WMM Smartphone Studio Is A Hit At SAG-AFTRA
Jan 25, 2021
Two weeks in a row, President of SAG-AFTRA, Gabrielle Carteris invited We Make Movies’ Smartphone Studio to present at her weekly PTEOE (President’s Task Force on Education, Outreach and Engagement) livestreams for the SAG-AFTRA community. In just under two short weeks, the videos have accumulated a combined view count of over 9K, and are only gaining momentum on the SAG-AFTRA YouTube channel. At the end of week two’s presentation, presenters Aubrey Mozino and Sam Mestman earned high praise from Carteris, who declared “Your program, what you have been offering is really something that has resonated with the members. And I want to say thank you for that, because you are helping to empower. And we want everybody to feel empowered, particularly at a time when everybody feels very vulnerable. You’re really allowing people the ability to see their future."
And empowerment is indeed the goal of Mozino and Mestman, who developed the...
St. Louis Summer Stories Hits It Out Of The Park
Dec 21, 2020
We Make Movies teamed up with Apple Distinguished Educator, Don Goble, who then partnered with the St. Louis Cardinals and Mercy Hospital to bring the St. Louis Summer Stories program to a dozen rising seniors with little to no journalism or video production experience. The free, two week, immersive mobile journalism, video storytelling program focused around social and community development, and the teens were invited to learn how to operate the various donated Apple and OWC gear to tell the stories of their communities. However, the equipment, software, and education they received was only part of the equation. The teens could not have asked for a more heightened experience, as they witnessed history in the making against the backdrop of the BLM movement and a global health crisis.
With the world already adapting to a virtual way of life due to the pandemic, the skills of communication, problem solving, and media literacy have never been more...
We Make Movies and eARTh Project Chicago Summer Stories Inspires Next Generation of Storytellers
Dec 15, 2020
Following the success of the eARTh Project in Compton, CA, We Make Movies partnered up with Apple and the Kerry Wood Foundation to bring the program to Chicago, IL. The third installment of the Summer Stories was helmed by Steve Douglass, an Apple Distinguished Educator. Twelve students from various socio-economic backgrounds and neighborhoods of both suburban and inner city Chicago, came together to get a crash course in how to make a movie with iPhones.
Without the fuss of navigating complex gear, the kids learned to tell their stories with the portable, lightweight, and easy to use filmmaking tools totaling less than $300. The program instead, "emphasised iteration, practical knowledge, critical thinking, and collaboration," an intentional design of Sam Mestman, CEO of WMM and LumaForge. His hope is that the next generation of storytellers will walk away with "situational awareness, presence, resilience, communication skills, and adaptability to new...
We Make Movies Makes Magic For The Orphaned Starfish Foundation Gala
Dec 08, 2020
The year 2020 may be recalled as one catastrophic dumpster fire after another, but there have been moments that positively punctuated this year as well. Some of these moments were created (and captured) by a few of our own forward-thinking filmmakers, Sam Mestman, Aubrey Mozino, Steven LaMorte (and a whole host of other affiliates), alongside Andrew Stein of The Orphaned Starfish Foundation. Our team pulled off several major technological feats, including organizing the first-ever virtual gala which accumulated $900,000 in charitable donations to be mobilized towards supporting over 15,000 orphans, victims of abuse, survivors of trafficking, indigenous communities, refugees, and at-risk youth around the world.
Please, let that sink in. In the midst of one of the most economically, physically, and psychologically trying times in modern history, We Make Movies helmed the production and broadcasting of a gala, complete with illustrious guests and speakers such as Jennifer Lopez...
If Content Is King, Community Is Queen
Dec 01, 2020
Community has always been the cornerstone of We Make Movies. What began as a small group of empowered filmmakers gathering to read one another's scripts, materialized into many films being made, followed by several incarnations of the group until the community reached global status. We boast an impressive roster of projects, host weekly events that cater to every stage of the filmmaking process, and provide educational support and practical services to filmmakers of all ilks looking to make what they want to see. Yes, we do that... but not without our community.
Through our innovative Smartphone Studio system, we have leveled the playing field for storytellers to tell their stories, while expanding our community. Filmmaking is no longer solely in the hands of the studios, and wealth does not dictate access to or success in the industry. We live in the age of the democratization of video production, and the gadget that nearly everyone has in their pocket, has...
