Connector/SCAN seeking Web director and features editor

SCAD Atlanta’s award-winning Connector student news source and quarterly SCAN Magazine are seeking to fill the following paid staff positions by the end of spring quarter:

Web Director
Features Editor

To apply, download the job description/application instructions for the desired position above, fill out an application here, and submit along with a cover letter, resume, design/writing samples and two references by Wednesday, May 12, to twillia@scad.edu. Applications must be submitted by e-mail, preferably in .PDF format. For more information, e-mail twillia@scad.edu.

Additionally, The Connector and SCAN are always seeking SCAD students to contribute as reporters, writers, columnists, photographers, designers, illustrators or cartoonists. For more information about how to get involved as a contributor, e-mail editor@scadconnector.com.

All interested students are welcome to attend The Connector’s weekly staff meetings, held Fridays at 11 a.m. at The Connector newsroom inside the Spring House computer lab.

Don’t try this at home

Skin deep: A review of “Skin” the movie

Popping the DVD in the player, I wasn’t sure to what to expect. “Skin” could possibly be an action movie, some dirty flick, an example of a “cut and dice ‘em” horror film, or a story of slavery in the American South. As I sat back in my loveseat, the tumultuous life of Sandra Laing, played by British actress Sophie Okonedo, began to unfold on the screen.

Based on a true story, “Skin” is about a young woman who grew up during 1950s Apartheid in South Africa. While that is interesting enough, the story has a flip side. The color of her skin is the driving force of the movie. Written by Helen Crawley, Jessie Keyt and Helen Kriel and directed by Anthony Fabien, the audience is immediately thrown into Sandra’s life, finding that she looks black, while her parents are white. She is not adopted, but her skin appears to be a different color than that of her family. The film embarks on Sandra’s life as she faces the emotional and traumatic experiences of trying to fit into a society that does not know what to make of her.

“Skin” was released overseas in such countries as the United Kingdom and Australia, as well as countries in Africa. The film was only screened domestically at select viewings. Elsewhere in the U.S., the movie went straight to DVD, available at Blockbuster stores.

So, how did this film stay under the radar for so long in the United States?

Released in 2008, “Skin” became an international success, winning several awards in 2009, including Audience awards at many film festivals and the Amnesty International award at the Giffoni Film Festival. One reason that the film has not been more widely seen in the States is because the movie traveled on the international film festival circuit extensively before hitting the U.S. Other reasons may include race relations. “Some believe that distributors are still reluctant when it comes to promoting black stars in leading roles…with black women faring worst,” states Current.com, a multiplatform online news source. The film could also be an unwanted reminder of the country’s struggles with race and prejudice.

Nevertheless, “Skin’s” narrative is told with such magnitude that the film’s obscurity is difficult to comprehend. Sandra’s life story tantalizes the soul and pulls at the heartstrings. Not melodramatic in any shape or fashion, this film is a powerful example of survival and courage; tears are expected, so be sure to have a box of tissues handy. In a time when the U.S. has elected its first black president, this film begs to answer to the age-old question, what truly is “skin deep?”

SCAD Style recommendation of the day

Friday, April 30:

The first week of SCAD Style wraps up today. Not sure which event to attend?  No worries, the Connector has you covered.  Today’s Style Connect recommendation is the “Style Happens Here” panel.

7 p.m., SCAD Atlanta, Gallery See, 1600 Peachtree St.

Panelists include:

• Suzanne Kasler, an Atlanta-based, award-winning interior designer.
• Mychael Knight, fashion designer seen on Bravo’s “Project Runway.” He recently debuted his Fall/Winter 2010 collection.
• John Lineweaver, founder of Lineweaver Design & Communications providing design and brand strategies.
• Jada Loveless, luxury handbag designer.
• Sid Mashburn, owner of his namesake high-end men’s store in Atlanta.
• Moderator Amy Flurry, freelance editor of fifteen years with work featured in InStyle, Conde Nast Traveler, Atlanta Peach, O @ Home, The Atlantan and Refinery 29.

For a complete schedule of events at SCAD Atlanta, visit www.scadstyle.com.

SCAD Style recommendation of the day

Thursday, April 29:

Not sure which SCAD Style event to attend today?  No worries, the Connector has you covered. Today’s Style Connect recommendation is the “From Magazine to Monitor:  The Rise of the Blog” panel.

7 p.m., SCAD Atlanta, Gallery See, 1600 Peachtree St.

“From Magazine to Monitor: The Rise of the Blog” panel

Panelists include:

• Jaithan Kochar is a style blogger, interior decorator and co-founder of lifestyle company Eddie Ross Inc.
• Rita Konig is a New York Times blogger (“Inside Out”) decorator and author of “Domestic Bliss.”
• Richard Mishaan, moderator, is founder of Homer design, his New York-based interior design/architecture firm.
• Nick Olsen is a blogger (“Decorating for the Next Great Depression”), ex-Dominomag.com deal hunter and interior decorator known for designing on a budget.
• Eddie Ross is a style blogger (Eddieross.com), decorator, former Martha Stewart Living editor, and co-founder of lifestyle company Eddie Ross Inc.

Followed by a book signing of Richard Mishaan’s “Modern Luxury.”

For a complete schedule of events at SCAD Atlanta, visit www.scadstyle.com.

Attack of the Creative Suite

Newly-developed and enticing the marketplace, Adobe released its plans for its next master collection — CS5. Announced on April 12, potential customers were led to a video at Adobe.com to see what to expect from the new software. The site introduced to customers some of its new changes and adjustments. For SCAD students, the new program has not been issued for an installation date to computers as of yet. What is certain is that the student body has started expressing their praise and concerns for the new software.

One of CS5’s new features allows the user to point and click to correct errors, build websites without code and crop and paste, which may have taken longer to fix in previous versions. For the technologically-challenged, the possibilities seem endless with this new user-friendly software.

Julian Young a third-year graphic design student, has some reservations regarding the new system, stating, “because of those features… it is going to be hard to distinguish the real people who actually edit photos from the ones that just [edit] photos with a click of a button. Yeah, it is a good user-friendly feature, but added on to a professional program like Adobe is a wrong turn, especially for [SCAD students] like us. Now we have to try to go against the ones who use those tools with a click-of-a-button feature, versus the people who actually do the work. If Adobe is able to mimic it, so you can’t tell the difference, that’s going to be a problem.” From this statement, the question of who the real designers are becomes the main focus. Taking a cue from Young and his conflicting thoughts, some students are harboring a slight fear for their burgeoning professions.

Forkparty.com describes the scene in detail, “Adobe [has] replaced the countless hours of sampling from the background, merging with the clone tool and sliding around different opacities, with one single button. No company manager [is] going to hire designers ever again. They [will] look at a video demonstration of Photoshop and say, ‘Pff, I can do that.’”

Some students and companies seem to be in a state of panic. Prisca Raymond and Bryant Stokes, both freshmen and fashion marketing students, ogle the computer screen while watching the Adobe launch. Raymond starts in a low tone, “CS4 is more manual, and you have to know your way around it. [Whereas] here, [with CS5] you’re skipping, like, two or three steps to get one thing done which is pretty good. For somebody going from CS4 to CS5, I can see why they may be frustrated with it, though.” Students including Raymond and Stokes are just learning CS4 and will now have to learn CS5’s new features as well.

Stokes, throughout the launch segment, maintained a simple “wow.” He agrees for the most part with Raymond, “I haven’t used CS4 very much, but seeing CS5 has gotten me excited for the Creative Suite. [I am also excited to know] that if I want a simple website or newsletter, I can bring things in from Illustrator and Photoshop and just drop them in this new “Catalyst” thing, which is new for somebody just getting into the creative suite.”

The “Catalyst thing” to which Stokes refers is Adobe’s Flash Catalyst CS5, “a new professional design tool that lets users create web application interfaces and design interactivity without writing code,” Jackie Dove, a technology writer, editor, and software reviewer from Macworld.com, states. On Dove’s blog, John Loiacono, senior vice president and general manager of Creative Solutions at Adobe, observes that “Adobe is committed to driving innovation on the web by providing the best tools to designers and developers.” He continues, stating, “By bringing together the reach of the Flash Platform runtimes with the power of the Flash Platform tools integrated in Creative Suite 5, designers and developers can collaborate more effectively, reducing the time required to deliver the compelling applications and content that users now expect on the web and mobile devices.”

So, why is everyone in such fear over the program, if the designers say the software is helpful?  Raymond and Stokes answer the question directly: “You, as a business professional are using the same tools as your customers. It presents a problem of how creative do I have to be and what tools am I using to put me at the platform that I am the business professional and you are the customer.” Raymond adds, “it challenges you as a business professional to put out better work than the customer.” Stokes continues, “Now, you have to find more tools; you want something the customer doesn’t have. That is why they come to you as the professional.”

For Adobe, countless buyers have already signed up to buy the program in advance and are waiting by their mailboxes for the new “click-and-fix” tool. The verdict is still out on whether this software will be the next great thing for SCAD students or if we will be playing violins in the rain to a tragic loss of the design professional.

“Waking Sleeping Beauty” and “The Little Mermaid” sing

On April 14, a special screening of “Waking Sleeping Beauty” was held in the Events Space on the fourth floor of Building C.

The film was a documentary about the people who ran Disney animation from 1984 to 2002. During this time, Walt Disney had lost interest in animation and began to focus on live action movies. After Disney’s death, his nephew Roy Disney kept the department going out of tradition and due to the feeling that the company owed its success to the animators.

Despite their initial success and importance to the company, the animation department experienced a lot of drama. Multiple office moves, attempts to shut the department down and animators re-enacting scenes from “Apocalypse Now” in the hallways caused unneeded tension, as well as decreased productivity. Then, in 1989, the animators made “The Little Mermaid,” bringing Walt Disney Studios critical and financial success. Their next film, “Rescuers Down Under,” became the first partially CG cartoon. In 1991, “Beauty and the Beast” was nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, demonstrating a comeback for the animation department.

Overall, “Waking Sleeping Beauty” was a fabulous documentary. The producer of the film, Peter Schneider, was in attendance and answered questions from students after the screening. The biggest surprise of the evening was the appearance of Jodi Benson, the voice of Ariel from “The Little Mermaid.” A close friend to Schneider, she agreed to accompany him to the event. At the request of one student, she sang a verse from “Part of Your World.” What an amazing experience!

More information on the documentary, as well as screening times and locations, is available at www.wakingsleepingbeautymovie.com. I recommend that students attend more SCAD events. You never know who may show up! I’m hoping for Genie from Aladdin next time. I could use those three wishes …

SCAD Style recommendations by The Connector

Wednesday, April 28

Not sure which SCAD Style event to attend today?  No worries, the Connector has you covered.  Today’s Style Connect recommendation is the “The Real Deal:  Branding, Marketing and PR” lecture with Kelly Cutrone.

5:30 p.m., SCAD Atlanta, Welcome Center, 1600 Peachtree St.“The Real Deal: Branding, Marketing and PR” lecture with Kelly Cutrone

Kelly Cutrone is the founder of the public relations, branding and marketing firm People’s Revolution, with offices in New York, Los Angeles and Paris. She is the star of the reality TV series “Kell on Earth” and the author of the book “If You Have to Cry, Go Outside (And Other Things Your Mother Never Told You).” A book signing will follow the lecture.

For a complete schedule of events, visit www.scadstyle.com.

White House dreams

SCAD Style recommendations by The Connector

Tuesday, April 27:

Not sure which SCAD Style event to attend today?  No worries, the Connector has you covered.  Today’s Style Connect recommendation is the “Design with Retail in Mind” panel.

7 p.m., SCAD Atlanta, Gallery See, 1600 Peachtree St.

“Design with Retail in Mind” panel

Panelists include:

• Brian Bolke is the owner of Forty Five Ten fashion/furnishing boutique in Dallas.
• Jaqui Lividini, moderator, is a partner in LWP, New York-based fashion marketing/public relations company and named one of NY Daily News’ “100 Most Influential People in the Fashion Industry.”
• Robert Rufino is the editor-at-large for House Beautiful magazine and the former vice president of creative services for Tiffany & Co.

For a complete schedule of events at SCAD Atlanta, visit www.scadstyle.com.

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