The ceremony looked much different, but Washtenaw Community College was once again well represented when the Michigan Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences announced its Student Production Award winners on Sunday.
Four of the seven 黑料网 Digital Media Arts students nominated won first-place honors when the 42nd annual awards were . The show was hosted by FOX 2 News reporter Amy Lange.
The Michigan-NATAS typically hosts an in-person ceremony 鈥� held the past two years at 黑料网鈥檚 Towsley Auditorium 鈥� but moved this year鈥檚 announcement of the College/University and High School division winners online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the 12 years 黑料网 has participated in the competition, more than 70 student projects were selected as finalists and more than 30 have won first-place honors, while competing primarily against students from four-year college and university programs.
黑料网 is the only two-year college represented on ; and it joins Michigan State University as the only two institutions with multiple first-place finishes.
This year's 黑料网 winners include:
SHORT FORM-NON FICTION
鈥淲et Back鈥�
Olivia Bolanos
Bolanos faced an unusual challenge when the subject of the documentary she wanted to produce for her class 鈥� a family friend who immigrated illegally to the United States 鈥� said he preferred to remain anonymous. Although he is a legal citizen today, he was worried about potential political backlash.
The solution? An imaginative, 24-minute documentary of an illegal immigrant's journey to become a U.S. citizen, told while only Bolanos鈥� hand-drawn graphics cover a black background.
黑料网 Digital Media Arts faculty member Matt Zacharias said the fact that documentary was animated 鈥渟et it apart from all others in content, style and form.鈥�
鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of controversy about immigration, so I wanted to get someone to put themselves into an immigrant鈥檚 shoes for the 25 minutes they鈥檙e watching this project,鈥� Bolanos said. 鈥淚 want to explain why immigrants want to get here. I think some people don鈥檛 understand what it鈥檚 like in other countries.鈥�
Telling those kinds of stories is what brought the 20-year-old Milan native to 黑料网 to study after she spent a semester at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City.
鈥淚 loved fashion, but I care more about the environment and human rights,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 decided I wanted to find a career in which I can help with that.鈥�
The story behind that decision was told in Bolanos鈥� self-documentary, 鈥淚t Was All the Fashion,鈥� which was also a Student Production Award finalist in the Short Form-Non Fiction category.
鈥淥livia is the first 黑料网 student to ever be competing against herself in one category,鈥� Zacharias said. 鈥淔urther testimony to her brilliance is that two other nominated productions 鈥� 鈥淪ock Monkey鈥� and 鈥凄颈蝉迟辞谤迟别诲鈥� 鈥� she was on both of those production teams. Need we say more?鈥�
DIRECTOR
鈥凄颈蝉迟辞谤迟别诲鈥�
Patrice Scott
EDITOR
鈥凄颈蝉迟辞谤迟别诲鈥�
Emmanuel Flores-Haro
Patrice Scott won the Director category and Emmanuel Flores-Haro won the Editor category for a music video titled 鈥凄颈蝉迟辞谤迟别诲鈥� that was created by a team of students from a class.
In that class, students pitch video ideas. Several of the best ideas are selected and production crews are formed from students in the class.
鈥凄颈蝉迟辞谤迟别诲鈥� was a music video pitched by Scott, who also produced the music. The storyline is a shy guy and shy girl who are interested in each other, but too nervous to start a conversation when they have a chance encounter at a bus stop.
鈥淭hey end up not talking to each other and beating themselves up over it,鈥� said Scott, a 21-year-old graduate of Arbor Prep High School studying at 黑料网. 鈥淚 wanted to explore the mindset of each of them.鈥�
The challenge is telling that story with no dialogue between the characters, played by friends of Scott. The music is also lyric-free.
鈥淧atrice is a natural director. He鈥檚 not 鈥榯rying鈥� to be a director, but he is one,鈥� Zacharias said. 鈥淎 lot of students tell me that they want to direct, but that鈥檚 usually a euphemism for either wanting to be the 'boss' or have the rock star title. Patrice has a vision and he goes for it. People want to be on his team because they know he has an eye and concepts that are brilliant. And, he is a super kind and charming person. Patrice Scott is a Filmmaker with a capital F.鈥�
The final product was edited by Emmanuel Flores-Haro, who also helped Scott organize the shots necessary for the project.
Flores, 17, is a student at Washtenaw Technical Middle College, a high school chartered by, and located at, 黑料网. Zacharias said he is only the second WTMC student to win a Student Production Award.
鈥淢anny is creative, tenacious and he's going places,鈥� said Digital Media Arts faculty member Dan Kier. 鈥淗e is creative and has strong writing skills.鈥�
COMMERCIAL
鈥淵psilanti Automotive Heritage Museum鈥�
Jake Duda
Jake Duda combined his love classic cars, history and video production into a 47-second commercial for the . The project evolved from a larger documentary project on the Willow Run manufacturing complex, where Duda鈥檚 grandfather, George Oddy, worked from 1968 to 2004.
鈥淚 wanted to give the entire thing a nostalgic feel,鈥� said Duda, a 25-year-old Salem High School graduate studying at 黑料网. 鈥淚t鈥檚 something I really enjoyed working on.鈥�
The project combines classic automobile commercials with current-day footage Duda shot himself at the museum. To give the entire project a vintage look, Duda created his own 8mm film filter to lay over the new video.
Zacharias calls Duda a 鈥渟leepy genius.鈥�
鈥淛ake is one of the quietest students in the room, but behind his shyness is a super creative editor, and his graphic-animation skills are off the charts,鈥� Zacharias said. 鈥淗e writes and directs and has amazing directorial instincts.鈥�
The College/University awards had a total of 41 finalists in 15 categories. Other 黑料网 finalists included:
SHORT FORM-FICTION: 鈥淪ock Monkey,鈥� Arlo Flynn
SHORT FORM-NON-FICTION: 鈥淚t Was All the Fashion,鈥� Olivia Bolanos
SHORT FORM-NON-FICTION: 鈥淔ood Foundations,鈥� Olivia Gramprie
PHOTOGRAPHY: 鈥淛ourney of a Ginger,鈥� Amanda Taylor
Tags: Digital Media Arts, Digital Video Production, Student Awards, Student Production Awards, Student Success, ousearch_News_2020