Screening at Office of Self Help

Today, the members and "stars" of the Intermedia Arts Project went to the Office of Self Help to screen our "Unheard Voices" video. Prior to the main video, we screened Rochelle's video, "Under His Wings." The viewers, many of whom were consumers of the mental health system, responded well to the videos. We stuck around for Q/A afterwards. 

Religion, Spirituality and Mental Health

The workshop on "Religion, Spirituality & Mental Health" held at our clinic on November 4, 2009 was a big success. I believe it was the first time ever that we presented a topic on religion/spirituality at our clinic. But many agreed that this was a presentation long overdue given the large number of our clients/consumers who are religious  or spiritual (not to mention a large number of clinicians!). 

The main purpose of this workshop was to simply get our feet wet. Our goal was to help staff explore what place religion/spirituality has in our clinical work. Given that historically mental health practitioners (e.g., psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, etc.) have distanced themselves from most traditional religions (except perhaps certain Buddhist practices like mindfulness, meditation, etc.), we felt that having a workshop such as this would enable us to acknowledge the elephant in the clinic--that religion and spirituality will not go away so we'd better deal with it. 

The first hour consisted of a 10-minute presentation by five expert panelists including our own Rochelle, a consumer/client and a client-member of the cultural competency work committee. The panel presentation ended with an 8-minute Video (made by Rochelle and me) entitled "Under His Wings" in which Rochelle recounts how her faith in God sustained her during her difficult struggle with mental illness. Rochelle's mother came to see her daughter's presentation and debut. After the presentation, there were lots of tears, hugs and kisses. 

The other presenters in the interfaith panel included Reverend Glenda Hope of Network Ministries, gospel singer Yvonne Cobbs (who happens to be our own nurse at the clinic), social worker/buddhist Kerry McKee (also our own), and Zen Priest Jana Drakka. Each of them are distinguished experts in their respective fields and very committed to the integration of spirituality and mental health. I should also mention that we began the first hour by watching Yvonne's music video--which highlights her fabulous voice. 

The second half of the workshop involved a Q/A (question and answer) session. I enjoyed facilitating the session. The clinicians asked some really good questions. My only regret was that our time was too short.  I informed the group that we (Cultural Competency Work Committee) will organize a series of follow-up in-services to address the wide-spread interest that appeared to be present among the audience. 

Our Sweet Clinic

Last Friday we had a Baking competition to see which of our staffers can come up with the best baked dessert item. Organized by Petrina Chi, the bake off was a huge success with well over a dozen entries. 

I was among the the lucky judges (see above) whose job was to taste and rate every single cake/dessert item. Poor me, huh? 

Every single cake was amazingly good. Mmmmm. The one rule was that the item had to be made completely from scratch. 
The "9 to 5ers Dreamcake" was one of my favorites made by Caroline Fitzgerald who is our resident Occupational Therapist. This chocolaty cheesecake was amazingly delicious. Now you bring a cake like this to work and that is what I call occupational therapy! 

The winner got to take home this chef's hat plus $20.00. No need to mention who the actual winner was cuz they were all winners. 

I guess all this to point out that I work with some classy, fun-loving, open-minded staffers at the clinic. Without people like this, it would be next to impossible to nurture a program like The Intermedia Arts project. 

Meeting with Malcom Collier

Had a nice session with Malcom Collier today at my place. Malcom, who is my former teacher at San Francisco State, is a pioneer, along with his father John Collier Jr., in Visual Anthropology. Their book, Visual Anthropology: Photography as a Research Method, is a classic in the field. Malcom has also been an important figure in the Asian American studies program at State University.

I first met him exactly 10 years ago when I was a beginning graduate counseling student at San Francisco State University. I decided to venture outside of my department by taking a course in the Asian American studies department called "Photographic Explorations of Asian Americans" taught by Malcom. That class eventually let me onto a path that I am now where I am using the photographic/video medium to explore marginal communities that I encounter at the clinic.

He was very generous with his time today spending almost three hours talking to me about our video and giving me some thoughtful feedback about ways in which we can improve upon our project. Here are some nuggets that came out of our conversation:

(a) the process of working with our client-participants should be looked at more closely rather than just focusing on the product.

(b) the need to explore more deeply some of the ethical concerns involved in working with our population. In other words, why are we doing this and who is benefitting?

 (c) the difference between eliciting a narrative structure from the participants vs imposing a narrative structure onto the participants (he coined the term "photo elicitation")

 (d) some reminders about different ways in which people view a film/photographs based on their own interpretive lens and cultural context.

(e) and...Have Fun!!!

Meeting with Filmmaker David L. Brown

Went out to Brisbane (20 minutes from downtown San Francisco) to the studio of David L. Brown, my former instructor & multi Emmy award winning documentary filmmaker, to give him a copy of the Unheard Voices DVD and to basically get some guidance & feedback about our Intermedia Arts Project. 

David is one of the few documentary filmmakers in the Bay Area who are constantly making documentary films at a prolific, professional level. 

 Got some really insightful ideas about how we can use this project to enrich the lives of our clients at the clinic through networking and collaborating with other artists & filmmakers. It is always a good idea for any novice artist, such myself, to surround himself/herself with experienced, knowledgeable, and generous mentors/advisors like David. 

Writing Class at City College Sharpens My Script

I am currently working on a digital story with Rochelle, a client at the clinic whose story will be featured at the upcoming "Religion, Spirituality, and Mental Illness" workshop to be held at the clinic. In her story, she talks about her journey through mental illness beginning with her first "break" at the age of 19 and all the ups and downs that took place. Hers is really a story of hope and faith as she describes how her family and faith in God have helped her through the "toughest of times." 

At the "non fiction Scriptwriting" (cinema 72) course I am taking at City College, I had an opportunity tonight to submit my work in progress to the class for critique. It was a script of Rochelle's story that I revised using some of the storytelling techniques we've been utilizing in class. We actually took a whole hour analyzing my rough draft and got some helpful feedback. I'm beginning to feel that my investment in a three-hour class in the evenings (taking the bus from work to school then home) is paying off. 

Clients Talk about their Films to Social Work Interns

Today I had a chance to present on the Intermedia Arts Project to this year's interns at our clinic. Every year, Citywide & Community Focus Center recruits eager and capable students from a number of Bay Area counseling and social work programs for a year of supervised internship. This year the Intermedia Arts Project was invited to be a part of the 3-week long intensive training for the interns that occurs annually at our clinic. I brought along our client-participants to the training so that they could talk about their experiences with the digital storytelling project. We began with the 30-minute "Unheard Voices" video which was warmly and enthusiastically received by the interns. They asked a lot of questions to the clients afterwards. If you ask me, I think some of the interns were "star struck" by our client-participants--which is a good thing. The main reason for today's training was to help our future social workers/clinicians to see our clients in a new way--not just as patients but as human beings who have a lot of important things to say.One of my hopes for our project is that our client-participants would continue to have opportunities like to this to talk about their experiences and to interact with the public through multiple viewing/screening opportunities throughout the year. This would not only help fight stigma against mental illness in a powerful way, but it can really enhance their self- esteem. Today's session has certainly boosted my own self-esteem. 

Cultural Competency Work Committee Retreat

About three weeks ago, the Cultural Competency Work Committee, which is responsible for promoting cultural and diversity awareness within our clinic, held our annual day retreat at Bonnie's house in San Francisco. 

The committee (which is co-chaired this year by me and Lindsey McDaniel) is composed of staff and clients from diverse ethnic, religious, and sociocultural backgrounds who are seen (in photo) enjoying a multicultural potluck meal while discussing goals for the upcoming year. 

This committee has been instrumental in helping to organize our previous film festival at the clinic and is an ardent supporter of the Intermedia Arts Project. Given the variety of views represented in our committee, the CCWC is poised to provide much needed perspective and guidance to the Intermedia Arts Project. 

At this retreat, our main point of discussion and planning revolved around our upcoming workshop/inservice on RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY & MENTAL ILLNESS. The members agreed that religion and spirituality play an important role in the lives of our clients as well as staff and that this would be a workshop that is long overdue. We will invite a group of inter-faith panelists who will address their work & ministry. 

During the workshop, we will also showcase a video on spirituality that will be put together by the Intermedia Arts Project. The date of the workshop is scheduled for November 4th, 2009 from 2:00PM-4:00PM at Citywide & Community Focus Center.

Picturing Our Clinic

A few days ago, our program director asked me to take some photographs of our clinic site. The photographs would then be attached to the RFP's  (grant applications) and sent out to Community Behavioral Health Services.  

Rather than taking matters into my own hands, I asked Se Kyu Kim (photographer and member of our Intermedia Arts Project) for some assistance. He graciously offered his services and came out to the clinic with his tripod and fancy camera and went about his business with ease and competence. Thanks again to Se Kyu for his time and talents. The pics look great, by the way, and will surely "beautify" our application. 

Meeting with Trey Houston (aka "Chuck")

Had a nice meeting with Trey Houston today, a Millbrae-based producer/filmmaker who has done a lot of work with non-profit organizations. Several months ago, I saw one of his videos at a church function and really admired his photographic sensibilities and his ability to tell stories visually. So I invited him to our film festival. He was impressed with the screening and showed some interest in getting involved with our project.  Check out his website "Chuck Three Productions" on the side bar. 

 I gave him a brief tour of our clinic and discussed ways in which we might be able to collaborate. Given Trey's passion for community service, social justice, and commitment to helping non-profits, I felt really good about our first meeting. 

With his experience in both producing and teaching film, I was glad when he offered to provide some consultation/guidance/feedback in the next few months as I begin to think about where to go from here.   

Nonfiction Scriptwriting (CINE 72)

I'm taking a course this semester on Nonfiction Scriptwriting at SF City College's Cinema Department taught by Denise Bostrom. With all the stuff going on in my life, I can only take one course at a time in the evenings. So for the next four months, my Thursday evenings are strictly devoted to learning the craft of writing non-fiction for the film/video. 

 Already into my third week of class, I am working on a script for a "how-to/instruction" film. In just a couple of weeks, we will move into the "autobiographical/experimental" category of nonfiction film. Our last third of the semester will be devoted to writing the standard "documentary." 

My ultimate aim for taking this course is to continue to improve my craft as an amateur filmmaker. In this case, I think taking this writing class will spark some new ideas for our Intermedia Arts project and also sharpen my skills in cinematic and visual storytelling.

Because I have not taken the traditional route to film education (my second B.A. was an interdisciplinary major in film studies, but was not geared toward production), I try to learn as much as I can from a variety of sources: (a) watching DVD's and movies whenever I get a chance, (S.F. Public Library has been a great resource), (b) reading books on film theory/history, (c) taking production courses at City College, (d) just getting out there and shooting.

 

Sound Mixing at Andy's

Today, Vince Vilan (my technical consultant and editor extraordinaire) and I went to Berkeley to drop off our sound files and other data to Andrew Lackey who volunteered to do some sound mixing for our project. 

He's a pretty big name in the gaming industry (not to mention his sound credits in some big-time Hollywood films like Red Planet, 8 Mile, Matrix Reloaded), but in person he was a down-to-earth, nonassuming guy who apologized to us about his "messy" house. Basically a real nice guy and a privilege for us to have on our project. 

On our way back to SF, Jee (my wife) and I took Vince out to dinner at a Korean Tofu house in Oakland. Vince is not Korean, but he sure ate like one. He says the Tofu soup was not spicy enough for him!. 

Pictures of the Recent Film Festival

Pics from our recent film festival at the clinic (July 21, 2009). Our First Annual Digital Shorts Film Festival entitled "Unheard Voices." Photos of the event taken by Alex Alvarenga. 

San Francisco Chronicle Article (Leah Garchik)

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LEAH GARCHIK

• Walter and Herb on the bounding main 07.24.09
• A Chicago guy casts aspersions07.23.09
• Halt! Who goes to Pacific Heights? 07.22.09

More Leah Garchik »

I darted across the street and up the block last Tuesday morning, where a crowd was gathered on the sidewalk outside the Citywide & Community Focus Center. This is an outpatient mental health clinic run by the San Francisco General Hospital/UCSF Department of Psychiatry. And the folks on the sidewalk - mental health professionals, clients, neighborhood stalwarts and friends - were waiting for psychiatric social worker/filmmakerPhillip Cha's 30-minute film, "Unheard Voices," which he called the "1st annual digital shorts film festival."

In the movie, seven clients of the center tell fragments of their stories, each in a separate segment. Most of them were in the crowded room where the film was shown, and stuck around to answer questions afterward.

The segment "My Bird's Nest" involved Sixth Street residentRobert Shockney, a musician and photographer of his environs. Most movingly, he talks (and sings) about a bird's nest on a ledge outside his window. Looking down into it, we see eggs and straw and some natural material, but also plastic forks, and a coffee cup lid and bottle caps. In the background is a music stand, on the shelf of which are aligned bottles of medications.

"We adapt," says Shockney, likening the birds' employment of materials to his own style of living in an SRO. On the screen flash images of pictures he has taken: the "defenestration" hotel at the corner of Sixth and Howard; a package of ramen.

When in a summing-up section at the end of the seven segments Cha asks Shockney to comment on his section, the singer-photographer is in tears, overwhelmed, he says, because "I was able to articulate what I wanted to say, that a man could survive anything, no matter what kind of squalor or dysfunction he's put into."

Read more:http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/07/26/DDQE18SO42.DTL#ixzz0MR9Sfy5X

Inspiring Youtube Video

Here's an inspiring Youtube clip that is rapidly gaining a wide viewership by the millions: JK Wedding Entrance Dance. It just makes you feel good about life and what it means to celebrate our life, no matter how fragile.  Giving me some cool ideas for our next project. 

A Copy of My Latest E-mail "Update"

(here is a lazy way to write a blog entry--just cut and paste from my e-mail)

Hello friends of Intermedia Arts Project:

As many of you know already, we had an amazing turnout at the film festival last Tuesday. It was standing-room only.   People came out from at least four different counties to witness our 30-minute film plus the Q/A. It was particularly touching to see our consumer/participants  receiving a standing ovation after the screening.

We're getting lots of positive feedback. Leah Garchik from SF Chronicle said she "loved our film" and would do a column. We are even getting offers for possible grants. 

At this point, I am really overwhelmed and need a break. After I return from vacation (sometime in mid-august), I will get back to you with thoughts about where we might go next. And I would love your feedback since this is really a collaborative effort. But here is what I'd like to do when I get back from vacation in mid August.

(1) Have a get together (perhaps over lunch or potluck) and discuss where we might go as a group...Perhaps we can critique our films, explore ways to expand our storytelling, and just celebrate our success, etc. I'd like to do this sometime by mid-August. Perhaps over a weekend at my place???  

(2) One of the things I'd like to do at the meeting is to explore OUR CORE VALUES. Since we are now gaining a lot of attention and many people are showing interest in our project, I think we need to develop a set of standards that are clear and Un-Compromisable. 

(3) Vince and I will get together with Andrew Lackey (sound designer) for some sound mixing. As you know, our video needs some serious sound work. I'd like to get our stuff over to Andrew by mid-to late August. 

(4) I'll probably get together with David L. Brown (my former instructor and one of our consulting producers) to get some feedback from him about our shorts...perhaps over beer!

(5) In August, I will also start booking a "tour" to possibly screen our project at different venues. Already, we've been inundated with calls from hospitals, clinics, and even a vocational training facility to have a screening. It would be great to have our consumer/participants go to these screenings and show off their work! 

So thanks again everyone. I will be contacting some of you individually to discuss pertinent details. 

Today's Film Festival--A HUGE TURNOUT

I was very nervous going into today's film festival (Unheard Voices: 1st Annual Digital Shorts Film Festival) at our clinic. But so many of my colleagues stepped in and helped out tremendously with the logistics--anywhere from rearranging furniture to ushering and regulating the line that formed outside our clinic. In fact, one of my colleagues reported that our clinic resembled a club as lines formed outside and clusters of people swarmed into our building, quickly overcrowding our cafe and viewing area. 

Once the screening got going, I was relieved and tried to enjoy every moment of the 30 minutes of screen time. I glanced back and forth between the screen and the look on the faces of the audience. Most of the responses were on target as intended. They laughed, smiles, and even cried at the right moment. The truth is, while the people were watching the film, I was watching the people with just as much interest.

One of the most fulfilling moments came immediately following the screening as Bonnie (MC)  invited the clients involved in the movie to step up into the front. As they came to the front, they were generously (and well deservedly) given a standing ovation by the crowd. The look on their faces, the subtle smile behind their obvious intimidation, their momentary pride in recognizing that they are now the subject of adoration...these were moments that made me feel that all of this work was well worth it.

DVD Finally Burned!

I am so relieved now that I've completed the two videos on Nona and Rene respectively. Nona's piece was particularly difficult for me because I couldn't find any structure for the story. Rene, too, was difficult but at least I had a lot of beautiful shots of her painting. Anyway, just completed burning the DVD--which also includes the revised documentary. I put in a lot of time on this thing...it ain't even funny. Tomorrow, I have to work on the program notes as that has to be revised given the addition of the two shorts. 

First Article in print about our Project

사람/커뮤니티 - 0 개- "정신질환 한인위한 다큐 제작할 터"[샌프란시스코 중앙일보] UCSF 정신과 상담가 필립 차씨 주도로 환자 참여-공동제작한 단편영화 21일 공개 기사입력: 07.17.09 16:41

“우울증, 이중인격, 정신분열 등 정신장애를 앓고 있는 사람들의 건강한 감정표현을 돕고 싶었어요” 베이지역 내 예술가들과 영화제작자, UC버클리 영화학 박사, UCSF에서 정신질환 치료를 받고 있는 환자들이 함께 참여한 ‘인터미디어 아트 프로젝트’의 설립자이자 코디네이터인 필립 차(Phillip Cha)씨의 말이다. ‘인터미디어 아트 프로젝트’는 환자들에게 디지털 카메라 사용법과 영화 편집 방법 등을 교육해, 영화제작자들과 공동 제작한 7편의 단편영화를 21일 샌프란시스코에서 대중에 공개키로 한 것.  UCSF 정신과에서 정신 질환자들의 상담가와 치료전문가로 9년간 일해온 차씨는 “환자들 역시 우리와 같은 사람이라는 것을 보여주고 싶어 이 프로젝트를 기획했다”고 설명했다.  그는 “정신질환은 단순한 뇌의 비정렬 상태로 당뇨와 같이 적절한 치료를 통해 치유될 수 있으며, 예술작품을 통한 환자들의 적절한 감정표현은 치유에 도움이 된다”고 말했다. 차씨는 “프로젝트는 올해 첫 시도”라며 “내년부터는 영화와 사진, 그림 등의 작업등으로 점차 확대해 나갈 것”이라 덧붙였다.  광주에서 출생한 차씨는 1973년 도미, UCLA에서 심리학을 전공했으며 새크라멘토 주립대학에서 영화 학사학위를 받고, 밀밸리의 골든게이트 침례신학교에서 목회를 위해 신학을 공부했다. 10년간 베이지역 한인교회에서 전도사로 일하다가 자신의 사명을 발견, 샌프란시스코 주립대에서 상담학을 전공했다. 심리학과 영화학, 신학, 상담학 등 공부한 모든 분야를 통합적으로 활용, 다른 사람들을 돕는데 앞장서고 있는 차씨의 꿈은 정신 질환을 앓고 있는 한인들을 위한 다큐멘터리를 제작하는 것. 그는 “정신질환은 우리사회에 만연하고, 또 큰 문제로 대두되고 있지만 대부분 한인들은 이를 부끄럽게 여기거나 잘못된 상식을 가지고 치료를 꺼리고 있어 그 문제가 더 심각하다”고 설명했다.  “한인을 포함, 많은 아시아계 환자들이 이 프로젝트에 참여하는 것을 꺼렸다”고 안타까워한 차씨는 “언젠가 그들이 커뮤니티 내에 존재하는 편견의 장벽을 부셔주길 바란다”고 당부했다. ▷일시: 7월21일 오전10시〜11시 ▷장소: 982 Mission Street 2nd Floor, San Francisco ▷문의: (415)597-8078 한아람 인턴기자

Won Best Presentation Prize at the Society on Disability Studies

Just heard from our own Scott Wallin that his presentation of our project at the national Society on Disability Studies Conference awarded him with the best presentation prize! Congratulations to Scott. Here's the e-mail he shot me tonight. 

"Hi Phillip,

...I don't know if I ever told you, but the presentation I put together for
the Society on Disability Studies conference won the prize for best
presentation!  I want you and the others to know because it was certainly
a group effort, even though I was the only one there to personally receive
the positive feedback.  People were very touched by the stories and
multi-media effort.

There are also a couple of local artists/scholars who were at the
conference and are interested in the project.  If I hear from them, I'll
put them in touch with you.  (They do have your name but not your email.)

Hope you see you Tuesday.  I'll also make sure to bring back the
pre-screening DVDs.

Scott

Phone Conversation with Spencer Nagasako

Today, I had a chance to talk with the one and only Spencer Nagasako, producer of A.K.A. Don Bonus and pioneer of the video-diary format, about our project. Given his years of experience in filmmaking and working at the Vietnamese Youth Development Center in the Tenderloin area of San Francisco, I absorbed every word he uttered during our hour-long conversation. He was very generous with his time considering he doesn't know me. Malcom Collier, my former professor who taught Asian American studies/photography at San Francisco State University, referred me to him.  Malcom Collier is a Visual Anthropologist and pioneer in his own right. But more on him at another time. 

Spencer was refreshingly, and brutally, straight forward about the business of filmmaking. His language was certainly colorful (#X%@$) and opinionated, but they came from a deep place. I appreciated his candor, no-nonsense view of things.

He wanted to know what we were about. I presumed he looked at our "press kit", but he was still puzzled. That spoke a lot about where we are as a project. I told him we are still at the beginning stage of the process, trying to figure out where we are going. But this feeling of "ambiguity" in our mission statement is also intentional because we are a hybrid group representing different points of view. At any rate, he gave me some sage advice. I hope I get a chance to talk to him some more. Meanwhile, the following are some nuggets I came out with. 

(1) Failure is golden. Spencer laments the fact that today's "digital" filmmakers do not truly appreciate the value of making mistakes. You learn from mistakes. With film and linear editing, mistakes are that much more costly. We've lost that sense of urgency and teachable moments that come with failures thanks, in large part, to the advent of digital technology. 

(2) Be prepared to make critical decisions. Once we get going, unexpected events can occur that may force us to decide which path to take. Do I do this full-time? Am I a therapist/clinician first or a filmmaker? He felt that somebody needs to take charge and do this full-time at some point. I felt a bit discouraged here because I am not in the position to do filmmaking full-time. I want to continue doing "multiple" things (social work, therapy, film, theology, etc.). 

(3) Funding is key, and that will take us to another level. Right now we are running on lots of creative energy. But there will come a time when the initial energy will wane, and we will get tired. This is where funding and grants are crucial. We talked about the fact that the funding source can come from outside the media organizations. Spencer's project at the youth center was funded by various youth programs/organizations in a time when race relations became an important topic (early 1990s --Rodney King incident). The climate was ripe. 

(4) Filmmaking is serious business. I got the sense from him that you can't just decide one day to become a filmmaker without really paying your dues. I'm still an "outsider", and he likened my situation to be closer to Lee Mun Wah's than his own. Lee Mun Wah was a psychotherapist (trained at SF State) who later won widespread recognition for his documentary, "The Color of Fear", which explores race relations in a group therapy setting. Again, this was made at the right time when multiculturalism was hot topic.  Spencer reminded me that Lee Mun Wah may have made this successful film (which made over a million dollars), but he was really a therapist first and would be unable to answer film related questions had he been asked such questions at a film festival. I suppose there are a lot of "one-time-only" filmmakers. This made me think deeply about what my own personal commitment is toward filmmaking. 

(5) Staying true to your creative vision. Spencer recalled moments during his work at the Youth Center where he had opportunities to be involved in other film projects, particularly after his documentary became a hit and landed him at the Berlin Film Festival, etc. But he followed his heart and chose to stay at the Youth center where he could continue to hone his filmmaking craft and nurture his creativity. The kids there were authentic and raw, and he knew that being there was good for  his creative soul. I get what he is saying. What is important for me at this moment is not so much to gain recognition, grants, etc. but to stay true to my creative spirit and to cultivate my craft and vision--whatever that may be. Easier said than done. 

(6) Beginning, Middle, and  End. When Spencer taught his workshops, he made his students do commercials.  Why? Because young people can relate to commercials; it's an integral part of pop culture. Plus commercials, no matter how short, have a beginning, middle, and an end--an essential element in filmmaking. At the end of the day,  the kids would feel like they've actually produced something after each workshop. If we ever do these kinds of workshops, this would be a good point to keep in mind. 

I told him I was burning out--although I'm not quite there yet. While I have other crew working with me, it is also true that I have been putting a lot of work into this thing--using my personal resources and free time. He told me that the fact that I'm burning out should tell me something. I wasn't sure what he meant by that. Perhaps he was implying that I'm not cut out to do this. I don't know. I'll have to ask him next time. But honestly, I think anyone doing what I'm doing would eventually experience the same thing that I'm beginning to experience. I'm working full-time as a case manager/social worker (not filmmaker), plus I've taken on this project which requires me to squeeze in whatever time I have at work AND at home during after hours and weekends. This would burn out anyone. 

Inviting the Mayor

I had nothing better to do today, so I decided to go into the Mayor's website and invite him to our screening. This is what I wrote in the "contact" box:

"Dear Mayor Gavin Newsom: I am a psychiatric social worker at Citywide & Community Focus Center (SFGH/UCSF Dept. of Psychiatry) working with the homeless/chronically mentally ill population, many of whom are also addicted to substances. I recently started an Intermedia Arts Project at the clinic that brought together bay area artists/filmmakers with our consumers. Through this unique collaboration, we have produced 7 short videos and will be hosting our first annual Unheard Voices Digital Shorts Film Festival at the clinic on July 21, 2009. We want to welcome the mayor as this project may become a revolutionary way to doing social justice, art, and healthcare. We've already invited numerous health officials including the media. The event is scheduled for Tuesday July 21 at 10:00AM at 982 Mission Street, SF, CA 94103. Cross street is 6th Street. I'll be happy to attach our artist statement and press kit if you want. "

San Francisco Chronicle vs. Synapse

Today, received e-mail from SF Chronicle reporter Kevin Fagan. He told me he was interested in our project and asked for a press kit. I was glad to hear from someone...anyone...from the Chronicle, but was particularly happy to hear from Fagan b/c he ran some very interesting series in the Chronicle about homelessness a few years ago. In the series, "Shame of the City", Fagan asks how a sophisticated city such as ours can have so many destitute people living in the streets. 

Besides Fagan, I must have randomly e-mailed a dozen other reporters including two Korean news sources. At this point, I'd be happy if the UCSF student-run paper,  Synapse, did a small story about our project. 

Trying to Publicize our Upcoming Film Festival

During the past couple of weeks, i've been contacting the media (mostly small, local) to publicize our upcoming screening (digital shorts festival). I was informed by UCSF Director of Communications (Rachel Kagan) that it would be a huge challenge to get press coverage these days due to shrinking media outlets. So i advised to start out with more independent outlets such as KALW radio (San Francisco), Public Press (Berkeley) and the SF Weekly. Given all the competition, she said that it would be unlikely that our event would attract the attention of the major media such as Chronicle, Examiner, network news, etc. By the way, I also contacted KoreaAm Journal and AsianWeek. 

The only "media" person that returned my e-mail was Chi-Hui Yang, the film festival organizer for Center for Asian American Media (of San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival fame).  I felt very honored to hear from him actually. I've been a huge fan of the SFIAA film festival since 1997. He was kind enough to say some nice words of encouragement and that he'd try to attend our screening. I was also very glad to hear from Ravi Chandra (psychiatrist and film writer) who may be attending as well. 

Flier for the Upcoming Film Festival Completed.

Just finished the flier for the film festival. As soon as we get an "okay" from UCSF, we will contact the press.

Intermedia Arts Project

Intermedia Arts Project sounds like an apt name for our emerging group. Must we limit our work to video or the digital realm? Why not embrace as many different artistic disciplines as possible? The main thrust of this project is that it is inter-disciplinary in the truest sense, always in between different media. Neither completely this nor that but in between. Marginality. New Marginality (as theologian Jung Young Lee would describe that liminal state). New marginality is the state of moving from "being marginalized" to "embracing marginality". 

Changing Our Name?

I'm toying with the idea of changing our name from "The Digital Storytelling Project" to "Intermedia Digital Arts Project". I feel that our project is more than about simply doing "digital stories" (e.g., as espoused by The Center for Digital Storytelling in Berkeley). I see our project as involving a wide variety of approaches to storytelling employing a variety of storytelling techniques ranging from the simple to complex and artistic. I want to run this by our team, though.  

May 27th Pre- Screening at Citywide Community Focus Center

(notice the white bedsheet we used for the "screen." I got it from Target for $14.00)

Panelists during Q/A session after the screening (above)

The Pre-Screening was a huge success. 3 out of 6 participant-consumers showed up for the screening. All but one of our crew members showed up. Despite some initial sound issues early on, the screening went smoothly, and the reception was positive. The staff/audience gave us a standing ovation afterwards. 

Thanks to Alex Alvarenga for the still pics of the event. 

DVD for PRE-SCREENING COMPLETED!

I have just finished burning the DVD for the upcoming Pre-Screening. I am happy to report that all 6 shorts plus the mini documentary look VERY GOOD, and I think we have something very special going on here. I've made some minor revisions to the videos that have been assembled such as adding some musical scores (original music by our own Cheth Rowe) and adding credits. The total run time is 20 minutes. So we are now 3 days away from our pre-screening (our test screening) which will take place this coming Wednesday May 27 from 2:00pm-4:00pm at Citywide Community Focus Center where I work. This event is co-hosted by our Cultural Competency Work Committee and is being doubled as a Cultural In-Service workshop. The first hour is to be devoted to the screening with Q/A following. The second hour will consist of small group discussions where our clinical staff will discuss the films as well as diversity issues in general. This portion is handled by the cultural competency work committee.