I had the honor of being asked by the gracious and giving Christopher Coppola – who just lost his father, August, this week - to be one of the judges for PAH-FEST Hollywood 2009. If you don’t know what PAH (Project Accessible Hollywood) is, take a moment to find out, because it’s a very important part of lending a hand to let all voices be heard.
It was amazing to judge… in the Circus Vision category I saw children being challenged to talk about more than whether or not they’d been to a circus, but to use that premise to get them thinking about how to represent rings, animals, flying, balance, colors, funny and opposites on the same school playground… brilliant!
Cellphone Art got me thinking about what are is and isn’t as various themes were explored by media makers in the contest.
Digiportraits and Tone Poems both moved me, but to opposite sides of the emotional spectrum.
Digiportraits had me on the edge of my seat to find out more about people; what they’re about and our universal connections to one another.
Meantime, Tone Poems had me smiling and bopping my head and feet most of the time. I loved them both in distinctly different ways.
But my favorite category has to be Mobiflicks, hands down. At least two of the pieces moved me. I’ve posted them here and I hope you’ll take a moment to watch and comment below on what you thought.
This is more than ‘new’… it’s democracy in action. It’s connectedness. It’s a microphone and a platform. I haven’t felt this close to the tone of what things are really like in Southern California until I took the time to watch each and every one of these videos and rate them. Considering the limits on time, technology and money, it’s almost a shame to rate them as they are all amazing examples of the human spirit using what they have at their fingertips – mobile phones and Flip cameras – to express themselves and make an impression.
To all whose work, I had the opportunity to rate, I salute you. Working in television news – new media specifically – for more than a decade, I dare say you are more talented than some of the highest paid ‘names’ I know who are at work for money, not to spread the word.
Christopher R. Coppola
August Coppola, Photo Credit: Alain McLaughlin / San Francisco State via The Los Angeles Times
As a side note, I mentioned above that Christopher Coppola lost his father this week and the memorial service was only a few days ago. I noticed he posted a rather poigiant quote on his blog…
Death is always, under all circumstances, a tragedy, for if it is not then it means that life has become one. – Theodore Roosevelt
Christopher gives life a license to be heard in new and more accessible ways than ever. He does his father proud.
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