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Hollywood in Southeast MichiganMadonna University Inspires Big Screen DreamsBy Brian Warkoczeski, June 2008
Motor City residents with big-screen dreams experienced a little bit of Hollywood
in Livonia when
Madonna University
hosted Project Accessible Hollywood's second annual
PAH-fest Digital Media Festival.
The festival was created by Christopher Coppola, nephew of
director Francis Ford Coppola and brother of actor Nicholas Cage, and brought a unique mix of free events to Madonna University's campus from July 14 through July 20.
The public was invited to attend informative seminars and film nights with Hollywood notables.
Attendees also participated in a cell phone video competition and a digital video portrait contest.
Six pre-selected teams wrote, produced, and filmed a 6 minute story with the help of film professionals
during the Mobi-Flicks competition. PAH-fest Motown provided participants with
equipment, coaches, and training during the unique competition.
The virtual world of Second Life took center stage during a special lunchtime concert
featuring Ridha Ibrahim from Italy. The festival also had contests and other interactive ways for the
Second Life community to be part of PAH-fest Motown.
Broadcast and Cinema ArtsPAH-fest is only part of the digital video and interactive media experience available
to Madonna University students.
The University's award-winning Broadcast and Cinema Arts program
offers two-year and four-year degree paths, providing
students with skills that can lead to careers in television, film, radio,
and digital media.
Students have the opportunity to learn and work on the public television program
"Madonna Magazine," which has been broadcast from Livonia since 1985, and
can also gain real-world broadcasting experience by being part of the
student-run Internet radio station.
Madonna University provides its Broadcast and Cinema Arts students with professional-quality equipment,
enabling them to gain valuable experience producing, filming, and editing video.
The University also has Internet2 access and a dedicated high-speed connection from Merit Network,
which is used for streaming media, online learning, and collaboration tools.
In early 2009, a new high-definition digital production facility
will be completed. The location will feature a 30x40 TV studio/sound stage
with four cameras, jibs, lighting grid, control room, radio studio,
video editing lab, editing suites, and a classroom with 16 workstations.
The Broadcast and Cinema Arts program and its students have received
several awards for excellence. In 2007, Madonna University student Dave Brown received the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences(NATAS) Michigan Chapter, Student Emmy Award at the 30th Emmy Awards Gala. In 2006, the student-produced video
"The Life and Times of Pablo Davis" won the NATAS Student Emmy Award. Other awards have included
the MTV-Music Television Network Award for innovative ways to teach youth in the community.
Michigan is becoming a hotbed for filmmaking as movie studios begin to
take advantage of new tax incentives passed in 2008.
With PAH-fest and its Broadcast and Cinema Arts program, Madonna University
is preparing students for Hollywood dreams and
rewarding careers.
About Madonna University
Founded by the Felician Sisters of Livonia in 1937, Madonna University is a Catholic university in the Franciscan tradition committed to teaching, scholarship, and service. It offers programs in more than 75 undergraduate and 27 graduate areas, leading to certificates, associate, bachelor's and master's degree, as well as post-baccalaureate certificates. They have been a member of Merit Network since November 1994.
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