06/16/07 LGBTQ Youth Video Production workshop begins
The 5th annual digital video production workshop for LGBTQ youth and their allies began this week with 14 participants and will continue through November 2007. Youth project ideas run the gamut from narrative stories of family relationships, a documentary on gender transition, a parody of gay males attraction to Cher produced with dolls as actors, LGBT discrimination in public places, and LGBTQ teen suicide. Video shorts from the workshop will be submitted to FUSION and OUTFEST LGBT Film Festivals. During the course of the workshop youth participants will learn all aspects of digital story telling from writing, and producing to editing their projects and distributing their videos.
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The young women’s Leadership group held a three-day intensive video workshop at REACH LA. During the workshop the girls learned the basics of camera use through fun exercises like video scavenger hunt. After getting used to using the camera, they were able to critique and analyze short videos made by other young women of color, looking for both content, as well, as camera technique. Towards the end of day one, participants got in touch with their inner self be engaging in an emotional free writing process that included such topics as, my first trip to the gynecologist and why I like/dislike my body. Day two consisted of on location shooting and sound recordings, with the office transformed into mini movie sets. On the third and final day the G2G Leaders learned first hand the basics of final cut pro and begun the lengthy process of editing their own personal short video. Some of the youth were later given the opportunity to screen their films at Sistersong for a nationwide audience!
REACH LA premiered a new documentary that focuses on creativity and self-preservation in on the Los Angeles House and Ball Community. It features interviews with LA House parents and youth involved with the Ball scene that also work as HIV prevention educators. At the FUSION opening Friday night festivities REACH LA organized a mini-ball that was a huge success and got audiences excited about the documentary screening. On Sunday December 3rd REACH LA premiered I’m Still Here: Becoming Legendary to a standing room only audience at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood and received lots of positive feedback. To top off the day “I’m Still Here won the FUSION Audience Award for Best Documentary Short at the Festival! That same day, REACH LA also offered HIV prevention awareness games, condom races, tongue billiards, and fake tattoos in the Egyptian Theater courtyard for film audiences, and arranged for free HIV testing on-site at the festival.
Eight new videos by REACH LA youth video makers were selected to screen as part of the FUSION Festival shorts program “Youth Movement: Los Angeles” at Egyptian Theater. The youth filmmakers attended and spoke after the screening as part of the Q&A session.
“Queer Youth Nation” is REACH LA’s annual national survey screening of LGBT youth videos at OUTFEST. This years screening “Larger Than Life: Queer Youth Nation 2006” included 12 new videos by LGBT youth from across the nation. Each year the audience for the screening gets larger and this year was no exception with a full house at Barnsdall Municipal Gallery Theater and a robust question answer session plus reception after the screening. Queer Youth Nation continues to be one of the most popular screenings at OUTFEST and draws a new youth audience to the festival each year. Eight new video shorts by youth in the REACH LA digital video program premiered in this year’s program. Included in the program, “My Crazy Life”, the story of Enzo Ybarra, produced by Studio C and APLA’s M-powerment received the OUTFEST Audience Award for Best Documentary Short. All the youth filmmakers received all-access passes to OUTFEST including invites to opening and closing night gala events and got to participate in industry sponsored meeting with agents, film directors, writers, etc… organized by OUTFEST. In addition, two REACH LA youth directors were chosen to be assistant programmers for OUTFEST 2006 and were responsible for selecting films in this year’s festival.