Purpose and Projects:
an agenda of personal scholarship |
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| FILMMAKING |
|
| The chief
evidence of a filmmaker’s scholarship is the roster of films on which he
collaborates. Selection criteria for film projects may differ from commercial to
scholarly arenas, but should not diverge so widely that the teaching filmmaker’s work
offers his students and graduates no accessible model for their own careers.
Avoiding a false choice between meaningful aesthetic and pragmatic purpose, the following
questions will govern my choice of scholarship projects: |
| Does
the film offer opportunity for its makers to demonstrate a personal and communal life of
confessional, vocational worship? |
| Will
aspects of its viewing or production contribute to cultural renewal, improving the life of
its audience, its subject, or its makers? |
| Understanding
that filmmaking is historically and inherently a cooperative undertaking, may I make an
identifiably personal imprint on its content or forms? |
| Does
its content or form offer an opportunity for new expression? |
Does
the film’s production offer opportunity for student collaboration? Does my
participation improve me as a teacher? Or as the strategic plan asks:
“how will this improve student learning?”
(* asterisks in project timelines below designate student involvement) |
| To
what extent is peer review possible in pre-production, production, and distribution? |
| To
what degree might it improve Calvin’s institutional reputation for scholarship?
for teaching? for community involvement/service? |
| Do
I have a sincere enthusiasm for the project? |
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| ` |
| Androgogy of worldview |
|
The Christian Academy’s courses in media theory, history, and criticism
evince an obvious faith distinctive. Their assumption – largely an application
of Bazin’s auteur theory – is that,
through manipulation of its formal elements, media conveys the beliefs of its makers.
A resulting pedagogy in suspicious media consumption allows professors ample and
obvious opportunity to shape their students’ worldview.
|
| But a
similarly reflective approach to media production
is less common. Instead, lighting, camera operation, and editing are too often
presented as values-neutral skills to be mastered, redeemed chiefly by the content on
which they are brought to bear. |
Believing
shooting ratio, camera angle, and editing pace to be opportunities for character
formation, I intend to pursue inquiry and present reflection which offers the Christian Academy
a faith-distinctive androgogy that may be applied to the process (and not merely the products) of media creation.
|
| Projects and Progress |
READING GROUP - TOWARD A PEDAGOGY OF PRODUCTIONSuggested
by Dean for Research and Scholarship Janel Curry, a reading group to develop themes of
androgogy which are unique to production- and skills-based disciplines in the liberal arts
|
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|
| next |
|
submit Kuyers Institute grant proposal.
include suggestions for books and expert speakers made by potential group members. |
| 10.22.08 |
|
e-mail potential reading group members |
| 09.23.08 |
|
compile list of potential reading group members |
| 08-09.08 |
|
read Situated Learning: Legitimate Peripehral
Participation by Lave and Wenger. Social Scientists look at models of skills
teaching by apprenticeship in West Africa. |
| 06.08 |
|
read "The Author as Producer" (1934) by
Walter Benjamin. suggested by art prof Lisa Van Arragon |
| 08.04.08 |
|
discuss Kuyers Institute grant support with
Director David Smith |
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ARTICLE - TEACHING WORLDVIEW HOLISTICALLY THROUGH MEDIA PRODUCTIONCurrently titled
"Teaching Worldview Holistically through Media Production," the developing
article began as a draft of my faith/teaching integration statement for reappointment
review 10.07.
| 05.10 |
|
Christian Scholar's Review publication
date.
Issue Theme: "Christian Higher Education as Character Formation" |
| 08.15.09 |
|
Christian Scholar's Review submission
deadline |
| 06.08.09 |
|
Presents concepts from the
article as "The Place of Rabbinical Hospitality in Teaching" in an address to
McGregor Research Fellows. Calvin College. Grand Rapids, MI. |
| 09.22.08 |
|
Kuyers Institute Director David Smith suggests
revisions which may make the article attractive to The Journal of Education and
Christian Belief. |
| 11.15.07 |
|
presented at Religious Communication Association
Annual Pre-Conference, Chicago, IL |
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CONFERENCE - TEACHING MEDIA PRODUCTION AT A CHRISTIAN COLLEGEThe Gainey Institute
for Faith and Communication gathered professors of media production from Christian
colleges in the Great Lakes region for an intimate conference planned by Quentin Schultze,
Jake Bosmeijer, Daniel Garcia, and Brian Fuller.
| 06.18.09 |
|
Gainey revives the conference as a smaller,
regional two-day consultation (through 06.19.09). In addition to being one of the
conference organizers, I make two presentations: "Publishing Student
Work Online" and "Media Production as Holistic Character Formation." |
| 11.25.08 |
|
Gainey Institute cancels conference, citing low
enrollment expectations for faculty as economic pressures constrict travel across the
Academy. |
| 08.14.08 |
|
publicize conference at University Film and Video
Association |
| 08.13.08 |
|
Conference date (07.12-15.09) and details are
announced on Gainey website. |
| 06.13.07 |
|
host conference planning retreat |
|
|
BOOK - SAMPLE SCRIPTS FOR MEDIA PRODUCTIONBooks of theatre
practice scripts abound. Sample scenes allow stage directors and actors to focus on
the theory and technique of form instead of obliging them to also create content.
But a similar text for media production is rare (even non-existent). I'm writing a
collection of such scripts and hope to publish them with filmmaking exercises.
|
|
|
| SP09 |
|
students in CAS 249 test scripts in class
exercises. |
| FA08 |
|
students in CAS 249 test scripts in class
exercises. |
| SP08 |
|
students in CAS 190, 249 test scripts in class
exercises. |
| SP08 |
|
review of scripts with Debra Freeberg |
| SP08 |
|
initial conversations wtih Quin Schultze about a
book proposal |
| 05.08 |
|
Eric Buist*, Brandon DeWyn*, and other student
workers conduct on-line searches for similar books and for schools which might use such a
text. |
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| Liturgical multi-media technology |
|
| Extensive
travel and primary-source research facilitated by the shoot of FutureWorship 1.0 started me on a path of
interest and expertise in the use of liturgical technology. Though the starting
place of that research was projected still and moving images, interview and observation
demonstrated them entwined with other forms of dance, drama, flavor, aroma, and
architecture. The ongoing outlet of that research is my interim class in
Multi-Sensory Worship as well as a continuing schedule of invited lectures and workshops
throughout the country. |
| Projects and Progress |
INVITED LECTURES & WORKSHOPS
|
|
|
| 07.19.09 |
|
"Stop Reading Your Bible: Multi-Sensory
Incarnation for Families"
Teacher's Mini-Retreat, Covenant-First Presbyterian Church, Cincinnati, OH |
| 11.15.08 |
|
Worship Alive! First Presbyterian Church,
Birmingham, MI. |
| 04.17.08 |
|
"Liturgical Media Art." Music and
the Arts in Christian Worship. Calvin Seminary. Grand Rapids, MI. |
| 08.25.07 |
|
"Multimedia and Multicultural."
Living the Multi-Cultural Reality: On Earth as it is in Heaven. Anaheim Christian
Reformed Church. Anaheim, CA |
| 06.09.07 |
|
"Multimedia, Multisensory,
Multicultural." Multi-Ethnic Conference of the Christian Reformed Church of
North America. Grand Rapids, MI. |
| 01.26.06 |
|
"Electronic Multimedia for Worship: Principles
and Process." Calvin Symposium on Worship, Grand Rapids, MI. |
| 11.05.05 |
|
"Ancient/Future Worship: Workshops in
Multisensory Multimedia." (with Robb Redman) Western Theological
Seminary, Portland, OR. |
| 10.01.05 |
|
"Digital Photography for Worship."
(with Steve Koster) Calvin Workshops in Communication, Grand Rapids, MI. |
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BOOK CHAPTER
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| 07.08 |
|
"Practicing Worship Media Beyond
PowerPoint," Understanding Evangelical Media, eds. Quentin J. Shultze and
Robert H. Woods, Jr. (Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 2008): 99-110. |
| 07.17.07 |
|
presentation, Understanding Evangelical Media
authors' conference |
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