filmmaking – Eddie.com

Let’s Play: D&D in US Prisons

I was asked by documentary filmmaker and producer Elisabeth de Kleer if I would be willing to help create a Kickstarter video for her upcoming documentary film on inmates who play Dungeon and Dragons in the American prison system. Being a bit of a D&D nerd myself, this was an easy call. The Let’s Play: Dungeons & Dragons Behind Bars project went live today.

Her documentary will tell the story of how inmates and ex-cons are using role playing games to survive inside prison and how these games are used as tools to prepare for life on the outside. In the US, where the notion of rehabilitation is a joke, role playing games offer a very real way for inmates to find focus, meaning and community in their lives which goes a long way to reducing recidivism. Breaking the cycle of reoffending is a goal that benefits everyone. If you feel the same, please consider backing this worthwhile project.

Projects | Self Promotion | Video

A few questions for Spike Lee

Here’s an excerpt with my sit down interview with Spike Lee yesterday. Myself and a handful of other bloggers & vloggers got 20 minutes with Spike to ask him about the influence of the Internet, social networks, mobile devices and cheap tools on film making. Oh, and also his view on UFOs!! This is part of the Nokia Productions film project.

A few questions with Spike Lee from ekai on Vimeo.

Community | Projects | Self Promotion | Video

Help me make a film with Spike Lee and Nokia

I’ve been asked by Nokia to help with a pretty cool collaborative promotional project they’re doing with filmmaker Spike Lee. They’re encouraging people like you to use your cell phones and send in snapshots of moments from your life that fits the overall theme of HUMANITY. Spike also wants you to think of how music helps to tell the story of HUMANITY. These snapshots will be edited together into a coherent film, directed by Spike Lee himself. Well, not just himself. I’m one of five “assistant directors” who are here to help guide people in sending stuff in. As part of that, Nokia has setup a group blog for us assistants where we’ll post examples of what to submit, answer questions and help identify the pearls in the sea of submissions that are sure to flood in.

The project is broken into three Acts. The first Act BIRTH, has already come and gone. Act II is LIFE and it just opened today for submissions. Act III has yet to be announced, though it may not be too hard guess what it is. Now through July 2nd, you can submit text, pictures, music or video via the Jumpcut platform that Nokia Productions is using to build this thing. It has its limitations and the main Nokia Productions site isn’t very well integrated into the Jumpcut platform but don’t let that discourage you. As the kids say, there’s plenty of win here!

What’s really encouraged is using your crappy old cell phone to send stuff in. Take a photo or a low-res pixelated video. Do a lot with a little. This won’t be Cloverfield, but if you were being attacked by a big space monster, how would you capture it? This doesn’t mean you can’t use more pro gear. Content from any device is totally acceptable, it just needs to fit the theme of humanity in the context of music telling a story. They’ve even sent us assistants older Nokia 3555 phones to challenge us to submit stuff with low end cheap technology. No streaming N95s here! Once I figure out how to get stuff off the 3555 on to Jumpcut, I’ll post some examples to the group blog.

This NY Times article from April digs into the project a bit deeper, addressing how it fits into the greater world of social networking and “user generated content” (I really hate that term). Check the Nokia Productions site for more details and point me to anything you’ve submitted. I’d love to check out your stuff. Oh yeah, you can also win stuff.