Wednesday, April 19, 2006

Spring break was tres bien. Saw three good films during this time. "Tsoti" , the foreign film from South Africa, "Celestine Prophesy", and Spike Lee's "She Hate Me". I thoroughly enjoyed all three, especially the effects in Celestine Prophesy. Really wanted to experience some good bands but nothing of great interest showed up for me then, but it's showing up at Yoshi's in Oakland tomorrow night... Omar Sosa (AfroCuban piano player from Cuba).

I also met a young man (teenager) in Oakland who wandered away from his class on a field trip. We chatted a little as he came to my work place inquiring about the Black Jazz Musician Sculptures. Finally, his very young cool teacher found him and escorted him away. Thirty minutes later I go for a break next door at "Gaylords" (a cafe on Piedmont Avenue in Oakland) and the class is hanging out there. After talking further with the teacher and the student, they told me that they are a poetry writing class (where hip hop meets punk rock...this is how they look) at a private school in Berkeley. The teacher told me that the young man I connected with is a young rapper and invited me to film them performing in two weeks along with another young man (not present) who they refer to as the "Panther Baby" (his parents were in the Black Panther Party during the 60s. This is actually more media for future episodes. This will work very well with the AfricanAmerican aspect of the diaspora I'm presenting.

On another note, I've been maybe too involved with the post production of the first episode. Thanks to Rob, I have a better understanding of how to put it on my blog. I just needed to take a break from looking at it so much and stop thinking I have to keep tweaking it so that I can just focus more and keep working on the second episode.

I so much appreciate the comments from everyone...Tony, Penny, Joe... everyone on my first episode, including and especially "Da Donn".

Peace Out!

Saturday, April 08, 2006

testing
PlanetaryLiberation

Wednesday, April 05, 2006

The 2nd episode of "Planetary Liberation" goes deeper into the Ntengwe Organization and it's children. I am using most of the the same titles that I initially created in After Effects, but different songs from the Tuli Bamuchaala CD created by the orphans. My goal is to use different songs for each episode so that this beautiful music not only gets out there but it also tells their story. I have started extracting audio from my previous radio interview to put behind some of the pictures as well.

In February of this year I had my second radio interview with KKUP planned. It didn't work out for me because I was sick with the flu. I'm told things happen for a reason and there are no accidents in the universe. Such is the case here. My interview is being rescheduled in weeks to come so that when it happens the 1st episode will already be on the internet or my blog site, and I can have the radio listeners to check me out. I think it's important to at least have an episode or two already in place for them. Immediately after that 1st interview, there was a response from the audience. The phones at the station started ringing the minute the show was over. And there were requests to have me back. This I feel is a good way to give them the visuals which accompanied the radio dialogue and perhaps sell some CDs for the organization.

More to come next week...