Videographer (Indigenous)

COMMUNITY PARTNER

Encoded Textiles Collaborative

ABOUT THE INTERNSHIP

Duties

The videographer will assist Coded Stories Film Director, Adam Hyman, in shooting on-site with the Navajo Nation.  Camera operator will be expected to follow directions promptly and be respectful of the culture in which they are working.  Shooting rights and permissions have been acquired and the student will gain the full benefit of working with an award-winning director and crew whose experience runs the gambit of high-end commercial films to History Channel documentaries.  Internship offered in partnership through ASU Project Humanities.

Responsibilities:
• This individual must be organized and capable of juggling multiple projects at once. In addition, he or she should thrive in a fast-paced environment and be able to interact effectively with all levels of team members.
• You will work closely with top leads as a videographer/video editor and motions graphics artist.
• You will be guided through problem solving and solution driven tasks within design and marketing drive goals.
• You must be comfortable working under supervision, as well as working independently when required.
• You must be able to take direction and follow through with creative tasks. Taking initiative in any form of marketing and design is always welcome and will only help you drive further.
• You will be required to work outdoors at times, as you will be attending events, small and large.
• You must be a driven individual, willing to put what it takes into helping the project work to its full potential.

Tasks will include:
• Camera work, both still digital and HD video
• Sound recording or sampling
• Video editing
• Motion Graphics
• DVD and Web authoring
• Artistic collaboration/creation of the video editing and authoring process

Population served

Indigenous communities, Title 1 and general k-12 student base, cultural institutions, PBS audience, general Arizona populations.

Community need/impact

According to UNESCO 96% of the world’s languages are spoken by approximately 3% of the world’s people, and by the end of the 21st century, 90% of the world’s languages will likely be replaced by dominant languages.  Indigenous languages are increasingly less likely to be spoken by younger generations.  For example according to Golla (2007), in our first engaged community, the Navajo Nation, only 25% of the children are learning Diné bizaad (the Navajo language).  Contemporary society is encroaching on indigenous communities, creating a decline in younger generations’ desire to learn their native language or engage within their culture.  The Encoded Textiles Project will enhance educational and preservation infrastructures and dissemination techniques for indigenous languages, cultures, and traditions through barcoding technologies.

The Encoded Textiles Project will significantly increase the number of resources (e.g. curricula models, literature recommendations, oral narrative collections, videos, etc.) for educators on National Endowment for the Humanities’ EDSITEment website.  There are currently only six, indigenous-specific resources available.  While measuring an increase in language and cultural prestige is difficult, various engagement levels will be examined: access of video resources and documentary distribution, access of educational materials, demand for the traveling exhibit, interest of indigenous communities to be included, and advancement of the technologies for commercial and educational purposes.  Exhibition visitors will be polled, collecting demographic information and determining impact, while ensuring access to targeted generations and traditionally under-served populations, including the indigenous communities. Additionally K-12 educational infrastructure impact will be researched by examining the success of incorporating awareness of indigenous cultures and languages into curriculum while adhering to state standards for education and maintaining or improving students’ state assessment scores.