live the culture films
first film: Live the Culture (WINNER OF BEST FILM, SORENSON COMPETITION, 2011)
“Live the Culture” is a short film using visual rhyming (with the suffix ‘ation’ which represents action and process) to best portray the essence of Deaf Culture, our sign language, and our way of being in an ongoing motion of life.
The artistic direction of this short film is a dedication to the life and era of George W. Vedtiz. By adopting a vintage look and direction, we intentionally aspire to capture the brilliance and legacy of Veditz that continues even to today.
Shot on Canon 7D, with 28-135mm & 50mm lens. Performance by Amanda Sortwell.
The making of this film was inspired by the work of Gustav Johannson and Citizen Cope. Winner of Sorenson Communications' "Express Yourself" film competition, created to honor George W. Veditz's Preservation of ASL through the NAD films in 1913. Films submitted towards the competition must portray Deaf Culture and Sign Language.
second film: the spoof!
It is what it is. After doing the first film, we continued to come up with more ideas - very funny ideas, that wouldn't fit in the rhythmic/poetic approach of the first film. So the idea for the spoof came into the picture. I wanted a dead ringer for Amanda Sortwell and I couldn't have picked a better person than Renca Dunn! They have the same pale complexion, brown eyes, brown hair, but completely different energy and vibe. Sortwell is poetic, while Renca is comedic and hilarious. Both are extraordinarily talented, and great people to work with. When we finally shot the spoof, it fell on St. Patrick's Day. Just our luck - it was the most perfect time. But it will also explain why there is a lot of green clothed people in the film.
Performance by Renca Dunn, Created by Melissa Malzkuhn.
Enjoy.