What's New at Interlock

Code Switching and Race: Towards a fresh examination of the impact of busing for school integration

2017-09-19T19:28:00.000-07:00

In the dreary rays of dawn, Interlock’s camera-laden drone hovers above buses full of METCO students. They travel the same highways from Boston to affluent suburbs as over thirty thousand students have done since the METCO program began more than fifty years ago.

Code-Switching follows five African-American students, spanning two generations, who signed up for voluntary busing to attend better-resourced suburban schools. METCO, the Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity, has been a wonderful experiment that has helped more inner city youth attend college while diversifying suburban schools.

For some students however, shuttling between Boston’s ethnic neighborhoods and predominantly white suburban schools has not been seamless, especially for the girls. Typically, girls do not experience the same athlete-hero status as many of their male peers. They may face the burdens of both ostracization back home and feelings of isolation in their adopted schools. This has led to anxiety and depression and in extreme cases even attempted suicide.

Social media can compound their troubles, again, especially for girls. Platforms like After School and Swilfie are double-edged swords in students’ social lives. Facilitating positive communication and connection, these anonymous apps also enable classmates to gossip about their own social status or that of other students on a continuous basis.

Pressures to “act white” or even “act more black” are common for participants, who struggle to bridge the gap between home life and school culture. In the process, they quickly learn to act and speak differently depending on the venue.

For some of our characters, this ‘code-switching’ brought social and professional mobility. But for others, the sometimes duplicitous nature of code-switching may be harder to handle.

Fig.1 Johnny Peterson

“Ray Goolsby” - A miscreant and the main character of Code-Switching, Ray is not a METCO success story by traditional measures. An early METCO participant, he later served nearly six years in prison for assault and battery after the fact, in the context of a murder. Nonetheless Ray’s dedication to his three daughters and a steady career growing his family’s beauty-supply business ring of success.

“Johnny Peterson” - A defier of stereotypes, Johnny is described as articulate and bright. To his classmates he represented the inner city, though his main concerns beyond academia were anime and Manga. He joined the basketball team but quit due to his social anxiety. While his Lexington schoolmates expected he could rap, he couldn’t carry a tune.

Fig.2 Left to right: Olivette Jean-Rueand Lateisha Winter

“Olivette Jean-Rue” - Now a METCO senior at Swampscott High, Olivette is a first-generation American whose father hails from Sierra Leone. Driven and ambitious, she works at the aquarium, is pursuing a career in STEM, has joined the Anti-Defamation League and wants to someday work with the Swampscott Police Department to combat racism. Her path to these accomplishments was filled with struggles, depression and self-harm.

“Lateisha Winter” - Though Lateisha had her own share of angst and alienation, she went on to be Weston High’s senior class president. Serving as a black educator/role model that she did not have until attending Spelman College, she teaches in the Boston Public Schools. She’s pursuing a PhD in urban educational policy. Her intended thesis is an autoethnography focusing on long term consequences of racial experiences in developmental years.

Fig 3 Left to right: Howard Wolk. Jonathan Schwartzand Jamal Williams

“Jamal Williams” - Banker by day, fashion photographer by night, Jamal says METCO taught him how to operate in both black and white cultures.

As an early era METCO student, he considered himself a player and boasted that he could “sell anything to anyone.” No doubt, Jamal has pizzazz, but we wonder what lies underneath and if a lifetime of code-switching has left an imprint.

The METCO program seeks to alleviate educational inequities, and as a derivative function, to address social, economic and racial injustices in its partner schools. At its half-century mark, it’s a worthy exercise to reflect on the progress that METCO has made. The recollections and opinions contributed by the diverse characters in Code-Switching add their voices to this healthy discourse.

Fig 4. Left to right: Erik Angra and Johann Grimm

The making of Code-Switching has been quite an adventure. We are honored to team up with businessman Howard Wolk and Michael Mascoll of LEV Media. Katani Sumner was a heavy-hitter with her adjunct producing. Red Sky Studios graciously provided a dynamic, well-equipped set and the documentary talents of Erik Angra and lensman Johann Grimm pulled together the filming with panache.

Fig. 5 Left to right: Jonathan Goodnow and Joann Grimm

Meet Interlock’s Audio Post Production Team – Berklee Buddies Bedazzle

2017-09-17T21:05:00.000-07:00

Behind the scenes of Margaret Fuller: The Evolution of a Utopianist there is a talented, ongoing group of musicians and sound designers we like to call the Berklee Buddies. With a common thread of training at the Berklee College of Music, they share a deep sense of professionalism and a keen understanding of the broader context of the work. In addition to their international backgrounds, each brought various aspects of musical and technical expertise.

Grounded by their musicianship, intellectual depth and stellar work ethic, they melded into a cohesive music-making machine. They hit the ground running and never stopped, often working into the night to get everything just right. Because of their enthusiasm, generosity and ties to the Berklee performance community, it was not unusual for a violin, sax, or vocalist to pop by and add their instrumentation.

Under the stewardship of our Berklee Buddies, the post production audio process took on a life of its own.

“It was one of the most privileged moments of my career to work with them.”

-- Jonathan Schwartz, Director Interlock Media

Filipe Antunes, Mix Engineer

A music-lover from a young age, he gained experience as a post-production mix engineer and served at Interlock as a crack foley artist for our Extraordinary Passage and Margaret Fuller documentaries. Whether it was adding natural sounds to silent film footage from the wilds of 1920’s Africa for Extraordinary Passage or blending the audio for the Fuller piece - his technical prowess, creativity and attention to detail made our films pop.

Filipe’s genius did not go unnoticed for long. In August 2017, he was snapped up by George Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch, where he now works for Oscar-winning sound designer, Randy Thom. Filipe is one to watch -- it’s only a matter of time before he takes home his own golden statue.

David Perez-MacCollum, Soundtrack Producer

A natural born leader, David had an intuitive knack for managing and inspiring people, bringing out the best in the audio team as they brought spirit and authenticity to the mix.

Sharing Interlock’s spirit on the environment, Ecuadorean-born Perez once spent a year travelling with indigenous peoples throughout the Amazon rainforest. He performed clarinet for a kindred environmental documentary,Don’t Frack With Denton.

In his shaggy-haired, head-banging days as a youth, David rocked the heavy metal guitar. After the party was over, he went on to study performance and film at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito. Later, as a scoring and composition student Berklee, David was exposed to many aspects of recording, mixing, and mastering. He learned how to play wooden instruments, strings, vocals, and percussion so as to be best able to compose for each instrument in the orchestra. Later, he turned to digital recording, further inspiring his passion for sound design.

David’s ingenuity, sincerity, and creativity were a powerful force at Interlock, and we’re certain he’ll flourish.

Jorge Maldonado, Composer

Jorge began his career producing audio commercials in his native Peru. He continued making music while studying communications at the University of Lima, and majored in film and video game scoring at Berklee.

Jazz and improvisation fueled Jorge’s love affair with music at age thirteen. He played the keyboard and piano, learning to compose for film and finding additional inspiration in the classical genre.

To others looking to go into this career, he offers these words of advice:

“Try to think of what you really want to do in the music field. You can easily get captured doing something more economically beneficial, rather than something you want to do musically. When you’re committed to something as artistic as music, it’s like you're married to it for life. Be careful with choosing. Once you know what you want it's amazing- it flows.” - Jorge Maldonado

Shaun Wesley, Music Editor

We were thrilled when Jorge introduced us to Shaun, a fellow student from Berklee with varied experience editing music for visuals.

Growing up in Malaysia and Singapore, Shaun was always interested in using music to enhance visual art forms. Not wedded to one genre, Shaun can just as easily be found experimenting with electronic music as composing for Berklee’s classical quartet or creating scores for a dance performance. His inspiration comes from music in commercials - or just about anywhere, as long as there are visuals to inspire the music.

Shaun’s most valuable asset is his flexibility and his intuitive understanding of how a documentary crew functions. After working on mixing and sound design on the Fuller project, Shaun seamlessly switched gears to fill in as a sound recordist on short notice. After an impromptu down-and-dirty sound recording ‘bootcamp,’ Shaun proved invaluable on the set of our Code-Switching documentary on the Metco busing program which helps integrate greater Boston schools. Shaun has a promising career in music – we’ll be listening!

Mandy Kowara and Soon-Hyung Kwon

The efforts of our subsequent Berklee Buddies built off of the imagination and intellectual legwork of two other Berklee alums, Mandy and Kwon. Bringing sophisticated musicality and a multicultural perspective from their native Indonesia and Korea, Mandy and Soon-Hyung created the original theme for Fuller.

Guided by the Director, they researched period music from the 1830s, spanning from banjo and proto-blues to the Orchestrion, a mechanical instrument that imitated an orchestra. Mandy and Kwon preferred a hybrid of modern sound with an appropriate mid-19th feel, in order to modern audiences while capturing the spirit of Fuller as an iconoclastic heroine.

Using female vocals, including those of Mingyu Lane Shi to evoke the brilliant yet haunted enigma that was Margaret Fuller, Mandy and Soon-Hyung brought a unique sound to the score.

Since their work with Interlock, Soon-Hyung, who had started as an electrical engineer, has been recruited by Google, while Mandy returned to her native Indonesia to pursue a dual graduate degree in music and computer science.

2017-05-22T10:15:00.000-07:00

A sneak preview of "Margaret Fuller: Evolution of a Utopianist From Parlor Conversationalist To War Correspondent" to be shown on Saturday, May 27. This film is being shown at Fuller’s birth home in Cambridge Massachusetts at a party titled “Presenting Margaret Fuller” in light of the 207th anniversary of Fuller’s birth (May 23) and the 115th of the house’s dedication as a settlement house.

“Faith In The Big House” Premieres On Chicago’s Magnificent Mile

2017-05-03T09:56:00.002-07:00

US PREMIERE "Faith In the Big House"

Tuesday, April 25th, 2017 “Faith in the Big House” US PREMIERE at the historic Fourth Presbyterian Church located on Chicago’s illustrious Magnificent Mile as part of the official selection of the (In)Justice For All Film Festival.

The (In)Justice For All Film Festival

Arriving at the height of mass incarceration in the United States, the (In)Justice For All Film Festival came equipped with an arsenal of information to confront failing police policies, jam-packed prisons, and rampant racism in our criminal justice system. The Festival is as much a tribute to the power of the camera as it is a challenge to authority. Its organization comes at a time when the camera has become an ubiquitous and effective tool at challenging misconduct and ineffective policing. Interlock Media is deeply honored to have contributed to this significant event. We would like to highlight the tremendous efforts put forth by the festival organizers and filmmakers whose tireless work to expose corruption and failed policies fuels the fight for a just and equitable society. A special thanks to Daryle Brown whose talented direction made the Festival a tremendous success.

Fourth Presbyterian Church

We are deeply grateful to the members of the Fourth Presbyterian Church who not only housed the screening in their splendid facility, but generously donated their time to promoting the event. In particular, we want to thank Vicky Curtiss, for her distinguished effort in promoting the event.

Trinity United Church of Christ

The (In)Justice For All Film Festival was coordinated by the influential Trinity United Church of Christ, an anchor institution in Chicago’s South Side with historic bonds to Jeremiah Wright, Barack Obama, and the Civil Rights Movement.

University of Chicago

University of Chicago provided an extraordinary environment for the technical dry run prior to the opening, complete with some of the best 35mm projection in the country outside of Los Angeles. A special thanks to Martin Awano who facilitated the test screening at the oldest Documentary Club in the country.

We are happy to receive an outstanding review by Don Shanahan from Every Movie Has A Lesson.

Is the Climate Fight Over? Reflections from Author Wen Stephenson - Climate Media Engine

2017-03-30T08:50:00.000-07:00

Is the Climate Fight Over? Reflections from Author Wen Stephenson (Short) - Climate Media Engine from Interlock Media on Vimeo.

Is the Climate Fight Over? Reflections from Author Wen Stephenson - Climate Media Engine from Interlock Media on Vimeo.

Subscribe to CME here: https://goo.gl/6z7eUY

Check out the CME Vimeo page for more: https://vimeo.com/channels/cme

Check out the CME Youtube page for more: https://youtu.be/zhRZ1M19kLw

Photo by Nikita Sampath

Climate change is a fact. Have we made as much progress as we thought? Will the Paris Accords hold? Is climate change at the root of the Syrian conflict and the refugee crisis? Is Secretary of State (and former ExxonMobil CEO) Rex Tillerson actually the moderating influence on Trump Administration climate change deniers like EPA head Scott Pruitt? Is radical activism the answer or is it simply too late? In this incisive interview, author and journalist Wen Stephenson investigates new twists in the Trump era on climate change and the repercussions for democracy, social justice and human rights.

Climate Media Engine: An Interview with Wen Stephenson

Climate Media Engine (CME) is a website that investigates groundbreaking stories on climate change and the movement that surrounds it. CME was launched by Jonathan Schwartz, Director of Interlock Media, at the Climate Treaty Negotiations (COP21) in Paris.

Photo by: Nikita Sampath

We are excited to be producing our latest piece for the series featuring author and climate activist Wen Stephenson.

Photo by: Nikita Sampath

Stephenson, author of What We’re Fighting For Now is Each Other, is a writer for The Nation and local eco-hero. He was a former editor at The Boston Globe, and a producer at NPR and writer for the on-line version of FRONTLINE before he decided to dedicate himself exclusively to climate activism and authorship. In 2012, he helped launch the grassroots climate-action network 350 Massachusetts.

A talented crew including Director of Photography Johann Grimm, Gaffer Tony Ventura and Sound Mixer Aaron Bouchard came together to film the interview with Stephenson. Journalist Nikita Sampath and Producer Christian Carvajal worked on researching the subject and planning the shoot, with the talented help of Breton Worthington and Fionna Howes.

We extend a thousand thanks to Ken Kinna for his editorial talents, to Dylan Ganz and Mandy Kowara for their musical acumen, to Wen Stephenson, and to the Muzila family.

Photo by: Nikita Sampath

Thursday, April 21, Interview with Helena Fruscio, Creative Economy Industry Director Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development, Beacon Hill

2016-05-07T20:02:00.002-07:00

(Each photo has its caption above it)

Interlock Media film crew setting up interview. (from left: Ken Kinna, Helena Fruscio)

Ms. Fuscio explaining her current market research project collecting "innovative economy" data from around the state.

The state is broken down into regions and color coded by venue, event, institution, or contact creating a diverse idea board for program development as funding becomes available.

Thursday, April 21, Interview with President of the Senate, Stan Rosenberg State House, Beacon Hill

2016-05-07T19:57:00.002-07:00

(Each photo has its caption above it)

State House, Beacon Hill

Gold dome over Senate, Beacon Hill

House of Representatives, Beacon Hill

Massachusetts Senate, Beacon Hill

Interlock Media film crew setting up for Senator Rosenberg's interview in the Office of the President. (from left Ryan Ledoux, Andrew Moalli)

Senator Rosenberg (left) and Greenworks board member Alec McLeod (right) talk about the the collaborative movement and the state's position of funding projects that assist developing a creative economy.

Senator Rosenberg explains the current bills that have been submitted to Governor Baker which will fund innovation initiatives throughout the entire state.

Greenworks board member, Alec McLeod interviewing Senator Rosenberg for an upcoming documentary about need for economic stimulation rural communities.

Nasa tells us the the Amazon is drying up, and with it the greatest climate change inhibitor on the planet

2016-03-08T10:52:00.002-08:00

http://grace.jpl.nasa.gov/resources/8/

The worst news of the year

2016-03-08T10:51:00.002-08:00

http://grist.org/climate-energy/global-warming-is-now-in-overdrive-we-just-hit-a-terrible-climate-milestone/

Satellites don't lie. It is not a pretty picture from up in space

2016-03-08T10:50:00.001-08:00

http://www.apnewsarchive.com/2016/Climate-change-doubters-just-lost-1-of-their-favorite-talking-points/id-7a1d32e47f7146839c0bcce3128a998b

Is the Carbon Tax a necessary evil? The story is still unfolding.

2016-03-08T10:48:00.001-08:00

http://www.businessinsider.com/mit-carbon-tax-only-way-to-break-dependence-on-fossil-fuels-2016-3

What's new about Climate Change

2016-03-08T10:45:00.004-08:00

There is a notion amongst the public and in the middle that we are oversaturating the airwaves with coverage of climate change and its impact.Not so according to the Guardian.

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2016/mar/07/during-the-most-important-year-for-climate-news-tv-coverage-fell

Climate Change and its Impact

2016-02-24T09:05:00.000-08:00

Climate change is clearly already causing enormous human suffering and economic costs, in the here and now. According to the United Nations, adopting sustainable energy would not only help combat these ills of climate change; it would also save millions of lives per year.

Discussions of climate change are often abstract. Yet with a dangerous increase in destructive and a proliferation in large-scale droughts, its adverse effects are becoming more and more profound.

At the World Future Energy Summit 2016 last week, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon spoke about the importance of moving toward sustainable energy sources. Ban stressed that adopting sustainable energy technologies will help combat climate change and prevent the global temperature from exceeding the two degree Celsius goal. An estimated 1 billion people around the world do not have access to electricity. Adopting sustainable energy technologies could help provide access to these people to the resources.

There are two main policy responses to climate- change mitigation and adaptation. Mitigation addresses the root causes, by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, while adaptation seeks to lower the risks posed by the consequences of climatic changes. Both approaches will be necessary, because even if emissions are dramatically decreased in the next decade, adaptation will still be needed to deal with the global changes that have already been set in motion.

Adaptation measures may be planned in advance or put in place spontaneously in response to a local pressure. They include large-scale infrastructure changes – such as building defenses to protect against sea-level rise or improving the quality of road surfaces to withstand hotter temperatures – as well behavioral shifts such as individuals using less water, farmers planting different crops and more households and businesses buying flood insurance.

Climate Change Treaty Activities COP 21 Paris

2015-12-20T06:03:00.000-08:00

Interlock Media goes on-location for historic treaty negotiations.

Director Jonathan Schwartz, “Fixer” Carla Diamond, and videographer Walter Hergt were in Paris for the dramatic last days of the climate treaty negotiations. In addition, they captured the grand finale, a massive victory celebration at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. Reporting on impacts of global warming and human rights since the 1980s it is fitting that Interlock Media was able to participate in this historic occasion.

The team took a deep look as well at the alternative activist movements that converged on Paris in December, including direct action militants, non-violent protesters, indigenous leaders, and members of “Makers” collectives. The Makers represent some of the best and brightest young entrepreneurs and engineers in Europe and the States. They stoutly believe that the devices that they are making together, such as self-cleansing showers and a dollar a year water filters, can, if developed and shared in an open-source and collective , can reduce poverty and the carbon footprint, especially in the lesser developed world.

They in turn looked at the activities of their national statesmen at COP 21 with appreciation, compassion and yes, a measure of salty disagreement.

While Parisian politicians were garnering world praise for their pivotal role in creating a tangible outcome out of COP 21, local French farmers, environmentalists, and militant back-to-the land occupiers were continuing to fight government attempts to build a second international airport to serve as a gateway West of Paris.

The Interlock team joined them as they energetically demonstrated, far removed from the official goings on that made up COP 21. At the proposed airport site in Nanders, their fellows were staging a permanent occupation, living in hobbit style straw bale houses, occupying abandoned homes , even living in tree houses. Today, they were taking their mission to Stalingrad Plaza.

...

St. Lucia and Diabetes

2015-08-04T11:30:00.001-07:00

The breathtaking Caribbean island of St. Lucia has one of the highest rates of diabetes per capita in the world. Among his numerous humanitarian efforts, internationally acclaimed musician Taj Weekes — founder of the non-profit organization TOCO — seeks to remedy the epidemic. From local clinics to state government, the mission is to improve the lives of St. Lucians through public health, education, food security, conservation and the arts.

Watch the trailer: https://vimeo.com/135380970
Password: saintlucia

Photos:

A Documentary on Kent Hovind aka Doctor Dino

2015-08-03T06:59:00.000-07:00

Kent Hovind is best known as an evangelist of the idea that the earth is only 6,000 years old, also known as “young earth creationism” (YEC). To promote this idea, Hovind crisscrossed the country and preached in churches hundreds of times a year. In 2001, he also opened a small amusement park called Dinosaur Adventure Land in Pensacola, Florida, to promote YEC beliefs. Hovind gathered a small but enthusiastic following of believers who have uploaded his videos to YouTube over and over again, in hopes that someone may stumble across them and become converted to YEC.

However, Hovind himself generally disappeared from the YEC evangelistic scene in late 2006 after he was convicted on federal charges of failing to pay income and Social Security taxes for his employees, along with structuring and obstruction of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

Eight years after his incarceration began, some of his followers, calling themselves Hovindicators, began agitating for Hovind’s release because they were convinced he was being persecuted for his religious beliefs and not for his tax crimes. This acquired particular urgency as Kent and a co-conspirator, Paul John Hansen, were set to go on trial in March 2015 on contempt of court and mail fraud charges arising out of Hovind’s original 2006 trial. Jonathan Schwartz and Interlock Media were on hand in March 2015 when the second trial took place in Pensacola, Florida, and interviewed a number of Hovind’s followers, Pensacola locals and others. Ultimately the jury was hung on the mail fraud charges and Hovind and Hansen were only convicted of contempt of court.

The government decided to prosecute Hovind and Hansen again on the mail fraud charges and trial was set for May 18. Interlock Media again went down to cover the trial, but the remaining charges were dropped at the last minute. However, Interlock was able to conduct interviews with two jurors, including the juror who hung the jury on the mail fraud counts at the March trial. The Interlock team also secured interviews with Hansen’s attorney, more Hovind followers and longtime observers of the Hovind scene.

Hovind was acquitted on the contempt of court charge on May 18 due to a technical issue. His co-defendant, Hansen, faces sentencing for contempt of court on August 21. Hovind was released from prison to house arrest on July 9 and will be on three years’ probation beginningAugust 11. He is currently getting used to the “new” YouTube technology, recording videos and planning the return of Dinosaur Adventure Land.

News from the Edit Bay

2014-11-19T08:50:00.002-08:00

We are proud to announce the release of our most recent film, “Faith in the Big House”, to NETA / PBS! Stay tuned for more announcements, but it will air on select PBS stations starting November 25, 2014. Here’s the synopsis:

At a maximum security prison farm in Louisiana, a group of Christian evangelicals conduct a carefully-scripted religious retreat. Five felons, misfits handpicked by the Warden, join other inmates in this "Encounter with Christ".

Can religion keep convicts from almost inevitably returning to lock-up?

People’s Climate March

2014-11-19T08:46:00.002-08:00

On September 21st, 2014 the largest gathering of climate change supporters descended on New York City. 400,000 bodies marched from central park to the lower west side protesting against greenhouse gas emitting industry. Interlock’s director Jonathan Schwartz and Toronto-based videographer/photographer Caitlin McManus took hundreds of pictures for Thomas Watkins, who was heading up the UN’s press effort that day, starting at dawn with the caucus of indigenous peoples. Watkins, who has traveled as a reporter for Interlock and was a top newsman at CNN for fifteen years, interviewed marchers from all backgrounds, trying to understand why they were marching and what they wanted this march to accomplish. Check out a couple of images from the march below!

SITV

2014-11-19T08:37:00.001-08:00

The pilot for Interlock's new mini series, Sustainable Industry Television, is just about ready for primetime! We look at the greenest manufacturing companies in America, many of whom have had charismatic leaders, and the tremendous amount of self scrutiny it takes to effectively lower their carbon footprint. For the first program, we travel to the manufacturing headquarters of InterfaceFLOR, the world's largest producer of commercial carpet tile. Spearheaded by the late great visionary Ray Anderson, who appeared in the film “The Corporation”, Interface changed its business model on the single idea that you can help fight climate change by making carpet out of carpet. This green endeavor, known as “Mission Zero”, has the ultimate goal of completely erasing the company’s carbon footprint by the year 2020. How close are they to success, and will they be able to get there without Anderson at the helm?

Interlock Spotlight : Creative Director Omar Cruz

2012-07-17T19:26:00.000-07:00

Omar Cruz is Creative Director here at Interlock Media. Himself the product of a lifetime devotion to the arts, Omar is amongst our most visionary and skilled staff members. When he’s not illustrating (see picture below), playing guitar, or working on his own film projects, Omar tackles Interlock’s numerous creative tasks in the other sixty hours a week that he has left.

After getting his start as a CG operator on Puerto Rico’s channel 6 PBS affiliate, Omar went on to work as a cameraman, director, motion graphics specialist and college instructor, before coming to Interlock.

As well as being an extremely well rounded individual and skateboarding veteran, Omar is a recent emigrant of Puerto Rico and a brand new Bostonian. After being in the USA for about a month, he found his way into our world and has been one our MVPs ever since.

Artwork by Omar Cruz

We sat Omar down for a quick Q & A:

Q: What do you do here at Interlock?

A: I’m the creative director at Interlock Media. Most of my job involves designing and implementing most of the web-related content. I also serve as the motion graphics artist and in-house colorist.

Q: What got you interested in working for Interlock?

A: Well, I had moved from Puerto Rico and was looking for a job. There was an opening for an editing internship at Interlock Media, which I applied for because I had just gotten into Boston and didn’t know anyone, and I thought it would be a good place to start. Since, my duties have increased considerably.

Q: What got you interested in film/graphic design?

A: My family is very big on film. We used to spend most of our nights huddled in front of the TV. I’ve drawn since I was very little; I used to draw Looney Toons. I draw, I play guitar, I take pictures and I write. Film is mixed media. It allows me to explore my interests in many different artforms. Be it music, photography, writing, acting and even drawing. I enjoy the experience.

Q: What was the transition from Puerto Rico to America like?

A: I guess you have to get used to a couple of things. Weather patterns are something I have a lot more in mind now, there’s not a lot of seasonal changes in Puerto Rico. I still hold that Puerto Rican food is the best, and I miss it like crazy.

Q: What’s your favorite part of working for Interlock?

A: I like the idea of working for a non-profit environmental organization. I think that we have projects that are worthwhile. As a motion graphics artist, you run across jobs that don’t make you feel very proud of yourself, but working for a non-profit like Interlock is very gratifying. It’s very hard most of the time to find a film industry job that’s helping the world.

Q: Are you where you imagined you would be now, back when you were 18?

A: I’m certainly following the right direction that I had in mind. I have a very elaborate plan with what I want to do and where I want to go. I’ve already finished my first feature, and I’m working on my second.

Q: What advice would you give to aspiring illustrators/film makers?

A: You really have to know that this is what you want to do. It’s a very misunderstood line of work. People think it’s a very glamorous job, but it involves a lot of sacrifice. I think there's people who like the film industry and then there's people who honestly feel a need to be a part of it and truthfully believe the have something to contribute. If you're passionate about it, it might not be worth the effort. I’ve been known to live where I work. I didn’t think of that as hardship, I loved the idea of living in a studio, and I think that only people who want to live that way should pursue this career. That and always charge half up-front.

Q: If you could have a superpower, what would it be?

A: If I could have a superpower, I think being able to read minds would be the most useful power in the world. Either being able to read minds or controlling people’s minds would be awesome.

Study Affirms Correlation Between Global Warming and Severe Weather

2012-07-11T13:06:00.005-07:00

As pointed out yesterday in the New York Times, a recent study by the US National Climate Data Center (NCDC) indicates that the large number of severe global weather events in 2011 was likely exacerbated by global warming.

While individual events can’t be attributed to global warming, the study’s authors explain their findings by comparing the increasing number of severe weather incidents to an increased numbers of home runs hit after a batter has started to use steroids; while there have always been incidents of severe weather (as there have always been home runs), the probability of their occurrence has markedly increased.

If increasing pressure in the form of extreme weather is not enough to prompt serious lifestyle changes around the world, social pressure in the form of environmentalist media has never been more important.

236 Years of Inalienable Rights

2012-07-04T12:21:00.000-07:00

236 years have passed since the US declared independence from Britain. The Declaration was initiated as a statement of defiance against foreign sovereignty, but it was finalized as a dramatic assertion of human rights, and the world has remembered it that way.

Yet some less flattering aspects are worth remembering as well. Of the 56 visionary signatories of the Declaration of Independence, 56 were male, 56 were white, 55 were Protestant, and many owned slaves; they endorsed a banner of change and tolerance while living in the comfortable majority, and they did it in the face of a vastly superior British military. One could easily wonder where they found the courage to defy an empire, when they already lived relatively well as individuals.

We can’t do our Declaration of Independence honor by glorifying the imperfect men behind it, who themselves pronounced all men as created equal, nor by glorifying the actual document, which was composed before equality for women, for instance, seemed worth including.

We can honor the Declaration by upholding the values of equality and human rights that underlie it and by accepting that making progress means acknowledging flaws. We accomplish this when we remember the humanity of our citizens behind bars, when we stand up for exploited populations abroad, and when we analyze the imperfect roots of modern environmentalism.

The Declaration was no end-all; a war still had to be fought, a constitution still had to be written, that same constitution had to be amended, and the disparate states had to be united for real. However, when the founding fathers used that document as a means to champion equality and human rights, they set the USA on its feet as a self-aware nation.

Efforts are being made across the country today to further the admirable values of our founders. Their successes, like the success of the American revolution, come not from the values espoused by a few, but from the impassioned support of the public; without it, we could never have come so far.

Happy 4th, from Interlock.

Bidding for Good

2012-04-26T08:02:00.002-07:00

Interlock Media is pleased to announce our upcoming fundraiser with auction partner Bid For Good. All proceeds will support meaningful projects, such as Faith in the Big House and Sustainable Industries TV. Consider being generous—the world is burning.

Faith in the Big House Gets Distributed

2012-04-26T08:01:00.006-07:00

At long last, our editors have finished work on Faith in the Big House. Our Director Jonathan has just returned from Louisiana, where he met with folks at Louisiana Public Broadcasting (LPB) to lay groundwork for the film’s anticipated screening on LPB this spring. The documentary will then be aired on other public broadcasting stations, as well as at domestic and international film festivals. On the same trip, Faith in the Big House was screened at Elayn Hunt Correctional Center for 1,000 inmates and then at the Sheraton for former inmates. Interlock was gratified and astounded at the reception and commentary offered by current inmates and those in the free world.

A Darker Shade of Green

2012-04-26T08:01:00.002-07:00

Focusing on the work of zoologist Harold J. Coolidge, Jr., The Extraordinary Passage of the Great White Hunter investigates how antiquated conceptions of ethnicity and eugenics stained early progress of the conservationist movement. The historical documentary will feature both archive footage and modern work from the areas in which Coolidge researched.