April 27, 2008
Hello Media Composer. In advance of AVID phasing out XPress Pro, YJF upgraded its editing software—and computer hardware, too. The Film Posse remained in-house to rent the new higher-end system for standard definition editing of its latest HD documentary project. The Panasonic AJ-HDX900 and AG-HVX200 cameras were used for capture. We think that ScriptSync looks like a very promising workflow enhancement.
Beginning in June 2008, our system and dedicated editing room will be available for rent for AVID or Final Cut Pro projects.
October 26, 2007
YJF’s Tracy Heather Strain (left), pictured with The Color of Film Collaborative Executive Director Lisa Simmons, and Randy MacLowry (not shown) attended The Color of Film Collaborative’s Taste of Film event on Saturday evening, October 20, 2007. The second annual event, which was held at the Roxbury Center for the Arts, supports the Color of Film Mini-Grants and the Kay Bourne Arts Report. We gratefully received a Mini-Grant from the organization in 2005 for the Lorraine Hansberry Documentary Project.
February 20, 2007
YJF principal Randall MacLowry’s documentary film, “The Gold Rush,” has won the Organization of American Historians’ Erik Barnouw Award. An American Experience co-production between YJF, WGBH/Boston and KQED/San Francisco, the two-hour documentary premiered on PBS stations nationwide November 6, 2006. An OAH representative explained why his documentary was selected:
In choosing “The Gold Rush” as the recipient of this year’s Barnouw Prize, the committee honors a film that provides viewers with a truly fresh perspective on a familiar subject. Although most Americans have some awareness of how the discovery of gold brought a flood of people into California, few appreciate the regional, national, and international dimensions of the Gold Rush—dimensions that are a focus of much recent scholarship and that are nicely illuminated by this documentary. Adding to its appeal is the focus on five individuals, whose expectations and experiences, conveyed in their own voices, speak to the diverse risks and rewards that confronted gold seekers from different parts of the globe. Its broad interpretive sweep and arresting visual style make The Gold Rush a most worthy recipient of the Barnouw Prize.
“The Gold Rush” was directed by Randall MacLowry, produced by MacLowry and Laura Longsworth, written by Michelle Ferrari and edited by Jon Neuburger. Neil Reichline served as director of photography, John Kusiak composed the original music score and Michael Rossi was the associate producer. The DVD is available for sale.
February 12, 2007
California Newsreel and Vital Pictures joined forces to create a four-hour, seven-part series for PBS broadcast about America’s health disparities, and they hired YJF to produce one of the half-hours. Tracy and Randy, assisted by Ellen Yiadom and researcher/intern Katie Griffin, dove headlong for much of 2006 into piles of medical and public health studies about the black-white infant mortality gap to develop a story about a very sensitive topic. Randy and Tracy traveled to Chicago, Atlanta and Los Angeles to interview an exciting mix of warm, generous and passionate neonatologists, epidemiologists, obstetrians/gynecologists, social workers, anthropologists, and perionatalogists committed to improving health. And we couldn’t have completed our rough cut without the trusting permission of mothers who delivered premature babies recently and in the past. Vital Pictures will complete post activities for all the series programs in 2007.
February 12, 2007
Yellow Jersey Films was tapped by exhibit developers at the Science Museum of Minnesota to create a short video for the American Anthropological Association Race exhibit. Joanne Jones-Rizzi at the Science Museum focused on YJF because of our experience producing the history program in the 2003 PBS series RACE: The Power of an Illusion.
To give museum visitors a quick overview of the idea that race was a creation, and because of our access to Lesley University’s Cambridge-based art gallery, Tracy came up with a concept of likening race to another creation, a painting. Randy served as lead producer working with Callie Taintor, who built and painted about a dozen green screen “art works” for the gallery shoot while Tracy storyboarded the action. On the day of the shoot, Tracy, cinematographer Austin de Besche and crew made the best of a small space connected to a shopping mall with low ceilings. Actor James Spencer delivered his lines rather flawlessly.
In post, Randy put on his editor hat and worked with Florida-based graphic designer and animator Aaron Nee who created some wonderful, vibrant imagery for the video and had the difficult task of compositing the archival works onto the green frames. Greg McCleary of Heartpunch performed the mix. Dave Allen of Allen/Eddy Editorial handled the online and color correction. It was the first time we delivered a project as a file rather than on tape. The exhibit opened on January 10, 2007. We’ve been told that the clients and museum visitors are quite pleased. Check out the exhibit online until RACE: Are We So Different? travels to a museum near you.
February 12, 2007
PBS Video hired Tracy and Randy to re-cut an interview with Henry Hampton for the DVD extras of the 14-hour, landmark television series he created and executive produced. At this writing, the Eyes on the Prize: America’s Civil Rights Movement DVD collection is only available to educational institutions. It was quite a honor to participate in the late Hampton’s project.
