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4. Engage in ethical media praxis

Jean Luc Godard, “La Chinoise,” 1967

4. Make Ethical Media Praxis: Brooklyn College, Activist Media Class, Fall 2017. In the comments below:

  • #4: what would you like to make? will it be online or off? does it look like something we’ve seen? what will be its wthics?
  • #5: group manifesto and work plan

34 comments on “ACTIONS

  1. #4 I would like to make an activist video about asthma. It is something I have been struggling with since I was a little girl. I feel like I am not properly educated on what asthma is and how to control it, so I want to make a video or a website on how to do that. For its ethics I want to use language that people can understand. Anytime I try to read about asthma it uses medical terms and I get lost. The information has to be accurate, and maybe can use visuals to explain or show what it looks like or how to do something. I also think it may be nice to have any area where people with asthma can ask question or speak to each other.

  2. Black Feminism
    This semester I will post an activist video online about black women and their right to be. I will be following the guidelines of my ethical ideas which are geared to conservative feminism and I’ll be exploring race as it relates to feminism in the process.
    There are some elements of sarcasm that we often see in light-hearted feminist skits, but all elements of sarcasm or humor are intended to be a bit prickly.

  3. I am in between decisions on my media activism project. I feel strongly about several causes; this includes the environment, domestic violence, and animals. I would like to do a short documentary on all 3 subjects in 1? Or would that be too broad? Maybe from my point of view about the various topics. I am still undecided. Maybe some of my classmates can weigh in?

  4. Post #4
    My possible activist media project will be a website which will be a resource for women who have been victims of abuse (all the different types). The website will contain videos, articles, and podcasts that broadcasts information to help women in abusive environments. There will be a confidential chat system for all victims to talk to someone, whether through call or text, without giving any personal information. Other media praxis platforms that this website will engage in is social media and blogs that promote the websites safe environment for those in need.

  5. Post #4 My Media Activist and Ethics Theory Post

    My possible media activist project would be a video about e-books, more specifically pirated e-textbooks. Let’s face it, college textbook is expensive, and to make matters worse, some publisher updates their book every year. It’s good to have an up-to-date learning material, I’m not going to be against that, but at the same time, it makes the edition that we own not only outdated but worthless to resell since that class would probably require the newer version. Some people have financial aid, which is great, but some people don’t, which is why some people look for ways to save. One of the most popular ways to save with textbooks is pirating the book online. I want to interview Brooklyn college students and see how many people have pirated an ebook and what do they think of the act. Is it ethical to “steal” when it’s for class or what other solutions do you have?

  6. Post # 4: My Media Activist Project Proposal

    Throughout my younger life I had few male friends. I was introverted, effeminate, non-athletic and suffered from a learning disability. I wasn’t brutish enough for the macho males nor brainy enough for the intellectual ones. Over time as I grew up and went through middle school and high school I discovered so many more diversified male friends that I could relate to and whom could relate to me on a personal level as well. They taught me what the values and morals of true male friendship entail, but often deprived of because of societal pressures and norms. Boy’s do not talk about their feelings with one another or engage in certain activities without some kind of female presence. There was always social constructs to adhere to. Last summer I had an idea inspired by a conversation with a close friend of mine who I affectionately refer to as my “best buddy.” In the conversation I jokingly acknowledged the existence of a “Buddy Handbook” a text in which boys could refer to in order to help them navigate through personal and inter-personal struggles in their lives.

    I realized that such a text could provide a great amount of potential aid to men of all ages struggling with some form of distress, be it within themselves or involving other people. How can boys learn to help other boys? By expressing their individual stories and struggles aloud. The idea I had devised initially was to create a literal kind of handbook which would comprise of a long list of diverse questions regarding male friendship and male struggles in life and pose at least one question to each participant and have them respond to it in writing. Their response could be in the form of a personal story that connects to the subject matter or simply a statement of advice to help the “buddy” in question. The writers could be anonymous if they so wished so as to allow them the freedom to express themselves however they found most effective without trepidation. The questions I created covered topics of race, LGBT issues, weight problems, intimacy insecurities among many others. I wished to get as diverse of a group of responders as I could, so many different voices could be heard throughout the text. The mission was to fight against archaic expectations of coldness and lack of sensitivity among males, especially in regards to their friendships with other males. Through the practice of expressive writing and thought provoking questions I believed I could illustrate men’s capacity to care and be cared for without hesitation or masculine camouflage. The ethics of this project is to dismantle gender preconceptions and enlighten those in need of knowledge and assistance in improving their own well-being. I want at least one passage to make a difference in a reader’s perspective on life and friendship.

    Unfortunately the project fell through due to lack of committed involvement from many of the initial participants, but if possible I think it would be a potential choice to revive for this activist media project. It could still be in the form of a literal handbook, since as we have pointed out in class, media does not always mean an internet based entity, but could also be done in the form of a blog and still maintain optimum effectiveness. It can also take the form of a video campaign in the vain of the Trevor Projects “It Gets Better”. Doing this project with a group would also be more beneficial because it would be easier not only to find willing participants, but to ensure that those participants are as diversified as possible. The inclusion of African Americans, Hispanics, Gay, bisexual and transgender males is of the utmost importance for me if this project were to be made possible. Everyone has a unique perspective on friendship.

    I do realize that this project is seemingly quite “female absent” in terms of what it wishes to accomplish and how it is executed, but that is not my intention. It is the powerful bonds I observe within female friendships that helped inspire me to create this idea in the first place and realize the value of its need in today’s society. Women are constantly there for one another in a way that is not always acceptable for men to be. Additionally, I believe that when men foster healthy inter-personal relationships with other men it can result in them garnering a greater appreciation and respect for females, who have always been rather exceptional in this arena. If a man can feel comfortable in his friendship with other men, that could be the next step in him fostering healthy friendships with women as well and not only viewing them as potential romantic interests or as a secondary “other”.

    I am open to so many thoughts and suggestions on how to improve/elaborate on this idea in order for it to harvest greater results. In the case of it being selected as my group’s project I would be dedicated to making it the best activist media project it can be with the help of my fellow group members.

  7. #4: My Media Activist Project Proposal
    For my activist project, I would like to help support film works that are curated, produced, directed, and made by women, especially women of color. I am in the film production major and for a lot of times, I have discussed with women about working in a male-dominated industry, and about how it is really easy to feel belittled when we are working. I try not to let the words affect me, but I know how it feels when women are in power positions, yet their voices still can’t be heard. Works produced or directed by women can often be ignored and our decisions can be ridiculed, often by men, who feel that we are not capable of doing what we love, doing what we do best. I want to support women of all colors, that come from different backgrounds, and to empower them into believing themselves and to support their works, so that their stories can be spread wide and no one will question them.

    1. I forgot to include the platform that I wanted my campaign to be featured on; it’ll be an offline film festival. The only way to enjoy it is to attend the event and learn about the filmmakers, maybe I can have some of them come in and be guest speakers. The films wouldn’t have to be released online until later, so this will feel like a more personal and exclusive experience.

  8. I honestly don’t know what I want my media activist project to be about. I’m leaning towards something relatable to me, like ignorance around and within the Latin community. I know I want to make a video. Similar to the one’s we’ve seen, I don’t want it to be a big production. I just want it to be maybe a little more than good enough to send a message. I do want it to be online.

  9. Something that fascinates me is the correlation between grief or loss of a loved one and community outreach/activism. When my Aunt Alison passed away tragically, my grandparents chose to channel their grief in a productive and positive way. They engaged in conducting horseback riding lessons for abused and/or disabled children, created a scholarship in their daughter’s name, and so much more. When I asked them what made them want to help others after my Aunt’s death, they gave me several different answers.

    Part of it was because in their support group, others expressed how helpful it can be for them to get out of their head and concentrate on helping others. Another reason was that they wanted to connect with their community to alleviate some of the loneliness associated with my aunt’s death. These are just two of many reasons behind my grandparents’ decision to embark on activism as a result of their grief.

    I would very much like to interview them and a handful of others from all walks of life about why they engage in a variety of forms of activism in relation to the loss of loved ones.

  10. I’m not entirely committed to an idea about my project yet. I know I either want to make a video or a blog post. But the subject I’m still a little fuzzy about. I really care about women having more of a space behind the scenes of filmmaking. I might do something about that.

    1. You can try joining ART GIRL ARMY on facebook, that might point you in a good direction. Also, I suggest you put emphasis on the importance of women in leadership roles in film. Applies to lots of different social axes. I was on a feature set where someone went “Wow, we have such a diverse crew!”. Like yeah, with all white department heads. I think the department heads might have all been men too, aside from the AD and HMU.

  11. I am most likely going to create a video about the concept of “fake news” in order to help people separate fact from fiction. The video would inform its viewers how to authenticate and verify their news. I was also thinking of quizzing random students on campus to see if they would be able to tell the difference between a real and fake news story. I am leaning towards posting it online. I do not think it is too similar to anything we have seen in class. It is ethical because it is strictly informative and non-biased.

  12. I feel like my idea is way too broad*

    MENTAL HEALTH IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY

    I want to shed light on mental health in the black community. Mental Health in the black community is rarely discussed or acknowledged. Many factors such as, the lack of resources, oppression, pressure of gender norms, religion and beliefs play a big role in the silence regarding mental health. I also want to show how parenting skills also factor into mental health.

    I want to capture real stories by real people, while providing viewers with real data about mental health in the community.

    As for the method I choose, I’m not sure whether I want it to be a video or campaign.

  13. Activist Media Project
    I think of creating an activist media in form of videos or photos (preferably video) in order to stop pollution and as a result prevent climate change. My idea is to create some realistic cinemagraphs of different cities’ landmarks playing in big screens near those landmarks. The idea is to show though visuals what will happen after some year if we keep polluting. In the screens there will be shown the image of the heavily polluted landmark after some years (as if it wasn’t a screen, but just a window to the future). I hope that this project will impact people through its visuals by showing this sad truth about our future.

  14. Post #4 Media Activism Project Propasal

    Proposal #1: For a media campaign, I would like to do a video self-portrait of an artist or a group of people who are using their artistic production or craft to address any individual social issue that is important to them. The artist can either be a musician, filmmaker, painter, poet, etc.

    Proposal #2: Another media campaign that I would like to do is a montage young girls and their narration of what is beautiful to them. The campaign will showcase three different girls from different social settings. Each young woman will narrate their own experiences growing up as a girl and what were the beauty standards they had to live up to.

  15. Post #4:
    I plan on making a series of videos linked with the hashtag #FundCUNY. It will mostly be interviews with current and former CUNY staff, discussing how lack of funding affects their department.

  16. Post #4 : Media Activist and Ethics Theory Post
    I am planning on making a video based on how immigrants are treated once they make it into the country. Crossing into the U.S. is only half of the struggle, the other half is actually making a life for yourself here without knowing the language, your surroundings or the people. Many come here willing to learn and work hard but there are people who take advantage of these immigrants and many of the times the abuse goes unheard of simply because the victims are immigrants. I myself have heard stories from people about their experiences when they first arrived here and I have heard stories from others who simply passed on stories they’ve heard. It would be a video that sheds a light on the lack of immigrant rights in this country, especially in this city which supposedly is very welcoming of immigrants.

  17. POST #4:
    I’m not totally set on my idea for my media activist project but I know I want it be about perspective and placing yourself in someone else’s shoes. I’m leaning toward making a video about perspective and how changing your state of mind can change your response to the situation you’re in.

  18. For my media activist project, I would like to spread awareness of sexual consent among young people. I notice that sometimes, rape happens because partners do not communicate well before sex. Some partners find it awkward and uncool to ask for or to give consent. Some are too shy to speak up when they feel forced into sex. Some confuse which is a consent and which is not. Some think that they still have their partner’s consent from the previous intimacy. Thus, I want to clear up this confusion by encouraging people to practice asking for sex, approving, or rejecting sex in their own ways. I’m planning to set up a free fortune cookies giveaway day. The piece of paper in each fortune cookie will require its owner to answer 3 questions before they ‘get lucky’. These questions are: how do you ask for sex?; what is your version of “Yes!”?; what is your version of “No”?. Owner of each cookie can share his/her answer on social media with the ‘Sexual Consent’ hashtag. They can view other people’s answers with this hashtag as well.

  19. For this project, I am stuck between two ideas. My first idea is to make and activism video on how the educational system, particularly teachers, affects the self esteem of young black girls going through school. I myself have experienced prejudice throughout my years in grade school, and I want to know if the effects are a shared a experience between these particular group of people.
    My second idea was to make an activism video about black woman in civil rights movements and how they are purposely placed in the background while cis-gender black men are placed in the forefront. In addition, how the women who do make a large impact in these movements aren’t recognized, and what would the movements be without them. Is this a direct representation of male dominated black homes?

  20. Jonathan Mendoza Film 2193

    Post #1:
    “One Child’s Point of View”, is media praxis. The video shows the young girl addressing the stereotypes associated with homosexuality. She also sheds light on different people’s point of views on homosexuality. The young girl takes action on addressing these issues with same people whose stereotypes contradict her own beliefs. She at such a young age, was able to have a debate with these people who were in fact older than her. Her ultimate goal was to hopefully change the minds of people who have negative ideas on homosexuality.

    Post #2:
    I chose the video “Kids speak their minds about race”, as a form of media activism because it shows kids giving their opinions on race. A child psychologist helped create a study on how children view race. Children were shown an image and were asked a series of question based on the image. They were also asked a number of question about race and social issues. The study showed that the children’s opinions and point of views changed from a young age to their adolescent years.

    Post #3:
    Blacklivesmatter.com was the website I chose that displays ethical activist media practice. The organization fights for the rights of black lives. They help to spark conversations on social injustices towards black men and women. They organize to protest the flaws in our justice system along with of multitude of other issues. This organization ultimately gives a voice to people who may not feel they have one.

    1. Post #4

      My idea for this project would be to make a video interviewing mostly people from my generation but also a few people from a younger generation and some from an older generation. The idea is to get their opinion on racial and social issues we face today. I want to compare and contrast these point of views from my generation with those of others in order to hopefully have a better understanding of what others think and hopefully see how far we’ve come as a people and how much more work needs to be done.

  21. I am interested in producing a piece of media activism that focuses on equality and how important it is, in this uncertain and difficult time in our society. to love one another. I am interested in creating a project that brings strangers together in real life in order to support and embrace the endless amounts of differences that each of us have as individualized human beings. My goal is show how despite the chaos and horrific events happening around the world that humanity has the ability to remain compassionate and caring for our sisters and our brothers across the globe. I have reached out to a contact at The Born This Way Foundation in the hopes of partnering with them in order to create this project as a piece for them. I am hoping to hear back from them in the coming days regarding whether or not that is doable. However, either way – The idea and purpose of the project would remain the same.

  22. For my project I would like to do a political sound collage or some sort of sample-based music piece using themes of equality, activism, anti-war, etc. Perhaps if another student was working on a video collage or a video project with similar themes, this song or series of songs could be the soundtrack.

  23. #4
    My idea for this project is to make a video about childhood abuse but Im having trouble because I also want to do a webpage. I’m still deciding, if I decide to do a video it will talk about child hood abuse and it will be more like a documentary but I also was thinking it to make more interesting by telling a story based in real facts and If I decide to create a webpage the purpose of it will be SAFECHILHOOD and will focus more on how to help kids with those problems.

  24. I had to really think hard about what I wanted to do and I have came up with a topic that I really care a lot about and that is negative body images that the media projects. I wanted to do a short documentary on this topic because I have dealt with this issue for years. I think the media plays women on every platform that it makes these unrealistic views on beauty and what beauty is.

  25. This is 2BW’s Manifesto of RIGHT and FAIR Media Making.
    Members:
    Esmeralda Gonzalez
    McKenzie Itak
    Kevin Oliver Arota

    1. No directions, or giving orders on what to do . You have to capture the footage as is.
    1a. So always avoid content/subjects that might potentially be against our agenda.
    2. NO CGI or only use minimal effects as possible.
    2a. Always color correct to make subjects “lighter”
    3. No editing to alter essence of the speech. keep it raw as much as possible.
    3a. See rule no. 1
    4. Total budget should never go over $200.
    4a. Unless we have endorsers (of which we are trying to get.)
    5. Subjects should not be paid in advance.
    5a. Unless they won’t cooperate with our narrative.
    6. No people speaking outside of the frame. Hence no voice overs, every dialogue should be SEEN— to ensure the fidelity of the statement.
    6a. Unless they have weird accents and/or funny voices… Remember Singin’ in the Rain?
    7. No product placement
    7a. Unless they are skin whitening products.
    8. No statements of generalization, always be specific.
    8a. Just remember white is RIGHT, SEXY and it SELLS. Don’t bite the hand that feeds you.

  26. My Life, My Beauty

    Jody, Larry, Angelica, Tatiana and Sunny

    Manifesto

    A view on beauty and what it means individually and universally. The truths behind the beauty industry and the targeting of our wallets via our insecurities. The forefront of manipulation of images to further the agendas or corporations. To challenge the universal standard of beauty as to the individual, group, race definitions of beauty.

  27. Team Strange
    Matty
    Jake
    Marco
    Jen

    The Manifesto of Individuality

    As a global community of human beings, our individuality is paramount to our existence. What makes us “different” is what makes us vitally important to society. Individuality exists on a spectrum and ‘our project’ highlights the differences among people focusing on gender, sexuality, race, and culture. This individuality may not always manifest itself in a physical form and we aim to visualize how people’s personality can be expressed in different forms, as well as be influenced by the environment they are in, and/or who they are surrounded by. While Individuality may sometimes be outlandish or eccentric, it can also be held within and remain an essential component of who you are. Individuality is crucial to our existence and ‘our project’ aims to illuminate the differences that make us who we are as human beings.

  28. 1. No directions, or giving orders on what to do . You have to capture the footage as is.

    2. NO CGI or only use minimal effects as possible.

    3. No editing to alter essence of the speech. keep it raw as much as possible.

    4. Total budget should never go over $200.

    5. Subjects should not be paid in advance.

    6. No people speaking outside of the frame. Hence no voice overs, every dialogue should be SEEN— to ensure the fidelity of the statement.

    7. No product placement

    8. No statements of generalization, always be specific.

  29. Naeemah Brunache
    Olufunke Adeniyi

    It is easier for us to remain silent rather than to address our loved ones who suffer from addiction. We are afraid to embarrass ourselves, as well as them because of the negative connotation that comes with addiction. But keeping silent isn’t a luxury. We are faced with guilt and responsibility for not being honest with ourselves and the very people we say we love. These feelings and emotions shouldn’t be suppressed any longer. Our goal here is not to exploit them, but to put the camera on ourselves and be brutally honest about how their issues effect us. We seek to empower people to speak up, and therefore have the courage to speak to our loved ones.

  30. Group: ABW (New Manifesto)
    Naeemah Brunache
    Olufunke Adeniyi

    Theory: Mass consumption of unhealthy foods, among colleges students, is a direct result of the lack of resources, such as money and availability of food options around campuses.

    As college students we juggle school work, home life, and person struggles. Fast food chains are feeding off of our hectic lives, becoming accessible to us around our campuses, and charging low prices for “fast” food. We believe that mass consumption of fast food, among college students, is a direct result of our lack of resources, such as money and unavailability of healthy food options around us.

    Through the use of experimental film making, we will show how consumption of fast food can easily become a habit, and can turn into an unhealthy lifestyle. This will be shown by depicting this lifestyle as limbo and/or a repetitive cycle that is hard to escape.

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