Sarah Hutchins | Dec. 18, 2009
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| Courtesy photo |
| Graduate student Anand Harshvardhan recorded his standup for the intro to his video story for J520. Students’ work is set to air on Cultural Lens this spring. |
Students teamed up with the producers of Cultural Lens, a program sponsored in part by the Asian Culture Center, to create videos highlight diversity in Monroe County. Cultural Lens airs on Cable Access Television Services (CATS), a service from the Monroe County Public Library, on cable Channel 7.
Multimedia lab director Scott Myrick, who has been involved with Cultural Lens since its start more than a year ago, came up with the idea of a partnership. Both Myrick and Conway said they though the pairing would be a good way for students to produce meaningful work that could be used in a real production.
For many of the students, Conway said, the class was their first experience shooting and editing video.
While students could pick any topic for the video, Asian Cultural Center director Melanie Castillo-Cullather asked students to consider four themes: diversity in Monroe County, sustainability, love across cultures and winter cultural celebrations.
Iranian musicians, female break dancers and students with disabilities were just a few of the topics students covered. Graduate student Linshan Li profiled a student studying Tai Chi.
Li, who is from China, said coming up with a topic was one of the biggest hurdles.
"I talked to professor Conway and said, I’m new here and everyone here is new to me," Li said.
Li contact the Chinese Student Association and decided to focus on a student learning Tai Chi. She said one of the most rewarding and unexpected parts of the project was becoming friends with her subject.
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| Courtesy photo |
| Soheil Zolfonoon, an Iranian musician living in Bloomington, performed in student Rashad Mammadov’s video story. |
While Conway and Castillo-Cullather were impressed by all of the videos, they both singled out Li’s as one of the most memorable.
This was Li’s first time working with video, an experience she described as challenging and exciting. She quickly came to view the camera as more than a device.
"It is like a magic tool in your hand that helps you communicate," she said.
Li said she was impressed by some of the other videos produced in the class. She admired many of the techniques her classmates used to tell their stories.
"People were looking at things differently," she said.
Castillo-Cullather said she thinks all of the students’ videos will be aired on the Cultural Lens shows in February, April and June.
"I was impressed by the work of the students," Castillo-Cullather said. "They went beyond what they were asked for, but the theme was still there."
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