Poet Ponders the Digital

Film camera collection. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Visalia Direct: Virtual Valley June 5, 2015 Deadline July 2015 Issue Every weekend a small group of filmmakers I know make at least one three-minute movie and share the short film on their YouTube channel, 3X7 Films. Inspired by the 48-Hour Film Project (48hourfilm.com), my colleagues started to joke about entering a 48-hour contest each month. Someone suggested that it might be possible to make a three-minute movie every week. Soon, 3X7 Films was launched as a Facebook group and members started to assemble teams to make movies. The 48-Hour Film Project, also known as 48HFP, launched in 2001 by Mark Ruppert. He convinced some colleagues in Washington, D.C., that they could make a movie in 48 hours. The idea became a friendly competition. Fifteen years later, 48HFP is an international phenomenon, with competitions in cities around the world. Regional winners compete in national and international festivals. On a Friday nig...

A display of old televisions, VCRs and radios in Amberley Working Museum, England. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Visalia Direct: Virtual Valley December 6, 2010 Deadline January 2011 Issue Virtual Valley Predictions for 2011 Prognostication is a year-round sport in the technology industry, with everyone trying to anticipate the “Next Big Thing.” Few analysts guess the trends, but since it is the start of a new year, time to offer some predictions from the Virtual Valley crystal ball. The five predictions I offer share a common theme: with media going digital, traditional broadcasters and retailers are going to struggle. As newspapers and magazines have fallen to Web surfing, the next earthquakes will strike the film and television industries. Prediction 1: Cable and satellite television subscribers will reduce or terminate their monthly services. When the Fresno State Football Bulldogs beat Illinois 25-23 on December 3, I wasn’t near a television, but I was still watching ...