Hollow

Instagram users: share the photos that remind you of home. When...

Thu, 02 May 2013 08:38:00 -0400

Instagram users: share the photos that remind you of home. When we launch @hollowthefilm in June your photo will appear in the experience.

Join the fun and see the photos that have been uploaded so far! hollerhome.hollowdocumentary.com

The photo above is of my Paw Paw Bobby in Nettie, West Virginia. Home is not so much a place for me…it’s a feeling and/or a person.

Family=home

Mountains=home

Comfort=home

Elaine

Totally in love with these amazing home videos that Homer Hickam...

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 16:42:07 -0400

Totally in love with these amazing home videos that Homer Hickam donated to the project…even though they are silent I am watching them and hearing the atmosphere, conversation and mood of the place. So beautiful, but I’m always a sucker for archival footage and home movies :)

American counties hollow out from aging, finance crisis and youth migration | Beyond The Beyond | Wired.com

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 14:56:14 -0400

American counties hollow out from aging, finance crisis and youth migration | Beyond The Beyond | Wired.com:

*I wonder why it’s taken Detroit so long to follow the lead of Turin and try to attract in-migration. *What are these re-wilderness tracts of the USA go

Hollow Documentary - WVLIVING.COM

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 23:07:35 -0400

Hollow Documentary - WVLIVING.COM:

Being creeps in the gif booth at Tribeca Film Institute’s...

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 13:00:29 -0400

Being creeps in the gif booth at Tribeca Film Institute’s Interactive conference #tfii

A Trial of Priorities & Will

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 19:16:37 -0400

by Renee Bolden, McDowell native and Hollow participant

Many McDowell County residents were in attendance to last week’s County Commission meeting, which was held in the courthouse annex courtroom, concerning a proposed 9% tax increase. This courtroom is the site of official court trials. It is now, however, the site of an unofficial one as well that consists of priorities and will. Commissioners Ray Bailey, Harold McBride, and Gordon Lambert appeared to be a three-judge panel seated at the front of the room and McDowell County residents crowded into the jury seats, the plaintiff and defendant tables, the observers seats, and yet, many were left standing.

Tensions were eased somewhat when county commission president, Gordon Lambert, stated, ”I appreciate all of you being here. I hate that the wrong information went out in the paper and on TV that there was going to be an increase, proposed increase of 9%. What was looked at was .09%, not even 1%. …Since we see the turnout here today there won’t be any rate increase.” Immediately, there were cheers and clapping.

Following this statement, residents took the opportunity to question the commissioners on many different topics. The main issue of the day, however, was that of Sheriff Martin West’s budget. Sheriff West announced that his department was in much need of basic equipment: uniforms, guns, ammunition, protective gear, and vehicles. West brought to the commissioners’ attention a spending reduction and cost-savings plan that had been drawn up by County Manager Clif Moore. West stated, concerning the plan, ”He has about 12 things that he said would save the county money and that we wouldn’t be to this position today, that we wouldn’t even be talking about raising taxes in a depressed county, such as ours.” Lambert responded that they had not adopted Moore’s proposal.

Sheriff West and residents mentioned the need for the county to get their priorities in order. In order to protect and serve the county, the sheriff’s department needs to be properly equipped and accordingly compensated. West and his deputies are battling the biggest enemy known to the county: drugs. If the county can keep more people off drugs, there will be more able-bodied workers within the county. This, in turn, will assist with county financials as they will be paying taxes within the county.

Lambert recognized the work of the Sheriff by stating, “I think the Sheriff has been doing a great job.” This statement was followed with applause and proclamations of, “Yes, he is!” by the crowd. Sheriff West addressed the commissioners, stating, ”We’re asking y’all to back us, back the county, and do what’s right.” Debbie King concluded, ”We should have people like this at every meeting, … We need to keep coming after them, not after them to be mean, but to speak up and to hang in there together.”

The constituents of McDowell County expect the commissioners to work with them to better the county and to support the Sheriff. During this trial, it was clear that the people desire to be heard. McDowell County is constantly battling poverty, health issues, dental problems, educational needs, transportation difficulties, teenage pregnancy, and drug addiction. We have faith that the commissioners will work with the people to overcome these stumbling blocks. This is a trial of will to overcome which seems to be growing stronger.

The jury members of this trial will deliberate for some time as we anxiously await what the future holds for McDowell County.

Getting Closer to Launch! Lots of updates, links and news

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 11:28:38 -0400

The past couple months have been a whirlwind of long hours and exciting payoffs for everyone on the Hollowteam. Here are a couple updates!

Hollow featured in Tribeca Film Institute’s TFI Sandbox: Check out the site which features a project homepage, an interview with me about Hollow, an interview with Jeff Soyk and I about the Tribeca/Zeega Hackathon, and many other resources and information about interactive documentary.
Hollow featured in “New Digital Storytelling” series in Filmmaker Magazine: The fine folks at the MIT Open Doc Lab asked us to contribute to the series and we’re super excited about the final piece. The series will continue throughout the year!
“Beautiful McDowell County” photo exhibit has moved from Charleston to Bramwell, West Virginia: The exhibit, which features photography by Betty Rivard and myself, will open on March 18 at the Coal Heritage Interpretive Center in the Bramwell Depot. The exhibit will be on display through May 11.Tomorrow (Tues. 3/19), an artist reception with Betty Rivard will be held from 5:30-7:30 PM at the depot.
2013 WVU Short Film Fest: This past weekend I traveled to Morgantown to screen two short pieces fromHollow and take part in a panel discussion about Appalachian identity. It was great to meet Martha Stephens, a talented Appalachian filmmaker and writer/director of Pilgrim Song.
Tribeca Film Fest: In late April, we will be attending the Tribeca Film Festival to represent Hollow. I will provide more details closer to the date!
SXSW Interactive and Film Festival: Last week, I had the pleasure to serve as a digital media and film mentor at the SXSW film festival in Austin, Texas. The trip was an amazing experience and I was so surprised to meet people who already knew about Hollow. It was also great to be able to meet several of our Kickstarter backers in Austin, including Mike Andrick and Dan Mistich.

Take the time to check out Sustainable Williamson’s...

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 11:51:38 -0400

Take the time to check out Sustainable Williamson’s IndieGoGo campaign.

This past summer, a McDowell resident and I drove over to Williamson to meet with Eric Mathis and check out their progress in developing a sustainable and healthier Mingo County. The photographs above were taken during this visit at an apple orchard near Williamson.

Share and support if you can!

Additional Links:

Sustainable Williamson

Video Teaser

Healthy Communities Video

Facebook

Post production is moving right along! Bruce Bolden has finished...

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 19:52:45 -0500

Post production is moving right along! Bruce Bolden has finished the color correction on 23 portraits!

Elaine McMilion, director of HOLLOW, was interviewed by Patrick...

Fri, 18 Jan 2013 21:42:00 -0500

Elaine McMilion, director of HOLLOW, was interviewed by Patrick Felton in Charleston, West Virginia for his podcast, “That Conversation.”

Full audio interview: “That Conversation” by Patrick Felton

Soundcloud link

Today I met Alexander Wright at his home in Newhall. The...

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 22:00:00 -0500

Today I met Alexander Wright at his home in Newhall. The McDowell County resident is very concerned about issues that he believes stem from several strip mining jobs nearby. Alexander says blasting has caused large cracks in his home’s foundation. He is also concerned with the water quality of Cucumber Creek which has been recently running “black as coal.” He is working with Rob Goodwin, of Coal River Mountain Watch, to help file a complaint and find a solution through the DEP. More of the story (and details) to come when we launch in May.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING from the HOLLOW team. Check out this short...

Fri, 23 Nov 2012 11:12:36 -0500

HAPPY THANKSGIVING from the HOLLOW team. Check out this short audio story about appreciation and thanks by Willie Weaver of Kimball, West Virginia.

Showing the "other" side of Youngstown, Ohio

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 19:52:00 -0500

Showing the "other" side of Youngstown, Ohio:

I commend this photographer in their effort to show the “other” side of Youngstown. It seems they have a very similar outlook about their hometown as we do about McDowell County.

Check out the story on RustWire

“These photographs focus on people not commonly shown in media depictions, as well as those working to contribute positively to the city, whether through community leadership, arts and culture, neighborhood development, or other such venues. Hopefully, these images leave the viewer with a sense of a Youngstown beyond the headlines of crime and economic collapse. For Youngstown is not yet a city abandoned; instead, it can be a place of both struggle and joy for those who still call it home.”

McDowell County is a very patriotic community and tomorrow they...

Sun, 11 Nov 2012 14:27:39 -0500

McDowell County is a very patriotic community and tomorrow they will continue their tradition of holding one of the country’s longest ongoing Veterans Day parades in the country.

And in honor of Veterans Day, we are releasing three short stories from residents in McDowell County. We interviewed over 50 individuals this summer, many of which shared stories of war and returning home after. Today we would like to share three of those from Ellis Ray Williams, Ed Shepard and Bill Bolt.

Ellis Ray Williams shares his experience as an African American soldier in WWII.

Ed Shepard talks about his time as a sniper in the Marine Corps and his return home to Welch.

Bill Bolt talks about returning to Coalwood from three years in the Navy, meeting the love of his life and watching his community change.

The stories can all be experienced on Cowbird!

Please watch and share with your friends as we pay respect to our Veterans!

Stephen Ritz: A teacher growing green in the South Bronx

Thu, 01 Nov 2012 17:49:05 -0400

Stephen Ritz: A teacher growing green in the South Bronx

“I can’t make old friends” NEW trailer for...

Sun, 28 Oct 2012 11:20:31 -0400

“I can’t make old friends” NEW trailer for Hollow

West Virginia University’s School of Journalism invited me...

Fri, 26 Oct 2012 21:06:00 -0400

West Virginia University’s School of Journalism invited me to come to campus yesterday and screen “Tales of an AP Journalist” at a George Esper memorial event. When I started the film in April of 2011, I never thought George would not be around to see the final product. However, before he passed away in February he had seen every cut and bragged about how much he loved it. People who had known George for years said that they learned things about him last night that they never knew before.

It was so great to see familiar faces and so many people come out for the screening. By the time credits rolled, there wasn’t a dry eye in the room…a true testament to Esper’s impact on everyone. The only complaint was, “It needs to be longer!”

Before heading back up to Boston today, Christa Vincent interviewed me about HOLLOW and my experience at the J-School (I graduated 4 years ago). Here are some screenshots from the shoot by the very talented photographer and videographer, Alex Wilson.

Source: Journalism code and the people who make it

Sun, 21 Oct 2012 19:30:08 -0400

Source: Journalism code and the people who make it

WV communities pull together to fight scary statistics

Sun, 21 Oct 2012 19:29:31 -0400

WV communities pull together to fight scary statistics

WV’s health: Up to the government or people?

Sun, 21 Oct 2012 19:29:11 -0400

WV’s health: Up to the government or people?