Another blog post I authored for my work at Pro-Media Communications.

District 9, Sopranos: Do not fear nuance

by Michael Falco, digital initiatives strategist

I have a slight addiction (as if there are degrees of addiction) to broadcast and on-screen entertainment — well, really, all media. This week I finished re-watching the entire “Sopranos” series and followed it up the next day with the film “District 9.”

Now, admittedly, it is a real stretch to draw any parallels between the two works, but there was one overarching idea that continues to weigh on me. It relates to the notion that works of fiction continue to more accurately encapsulate the present zeitgeist than non-fiction.

Sure, on the surface “The Sopranos” could simply be viewed as a shoot-em up mob series and “District 9″ as a stunning piece of science fiction. But that does an incredible disservice to what actually lies before us.

I am confident that one day “The Sopranos” will be viewed as one of the most important examinations and cultural documents of American life at the turn of the century. It relentlessly approached the issues that continue to define this country, whether it is race, class mobility, sexuality, paternalism, war, violence, or post 9/11 hysteria.

“District 9″ and its commentary on Apartheid South Africa is anything but subtle. But there are certainly richer layers beyond that, as the film delves into corporate greed; mass immigration; the inherent difficulties of large peace/keeping and humanitarian missions; popular public opinion trumping what is right; and xenophobia. (Although I agree with Daniel Engber over at Slate that the film could have taken the social commentary even further).

The big lesson here is simply that we should never underestimate our audience. It is easy to boil things down to vacuous, one-dimensional stories like “Transformers,” but we risk doing a real disservice to our audience. I am not belittling talking points, as they often simplify complex issues to foster greater understanding. However, we should not be afraid of nuance. We should not fear creating media and messages that contain layers and that eagerly delve into the topics of our times.

This was my blog entry that appeared on the Pro-Media Communications blog this week. These images have really stuck with me

Powerful images convey world’s inequality

by Michael Falco, account assistant

I am a words man, I have been for most of my adult life. Words carry power. If you arrange the right string of thoughts, drawing on your own experience and connect it to people’s lives, well, you can move mountains. Of course, words also disappoint. Words have long just been a prelude to undelivered dreams and broken promises.

I know people who feel the same way about images. Rarely do I find myself more compelled and enthralled by an image than the written word.

Until just recently. These apparently have been around for some time, but they just crossed my radar. Instead of basing the maps on actual size, it creates a rendering of the world based on certain attributes: military spending, war and death, wealth distribution and so on.

A single image can tell long, complex and often tragic realities about the world we live. These are prime examples of how we should constantly look for new, innovative and compelling methods for telling stories. Through this, we can really move people to see the world differently and hopefully act. Here are the images that moved me most:

Death and War

This is how the map reshapes if each country were sized according to the amount of war and death taking place. The Democratic Republic of Congo accounted for 26 percent of the war and death.

Military Spending

As if anybody should be surprised the U.S. dwarfs all other countries in military spending.

Wealth

There's not much I can say here...

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This was probably one of my favorite (and borderline uncomfortable) moments at the event Pro-Media sponsored along with The New School and the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association. I am inclined to agree with Kai. I do believe announcing one's sexual orientation is a preference that should be done on a person's own terms (although I also understand where Andy is coming from).
Anyway, I suggest you check out the full program. I know I am biased, but it really was the most lively and enjoyable panels I have attended.

Here is my take on the Sarah Palin resignation I wrote for Pro-Media Communications' blog. Just five important reminders for all of us preparing to give the speech of our political lives!

What I learned from Sarah Palin. Really…

By Michael P. Falco, Account Assistant

I think we are all just about on Sarah Palin overload. But I would be remiss if I did not throw my hat into the ring. I will let the blogosphere and pundits continue to get to the bottom of Governor Palin’s abrupt decision to resign her post. (One explanation thrown around is that she may have been overwhelmed by mounting legal fees).

While idle speculation always seems to be the name of the game, I felt compelled to focus on the one tangible aspect of Palin’s announcement: her press conference. The speech is probably the primary reason why so many people have been left scratching their heads, both because it really gave us no clue to why she quit and the speech was, well, bizarre. I saw at least five takeaways from that speech:

1. Have a clear message. That speech was filled with contradictions. At one moment it seemed like she was done with political life for good, while in the very next breath she seemed to be staking a claim for the 2012 Republican presidential nod. She was all over the place and I am still not sure what she wanted me to take away from her speech.

2. Speak slowly. I am going to take her speech and statements at face value and, until I hear otherwise, assume what she did was truly just to avoid being a “lame duck” governor. However, she was so frantic and speaking so rapidly, I can see why so many people have assumed there was an underlying motive: her demeanor screamed “I’m guilty of something.” Which, at this point, appears not to be the case.

3. Be accurate. I am among the believers that most great things have already been said by somebody other than myself. So, I appreciated her decision to end her speech with a bang by quoting Maj. Gen. Oliver Prince Smith. The only problem is that she attributed it to Gen. Douglas MacArthur. Granted, this is a minor mix up. But, it’s silly mistakes like this that risk undermining your credibility — this is one of those silly mistakes that should have been easy to catch through a pretty basic google search.

4. Have friends (experts) ready to back you up. This was a momentous announcement. If Governor Palin really has political ambitions beyond Alaska, she should have spent a little more time being sure others were on board. Many of the people who should have been in her corner were so taken back by the announcement, with little understanding of Governor Palin’s motivations, that they couldn’t eloquently articulate a defense of their political ally.

5. Avoid sports metaphors. I know she was Sarah Barracuda. But, by the third sports metaphor, all I could think was “man, this is some seriously lazy writing.” I mean seriously, references to “full court presses”, “passing the ball”, and “calling audibles” — ugh.

 

Here is another blog post I just wrote for Pro-Media Communications. As always, check out our our site too! We are starting to put up lots of cool things to showcase our knowledge regarding progressive communications!

BLOG: In Iran: overpowering your political opponents, one Internet connection at a time

By Michael P. Falco, Account Assistant

I, like so many over the weekend, was gripped by the coverage coming out of Iran. The mass rallies that have intensified in the wake of the presidential election, in which supporters of Mir-Hossein Moussavi claimed the re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was a farce, shows firsthand the triumphs and pitfalls of new media.

Buried in the comments section of a story on FiveThirtyEight.com was a comment from Darius, a person claiming to be based out of Iran. He displayed the animation and anger that most of us have possessed at one time or another in the wake of bitterly contested political battles. He ends the piece by pointing out that his Facebook and YouTube did not work — social networking was being blocked throughout the country.

The passion that built up in the weeks leading up to the election was a evidence of many things: including the power of new media to mobilize people. In countries with an authoritarian streak, social media is a powerful weapon that provides refuge from often state-dominated media, which is more dedicated to propping up the powers that be than being a reliable, unbiased news source.

Unfortunately, nations have come to recognize this. It occurred during the Myanmar uprisings in 2007, when the regime shut down cellular and Internet communication. The actions had two effects: it smothered outside interest in the story, because the dramatic images were no longer accessible to the world and it stymied the ability of those within the country to organize.

As the New York Times’ online news source The Lede pointed out in its tremendous coverage over the weekend, the difference between the Orange Revolution and Iran’s uprising may very well be the peoples’ ability to access and communicate through new media.

Web 2.0 tools allow us to interact in ways once unimaginable, they, in essence, give all of us a megaphone. I am confident some of the most important and lasting social movements of our time will arise from social media. But some governments, the ones desperately clinging to power and used to censoring the flow of information, are doing everything within their power to encompass, overpower and subordinate emerging media. I am still formulating opinions about what this all means, but rarely have I ever been hit with such conflicting doses of optimism and pessimism at once.

 

This is a blog post I just put together as part of my job at Pro-Media Communications. If you want to talk more about this, or if there are tools you think I overlooked, shoot me a note, post a comment or send me an email at mfalco@pro-mediacommunications.com. I am always in the mood to talk emergent media!

Today’s message is simple: producing quality media no longer requires expensive programs; high-priced cameras and microphones; or an expensive web technician (or really a web technician at all). This is the Web 2.0 world and, in this world, all you need is a little creativity, a computer, access to the Internet and ideas you want to share.

There are services emerging daily intended to make it easier for one-person shows and small non-profits to produce their own media — at no cost. As a longtime believer that the instruments of media producing should be ubiquitous, here are 10 sites that have helped me produce media, all for less than $175:

First, you need the devices and programs to record video and audio:

1. Flip Camera to record video.

OK, so, I know what you are thinking: Flip cameras are not free. Sadly, you are right. Yet, for less than $150 you can have one of the most powerful and easy-to-use cameras on the market. The flip camera is compact, requires pushing a single button to record and has a built in USB drive for easy loading on to your computer. Producing digital-quality videos does not get easier than this.

2. drop.io to record audio.
This site is brilliant. Although it has a number of features for sharing documents, the real gem is the audio recording feature. When you set up your account, you are given a digital voicemail recorder that you can call free. What does the digital voicemail recorder do? Only the coolest, simplest thing ever: automatically upload an mp3 to your computer seconds after you hang up the phone.

If the audio is good enough to distribute as-is, the site offers one-click distribution to your blog, Facebook or Twitter. If you want to do a podcast and have three or four people on a call, drop.io automatically sets up a conference call number – just have your interviewees join the conference number and then call the voicemail, conferencing the lines together.

3. Creative Commons to get free images.

I spent a good 15 minutes attempting to paraphrase what Creative Commons is all about. But, as it sometimes goes, the clearest definition of Creative Commons is from the Web site. In my words, this service is making it absurdly easy to share and use others’ images, with a range of licensing agreements. Here it is in Creative Commons’ words:

“Creative Commons is a nonprofit corporation dedicated to making it easier for people to share and build upon the work of others, consistent with the rules of copyright. We provide free licenses and other legal tools to mark creative work with the freedom the creator wants it to carry, so others can share, remix, use commercially, or any combination thereof.”

4. Blogtalk Radio to start a radio station.

If you’re anything like me, you have long imagined running your own radio station, with your own guests. Well, Blogtalk Radio makes that a reality for any individual or organization. The free account option allows you to set up a radio station, host live, call-in shows and then archive that audio and share it as a Podcast.

Now, you need the tools to edit and improve that audio:

5. Audacity to edit audio.

OK, so you have recorded your audio, either through your computer’s built-in mic or the drop.io service mentioned earlier. But, maybe you want to get rid of ambient news, edit a clip or splice it with other audio clips you have. If you are lucky, your computer came with a program like Garage Band that would allow you to edit your audio. If not, I would go with Audacity.

This program is tremendously user-friendly. It allows you to clean up audio, cut out awkward pauses and so much more. Once you have the audio clip together, just export the file as an mp3 and it is ready to be uploaded to wherever.

6. JahShaka (and others) to edit video.

Just two weeks ago, I would have recommended Jumpcut to edit video. It was an easy online program that allowed you to mix, match and cut video, while adding cool effects. Unfortunately, Yahoo! recently announced they are closing down the Web site… Still, Jumpcut’s demise is no reason to run and spend $850 for Final Cut Pro.

JahShaka has some cool features and options you would only find with more expensive video-editing software. The program has not been upgraded in a while, but it is still top notch (not as intuitive as Jumpcut, but so it goes).

Of course, Apple owners can always stick with (iMovie) and PC owners with (Windows Movie Maker). These programs came free with your computer and they allow you to do an array of effects and edit video with relative ease. They lack Final Cut Pro’s bells and whistles, but you can still put together great-looking videos that showcase your work.

Lastly, you need to distribute the media you have produced.

7. TubeMogul to share video.

There are a lot of services out there where you can share your video. Sure, everybody knows YouTube, but what if I said you have the power to upload your video to a dozen other video services (including YouTube), monitor the reach of your video, and see how many people have viewed your video across all platforms? TubeMogul does that all!

8. Posterous to share easily.

This is by far the easiest blogging service out there. Posterous allows you to post to your blog a number of different ways, but the easiest is through your email. The subject line becomes the headline and the body is your blog post’s text. What’s more, if you attach photos or a video to the email, it automatically formats the attachment and imbeds it to the blog entry. (On top of all of this, subject line is automatically sent to Twitter and Facebook, photos to flickr and much more!)

9. Tumblr to share everything.

If Posterous is the easiest-to-use blogging service, than Tumblr is a close second. While it is not as user-friendly as Posterous (as if anything is) you can personalize your blog and add a range of cool features, not available through Posterous (yet). Tumblr allows you to design your own unique and professional-looking blog that is easy to upload.

10. Drupal to create your own social networks.

The possibilities with Drupal are limitless. This software package makes it possible to easily publish and create an almost limitless variety of content. There are e-commerce packages, social networking options, podcasting modules and so much more. This is the easiest program to launch and build an interactive Web site that does everything you need in today’s Web 2.0 world.

The recent news about the death of nine Haitian immigrants aboard a boat bound for Florida was a sad reminder of how poorly we sometimes communicate the intent of immigrants. Even in the midst of the greatest economic crisis most of us have seen in this country, there are people willing to risk their lives to make it to the land of opportunity.

The economic nightmare that has unfolded in Haiti over the last handful of decades is heart wrenching, especially for those of us who have interacted directly with the country. People are boarding boats incapable of withstanding the ocean’s tides, even so they climb aboard in hopes of opportunity and a better life. Capturing the American Dream remains a journey fraught with peril.

What anti-immigration forces forget – and often what those of us who believe in open borders forget to emphasize – is that America still offers the promise of a better future. While so many choose to imply maliciousness on the part of America’s newest immigrants, most are seeking what our grandparents and great-grandparents wanted: a chance to reach their potential. I am in favor of the American Dream for all of those who seek it -- to me that is the essence of this country's promise. Nativists are clearly opposed to this interpretation.

Personally, I'll stick with the inimitable words of Emma Lazarus inscribed on the Statue of Liberty's pedestal:

"Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore, Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me: I lift my lamp beside the golden door."

I have seen a lot of the Swineflu coverage out there and am becoming increasingly nervous. Not for the potential of a pandemic, but for the media's contribution to premature panic. I do not want to diminish the deaths of 100-plus Mexicans -- as I think that certainly makes the potential of this latest outbreak worth considering.

However, the fear-inducing level of headlines and the dramatic images, like the one above, do not really mesh with what we currently know. Namely, that is because we know far too little about Swineflu. Still, the media is in a furor and is running rampant with few conclusive facts.

Yes, they suspect more than 100 people in Mexico have died from Swineflu. However, we also know that the 20 confirmed cases in the U.S. have been mild. The number of confirmed cases is only at 73 and tests on this latest strand are only just beginning.

This seems like one of those moments where the media will once again undercut its credibility. At what point does this become another Avian Flu or SARS? And, if the fear does prove to be unjustified, what happens the next time -- when people's safety really may be at stake? Again, I do think there is reason to be concerned, but there is so little knowledge out there, that the level of hysteria seems exceptionally premature.

The media certainly needs to increase general awareness and do what it can to help people protect themselves. But this coverage seems more about one thing -- boosting ratings for news outlets talking about "swineflu" (and admittedly, people are fascinated by this story, just look at the number of swineflu tweets, mine included).

We need to exercise caution and the media needs to consider the effects of what it disseminates. Not to fall back on old cliches, but this feels a lot like the boy who cried wolf. The next time people may be slower to buy into the hype: and that could put us all at risk.

Remember, the evidence says we don't need to panic just yet, even though the images and nonstop coverage seem to tell an entirely different story.

I lived in Iowa for three years, admittedly working as a reporter in a pretty white bread town. And certainly, Iowa is not exactly a bastion of diversity. Still, I can't help but lament what is lacking from this advertisement.

On the whole, I think it was tremendously effective. I think it tapped into the spirit of Iowa and really captured the state's essence. But trust me, I knew many African American, Asian and Spanish-speaking gay men in Iowa -- and they all had family in the state too.

Not to get too simplistic here, but should anybody act surprised if people of color were slow to embrace the gay rights movement? I mean seriously, if I were a person of color in Iowa -- gay or straight -- what in this advertisement would connect with me? Not much.

Making non-white people invisible is a terrible strategy -- regardless of any state's demographics (Iowa is 91 percent, non-Hispanic). Hopefully this is something that will be rectified in future advertisements. I don't think the gay rights movement as a whole will ever have widespread success if it continues isolating/ignoring entire groups of people.

I have already discussed at length how absurd this advertisement is. Of course, it takes the likes of Colbert to really point out the underlying humor of this advertisement and just how over the top it is.