March 28, 2007

Long Island Reads

longisland.jpg Long Island Reads is an Island-wide reading initiative. Each Spring, people in Nassau and Suffolk come together to read the same book, (James McBride's The Color of Water) participate in discussions of the selection, and enjoy related events in public libraries. This year it's on April 11th, from 7-8:30 p.m. at the Glen Head Community Center.

This event will be a great opportunity to not only discuss the book, but also to greet friends, meet members of other book clubs, local officials and enjoy delicious refreshments - in other words, to "celebrate community through reading."

I got a call last night about an old friend of the family who is recovering from brain surgery to remove a cancerous tumor. All seemed to be well -- she is now cancer-free, and is basically her old self... except that she can no longer read! Of course, the overall feeling is that we're grateful for her health, but you can't help but wonder -- what would I do if I couldn't read?!! What a tremendous loss that would be! After the initial shock, my brain kicked back into gear, and I realized that of course, she could listen to books instead. And, then there are all the practical implications, like reading street signs and bank statements... In light of that news, I welcome any opportunity to celebrate reading!

Long Island Reads is an Island-wide reading initiative sponsored by the Nassau Library System and Suffolk Cooperative Library System.

Posted by Michele at 2:08 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 30, 2006

Filmmaking Workshop a Success

Josh.jpg Josh Roth, President of the Roslyn High School Film Society, led the BLTeens Filmmaking Workshop this past week. He explained that his experience in film started slowly. He described at age 8, making a 3 minute film about nothing, then he moved on to making 5, 8 and 10 minute films about nothing... now he's learned how to write scripts and his films are actually about something! I learned a lot about directing and filmmaking from Josh, as I know the students in the class did as well. Here are my notes:

* Josh uses Final Cut Pro, but if you use a Mac, you can also use iMovie Motion for visual effects
* He recommends Avid Express, Pinnacle or Movie Maker for PC users
* use music, but don't overdo it
* definitely start with a script, before you begin filming
* if you want to direct, you have to know how to act
* learn about films by watching a lot of films -- find a director whose work you find visually appealing and run with it -- see all of their movies! Josh particularly enjoys Terry Gilliam. Use Internet Movie Database (imdb) to find out everything about movies!
* use camera angles as a tool in cinema
* when you see a movie, think about how it was made. Take note of camera angles, use of color and lighting
* shoot with a tripod when you can

And, what do you do with a film that you've created? Josh recommends uploading them to youtube -- there it will be seen by many people and you'll get feedback from others. Or, you can submit it to Film Society to have it viewed on a big screen and get feedback from RHS fim experts!

Thanks, Josh for an enlightening and entertaining afternoon! Look for Josh's Photoshop Workshop this coming Wednesday afternoon!

Posted by Michele at 10:26 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 20, 2006

Chocolicious

chocolicious.jpg Yesterday afternoon, a very happy bunch of teens created delicious chocolate treats! It's always great to see kids who often didn't know each other before, come to interact over a creative project like this one.

Bryant teens are so lucky that we offer so many great programs during the summer. Coming up are: filmmaking (which is next Wed.), Adobe Photoshop, sushi making, henna and more! Sign up at the Reference Desk or call us at 621-2240 to reserve your spot now!

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