BYFA

CLIENT ASSIGNMENT: THE LETTERS TO YOUTH PROJECT
Ages 16-29
Winter 2020, Morgan State University

In this videography workshop, student fellows will create a client assignment promotional video for the Letters to Youth Project.  The project solicited letters from incarcerated men to youth on the outside, and collected them in a book for publication.  In the letters the men reflect on their experiences and share their hard-earned wisdom about life choices.  Working together as a professional crew under the direction of instructors, BYFA fellows will interview Merle Morrow, who conceived of the project, and Greg Carpenter, her partner in assembling the collection.  Fellows will also make individual recordings of selected letters, read aloud by men who participated in the project before completing their terms and returning to society.  These recordings and a complete short video comprising interviews and readings will be used to promote the project and book in Baltimore and beyond.  Fellows will learn video and audio recording, interview protocols and techniques, and the basics of Adobe Premiere.  Their work will also be shared at a public screening and on the BYFA website.  Limited to 10 student fellows.   

Client Assignment: The Letters to Youth Project is a co-production of Baltimore Youth Film Arts and Morgan State University.

Kyle Yearwood is an award-winning visual artist from Baltimore.  He graduated from Morgan State University with a degree in Screenwriting and Animation, and his work has been exhibited at the American Visionary Art Museum and the Museum of the African Diaspora, and been featured in The Baltimore Sun, Afropunk, Essence, and on ABC2 News. 

Taelor Clay, a Morgan State University graduate, is an independent film producer and screenwriter, largely focused on stories that address and attempt to heal infighting in struggling communities. 

Jessica Pettiford is a graduate of the Screenwriting and Animation (SWAN) program at Morgan State University. She hopes to improve her own skills while working with others and helping them learn something new.

Chrissy Fitchett, a graduate of MICA, is a practicing photographer and Associate Director for Baltimore Youth Film Arts.  Her work examines family structure, generational knowledge, and issues of political and social marginalization, such as forced migration and gender inequity. She is Associate Director for Baltimore Youth Film Arts.