Telling the stories of the most storied place

A Conversation with Cartha DeLoach

Posted by on Jan 28, 2013 in Media And Documentary Projects Blog

Back in June, I travelled down to the home of retired F.B.I. deputy director Cartha “Deke” DeLoach to interview him for our documentary film Rebels: James Meredith and the Integration of Ole Miss. While we were there, Center for Intelligence and Security Studies Director and retired F.B.I. agent Carl Jensen sat down with Mr. DeLoach […]

Power to the Students

Posted by on Jan 23, 2013 in Media And Documentary Projects Blog

Last evening, I spent some time at the Powerhouse Theatre giving a filmmaking workshop to an energetic group of middle school acting students. We talked about some of the types of shots you do when making a movie and how lighting can improve the quality and feel of your image. Here’s a test we did […]

More Lessons

Posted by on Jan 18, 2013 in Media And Documentary Projects Blog

Today was the final day of filming at Oxford Elementary as we interviewed over 40 third graders about the film they watched yesterday and what they would ask Bonnie Consolo, the woman born with no arms, if they met her. It was tight quarters but I wanted to use our new silk scrim to diffuse […]

Lessons Learned From Third Graders

Posted by on Jan 17, 2013 in Media And Documentary Projects Blog

We were filming today at Oxford Middle School for the first of two days of taping. As a small part of an extensive look at the history of special education in America, two classes of Oxford Middle School third graders were shown the award winning 1975 film A Day in the Life of Bonnie Consolo. […]

Joe on the Mississippi Arts Hour

Posted by on Dec 12, 2012 in Media And Documentary Projects Blog

MDP Senior Producer Joe York was recently interviewed on MPB for the Mississippi Arts Hour by our old friend and former student Mary Margaret Miller White.  Thanks to Mary Margaret and all our friends at the Mississippi Arts Commission. Click on the link below to hear the interview. Listen to Joe on Mississippi Arts Hour.

SIZE DON'T MATTER

David Frazier is a fly fisherman who favors the small rivers and streams of Mississippi. For him, it’s not necessarily about the catch, but the experience. Join him on the Chunky River one beautiful Fall morning to see why SIZE DON’T MATTER in this latest edition of Mississippi Stories. SIZE DON’T MATTER from UM Media […]

Crossing Chunky Waters

Growing up in Hickory, Mississippi, about five miles from the Chunky River, I had floated it many times in the past, but never after the leaves turned. Little did I know what I’d been missing. I recently went fishing with David Frazier, fly fisherman extraordinaire, and was amazed at the Fall beauty of the river […]

All Quiet on the Rebels Front

It’s been a while since I’ve updated the blog so I thought I’d share a little of what became of our documentary feature Rebels: James Meredith & the Integration of Ole Miss. After a truly olympian marathon editing process, the film premiered to a packed house at the Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing […]

Trick or Treat

Posted by on Oct 31, 2012 in Media And Documentary Projects Blog

Hot off the presses and just in time for Halloween, please enjoy my new short film “Trick or Treat” starring Greg Earnest, Meaghin Burke, Micah Ginn, and the amazing Maddie Cavett! A huge thanks to the cast and crew including Laura Cavett, Matt Minshew, and Greg Gray for donating their time and talents for this […]

Cameras and Candy

Posted by on Oct 30, 2012 in Media And Documentary Projects Blog

Last weekend, we shot this year’s addition to the annual OMTV Halloween short film series. This year’s film is called “Trick or Treat” and tells the continuing story of Todd and Margo. On their way to a Halloween party, they meet a mysterious girl. We shot the film at the Center for the Study of […]

LECILE

“You do everything big!” That’s the advice of Lecile Harris, the seventy-six-year-old professional rodeo clown whose life in rodeo spans almost sixty years. I got to spend some time with him at rodeos in Meridian, MS and Jonesboro, AR and had an absolute ball. Lecile began his career as a bullrider and bullfighter, but a […]

Enter James Meredith

Posted by on Aug 31, 2012 in Media And Documentary Projects Blog

James Meredith, the first African American enrolled at the University of Mississippi was in Oxford yesterday signing copies of his new memoir, A Mission from God. We documented his visit for our upcoming documentary and snagged a couple of books while we were at it!

A Scanner Lightly

Posted by on Aug 27, 2012 in Media And Documentary Projects Blog

Student worker Matt Minshew spent the morning at Special Collections in the library taking images from a newly donated collection of newspaper articles from 1962 regarding the integration of Ole Miss. These articles will provide a great framework for the timeline of events we’ll chronicle in the upcoming documentary, Rebels. Check back soon for more […]

The Fair

The Neshoba County Fair has been around since 1889, and Pat Banks Woodrick’s family was there at the very beginning. CABIN 25 is her story of fun and fellowship at Mississippi’s Giant Houseparty. Special bonus footage includes Ross Barnett on guitar and the melee that is the infamous chair race! Rex CABIN 25 from UM […]

Coming Soon

Although we’re still in production, I wanted to share the title of Media and Documentary Projects new documentary, REBELS: James Meredith & The Integration of Ole Miss. Directed by Matthew Graves. The hour long film tells the story of the events leading up to James Meredith’s historic integration of the University of Mississippi and the […]

A Legal Mind

Posted by on Aug 9, 2012 in Media And Documentary Projects Blog

Today I drove to Forest, MS to interview 1970 University of Mississippi Law School graduate Constance Slaughter Harvey.  Constance was the first female African-American law student at Ole Miss and shared with me her experiences as a student and the passion she has to make real change in Mississippi which was the driving force behind […]

The Other Philadelphia Story

Philadelphia, Mississippi is notorious for the 1964 Civil Rights killings of Andrew Goodman, James Earl Chaney, and Michael Schwerner.  In I CAN’T AFFORD TO FUMBLE THE BALL, Mayor James A. Young talks about the responsibility he feels as Philadelphia’s first black mayor and how the city has moved forward from its ignoble past. Rex

Cartha "Deke" DeLoach

Posted by on Jun 19, 2012 in Media And Documentary Projects Blog

We continue to gather stories from people involved in the 1962 integration of the University. This week, I traveled to Hilton Head, South Carolina to speak with retired FBI Assistant to the Director Cartha “Deke” DeLoach. He was the No. 3 man for the FBI during his career in the mid 40s through early 70s. […]

Memphis in the Meantime

There are much worse places to go to work than Rum Boogie Cafe, the Beale Street Music Festival, and the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest.  See a little bit of all three in BEALE, BLUES, & BARBECUE, a profile of Natchez native Lyman Aldrich, whose leadership helped make Memphis in May into the internationally known economic […]

One Hundred Years Young

Last week I had the pleasure of visiting with a young lady who has spent more than eighty years of her life in service of others.  The latest installment in our “Mississippi Stories” series is a portrait of Leola Dillard, the centenarian community activist who founded the nationally recognized Make a Difference Day Free Flea Market […]

Let there be light box!

Posted by on Jun 4, 2012 in Media And Documentary Projects Blog

We’re currently producing a feature length documentary on the integration of Ole Miss for the 50th year anniversary this September. We received some snippets from 8mm footage that was shot on campus and was able to magnify and digitize the image using our lightbox. It feels like discovering some piece of hidden history looking at […]

exit

Posted by on Jun 1, 2012 in Media And Documentary Projects Blog

Here is our new short film “exit”. A science fiction film about a man who recieves a mysterious package on his doorstep. The title is all lower case because that makes it cool! Special thanks to Eric Feldman, Johnny Mcphail, Matt Minshew, Melissa Graves and everyone here at Media and Documentary Projects for all their […]

Ole Miss ROTC

Posted by on May 15, 2012 in Media And Documentary Projects Blog

This is just a short video about Ole Miss ROTC! Hope you enjoy! Produced by Karen Tuttle

Crucifixions Must Have Witnesses

Enjoy the latest installment in the Mississippi Stories series from MDP’s Rex Jones. Here Rex features Rev. Samuel “Billy” Kyles, a Shelby, MS native and pastor of the Monumental Baptist Church in Memphis. Rev. Kyles tells his story of being on the Lorraine Motel balcony with Martin Luther King, Jr. when Dr. King was assassinated.

Exit Through the Gift Shop

Posted by on May 4, 2012 in Media And Documentary Projects Blog

Next week, we’ll premiere a new short film “Exit” directed by Matthew Graves. It’s a short science fiction film about a man who receives a mysterious package on his door step. Check back next Friday for the finished film.

Ole Miss and the People

I love to make videos showing the beauty of our campus along with just a few of the people that make Ole Miss special. Produced by Karen Tuttle

So Wonderfully Connected

Rex Jones has finished the second of his Mississippi Stories. This time Rex paints a portrait of Lee McCarty of McCarty’s Pottery in Merigold, Mississippi. Keep checking back for future installments in this series that will cover the state over the next year.

Mississippi Stories

Rex  is off to a great start with his new series on Mississippi Stories with one already “in the can.” Over the next year Rex will be taking our beloved “Rango” all across the state (and occasionally onto Beale Street, if necessary) looking for stories of interesting people and events so check back here for […]

UM Big Event

Posted by on Mar 5, 2012 in Media And Documentary Projects Blog

Here’s a video we produced with Ole Miss Chancellor Dan Jones and Oxford Mayor Pat Patterson advertising this year’s UM Big Event. An annual day of service for Ole Miss. For more information on the event and how you can volunteer click here.  

Black Alumni and Family Reunion

Posted by on Mar 5, 2012 in Media And Documentary Projects Blog

This past weekend, the Ole Miss Black Alumni and Family Reunion was held on campus. We taped several of the events and were able to capture interviews from several of the attendees. These oral histories will be used in part for the documentary we’re producing on James Meredith and the integration of Ole Miss for […]