The Interactive Life

As a Programming Committee member of Women in Film & Video ("WIFV"), I helped out at the event, “Creating Interactive Learning Adventures: An Evening with Sharon Sloane” on March 30th. Ms. Sloane, a WIFV Woman of Vision, is President and CEO of "WILL Interactive, Inc." The event showcased the premiere screening of "The War Inside," a video-based simulation that seeks to improve soldiers dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Produced in collaboration with the Army Medical Department, the interactive video allows users to manipulate actors in real-life scenarios. The purpose of this video-based simulation, a cross between a live-action movie and a video game, is to help soldiers solve stressful situations they may encounter returning from deployments.

During the screening, the audience was given the opportunity to manipulate the scenario through electronic voting which was a neat experience. We helped a soldier avoid suicide by instead getting the help he needed to cope with his PTSD. It made me think about how I could have benefited from having an audience of people make my life decisions. I wonder how my life be different if electronic voters had chosen for me. . .

Obama said it's sexy

I recently produced a web series about weatherization training and green building for the "National Center of Healthy Housing." I wrote the script, directed the interviews, and collaborated with the editor. The videos provide technical guidance on how practices and indoor environments can affect occupant health. We shot some of the interviews and broll in Washington, D.C. and then I traveled to Minneapolis and Chicago to film the on-camera host and more interviews. Even though there was a lot of technical information for me to learn in a short time period, I really enjoyed learning about ways to create cost-efficient and energy-saving green buildings.

I produced this series through "The National Association of Home Builders Production Group," who I’ve worked with over the past couple of years. I used to produce the corporate videos for the Association’s 220,000 members. During that time, I wrote and produced a two-part series on green building for "HGTV-Pro." The series was produced in conjunction with the NAHB’s Model Green Home Building Guidelines which serve as a toolkit for builders looking to utilize green building practices. Due to my green building knowledge, I also researched and conceived story ideas for a green home-related weather segment for the Weather Channel.

It’s cool that weatherization and green building have gotten the attention of President Obama. He recently outlined a plan to offer cash incentives to consumers who make energy-efficient renovations, such as replacing doors, caulking windows and padding their attics with more insulation. Obama actually declared that he found insulation "sexy" because it will save money. The new weatherization program will help to create jobs for the beleaguered building trades. Termed, “cash for caulkers," the program will use direct government incentives to consumers to spur economic activity, similar to the "cash for clunkers" last summer.

Word to the Wordle

When I was working on a branding campaign for the U.S. Army at a communications firm, we used "Wordle" which is described as "a toy for generating “word clouds” from text that you provide." Maybe it speaks to the graphic designer buried down deep inside of me, but I just love to see how the different words appear on the screen.

It was a fun exercise during the branding campaign to see which words popped out at us. We shared the Wordle with the client who thought we'd spent hours creating it.

There's a Gallery to view other Wordles that people created. I love the "Apartheid" one, it's like art work.

Strutting their Stuff

Sometimes when I go to an art gallery, I’ll rent those audio tour cassette players with the headphones. I do feel like a dork, especially when I forget that I’m wearing them and accidentally shout at the person I’m with. But it’s definitely a good way to get more information out of an exhibit. I didn’t have to wear the headphones yesterday when I got a private tour of the "Conner Contemporary Art" gallery.

The gallery, located on Florida Avenue NE in D.C., is in a beautiful space and on a Wednesday afternoon, we had the whole place to ourselves. I went with my friend Megan to see the exhibit “Anyone Other Than Me” by former D.C. resident Jeremy Kost.

Kost is known as "the Polaroid artist" on the New York circuit and he's photographed club kids in places all over the world. I knew Megan was familiar with the New York scene but I had no idea she’d actually know the people in the Polaroids. I got the inside scoop on Ericka Aviance, Amanda Lepore, and Half Nelson - drag queens and club kids who know how to strut their stuff.

I liked Kost's "collages" the best. It seems like a challenge to determine which shots to take in order to build such a free-flowing collage. I used to take Polaroids of my friends when they came to my apartment. I’d make them put on a wig from my collection because I liked seeing how people’s attitudes changed once they’re wearing a wig. I read that Kost wants his audience to evaluate the artistic and societal roles their "attitudes play in the cycle of desire, opportunity, and attainment.” I wonder how my old Polaroids would fit into his exhibit.