Must Read! Createquity: The Top 10 Arts Policy Stories

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I've excerpted the start of the list - read the full post at:

http://createquity.com/

"Each year, Createquity offers a list of the top ten arts policy stories of the past 12 months. You can read the 2009 and 2010 editions here and here, respectively. In addition to the main list, I also identify my favorite new arts blogs that started within the past year. The list, like the blog, is focused on the United States, but is not oblivious to news from other parts of the world.

For the most part, 2011 saw the continuation of trends that had already been set in motion in previous years. The economy continued to be an issue for arts organizations worldwide, affecting government revenues in particular. The NEA moved in directions foreshadowed by its actions in 2010. And the culture wars, while not translating into meaningful policy change for the most part, were waged in the background once again.

10. Federal cultural funding dodges a bullet

The newly-elected Republican House of Representatives made a lot of noise this year about cutting funding to arts and culture, particularly the Corporation for Public Broadcasting after a forced scandal involving NPR’s then-vice president of development. Democrats refused to take the bait, however, and even amid multiple standoffs over the federal budget this year, cultural funding survived largely intact. The NEA escaped with a 13% decrease from last year’s originally enacted funding level, and CPB and the Smithsonian actually saw increases. Notably, the Department of Education’s arts in education budget was also saved (albeit with cuts) despite an Obama administration recommendation for consolidation under other programs. That said, the saber-rattling this past year leaves little doubt about the prospects for arts funding under a Republican Congress and President in 2013 and beyond, and it will surprise no one if the same battles are fought all over again in 2012.

9. Grand Rapids LipDub shows how creative placemaking is done

By now you’ve heard the story: city gets named on a top ten list of “America’s dying cities”; college-aged filmmakers galvanize the community to organize a coordinated response. The result: “the greatest letter to the editor of all time,” also known as the Grand Rapids LipDub. Involving thousands of people and requiring a near-total shutdown of the city’s downtown area, the video went viral over Memorial Day weekend and has received nearly 4.5 million views as of December 31. But more than the feat itself, the video is notable as an incredibly effective example of cost-effective creative placemaking. The mayor of Grand Rapids was very smart to give this $40,000 production (mostly raised through sponsorships from local businesses) his complete support: it is just about the best advertising for his city one could possibly ask for, conveying a completely unforced and compelling charm while fostering community pride among local residents along the way.

8. Crowdfunding goes mainstream

Just two years ago, Kickstarter was a novelty and no one had heard of IndieGoGo. Now, these and other “crowdfunding” platforms that connect creatives with fans and financial backers have become an indelible part of the artistic landscape, particularly for grassroots, entrepreneurial projects. This July, Kickstarter alone reached the milestones of 10,000 successful projects and $75 million in pledges over slightly more than two years, numbers that compare favorably with major private foundations’ support for the arts. Meanwhile, crowdfunding is fast becoming a, well, crowded market, with new entrants lured by the profit-making potential of serving as banker for the creative economy. RocketHub, USA Projects, and the Power2Give initiative are just three of the more significant new entrants of the past two years, and similar platforms are popping up to serve technology startups and the broader charity market...."

Randy Finch's Film: The Connection Between the Collapse of Theatrical and DVD - And the Studios' Support of SOPA

Excerpt from Randy's blog post:

"...The biggest financial backing for SOPA comes from the legacy movie studios and other old media and old money businesses. So far, these established supporters of SOPA have experienced no pushback from internet users, although a threatened boycott got domain registrar and Web hosting company GoDaddy to change from backing SOPA to pulling its support almost overnight in late December 2011.

While the 20th Century media titans are gearing up to push SOPA through Congress, we are just getting word that 2011 will be the worst year for motion picture theatrical attendance since 1995.

Is it a coincidence? Or are these two events - the ongoing collapse of theatrical and the push for a new internet piracy law - related?

The studios are redoubling their efforts to pass SOPA - a law intended to protect their online revenue stream - just as theatrical (the oldest revenue stream of motion pictures) appears to be dying.

And the collapse of theatrical attendance is not the only threat to movie studio revenue in 2012. In 2010, the DVD market also began to unravel. Consumers switched from buying DVDs to low-cost rentals from Netflix and Redbox. According to SNL Kagan, revenue collected by studios from DVDs dropped 44% in 2010. And that collapse of DVD sales appears to have continued in 2011: While seven movies saw DVD sales that exceeded $100 million in 2010 (lead by Avatar, which pulled in more than $183 million in 2010), no DVD did $100 million in sales in 2011.

In the face of declining ticket sales and lack of interest in DVDs, does the studios' SOPA strategy make sense?

Can the studios stave off dwindling theatrical and DVD numbers by enacting a new law that attacks offshore piracy?..."

Read the full post here:

http://finchclasses.blogspot.com/2011/12/studios-are-fiddling-over-sopa-while...

Woot! CFC production launching: Toronto web series inspired by viral dancing inmate video

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Excerpt from The Toronto Star:

"Prison Dancer, a musical web series inspired by the 49-million-times-viewed (and counting) video of Filipino prisoners doing the routine to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” just wrapped production in Toronto.

Producer Ana Serrano says they have big hopes and dreams for this project. The web series was created and directed by Romeo Candido (Lolo’s Child), who co-wrote it with Carmen De Jesus. Serrano says she became interested in the project when she discovered Prison Dancer when it was a play. It had a script reading as part of the Fu-Gen Asian Theatre festival.

“When I saw the play’s read through, I immediately thought this is the property that I was looking for a long time. When producers are looking to create something, they’re looking for that meaty property that can work across multiple platforms,” she says. “This was a bit like original video, the Dancing Inmates of Cebu. It kind of came out of nowhere. I mean no one ever expected that to be one of the five most successful viral videos of all time. But it still is to this day.”

The web series is filmed in mockumentary style over 12 five- to eight-minute long webisodes, and is told from the point of view of Matt, a web culture journalist who starts to look into the lives of the inmates who became YouTube sensations..."

Whoa. Moverio – The Virtual 80-Inch, 3D Television You Wear On Your Face | Singularity Hub

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Excerpt from short description on singularityhub.com

"The new Moverio headset is a see-through 3D display that wears like a pair of funky shades. Run on Android 2.2, the display appears as an 80-inch 3D screen 5 meters in front of you. To avoid open manholes the glasses allow you to see what’s going on in the real world while you watch Lord of The Rings..."

How to Tell a Great Cowbird Story· 9 Simple Steps & Some Extras

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Love how workable Jonathan Harris has made Cowbird.

You can also add character images, profiles and role tags. Adding a location will trigger an interactive map and you can add an email address it seems to include others as storytellers in your story.

"4. Add an email address.

Adding an email address is a really thoughtful and courteous thing to do. When you add an email address for the character you create, that real-life person will be able to "claim" that character when they sign up for Cowbird. Don't worry — the email address will never be displayed to other people."