Hello, everyone!
For starters, we apologize for the delay when it came to new posts and content on this blog. We just finished our last week of the Take 2 Program, so here’s a bit of catch up for what’s happened recently at the YWCA Elgin.
The Take 2 Creative Camp had it’s red carpet event which was a blast. Several more chairs had to be brought in as more people showed up than what we anticipated. Friends, families, neighbors, YWCA employees and even Elgin Township board members were in attendance at this event. We’d like to thank everyone who visited and supported this program.
I’d like to talk about the final video project the Take 2 Teens did. It’s none other than the film Whobunit?. This maybe a short film from a running time standpoint, but it is bar none the longest video project the students worked on. Whobunit? is a mystery/comedy movie involving Jaquon (played by Colby) and several people at a picnic he started. He bought the burgers, but he didn’t get to eat one because someone at the picnic got the last burger and he interrogates all the picnic attendees. Much like how last year, the teens learned about the Bechdel Test and the Deggans Test, they learned about a film method called The Rashomon Effect. This storytelling technique gets it’s name from the classic Japanese film Rashomon. The effect involves the story being told through multiple perspectives from different characters including certain scenes repeated, but from alternate points of view. Media such as Crash, Vantage Point, Human Capital, season 4 of Arrested Development and even an episode of Recess have used that technique for example. Also, there was no traditional script since the teens had to improv their characters and dialog. Ms. Korisa and I filmed the movie while she edited the footage and Ali came up with the title.
Next up is another project from two of the Take 2 Teens. This is The Taboo Podcast. Lina and Amachi were able to create a theme for this podcast and recorded it at Studio 270 at Gail Borden Library. They recorded their pilot and it’s now on Soundcloud. The Taboo Podcast involves Lina and Amachi talking about real life issues of various kinds and they will be making new episodes periodically during the school year. It was very brave of them to make a podcast and a blog. Feel free to check out their pilot episode and to follow their blog.
http://thetaboopodcast.wordpress.com
Have a great day, everybody!
-Mr. Curtis
Take 2 Creative Camp 