The Southern Documentary Project
TEACHING THE NEXT GENERATION OF STORYTELLERS
Joe York’s Media and Documentary Projects film has received a new round of distribution on public television stations across the country. It was a pleasant surprise to find Saving Willie Mae’s Scotch House listed on WKNO this evening. To date, Willie Mae’s has aired on over 20 public television stations and that number will continue to grow with the latest distribution.
This week the Media and Documentary Projects Center traveled to McComb and Tupelo to address the Mississippi Arts Commission festival and event coordinator’s workshops (co-sponsored by the Mississippi Development Authority). 
Andy, Matthew, and Micah hit the road and we used this blog entry to show how easy it is to create content on the fly for websites with the WordPress application for iPhone. Thanks to Southern Studies graduate and MAC Heritage Director Mary Margaret Miller for the invitation.
Dr. Samir Husni was in the audio booth today for an interview with NPR’s Jim Zarroli. Professor Husni, who is better known in the publishing world as Mr. Magazine discussed the future of magazines with a specific emphasis on new releases.
Click below to hear Mr. Magazine’s thoughts on the current advertising cycle.
Here are some set-up pics from today’s shoot at Tad Smith Colliseum. Micah Ginn and Matthew Graves are producing an update to the successful “Basketball Giants” spot for the Ole Miss Men’s Basketball team. Apparently, this blue cloth was all that was holding Karen (pictured) back from grabbing the players. Check back soon for the finished spot.
In 1949, the stars fell on Oxford, Mississippi, and stayed for a few months; just long enough to shoot the film adaptation of William Faulkner’s novel “Intruder in the Dust”. The film premiered in Oxford on October 11, 1949, at the Lyric Theater. Sixty years later, the Oxford Film Festival hosted a party and screening on October 3, 2009, to commemorate the premiere at the renovated Lyric Theater. This documentary about the making of “Intruder in the Dust” was created by Joe York for the 60th Anniversary celebration.
Smokes & Ears tells the story of the Big Apple Inn in Jackson, Mississippi. Known as “Big John’s” by its faithful customers, the Big Apple Inn’s defining duo of pig ear sandwiches and hot smoked sausage sandwiches (known as “smokes”) has kept folks coming back again and again for over 70 years, and counting.This short film was produced and directed by Joe York at the University of Mississippi’s Media & Documentary Projects Center in association with the Southern Foodways Allliance. The film debuted at the 2009 Southern Foodways Symposium as part of an awards ceremony recognizing Geno Lee, owner of The Big Apple, as the 2009 Ruth Fertel Keeper of the Flame Award Winner.
Here is the newest addition to the SEC Academic Network site. This video profiles the Mississippi Teacher Corps housed at the University of Mississippi. It focuses on recent Teacher Corps grad Danielle Hall who teaches math at H.W. Byers High School outside of Holly Springs. Special thanks to Ben Guest, Andy Mullins, Danielle and her entire class for their help with this video. The Teacher Corps truly is an amazing program and a welcomed addition to this series that highlights the programs and people of Ole Miss.
-Matthew
This semester the Media and Documentary Projects Center has been working with The Center for the Study of Southern Culture to create a radio series called “Sounds of the South.”
These short profiles will showcase articles from the New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture Music Volume.
MDP’s Joe York and Southern Studies graduate intern Jesse Wright are producing the pieces along with Ted Ownby, Director of the CSSC. Charles Reagan Wilson,
former CSSC director, and General Editor of the New Encyclopedia is the on-air talent.
Listen to a sample from the first batch featuring Jelly Roll Morton.
“Lunches and Learning”
“Landmines and Levees”
Here are the 2009 University of Mississippi Institutional Spots that we have produced over the course of the semester for University Brand Services.
I spent the day with Teacher Corp grad Danielle Hall who teaches high school math at HW Byers High School outside of Holly Springs yesterday. I’m producing a profile video on the Mississippi Teacher Corp as the latest addition to the SEC Academic Network site. Check back soon for the finished video.
-Matthew
This was the intro video we produced for the 2009 Alumni Hall of Fame Ceremony. It offers a brief look back at where this University has come and where it’s going and serves as good example of the mission of this department and the need to document the stories of this University. Produced by Micah Ginn and Matthew Graves. Edited by Matthew Graves. Happy Thanksgiving!
Promotional video produced for the E-Appeal fundraising email at the University of Mississippi. Produced by the Media and Documentary Projects Center. Edited by Matthew Graves
Earlier we posted about student intern Alyssa Manhold’s profile of UM Senior Daverin Geralds featured on ESPNU (see Making a Campus Connection). Below is the finished piece which broadcast on national television. Nice job Alyssa and Daverin.
The Media and Documentary Projects Center worked with Jamil Northcutt in the Athletics Dept. to produce this video as a means of encouraging fans at the games to recycle. The spot was produced to be played at home games between the 3rd and 4th quarter, with a dual purpose: Remind everyone to recycle and to get ready for the “crunchtime” of the 4th quarter.
Produced by Jamil Northcutt, Matthew Graves, Andy Harper, and Micah Ginn.
Check out the newest addition to the SEC Academic Network. This short retrospective highlights the tremendous efforts of the University of Mississippi in preparing for last year’s Presidential debate.
This video tells the story of Mario Hilliard, a 2009 graduate of Ole Miss, who was selected as the stand-in for then Senator Barack Obama for the TV rehearsals of the 2008 Presidential Debate at the University of Mississippi.
Season tickets promo for the Ole Miss Men’s Basketball Team. Highlights the return of University of Mississippi players Eniel Polynice, Trevor Gaskins, and Chris Warren who were sidelined with injuries last season. This project was inspired by the Season 5 promo for “Rescue Me”. Produced by Robi Coker, Micah Ginn and Matthew Graves. Directed by Matthew Graves. Special thanks to Coach Andy Kennedy.
University of Mississippi History Professor John Neff recently delivered his 2009 Humanities Teacher of the Year address, “Our Hearts Were Touched with Fire: The Memory of the Civil War.” Media and Documentary Projects was there to record the very timely Lecture. Dr. Neff is the founding director of the UM Center for Civil War Research. Edited by MDP graduate intern Xaris Martinez.
Recently Warren Belasco, Professor of American Studies at the University of Maryland, was on campus for the Viking Range Lecture sponsored by the Southern Foodways Alliance. The Media and Documentary Projects Center was there to record the lecture and our Southern Studies graduate assistant Xaris Martinez edited the lecture for broadcast. Nicely done Xaris!
In addition to our own documentary work and working with student filmmakers, the Media and Documentary Projects Center helps produce and record campus events. October has been an especially busy month (and we haven’t even gotten to the Southern Foodways Alliance Symposium yet!).
Above: Matthew Graves tests out the system in advance of the M-Club Hall of Fame Ceremony and Andy Harper shoots the SFA Viking Range lecture featuring Warren Belasco. Below: Micah Ginn sets up the switcher for the Alumni Hall of Fame, and Karen Tuttle helps shoot the Overby Center event honoring member of the 1959 National Championship football team.
This video promotes the University of Mississippi’s Master of Arts in Higher Education/Student Personnel Professional Cohort Program.
Those of us at Media & Documentary Projects would like to thank Michael McGuire, Stephanie Mitchell, and Lee Dean of UM Distance Learning for making this video possible. They do amazing work and we are all very thankful for their help.
Experience this amazing promotional video produced by MPD’s Joe York for the Mississippi Innocence Project at the University of Mississippi’s School of Law.
The Mississippi Innocence Project identifies,investigates and litigates meritorious claims of innocence on behalf of Mississippi prisoners serving lengthy periods of incarceration.
This week marks the 60th anniversary of the world premiere of Intruder in the Dust and the Media and Documentary Projects Center was well represented in the effort to commemorate the milestone. The event, a fundraiser for the Oxford Film Festival, was held at the recently restored Lyric Theater in the same room where the film first screened in 1949. MDP producer Joe York had a premiere of his own as his documentary, When We Were Extras was shown prior to the screening of Intruder in the Dust. Joe interviewed quite a few of the locals who took part in the original production. Look for his film here on the blog in the coming weeks. MPD producer Micah Ginn served as the master of ceremonies for the event. Micah kept the crowd, shall we say, entertained…….
After the movies screened Joe York interviewed Claude Jarman, Jr. Enjoy this excerpt from that interview (please forgive the shaky iPhone).
Media and Documentary Projects utility player Karen Tuttle got some time behind the camera this last week.
Karen covered the Residential College grand opening as well as the first in the Overby Center Gathering in the Grove series featuring Charles Eagles on Friday.
She also recorded oral histories for the School of Journalism on Monday. Nice work Karen!
The Media and Documentary Projects Center presents The Debate Starts Here: The Presidential Debate Comes to Ole Miss. A look into one of the pivotal moments in Ole Miss history when the eyes of the nation and entire world looked to the University of Mississippi as we hosted the first Presidential debate of 2008. With interviews from University officials, Oxford residents, national journalists, and politicians, we cover the exciting events leading up to the debate and explore the tremendous effort involved behind the scenes to bring a Presidential debate to life. The Debate Starts Here will premiere Friday, September 25th at 4pm at the Overby Center Auditorium, marking the one year anniversary of this historic debate.
Square Books, Oxford’s revered independent bookstore, celebrated the 30th anniversary of its founding on September 14th. They marked the occasion with readings by local authors, cocktail parties, and a screening of a short film about Square Books by MDP producer Joe York.
MDP intern Alyssa Manhold interviewed Ole Miss starting center Daverin Geralds this week for a segment that will run later on the ESPNU Campus Connection. Alyssa spoke with Daverin, an SEC Academic Honor Roll honoree, about the challenges of maintaining high academic standards while playing for a top 10 football team.
ESPNU’s Campus Connection is part of the agreement between the SEC and ESPN to create academic opportunities at each SEC member institution. The UM Media and Documentary Projects Center is producing content for the SEC Academic Network and will work with students on campus to provide content for Campus Connection and for the SEC Week program on ESPNU.
The Media and Documentary Projects team hit the field today with Coach Houston Nutt to shoot “Crunch Time.” This spot, featuring the partnership between Coke, the University of Mississippi Athletics Department, MDP, and the campus Green Initiative will play on the giant screen at the beginning of the 4th quarter in an effort to fire the crowd up for the last quarter and promote recycling inside the stadium. When you see coach Nutt on the big screen, pick up an empty plastic bottle, crunch it loudly, then find one of the new recycle bins on your way out of the stadium.
Last Saturday, Joe York’s documentary “CUD” screened in Athens, Georgia, at the Potlikker Film Festival hosted by the Southern Foodways Alliance. The film profiles Will Harris, a cattleman from Bluffton, Gerogia, who raises grass-fed beef cattle at White Oak Pastures, the expansive farm that has been in his family for over 160 years. This film marks a continuation of the partnership between the Media & Documentary Projects Center, the Southern Foodways Alliance, & Whole Foods Market, who provided funding for the production of the film.
To the left is the DVD artwork produced by Joe York and Matthew Graves of MDP. We would like to thank Ole Miss graduate and current Whole Foods associate Kate Medley for the use of her beautiful images in the production of the DVD artwork. Kate did excellent work as a graduate student in Southern Studies here at Ole Miss and she hasn’t skipped a beat in her new role at Whole Foods. Check out some of her great work here.
We would also like to thank Will Harris for his cooperation and graciousness in the making of this film. If you’d like to learn more about Mr. Harris and White Oak Pastures visit whiteoakpastures.com or check out the documentary below.
Matthew Graves has spent the last several weeks producing profiles for the launch of the SEC Academic Network and the first batch is fresh from the oven. Over the course of the year we hope to produce 20 to 25 profiles of departments, programs, and events on campus for the world to see on the academic network. We believe this is a great opportunity to share the things we already know to be outstanding about the University of Mississippi with the rest of the world. Great work Matthew!