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General Sessions:
Into the Darkness - Presenting the 2004 Third
Coast Festival ShortDocs
Image As Metaphor
Every Day Voices
Trust Me, I'm An Editor
The Two Towns of Jasper
These are a Few of My Favorite Things
Breakout Sessions:
Gen Next: Youth Producers Share their Work
(Friday)
Gen Next: Youth Producers Share their Work
(Saturday)
The Audible Picture Show
Deadline Radio
Truth On Stage
Audio Doctor Sessions
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Continuing on with our ShortDocs venture, the Third Coast Festival once again
commissioned four new audio works about a single theme: Darkness. This year we
received 120 proposals from producers across the US, England, Canada, Australia
and Germany, and chose four we felt offered a variety of creative
interpretations of the chosen topic. For this opening session, moderator Jay
Allison and the 2004 ShortDocs producers presented and discussed their stories
- the second annual batch of Third Coast Festival ShortDocs. (1:27:16)
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Do metaphors inherently deepen a story? Can using metaphors be more effective
than revealing direct facts and information about a subject? These and other
questions about the use of metaphor in storytelling were at the heart of this
panel. Moderator Nubar Alexanian, a photographer whose primary stock in trade
is the image as metaphor, talked with three accomplished radio professionals
whose different experiences with sound and word pictures form metaphors of
their own. (1:24:00)
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Both David Isay and Alex Kotlowitz are both drawn toward finding extraordinary
stories in "ordinary people." Over the course of their careers they have
documented the lives of people who are outsiders, because of where they live --
be it in public housing, flop houses, or prison -- or because of who they are,
be they political and social mavericks, new immigrants, or ex-felons. Isay and
Kotlowitz played tape and talked about why they've chosen to celebrate the
uncelebrated, how they find and tell their stories, and about the beauty and
pitfalls of producing pieces without narration. (1:20:41)
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Producers come to editors with their tape, a vision and a piece in various
stages of completion. Editors bring their skills, a fresh set of ears, a fat
red pen, and often the mandate of an established show format. In this panel,
two pairs of producer/editor teams discussed the editorial process from both
sides of this collaboration, and the not-so-simple process of refining a piece
into its strongest form.(1:31:17)
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Producers and long-time friends Whitney Dow and Marco Williams (Two Tone
Productions) discussed the making of their film Two Towns of Jasper, a
documentary about the racially motivated murder of James Byrd, who in 1998 was
dragged to his death after being beaten then chained to the back of a pick-up
truck in Jasper, Texas. The filmmakers presented the first 25 minutes of their
film, discussed the "manifesto" they created to guide the production of their
Peabody Award-winning documentary, and answered questions from the audience
about the project. (1:23:16)
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Jacki Lyden has been an NPR contributor and host for more than two decades,
reporting on vital issues at home and abroad and winning numerous awards for
her work. In recent years, she's developed a new love: writing books; and after
completing a highly lauded memoir, she's currently on leave from NPR penning
her first novel. Lyden feels she's at a turning point in her career, and
welcomed the opportunity to reflect back on the past 25 years and the people
who have influenced her work. She presented a wide variety of radio stories
that hold special meaning for her and discussed the new turns in her life's
work. (1:23:46)
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Gen Next: Youth Producers Share their Work
Moderated by Cindy Carpien with young producers from around the country
It's common enough to learn about youth culture through the observations of
experts and adults, but so much more intriguing to hear it straight from the
hearts and minds of the teenagers navigating through their own worlds. For
these panels young producers offered a variety of fresh perspectives with the
help of their microphones and recording devices.
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With: KBOO Youth Collective (OR),
Uniquely Spoken (MD), WNYC's Radio Rookies (NY) (1:17:19)
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With: Blunt Youth Radio Project (MA),
Radio Arte (IL), Youth Radio (CA),
Youthtopia (CA) (1:21:08) |
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Matt Hulse presented short audio works by a diverse range of inventive audio
artists and filmmakers, created specifically for "a darkened cinema." The
result of this simple experiment was a unique and entertaining experience that
gave the mind's eye a welcome stretch. Hulse explored the origin, structure,
techniques and impact of the works presented. (1:24:34)
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Most producers and reporters spend their days "feeding the machine"—cranking
out short-form work on a daily, sometimes hourly deadline, with no time for
second guesses. However, a lot of news coverage is formulaic and, frankly,
dull. But we can all remember pieces that caught our ears, and helped us
understand the world in new ways. Well versed in the art of deadline radio,
WBUR producer Allan Coukell led a discussion examining what makes great
reportage and how to make it in a hurry. (1:18:24)
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When facts cannot plumb the depths, shall we lie? In this session, producers
listened to and discussed radio documentaries that use fiction and dramatic
elements to get to the truth. After all, claims session leader and long-time
audio adventurer Tom Lopez, it's only reality, and that's always up for
grabs.... (1:19:43)
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