Indigenous Action Plan: One Year Later

A year ago, we launched our 3-year Indigenous Action Plan. We figure it’s time for an update. In an announcement made on June 21, Claude Joli-Coeur, the head of the NFB, reported on our progress to date and outlined key actions for the year ahead. The announcement was timed to coincide with National Indigenous Peoples Day.

The Indigenous Action Plan was designed to respond to the work and recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) and address longstanding concerns about systemic inequalities in the current Canadian production landscape.

Indigenous Action Plan first-year highlights

We have 35 Indigenous-directed projects in development or production, representing 9.5% of overall production spending. The goal is 15% by 2020.

Almost 900 screenings took place as part of the Aabiziingashi (Wide Awake) Indigenous Cinema Tour. We worked with TIFF, APTN, imagineNATIVE, the Canadian Commission for UNESCO, and local partners.

We added a new Indigenous Cinema section to NFB.ca, offering more than 200 new and classic Indigenous titles. New films will be added annually.

We have a new program in development for students, educators, and other learners called the Indigenous Voices and Reconciliation (IVR) Learning Program. It will launch in 2019.

We’re supporting an initiative led by imagineNATIVE to create screen protocols for working with Indigenous filmmakers, subjects, and stories.

We’ve made an agreement with APTN to pool efforts and expertise in developing protocols for production, distribution, and archive management, as well as implementing best practices for hiring and training. The goal is to strengthen relationships with Indigenous creators, staff, and partners.

We’re adopting an Indigenous Materials Classification Schema developed by Indigenous librarians to catalogue our online collection.

Close to 50% of NFB staff have participated in Indigenous cultural awareness activities, with training for all staff to be completed by 2019–2020.

 

Partnering on the creation of the Indigenous Screen Office.

Indigenous Action Plan in Action

Some of the feature docs we released this past year include Alanis Obomsawin’s Our People Will Be Healed, Marie Clements’ The Road Forward, and Tasha Hubbard’s Birth of a Family. In terms of short films, we also released Jay Cardinal Villeneuve’s Holy Angels and Asinnajaq’s Three Thousand. We currently have over 30 Indigenous films in either development or production.

Aside from these milestones, we are also continuing our initiatives in the areas of education, community engagement, and online accessibility. For more information, check out the full press release. INSERT LINK

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Back Market: The Refurbished Super Market

Back Market offers refurbished products by certified professionals.

Back Market is one of the most sleekly designed websites featuring refurbished tech products. Even though the site only offers refurbished products—that is, pre-owned items that have been tuned up before being reintroduced back on to the market—it still feels like a legitimate Apple or Samsung store. That’s likely due to the site’s clever copywriting as well as its UI design. Unlike other sites offering comparable products, Back Market seems more trustworthy, as if the products are actually going to work when you get them home. This is also likely due to their comprehensive FAQ section and a dedicated customer service team on staff.

Although most people think of old smart phones when they hear the word “refurbished,” Back Market makes it clear that they offer a wide variety of refurbished items. In addition to smart phones, you can also find TVs, tablets, laptops, and desktop computers on the site. Because all of the items are pre-owned, they tend to be much cheaper than what you’d be able to buy them for at a new retail price. Because they’re refurbished, however, they’re at least a bit more likely to work well. Back Market also has a good warranty plan. If you’re looking for a cheaper alternative to buying a new tech product, Back Market is worth browsing.

Back Market: The Refurbished Super Market posted first on http://film-streamingsweb.blogspot.com

Crown: Dating Game

Crown is a dating game competition on your phone.

The Bachelor, On Your Phone

Many novelty apps with a unique twist on the classic swipe left / swipe right have come and gone since Tinder created the technology and laid the groundwork for the new era of online dating. Crown, a new app created by the Match Group, which actually owns Tinder as well as Match.com and OKCupid, is different and exciting enough that it may work its way into the mainstream. The app works almost like an episode of The Bachelor: each day, 16 people compete against each other to be your match. Rather than simply swiping left or right on individuals, you decide who you like better in a bracket-style competition that ends with four final “winners.”

Play The Dating Game

The downside of Crown’s approach, of course, is that you may complete your dating game and then still have no one to talk to. The four winners of your competition can choose to talk to you or “pass,” which means that you might not be going on a date with the winner of your daily game just because you crowned them victorious. Still, the app presents a fun, and most importantly, unique, twist on the concept of dating apps. If you’re currently in the dating pool and sick of swiping through the same old apps, consider giving Crown a try.

Crown: Dating Game posted first on http://film-streamingsweb.blogspot.com

Animation Techniques: Cut-Out

This new series highlights different kinds of animation, explaining the techniques, and sharing some of our best examples. This week, we’re focusing on cut-out animation.

The NFB has a rich, storied history with animation. Since almost its inception, it has bred world-famous animators, masters of their craft who produced the classics we still enjoy today. The Board has a global reputation for being a producer of some of the world’s best animation, and a handful of Oscars to prove it.

One of the secrets of its success is diversity. The Board is like an incubator for new artists, and new ideas. We don’t specialize in one or two techniques – we try ‘em all. This week, we’re focusing on cut-out animation.

One of the earliest forms of animation, or maybe even the earliest form of animation, cut-out animation has stood the test of time. It’s exactly as its name describes – animation formed using cut-outs of materials such as paper, card stock, fabric, or whatever, set against a two-dimensional background. From there, it’s more like stop-motion, as the objects are moved, then shot, moved, then shot, etc., etc.

We’ve got a nice selection of cut-out animation, and I went to three of our in-house authorities to see what their favourites were. I hit up Michael Fukushima, executive producer of the animation studio; Albert Ohayon, our collection analyst (or expert, as we call him); and Kate Ruscito, our social media strategist and all-around animation enthusiast. These are their picks.

Le Merle

This classic from Norman McLaren and Evelyn Lambart is a positively mesmerizing film that will have you tapping your toe and bobbing your head. If you think about it fleetingly, it’s so simple – just a few cut out shapes moving against a couple of different backgrounds set to the tune of a French folk song. But when you really think about it, so much intricate work must have gone into each and every shot. It’s mind-boggling. And a sheer pleasure to watch.

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My Financial Career

True confession: Until I sat down to write this post, I had no idea that this film was done with paper cut-out. It’s one of my favourites, and I’ve seen it a bunch of times, but I had to go back and re-watch it. Then, of course, I just felt like an idiot. Anyway, enjoy the delightful Stephen Leacock tale of a young man who walks into a bank…

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Mr. Frog Went A-Courting

Evelyn Lambart makes another appearance on this list, which should come as no surprise since cut-out was one of her most commonly-used techniques. And she was good. Once again, we’ve got rollicking imagery set to a jaunty folk tune. And once you get past the whole inter-species courtship thing, this little film is a really good time.

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The Hungry Squid

This film is not like the others in that while it is cut-out animation, its done digitally. The effect is pretty cool – very lively and surreal. The story itself features young Dorothy, a girl who’s going through a tough time, and finding it hard to find someone who believes her. Yes, it’s a tall tale about a homework-eating Squid, but come on – how often do you get to see a giant squid on a rampage?

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Bug Off (or 5 Films About Bugs)

Are there any creatures on earth more maligned and misunderstood than bugs? Though often dismissed as nothing but pests, bugs are, in actuality, amazing creatures and a vital part to our eco-system. Luckily for us, however, our busy worker bees here at the NFB colony have found a swarm of films to help better educate us about these astounding arthropods.

So, relax and curl up in a cocoon made of blankets as we present to you 5 super fly films about all things creepy and crawly.

Four Wings and a Prayer

Our first film on this list is this documentary about one of the most beautiful animals on earth: the Monarch butterfly. Based on the book by Sue Halpern, this doc takes us across an awesome adventure of triumph and survival, as the Monarchs make their annual three thousand kilometre long pilgrimage from their homes in Canada, over mountains, through storms and perilous dangers all the way to their migrational wintering grounds deep in the mountains of Mexico.

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Queen of the Sun: What Are the Bees Telling Us?

“If bees die out, man will only have four years of life left on earth.”

– usually attributed to Albert Einstein.

Indeed, unless you’re Nicholas Cage in a terrible re-make of Wickerman, you’re probably worried about Colony Collapse Disorder, which has caused the number of bees on Earth to drastically decline. In this documentary, the viewer is introduced to  various philosophers and scientists, all of whom are investigating this mysterious phenomenon. Is there a solution? Watch and find out.

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Entomology

From the Ancient Greek word entomon, meaning “insect” and logia, meaning “the study of,” Entomology is, in short, the science of bugs! The branch of biology concerned with all things insect, this short under 5-minute documentary provides a great introduction for any aspiring little scientist or anyone interested in bugs.

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Black Fly

A charming animation based on the folksong of the same title, this short film is written and sung by Canadian singer Wade Hemsworth, with back-up vocals by the McGarrigle sisters. It follows the misadventures of Hemsworth himself as he battles the ancient, bone pickin’ arch-enemy of all outdoors people in Northern Ontari-o: the blackfly! A fun earworm you’ll be humming all day.

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Science at the Top of the World – Field Work: Studying Insects in Ivvavik National Park

Take a trip to Ivvavik National Park, with arthropod aficionado and bug expert Jason Straka. Part of the Science and the Top of the World series, which spotlights different Arctic eco-systems throughout Canada, this particular vignette is all about the important ecological role insects have as signifiers of the natural balance.

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Vanido: Your Personal Singing Coach

Vanido teaches you how to sing.

Learn To Sing

Vanido is a free iOS app that gives fun and engaging vocal lessons. When you first sign up for an account with Vanido, the app has you test out your vocal range by singing the lowest note you can reach as well as the highest note you can reach. It then personalizes a lesson plan for you in your register. The course progresses in a similar manner to DuoLingo, starting with the basics and continuing on to more complex lessons in an app with an easy-to-follow, visually-appealing design. The app is designed so that people with no singing experience at all can learn how to better use their voices, and it truly is that intuitive.

Guitar Hero, For Your Voice

Vanido’s vocal lessons operate in a manner similar to Guitar Hero, so those who are accustomed to playing that game or similar games should have an easy time picking up on it. Notes scroll across the screen, and your goal is to get your voice to match them. The iPhone’s microphone integrates surprisingly well with the app, picking up your voice without much lag time. Even for a complete novice, it’s fun to be able to watch your voice climb to different heights and drop to lows you never knew you could reach before. It might not make you the greatest singer of all time, but Vanido is a great educational tool for those that want to explore the range of their own singing voice.

Vanido: Your Personal Singing Coach posted first on http://film-streamingsweb.blogspot.com

Ghosts ‘N Guns: AR Endless Shooter

Ghosts ‘N Guns is an AR endless shooter arcade game.

Bring Ghosts To Your Room

Pokémon Go proved that AR technology could improve the mobile gaming experience. Since the launch and subsequent viral spread of that game, however, there haven’t been tons of AR success stories on the market. Ghosts ‘N Guns, like Pokémon Go, is another example of how fun the simple addition of AR can be. It accomplishes that feat, however, in a much less complicated and easier-to-play manner. The mobile app, made by Turbo Chili and available on iOS only, transforms your real surrounding environment into the backdrop for an arcade-style game. It’s something you can easily play a few minutes and come back to later, but it’s still extremely entertaining.

Challenge The Bosses

Ghosts ‘N Guns lets you drop a “portal” anywhere in the space in which you’re playing. Ghosts then emerge from the portal and surround you. It’s your task to shoot all of them down. As you progress through the levels, the ghosts become more numerous and difficult to fight. There are also little challenges and bosses that emerge after clearing levels. The game can be disorienting, because there’s a radar in the top right corner that tracks ghosts that can literally surround you. In that sense, it does require a fair bit of movement. Still, Ghosts ‘N Guns is an easy, yet fun game with re-playability value.

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