Spring Break

SUGAR LOAF, NY __ This is what I did Spring Break: With the video project, Planet Forward, in the can, I decided to flee Rhode Island for a little dull-witted comfort. I filled a bag with some clothing and dropped it in the front seat of my car -- a swift-moving Mercedes C230 I've nicknamed the "Acme Rocket Sled" -- and then I pointed the car out onto the highway and started heading West as fast as it would take me.

Four hours later, I arrived in my former hometown, Warwick, New York, for a visit with my best friend, Winnie, and his family. Now, Winnie is a very talented plumber and -- as a result -- a busy guy. For the better part of four days, I traded my time working as a plumber's apprentice installing sink fixtures, water heaters and furnaces. (I swear this is true.) At night, I sat opposite Dustan, his 12-year-old son, playing video games for hours at a time. I also made a point of visiting my favorite pub -- the Barnsider -- which is owned by an old dear friend to eat burgers and drink beers.

And, much to my surprise, I awoke on Saturday, March 14th to discover that my community was celebrating St. Patrick's Day. I was so dazed by the work of the semester, that I'd completely lost track of the holiday calendar and literally asked: It's Saint Patrick's Day? We went down to parade route where Dustan and I shot video of the entire walk-through.



Now, I'd like to say there was a purpose in all of this but really, I was escaping the RWU community and shedding my Rhode Island skin for a week or so. I needed to set aside my faculty blazer -- the one with the elbow patches -- and syllabi to clear my head. To do so, I regressed professionally, intellectually, and emotionally. I was -- for a brief time -- a highway speed demon, a plumber's apprentice and a 12-year-old video addict who indulged himself with the Frank Capra-esque musings of friendship, family and community.

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Herreshoff Marine Museum

BRISTOL, RI __ My students in Digital Journalism II have been cataloging video stories about Rhode Island. For the last 11 weeks, we've been moving (slowly) around the state reporting on various aspects of the community, doing stories on oddies, curiosities and so forth.

Here's the latest from the team on the Herreshoff Marine Museum here in Bristol.



As will all their work, everything here is homegrown. The video is ours, as is the music. Jillian MacDonald produced this piece, Kristen Seturins edited the work together, and the audio work was done by Ross Malpere and Stephen DePasquale.

The purpose of this class is relatively simple: We're using video to take viewers inside these places hoping to share a little about the Rhode Island experience.

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Planet Forward (RWU) does DC

BRISTOL, RI __ The Planet Forward kids edit their "behind the scenes" video of Washington DC including the Segway tour of the National Mall.



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Saint Patrick's Day

GOSHEN, NY __ I was back in the O.C. for Saint Paddy's Day and I decided to shoot some video during the County celebration.



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Surfing in Rhode Island

BRISTOL, RI __ Surfing in Rhode Island as explored by my students:



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Flying Carousel story

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Planet Forward DC Pilot Taping

MIDDLETOWN, RI __ On Sunday, the Planet Forward team flew south to Washington DC to shoot the TV pilot for PBS. We got there a few days early to see the sites and to clown around the city before getting down to work. I'll talk about the fun in a moment.

First, a little about the taping. As I've been writing all these months, Frank Sesno had a vision to launch a TV show grounded with an interactive web site dedicated to sustainability. For our part, we had to produce a series of videos on sustainability. All are now available at the Planet Forward website.

On Tuesday, we gathered in the early evening for the actually taping. To Frank's credit, it was quite an ordeal. Outside the George Washington University School of Communications there were several tractor-trailer trucks loaded with TV production equipment. Lines of thick cables stretched across the steps and inside the GWU TV studio -- which was once home to CNN's "Crossfire" -- and into the new "Planet Forward" TV set. The set was wonderfully garish.

Now, the actual show is just 60 minutes long, but Frank shot over 120 minutes of conversation. It worked this way. Using at least a half-dozen cameras, Frank and his team brought out a panel of green-technology experts to speak and debate the merits of sustainability. Frank lead the discussion, stopping it occasionally to showcase video from the Planet Forward website. After 75 minutes of conversation, Frank cleared the set and brought out the next round of panelists including White House Energy Czar Carol Browner. He also added RWU Senior Kyle Toomey to the discussion. Again, Frank lead another discussion, which lasted about 60 minutes.

During the after party, Frank told me that he and his team were going to spend several days culling the tape down to size, shaping the show into a 60-minute program which will air, as promised, at 8 p.m. ET, Wednesday, April 15th across the country.



As for the fun: We toured the city, visiting the monuments, the Capitol, the White House and so forth. We also spent several hours riding around the National Mall on Segways, which remains the high point for many of us.



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