV is a 24/7 cable and
satellite television network dedicated to providing peer-to-peer news
and information through an interactive, viewer model. The network
reaches 51 million households in the United States and United Kingdom.
For more Pop! How Japanese Culture Took Over My Life visit: http://current.com/items/88904641_pop_how_japanese_culture_took_over_my_life.
Editor's
note: "Pop! How Japanese Culture Took Over My Life" and other films
will be screened at USF's student film festival May 9 from 5:30 p.m. to
10 p.m. in Cowell Hall 114. The festival includes narrative,
documentary, and experimental short films produced entirely by
students. The event is free.
Source: USFnews Online (5.06.08)
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