"Whether we like it or not, marginalized young people today are increasingly seeking validation of their identities through digital platforms that rarely, if ever, reflect their faces, their communities, their sub-cultures or their histories.
To truly re-engage these young people with their identities, their stories and their society, we have to first allow them to take control of the means of producing digital media."
Community Prophets Director David S Vadiveloo from - "It's not Rocket Science. Engaging marginalised youth & creating high quality digital media."
Workshops
The Community Prophets workshop program is based on a highly successful model that has been employed for over a decade in marginalised and Indigenous communities in Australia and North America. Led by internationally awarded filmmaker David S Vadiveloo, these projects have engaged a large number of youth from diverse backgrounds, training in video production (scripting, camera, editing) and also in software and hardware for new media production.
The focus of all Community Prophets programming is to capacity build in communities so that eventually, films that are authored by the community will receive high end production treatment and mainstream network release if that is sought.
The Community Prophets model has been used across Australia and also in Canada, the United States and soon South Africa, to create landmark interactive film and media with young people.
Since 2004, multimedia workshop programs have been held in:
- NSW (Marrickville, Boystown, Bankstown, Belmore, South Sydney & Hurstville)
- SA (Adelaide, Cooper Pedy, Port Augusta, Fregon, Pt Lincoln and Whyalla)
- QLD (Aurukun)
- WA (Perth)
- NT (Alice Springs & Yirrkala)
Aims and objectives of the Project
- To inspire young people to engage with digital media, express their stories and their community's and develop capacity in new media technologies.
- To encourage inter-generational communication between the youth and families in telling stories about their lives and their region.
- To aid development of media skills, computer literacy and uptake of digital and interactive media within the community.
- To recognise Indigenous learning systems, methods and practice and create an integrated learning program enhanced by digital technology.
- To allow communities to focus on creating high-end video or film programs for national release.
Benefits
The training program will deliver immediate outcomes to the community with videos and a community screening of work. The combination of skilling youth, encouraging communication between generations and the screening of the videos creates strong community pride and measurable value to the people of the region.
The program will bring to the community trainers with skills that might not otherwise be available in the region. These artists will mentor trainees from the region (it is an important part of the program that skills are left in the communities where the program is run) with the view to these trainees running workshops in the future when they have achieved the appropriate level of competency.
What happens during the Program?
We recommend that during the contact weeks, students focus on gaining a thorough understanding of the filmmaking process from story development to shooting and where possible, basic editing. This will include how to CREATE simple story boards, how to TELL STORIES with still images, how to OPERATE and UNDERSTAND digital VIDEO cameras, SOUND equipment and ANIMATION software, logging and digitising (where time permits) and paper editing of all work.
Students will discuss, plan and shoot their own films of up to 3 minutes in length and others will create 1 or 2 short animations. All content created will be delivered on DVD and DVCam tape and can be loaded onto community websites if desired.
The post-production week of the program involves an editor polishing the films based on the directions of the students. This week is not done on location. Finished films are sent to the school/agency at the end of the post-prod week once they are completed. Approval of finished films is required from the school/agency before delivery.
Who runs the Program?
David S Vadiveloo and our team of experienced trainers lead the programs. The team's collective experience ensures focused, highly effective programming in youth workshops and training. The workshops are also programmed in cooperation with communities to ensure capacity development amongst nominated adult community members.
David's documentary, drama and children's films have been awarded both nationally and internationally. He established the Alice Springs based Town Camp youth video training project 9 years ago. This program has since been run throughout Australia. David is also active as a cross-cultural mediator and education consultant.
Working previously as a human rights lawyer, David has been active in community work for nearly 20yrs. His relationship with the Arrernte people of central Australia and his ongoing commitment to the people and stories of remote and regional areas has resulted in him being given extraordinary access and a unique perspective on how to facilitate dynamic and substantive relationships between the mainstream populace and marginalised communities.
For further information please email us at workshops@communityprophets.com
