Entries are videos only, with no audience participation. This includes animations, and linear and nonlinear narratives.
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Jury Chair: Bruce Falk, Contracting Officer
US Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington, DC
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GOLD: Fritz Scholder: Indian/Not Indian
National Museum of the American Indian
Judges said: As Fritz Scholder himself says, “Fine art is the greatest racket around.” This vibrant, high-energy production explores what it means to be “Indian” for a man who, without rejecting opportunities arising out of recognition of his heritage, initially just wanted to be viewed as an artist. A fascinating study of a controversial and confrontational individual presented in a style that evokes and echoes that of the artist, this concise film makes lots of assertions but ultimately lets the artist and his work speak for themselves within their historical context, thereby allowing viewers to draw their own conclusions. Great piece.
Producers said: In the 1960s and ’70s, the notion of American Indian art was turned on its head by artists who fought against prejudice and popular clichés. At the forefront of this revolution was Fritz Scholder (Luiseño, 1937-2005). Fritz Scholder: Indian/Not Indian profiles this prolific artist and serves as an introduction to the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian exhibition of the same name.
Relying on archival clips of the artist, this video presents Fritz Scholder as the subject and primary narrator of his own story. He was a larger-than-life character and this production was created to bring his spirit alive.
Relying on archival clips of the artist, this video presents Fritz Scholder as the subject and primary narrator of his own story. He was a larger-than-life character and this production was created to bring his spirit alive. A theater was created inside the exhibition with seating for approximately 30 people. The video is presented early in the exhibition.
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SILVER: Presidents in Waiting
National Portrait Gallery and VideoArt Productions, Inc.
Judges said: The interviews of former Vice Presidents Walter Mondale, George Herbert Walker Bush, Dan Quayle, and Dick Cheney intertwine and resonate on many levels; they are tremendously well-researched and superlatively shot and edited, including historic photography and contextual news footage. Each portrait offers a different thrill: from Cheney’s candid reply to the question of whether he was “the most powerful Vice President ever,” to Quayle’s recollection of what he considered to be his finest hour in the office. The films offer audiences deeper understanding of the forces that shape the Vice Presidency, from Mondale’s discussion of his “written pact” with Jimmy Carter to Bush’s examination of the assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan as it impacted his determination that Quayle be fully party to, if not necessarily a participant in, presidential decision-making. In fact, such is the wondrous variety of character and political insight on display in these historic portraits that audiences will be left wanting Gore.
Producers said: John Adams, our most cantankerous founding father, viewed the office of the vice president as the “most insignificant office” ever invented by man. Adams would probably have never guessed that fourteen vice presidents—almost one-third of America’s presidents—would become president. The National Portrait Gallery’s exhibition “Presidents in Waiting” examines the careers of these fourteen men in order to understand how they became vice president and then president.
In preparing the exhibition, NPG had the extraordinary opportunity to interview four of our nation’s former living vice presidents, dating back to the Carter administration: Walter Mondale, George H. W. Bush, Dan Quayle, and Dick Cheney. (Scheduling conflicts prevented Al Gore’s participation.) We asked each of them to share their memories of the moment they received “the call” to join the ticket, and to discuss their relationship with the president.
Produced with VideoArt Productions, Inc., and made possible by a grant from the Ford Motor Company Fund, the videos are intended for all audiences and provide another dimension to the portraits in the exhibition. The in-gallery videos (4-5 minutes each) provide targeted in-depth interviews to hold the interest of the viewer. Clips of each interview are also available on the exhibition website.
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BRONZE: B.B. King Museum Films
B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center and Dollarhide Film, Inc.
Judges said: This production presents the life and times of BB King, a music legend whose rise to prominence carries inherent interest. Well-told and thematically arranged to promote browsing in a museum context, the video remains compelling as a whole. While the briefest glimpse of BB King the man (reflecting back on audience response to his Fillmore West performance in the late 1960s) might leave audiences craving a deeper understanding of how King’s many accomplishments affected him personally there remains plenty of visual interest and historical detail to engage viewers.
Producers said: The films take visitors, twelve years and older, on a trip with Riley B. King from his birthplace in Mississippi to the pinnacle of his success as the “King of the Blues.” Each of the eight films mirrors the associated subject areas of the Museum’s interpretive content, addressing the following topics: the social context, people and places of B.B.’s youth; his early musical experiences and decision to pursue blues professionally; the vibrant music scene in Memphis; life on the road and the Chitlin’ Circuit; the turbulent 1960′s and America’s racial unrest; B.B.’s ascent to international icon; and his pride in his place of origin, giving back to Mississippi and his community.
The films were produced by the B.B. King Museum and Dollarhide Films. Editors were Jim Dollarhide, David Selman, Jim Smith, Sam Watson, John Stockwell, Bill Simonett; the content team included Connie Gibbons, Allan Hammons, Carver Randle, Edgar Smith, Robert Gordon, Cissy Anklam, Scott Barretta, Robert Malootian, Deborah Mack; and B.B. King music is courtesy of Geffen Records / Universal Music Group.
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Jurors:
Nancy A. Pope, Smithsonian Institution, National Postal Museum
Layla Masri , President, Bean Creative
Siobhan Starrs, Exhibit Developer, NMNH
Vicki Portway, Chair, Interactive Media and Electronic Outreach, NASM
Charles Hildebrandt, Attorney, Roberts Group, LLC
Jeff Breslow, Director, Business Affairs, Corporation for Public Broadcasting
Silvia Lovato, Director, PBS Kids GO! Interactive at PBS
Jay Zaveri, Founder and CEO at Future Thought Productions
