SEE I The Soul Cinematic Universe is a four-week new technology film arts camp that is open to the Cleveland community (ages 13-17). Participants will be guided by seasoned accredited film professionals (Fox Sports/Bally Sports, Netflix, Amazon, Apple TV) and will learn tools on par with industry standards. The environment is fun, yet challenging and at all times seeking to empower students with the vision to imagine...everything. Our goal is to empower the voices of visual artist and teach them to spark conversations through their art while illuminating them to new technologies which will allow them to create content despite financial limitations. The culmination of the program is the presentation of a group virtual production short film, centered around The Summit (the civil rights event orchestrated by NFL Hall of Famer Jim Brown), by leveraging Motion Capture Technology and Epic Games' Unreal Engine. Additionally, several live action short films will be produced around the subjects of Mediation, Violence Prevention and Restorative Justice. The films will be screened at the prestigious Greater Cleveland Urban Film Festival in September along with a community roundtable discussion sparked by the subject matter introduced in the films.

SEE I The Soul Cinematic Universe is inspired by the words of the late African American filmmaker Gordon Parks, “I saw that the camera could be a weapon against poverty, against racism, against all sorts of social wrongs. I knew at that point I had to have a camera.”

Individual Shorts Program

The goal of the individual shorts seeks to empower the community by bringing awareness against injustice, violence and reducing the need for police activity. To that end, the individual short film production course will produce no more than (6) six Short Films. Selected from Student scripts, participants will have their choice of choosing from one of (3) three themes. “Mediation” will center around resolving conflicts that offer an opportunity to discuss their community’s unique concerns and needs. “Violence Prevention” speaks to using evidence informed strategies of reducing violence through community centered initiatives that address trauma. Lastly, “Restorative Justice” allows participants to tell stories about healing by bridging the gap between community members who have been harmed and the people responsible for the harm.

Virtual Film Production

Virtual Production is a fast-growing technique in the film and television industry. It offers filmmakers new ways to create engaging content with greater flexibility and efficiency. It combines traditional filmmaking methods such as live action camera footage with motion capture and facial recognition. To that point, the participants will take part in producing a short cinematic experience employed using Virtual Production. The theme for this year’s Virtual Film Production class is The Cleveland Summit and its rich, diverse history. In 1967, NFL legend Jim Brown, along with NBA greats Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Bill Russell came together in Cleveland to support "The Greatest", Muhammed Ali and his stance in protesting the Vietnam War, one of many historical moments in the Civil Rights Era. Using Unreal Engine, participants will film a cinematic experience on a virtual set. Through this, both the participants and their prospective audience will learn a valuable lesson about a key historical moment in the nation’s history.

A camera can be a Weapon. Make Them See You.