Nicole Wisler | The Modern Story

5
Dec

You may remember the entry I posted about my West Marredpally class’ first video “Our Stories Our Important.” I’m pleased to report that the conversations around sexism, representation and girl power that project continued long after we wrapped.

In the above noted entry, I wrote about impressed I was with the ability of the girls to recognize the need for complex, honest female characters, rather than simply strong female characters. For our second video, a fast-paced action flick about four super-heroines taking on two evil villains planning to commit infanticide against baby girls, the students worked hard to create characters that were not only tough, but also relatable: one hero struggles with her parents having doubts in her. The students were also adamant about creating two female villains because they wanted to disrupt the portrayal of girls as sweet and nice. Their sense of empathy and ability to write and portray complex characters stems from a true self-awareness that many of the girls possess. They are immensely capable of thinking and working independently and I had no trouble sending small teams out on shoots by themselves. Despite the fact that the story was rooted in fiction, many of the actresses drew on their own experiences or those of women they knew well when approaching a scene instead of copying what they’d seen in the theater or on their televisions.

Four Superheroines from The Modern Story on Vimeo.

With this in mind I decided to propose a final project that would center on self-representation. Many of the students wrote poems about themselves and they worked in pairs to frame self-portraits. In stark contrast to the trepidation they displayed at the beginning of the semester, most were ecstatic to be totally in control. Their willingness to present themselves as they are astounded me; I loved seeing that some of them wrote lines like “Angry (sometimes!)” in their poems. I hope you enjoy learning more about them as much as I have!

West Marredpally self-portraits from The Modern Story on Vimeo.

Dec, 5

Nicole Wisler

TMS Fellow Updates

Jai Ganesha: to Boston and Beyond

Hello there! Way back in July my students at Seethaphalmandi and I became fascinated by the idea of cross-cultural sharing via Digital Postcards. Lucky for us, Hyderabad’s festival season swung into high gear just as we were getting ready to embark on our second video project. When the neighborhood around the school began to be crowded with pop-up sweet shops and Ganesha temples, I was confused, and immediately turned to my students for the low-down. They explained that Ganesh Chatruthi: the 11-day celebration that would culminate in a massive citywide celebration at Tank Bund, was almost upon us! Because our surroundings were so teeming with potential material (beautiful statues to photograph, plenty of folks to interview, spontaneous dance parties to film) we decided to devote our energy to educating the masses about this incredible festival.

Jai Ganesha from The Modern Story on Vimeo.

At first, I was a bit reluctant to go along with the student’s insistence on incorporating photography, interviews, videos and stop motion animation into the project, but they quickly divided themselves into teams and proved they were more than up for the task. Apart from one special field trip that we all took to some of the neighborhood idols, the students honed their skills in small groups, dutifully checking off items on our production checklist. The final product is not only visually stunning, but also provides a wonderfully comprehensive understanding of the festival.

The class with their letters from Breakthrough students!

One of the most rewarding aspects of this project, however, was actually getting to send the postcard to a group of Digital Storytelling students in a Boston, facilitated by our own Piya Kayshap. The students were thrilled to share this aspect of their culture and even more elated to receive letters and power points about Halloween and Thanksgiving. We had a great time comparing and contrasting the holidays and drafting letters to our new friends!

5
Dec

Nicole Wisler

Daily Updates, Pre-Departure, Reflections, The Modern Story Fellowship, TMS Fellow Updates, Videos

Three Cheers for Uma Rani!

Yesterday was my final class at Bansilalpet School. I’ll reserve a separate post for their final project but just for now I want to highlight one student in particular. We spent the class preparing for today’s final presentation and party: making a snack list, finalizing and retouching all the videos, and deciding who would give the welcome address to fellow students, the entire faculty, and the headmaster. Almost before I could finish asking for a volunteer, Uma’s hand shot up.

“I’ll give the welcome,” she quipped.

My co-teacher Geetha and I were both (pleasantly) a little shocked. From the beginning, Uma has been excited about the class and eager to learn, but also slow to raise her hand and very prone to blushing. She never quite got comfortable in front of the camera, but, slowly, she did make strides: first volunteering to be camerawoman, than to direct, and finally, to take the lead on writing our last fiction story and recording the voiceover. Still, if someone had asked me whom I would have pegged as a willing public speaker back in July, I would never have guessed Uma.

Maybe Uma’s transformation stems from the fact that, as a class, we’ve all gotten more comfortable with each other. We’ve worn insane costumes and had too many spontaneous dance parties to count. The girls and boys have not only learned to work together, but have found that they enjoy it. Maybe it’s simply that she’s six months older now. But whatever the reason, in the video below she proves herself to be an incredibly confident and articulate young woman.

I’m missing my students at Bansilalpet already, but it’s no small comfort to have walked away knowing that Uma and her classmates, who taught me so much over the last six months, truly are confident excited and excited about continuing to tell their stories.

Nov, 15

Nicole Wisler

TMS Fellow Updates

Learn Something New From the Railway TMS Girls!

The first week it was counting to five in Telugu with Shalini. Soon after it was the entire “Chikni Chameli” dance routine with Anuradha. Followed by a step-by-step tutorial on how to make chapatis from Jyothi. Our students at Railway Girls High School are brilliant and they love to teach as much as they love to learn. So it came as no surprise when they decided that, for their second project, they wanted to make not one but two how-to videos.

The girls are immensely talented so settling upon subjects to teach was no small feat. Lot’s of great ideas were vetoed in favor of our final two: a video on the history and artistry of mehendi, and one covering popular Indian sports. Rather than straightforward documentaries, the girls chose to incorporate all of their knowledge into narratives. Plots were concocted, characters were conceived and scripts were written. The Indian educational system is heavily focused on rote learning, which is something that the TMS curriculum generally discourages. However, all that practice at memorizing paid off in spades as everyone had their lines down and was ready to show off their acting chops within a few days.

The production phase of our projects has never been easy, logistics and time constraints are always looming, yet the girls’ lack of ego and great work ethic paid off and the outcome is two fantastic short films. After editing was finished we set aside class time to show the final videos, so that each group could see what the other had been working on. Everyone was so supportive towards the work of their peers, but the girls were surprisingly quite shy of seeing themselves on the screen! We hope you enjoy these videos and leave comments, we’re sure it will do nothing but boost the confidence level of these amazing girls.

TMS SPORTS from The Modern Story on Vimeo.

Railway Mehendi from The Modern Story on Vimeo.

Oct, 5

Nicole Wisler

TMS Fellow Updates

Vanakam from Vikravandy!

After a few languid days spent eating croissants and learning new things (surfing and motorcycle driving!!) in Pondicherry we’ve arrived at SAMSSS (the South Arcot Multipurpose Social Service Society) in Vikravandy. We’re here to conduct mini TMS classes as part of the Digital Education and after school programs run by Communities Rising, their (and our) amazing partner organization. My excitement for this week has been building up since I found out I would be working with TMS last spring- I spent a few weeks volunteering here at Communities Rising two summers ago and it’s just the most wonderful place. Seeing familiar faces at the schools, catching up with old friends and learning all of Vela, the cook’s, and dosa-making tricks feel something like a homecoming for me but I know it’s been a great change of pace for all of us.

Nicole at CR in the summer of 2011

The laid-back, almost bucolic atmosphere at SAMSSS is appropriately tempered by the excitement of our new students. On Monday and Tuesday we went to Periyatachioor where we had an eager group of 5^th and 6^th class students who showed up even though they were technically on holiday. I was nervous about the language barrier but we were more than able to circumvent it with the help of song, dance, drawings, and, of course, our two excellent junior translators Seenu and Saran. Once we taught the students how to use the cameras, which they took to right away, they taught us about the village by taking us on a walking tour. We had such a blast producing this photo story about the animals of Periyatachioor and I’m so impressed that the students managed to finish it in two days! E-I-E-I-O, enjoy!

Animals from The Modern Story on Vimeo.

23
Sep

Nicole Wisler

Classroom News, Daily Updates, The Modern Story Fellowship, TMS Fellow Updates, Videos, Watch

Outtakes!

Hi friends!

Great news- all of our classes have finished (or just about finished) production on their first video projects! In the past few weeks our students have participated in some great guest workshops, conducted some hardcore research and interviews, pulled together some truly incredible costumes and demonstrated knacks for everything from camera to directing to crying on command. Unfortunately, they’re all about to have a week of exams followed by two weeks of holiday and we’re headed to Tamil Nadu to facilitate TMS workshops with Communities Rising so you won’t get to see their final edits for a little while. We’ve created this outtakes reel to tide you ever!

Video Story Outtakes! from The Modern Story on Vimeo.

9
Sep

Nicole Wisler

Classroom News, Daily Updates, Photo Stories, The Modern Story Fellowship, Videos, Watch

Welcome to Bansilalpet!

After I finish my morning class at West Marredpally I hop into an auto, stop for a quick dosa from the delicious cart right where the main road forks, head to the right and push open the gate to Bansilalpet School. Most days, I’m instantly welcomed by the headmaster, a cluster of primary school students, and Geetha, my TA. Photos of school functions, certificates of achievement, and charts proudly displaying how well the students have performed on state exams cover the walls of the main office and staff lounge. When I asked my class, a group of 18 rambunctious 8th graders, to write about one thing they liked about their community, the vast majority chose to write about their school. I wish you could all feel the sense of pride in and love for this school that I get to every time I walk in that gate, but since you can’t, our class has produced the next best thing: a photo tour! Enjoy!

Welcome to Bansilalpet from The Modern Story on Vimeo.

5
Sep

Nicole Wisler

Classroom News, Daily Updates, Photo Stories, The Modern Story Fellowship, TMS Fellow Updates, Videos, Watch

Watch Out Ramoji: The West Marredpally Girls are Ready to Take Over

Did you know that India is the world’s largest producer of films? Or that, as a matter of fact, Hyderabad is home to the second largest film industry in the country? Not to mention we’ve got Ramoji Film City, the world’s largest film production facility and the world’s largest 3D IMAX Screen, which, not surprisingly, is also the world’s most attended screen.

What I’m trying to say is: movies are a really big deal here and film has proven to be an easy conversation starter with my students. My class at West Marredpally was perhaps the most enthusiastic, though; the students launched into vivid mile- a-minute descriptions of their favorite Blockbusters without any prodding. They were eager to get started on the behind the scenes work as well. I can’t quite remember how exactly it came up but at some point I asked them how many of their favorite movies featured heroines or had a girl playing a pivotal role. When that failed to elicit any raised hands I asked how many movies that fit that description they could think of. We ended up with just a handful of examples I asked them why they thought that was. They were quick to answer that people don’t want to make “those types of movies.” I asked them why that was.
“They wouldn’t make money because there would be no one to see them.”
“Why?”
“Most women work too much to go to the movies.”

I pressed them on why they thought only women would go to see movies about heroines.
“Men would not be interested to see them.”
Again, “Why?”

The conversation was at times thrilling, at times exhausting and definitely a challenge for all of us but we eventually got ourselves right to the center of the vortex we were struggling to define. The students realized that many filmmakers and moviegoers operate under (and the former therefore perpetuate) the same assumption that women make less capable, less complex, less convincing, and therefore, less lucrative heroines or even principle characters.

Then, these cross-legged, wide eyed soon-to-be directors and writers and actresses and camerawomen and editors decided that they could try and convince folks to produce movies about women and girls- and what better way to do it than by making one of their own?

Over the next few weeks we talked about all of the reasons that common assumptions about women and girls are false. We talked about ourselves and told stories about moments in our lives that we’re proud of. Hema Prabha is only twelve but she can speak seven languages. M. Swathi is a great cook. Devi tells gripping stories. Hemalela aced all of her exams. Swathi is a talented runner. They told me about all of the women they admire. To help bridge the language divide, I borrowed a move from Hyderabad for Feminism and had them scrawl their thoughts on whiteboards in English or Telugu and take photos of these alongside their action shots. Finally, they recorded their voiceover, picked a powerful instrumental song to accompany, honed their editing skills and here’s what we came up with:

Our Stories Are Important- W. Marredpally from The Modern Story on Vimeo.

Around the time we were starting post-production, an article entitled “I Hate Strong Female Characters,” was published. I was reluctant to read it at first, too, but the basic argument is this:

“Sherlock Holmes gets to be brilliant, solitary, abrasive, Bohemian, whimsical, brave, sad, manipulative, neurotic, vain, untidy, fastidious, artistic, courteous, rude, a polymath genius. Female characters get to be Strong.”

In their video the girls place equal value on the fact that they are physically strong as they do on the fact that they can cook, or that they value relationships, or that they’re sincere. They get to be themselves, not faster, stronger, meaner, more butt-kicking but also more callous tropes of themselves. I am so grateful for the conversations these students have allowed me to have with them and I can’t wait to see what fascinating characters they come up with as we embark on our first short fiction video.

Aug, 27

Nicole Wisler

Classroom News, Daily Updates, Photo Stories, The Modern Story Fellowship, TMS Fellow Updates

That’s a Wrap!

We are so excited to be posting our first photostory!

One of the first assignments I gave my students at Seethaphalmandi was to bring in an object that was precious to them and share it with the class so that I could get to know them better. The class implored me to do the same and, the next day, I obliged by bringing in a handful of postcards from my friends’ travels. At first, the postcards were a simple tool to help explain the basics of creating a storyboard for a photostory. I had my students shout out what they could infer about Portugal from an image of a white church next to a lighthouse, or Washington, D.C. from a shot of the capital building or Israel from a close-up of a decked out camel. Then, I read the accompanying text aloud to demonstrate how even more can be gleaned from a detailed written description. Immediately, the students began to reflect on their own surroundings and to quiz me on how much I was able to understand about the culture of Hyderabad based on what I had seen so far. They wanted to know what my friends thought of India, what had I taught them. One student asked: “Teacher, have you sent any postcards yet?

And thus, the idea for our digital postcard was born.

Many ideas were thrown out in that first brainstorming session and I really hope that we get a chance to return to some of them- but partly because these students are naturally inclined to be in front of the camera and the idea of dressing up at school was exciting and partly because of my inability to pronounce or spell any of the things I was wearing they decided first to educate the masses about traditional Indian dress.

Digital Postcard: Indian Dress from The Modern Story on Vimeo.

I wrote in an earlier post about creative confidence about our goals of serving more as facilitators than teachers, of actively listening more than we lecture, and of our desire to see students confidently share what they know and think and feel with us. And in this class my students really had no option but to muster that creative confidence (please refer back to my previously mentioned ignorance). When we needed to write a scene identifying the pieces of a half saree or decide whether a photograph should be a portrait of one student or a group shot the students quickly realized that I wasn’t the one with the “right” answer- they were. It was wonderful to watch them step up and be the experts that they are and it’s led to our classroom having a much more open and egalitarian feel.

On a typical Thursday I’ll come in and ask them about what’s happened in the city since the last time I saw them- it’s festival season so there’s almost always been something exciting. One week, a Muslim student taught me as well as the Hindu and Christian students in the class about Eid. The following week, I explained absurd and amazing spectacle that is Halloween. And this past week, a student named Nityanand explained the upcoming Ganesha festival- he’s an expert and counts it as his favorite since it happens around his birthday. I can’t wait to continue learning from and alongside these students, but I think we’ll start off this week with a mini celebratory festival of our own!

7
Aug

Nicole Wisler

Classroom News, Photo Stories, The Modern Story Fellowship, TMS Fellow Updates, Videos

On AYV, creative confidence, and superheroes

Hello! Nicole here. Last week Nelle, Shivani and I were really lucky to be at the Adobe Youth Voices (AYV) Training co-hosted with one of our other local partners, The America India Foundation (AIF). As participants we learned so much about creative pedagogy and how AVY applies it and were thrilled to interact with our teaching assistants outside of the classroom and as educators we were able to lead several parts of the training. I was especially excited to facilitate a workshop on Creative Confidence.

“Creative Confidence” at AYV from The Modern Story on Vimeo.

This idea of creative confidence, of ownership, of assuredness that your voice is the best voice for for folks to hear a story from is incredibly important to me. It’s what drew me to digital storytelling when I first heard about it in college and it’s what informs every decision I make when it’s late at night and I’m lesson planning at our dining room table that’s always a little cramped with whiteboards, backup hard drives and student’s journals. In each class we’ve tried to make a conscious effort to present ourselves as facilitators more so than teachers with all of the answers and in some it’s been easier than in others to get the students to step up. For example, my students at Seethaphalmandi school are in pre-production on a series of “digital postcards” about the culture of Hyderabad and the first one is centered on typical styles of dressing. It didn’t take them long to realize that in this situation they had to teach me. They’re confident in their knowledge of the topic and they’re excited to share what they know with anyone who wants to watch their video.

Nithyanand storyboarding at Seethaphalmandi!

At the school discussed in the workshop, West Marredpally, however, the task was a little bit more daunting. My students were quick to point out to me that most people in their community give more freedom and privileges to boys and also very attune to the massive dearth of movies with strong female, particularly young female leads and so I pushed them to make the connection between the two issues. I was scribbling their ideas on the board and pushing them to tell me why (“why don’t people make these movies?” “why won’t people go see them?” “why do you think only women would go?”) and on and on. At first, they seemed to think that every time I pushed on it was because they had the wrong answer and it was a bit of a challenge to assure them that they were so completely right and that I was excited about where we were getting, but we finally came full circle with five minutes left on our Tuesday class and one girl confidently pointed out that if movies can shape thoughts and thoughts can shape actions in a negative way then the opposite must also be true and there was the creative confidence I had been searching for. The class is entering the production phase determined not only to take great photographs or speak clearly when recording the voiceover, but to use these tools that tells a story that will change the hearts and minds of those within and outside of their community. Also, on the subject of determination, all of this talk about the strength of girls has led to many a conversation about a girl gang of superheroes, which to me sounds like it has all the trappings of a great action movie for project #2. Stay tuned!