Dynamo Studios Mobile Production Lab and Resources Fund

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Dynamo Studios Film & Photography Program

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Project Overview

The Dynamo Studios Mobile Production Lab and Resources Fund will allow us to extend our programming and services into public classrooms within local inner city schools as well as music venues, recording studios, and other arts/event spaces. The lab itself will feature iMacs, creative industry software suites, film and photo gear, audio production equipment, and educational curriculum for teachers. Our extracurricular programs have been extremely successful over the past twelve months and we are now taking steps to begin integrating these technological resources into the public education classroom.

Our goal is for this tech to act as a resource for teachers to facilitate engaging learning opportunities that support their content standards using technology and 21st century skill-building programs. Furthermore, this tech will allow for us to extend our professional career pipeline into the film and photo realm, thus enabling students to have additional opportunities to grow and apply their skills professionally, in a professional setting, with professional film makers and photographers.

In a nutshell - Teachers will use this technology to amplify their ability to empower and equip their students and thus create well-rounded learners that are better equipped to pursue professional opportunities at a much earlier age.

This is the sort of thing that allows for students to grow at an extremely rapid pace and experience a higher success rate in the academic world as well as the professional world beyond the classroom. When fully scaled, we will work with multiple partner schools each quarter for 3 weeks at a time. During each three week cycle we will work hand in hand with the partner educators on integrating this technology into their regular content classrooms.

Additionally, we will assist all partner schools and educators with grant writing and grant preparation so that they are able to acquire this sort of equipment full-time in their schools in the future following our departure to the next partner schools. (We are planning to circle back throughout the next year to continue supporting the schools that we’ve already worked with.)

Beyond Dynamo Studios' general educational programming, we will be working with and supporting other organizations that serve the areas zoned for the inner city schools in Chattanooga. Through these strategic partnerships we will collectively support each other's respective programs and initiatives through program collaboration, the provision of creative industry technology, content and media creation, organizational development, marketing development and program development.

The Dynamo Studios Film and Photography Program

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Our educational programming is built around the theory that the most rapid and tangible/observable personal growth happens when students are taught something and then they are provided with an opportunity to then apply those learned skills/knowledge. This growth happens much faster and on a much larger scale when that opportunity happens to be in a professional setting where students are working with professionals as opposed to being treated like kids that don’t know what they’re doing. This teaching philosophy is the cornerstone of our brand new film and photography program.

Extracurricular Programs and Art of Tech. Focused Class Programs

FILM and Cinematography

• Film/Cine. 101

• Editing 101

• Dynamo Sessions (Click the link to see some samples! This is what we send bands when they come through on tour.)

• Concert Cinematography

• Promos and Advertising Cine. Production

• Story Telling Through Media (Film, Photo, and Audio)

• Music Video Production

• Mini Documentary and Short Film Production

In School Programming

The Mobile Production Resource Lab will be housed primarily at East Lake Academy of Fine Arts and will be used as a tool to equip core content teachers and in school arts classes. Beyond general classroom programming, these resources will be used as a tool for teacher-focused professional development and as a resource to equip art programs and core content classes in other inner city schools. All of this will be accomplished as a part of the FREE and PUBLIC educational model.

In School Goals: Address state teaching standards, support in-school programming, create strong professional development for teachers, provide high-end tech resources for teachers, provide in-school support for teachers. facilitate community engagement, facilitate community partnership, student empowerment, student investment in East Lake, tech literacy and 21st-Century Skill building.

Sample History/English Class Model

For the most part, all schools follow state standards for every major core content subject (history, english, math, and science). In eight grade history classes most states require history teachers to cover the American Civil Rights Movement. Generally students will complete some sort of project in conjunction with that unit of study. Projects are a blast for students and they provide a way for teachers to better engage their kids, but unfortunately this usually ends up being an essay or a power point presentation. Don’t get me wrong, having the ability to skillfully write a paper is incredibly important, but at the end of the day thats usually what every project and test includes. Students don’t need ANOTHER essay assignment. It burns them out and causes them to hate a skill that is monumentally important. instead, we would like to see antiquated projects be replaced by more modern opportunities.

We would like to see students shooting mini documentaries about the civil rights as opposed to writing another standardized essay or powerpoint. This is the kind of project that doesn’t interrupt normal classroom operations and it still covers the state mandated teaching standards, while simultaneously allowing for several incredible things to happen:

1. Students complete the project by learning a modern set of skills (film making, tech literacy, storyboarding, team management, project management, editing, story boarding, etc.) while still learning the content needed for a proper understanding of what the American Civil Rights Movement entailed.

2. These new skills open doors for students to pursue professional opportunities in the local creative industry.

3. The teacher is able to better engage their students in a much deeper way which results in higher success in their classroom.

4. The door is opened for active community engagement with the student projects.

   • The American Civil Rights Movement was not that long ago (50 years ago to be exact), which means there are plenty of people that are alive today that experienced that movement first hand. Students will easily be able to bring in community members for their mini documentaries and thus give people a voice and preserve history in a very unique way.

   • This is a perfect opportunity for local ad agencies, content creators, cinematographers, and film makers to all participate in the projects lending their expertise to the students and the individual learning styles of each student team.

   • Not only does this support the students, this also supports the teacher’s ability to effectively build a collaborative and supportive learning environment built around the community as opposed to the individualized classroom.

Professional Opportunities for Participating Students:

All students that participate in programs will have the opportunity to work alongside professionals on location at our partner facilities on a regular basis through our professional career pipeline program.

The Problem

1) Chattanooga students are currently underserved and under-equipped in the arts throughout our community. There is also a lack of professional career development opportunities for local students. Typically this issue falls on our local schools and teachers to find a solution. Unfortunately, they too are under-equipped and underfunded.

2) The various organizations that serve the neighborhoods zoned for local inner city schools lack the resources needed to effectively launch and execute new programs geared towards empowering the residents of these neighborhoods through the creation of media content. In a sense, they wish to give these residents a "voice" so that they can share their stories about their lives, culture, and surrounding community, thus allowing them to raise awareness for their community and empower the community long term. All of which leads to more direct investment into these neighborhoods from current residents and the community at large. Generally speaking, these residents are disadvantaged minorities who have no voice in the greater Chattanooga community, which makes it extremely difficult to have any sort of political, educational or cultural influence in their own community. These programs and tech resources will provide a means by which the inner city residents are able to improve their neighborhoods and garner community support on a massive scale.

Organizations We Are Directly Working With and Supporting through this grant

• East Lake Academy of Fine Arts (Middle School)

• The Howard School (High School)

• East Lake Parent Teachers Association

• ELLA Chattanooga (East Lake Language and Arts)

• HCDE Opportunity Zone Teachers

• East Lake Wild Cat Time - before and after school programming

• The Chattanooga Public Library

Technology INCLUDED WITH THE MOBILE PRODUCTION LAB

• iMac Lab

• Editing and production software suites

• Multiple film and photo rigs powered by Sony Alpha

• A plethora of music production equipment

• Curriculum/lesson plan development, teacher training, and professional development opportunities for educators and community organizers

Why should you support this initiative?

• It is imperative that we, as a community, support our students. IT TAKES A VILLAGE!

• Teachers will be equipped to implement engaging and impactful lessons that address the state standards built around 21st Century Skills

• This studio program will be grounded in the educational realm while providing a means by which real world success is entirely attainable for students.

• All partner organizations have had success across the board and proven track records of effective pilot programming

Why should you, SONY ALPHA, support this initiative?

• It is imperative that students and teachers are equipped we can get our hands on. Why? Because thats the kind of gear that leads to REAL inspiration which leads to growth and the student’s investing more into their craft and education. We are extremely picky about which companies we pursue support from because we want the perfect gear for our students and programs. Your Alpha division has been at the forefront of innovation and quality over the past few years. Thats two of our company’s cornerstone values and thats huge part of the reason we are wanting to partner with you as opposed to other camera companies.

• This is a great marketing opportunity for your company!

  • It allows you to showcase your products in a way thats very unique.

  • Your company will look great in the eyes of consumers because you are being philanthropic. People want to support companies like that.

  • People tend to stick with the platform or brand they started out with. Essentially, this means that the overwhelming vast majority of students that continue as film makers or photographers will continue purchasing Sony gear to support their craft. This is a great longterm marketing investment.

  • This will allow you to establish a strong presence in Chattanooga’s creative scene. There are tons of media and content creators in town making the switch to the Sony Alpha system. Your support of our programs will only further that shift. Additionally, Chattanooga is surrounded by several other big cities, which means that our city would be a great place to host Sony Alpha events and meet ups.

  • We work with some of the best music makers and content creators in the business. You better believe that we will tell them all about Sony Alpha gear and how incredible your products are.

  • Your company will be provided with a steady supply of media content featuring students, professional cinematographers, and professional photographers utilizing your equipment. This is marketing gold for your team!

Partner schools for phase One Scaling

For this first school year we will work with 3-4 schools.

Target Schools:

• East Lake Academy (Inner-city School)

• Howard High School (Inner-city School)

• Howard Middle School (Inner-city School)

Technology In the Classroom: For Teachers

Our goal is for this tech to act as a resource for teachers to facilitate engaging learning opportunities that support their content standards using technology and 21st century skill-building programs.

In a nutshell - Teachers use this technology to amplify their ability to empower and equip their students.

Technology In the Classroom: For STUDENTS

Our goal is for this tech to act as a resource that allows for students to effectively reach Self-Actualization. Students will achieve this growth through educational opportunities that allow for 21st Century Skills growth and professional opportunities that allow for 21st Century Skills mastery within the local community and abroad.

Additionally, the 21st Century Skills mastered by students will carry over into their personal lives, academic lives, and professional lives (regardless of their future profession). The skills grown and mastered through the professional creative realm are an essential component of any successful person’s life, which is why students must have these opportunities.

WHat is SELF-ACTUALIZATION and why does it matter?

Our end goal is to help students reach Self Actualization, and the creative industry just so happens to be a perfect catalyst to achieve just that.

Definition: The realization or fulfillment of one's talents and potentialities, especially considered as a drive or need present in everyone.

We HELP STUDENTS achieve Self-Actualization through 21st Century Skill Building and professional opportunities

• Entrepreneurial, Economic, and Business Literacy

• Civic Literacy

• Creativity and Innovation

• Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

• Communication

• Collaboration

• Global Awareness

Outcomes and Projected Impact

Funding for this project will allow for our team to begin working — on a regular basis — with multiple schools throughout the duration of the school year. The successful implementation of this initiative will have an unparalleled impact on Chattanooga.

• Students in public schools — 1,250

• Teachers in public schools — 30 +

• Community members and neighborhood residents — 50 +

• Community Organizations — 10 +

• Artists, Musicians, Bands — 50 +

• Countless professional opportunities for students with local creative agencies and local businesses beyond their school and classroom.

Additional Deliverables

• Student blogs, news journals, and media entries

• Teacher curriculum and lesson plans

• Media content that will be shared on a national level reaching thousands of people

WHY SHOULD THIS HAPPEN RIGHT NOW?

• Our mission addresses every major initiative in Chattanooga (art, education, culture, innovation, neighborhood/community development) smoothly and cohesively.

• Our programming focuses on workforce development.

• Our programming will foster major changes in the local school system.

• Dynamo has been successful without any operational funding.

Our Plan of Action (Dynamo Studios)

Step 1 — Acquire Scale 1 pilot funding and begin early program implementation within East Lake Fine Arts Academy, Howard High School, Howard Middle School, and our strategic partners' programming Fall 2018-Spring 2019

Step 2 — Acquire FULL Y1 Funding Spring 2019

Step 3 — Assemble and train the first Dynamo Mobile Lab teacher cohort

Step 4 — Implement mobile lab resources and programming during the Summer Break and Q1/Q2 of the 2019-2020 school year

Step 5 — Regroup and assess impact over Fall/Winter Break and plan for program implementation in additional partner schools during the Spring semester of the 2019-2020 school year

Step 6 — Assess 2019-2020 school year impact and expand mobile lab program to other HCDE schools

WHAT WE NEED TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN FOR OUR STUDENTS AND TEACHERS

Phase 1 - Scale 1

The scaled down first phase of this grant will cost exactly $50,000.

This startup launch funding will allow Dynamo Studios to:

• Maintain and grow current extracurricular programming

• Expand programming into local schools

• Purchase all Mobile Production Technology Lab equipment for our in-school programming

• Afford all operational expenses

WHAT WE NEED TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN FOR OUR STUDENTS AND TEACHERS

PHASE 2 - Year 1 Full Scale LAUNCH Funding need

In order to properly launch and scale this project we will need approximately $206,185.91 for startup. 

This startup launch funding will allow Dynamo Studios to:

• Maintain and grow current extra curricular programming

• Expand programming into local schools

• Purchase all Mobile Production Technology Lab equipment for our in-school programming

• Afford all operational expenses and two full-time salaries

PHASE 3 - Year 2 Full Scale recurring costs

In order to properly maintain and scale this project we will need exactly $176,006.30 in recurring expenses.

This recurring funding will allow Dynamo Studios to: 

• Maintain current programs and the continued implementation of production resources and programming in HCDE schools

• Maintain all production and resource equipment

• Expand programs to additional schools within the Hamilton County Department of Education

• Provide in-school and on-site support staff

• Afford all operational expenses and two full-time salaries

Through community partnership, Dynamo Studios cultivates an innovative culture founded in the music industry that is essential for the sustained entrepreneurial growth of our city. You can make a difference.

If you are interested in making a financial donation to support our programs, please click the "Sponsor & Give" button below.

If you are interested in contributing an in-kind gift or sponsoring Dynamo Studios by donating music/recording or film/photography equipment, please contact us by filling out the form below. Our students can always use more gear and tech resources!

Additionally, if you have any questions regarding this specific fund please fill out the form below.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR CHECKING OUT WHAT WE ARE DOING FOR OUR COMMUNITY!