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Hollow wins 3rd Prize in World Press Photo Multimedia Awards

I am so excited to announce we have won 3rd Prize in the World Press Photo Multimedia Awards in the Interactive Documentary category. It is such an amazing honor to be chosen for this award as an independent filmmaker and journalist. Congrats to the whole Hollow team and McDowell County community. Check out the winning projects here. Below, a jury member reflects on why Hollow was chosen for 3rd Prize:

"Some of the most impressive elements of Hollow are the depth of the content, the richness of the content. The characters that are portrayed are totally believable and I think it's these small stories told in a big way...it's not a large production piece but it has that feeling, it feels very much as if it was created by people who care about the subject that they are documenting." [vimeo 89865336 w=500 h=281]

 

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Digital First Media Award

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Digital First Media Award

I'm honored to be a part of the team that won a Digital First Media Award for January. Here is what the judges had to say:

The Charleston Daily Mail deftly managed the Elk River contamination, providing all-angles coverage without diluting content. The show-stealer is the artistry of videographer Elaine McMillion in "West Virginia Water Woes, 36 Hour Recap," which is also a testament to the explanatory reporting skills of David Boucher. This video is not just informative — it's striking. I was further impressed by the work of reporters Marcus Constantino and Matt Murphy; a hot shower well-earned by all.

Award announcement here 

Behind the scenes of our coverage here

Congrats to the whole team!

[vimeo 83906115 w=700 h=394]

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New Awards & Opportunities for Hollow

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Over the past couple days, some pretty cool awards have been announced. Check out the images/links below and thanks to everyone for your continued support of Hollow! HOLLOW is a finalist in the SXSW Interactive Awards in the "Activism" category

Green, governmental and non-profit projects striving to make the world a better place.

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Screen Shot 2014-02-05 at 8.14.43 AM

Congrats to the team (especially to our sound designer, Billy Wirasnik, and music composer, Lee Strauss) for winning two Platinum AVA Digital Awards for Creativity (Web Video)/Original Music and Radio.

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Screen Shot 2014-02-05 at 8.43.03 AM

Hollow is featured for Eastern Oregon's Film Festival's Online Selection.

The rise of digital cinema has shown that 20th Century exhibition models are increasingly insufficient. Cinema is in constant flux, and without adapting to changes in the distribution landscape, most filmmakers cannot survive. We believe that festivals’ inclusion of online works is progressive, and vital to independent cinema. The Internet also serves as a temporary home for some of the more intimate, experimental works that move us.

I have also been invited to lead a discussion and screening at the following places, this spring:

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RECAP: #hollowdocchat

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RECAP: #hollowdocchat

Thanks everyone for joining us! If you missed the hangout, you can check it out below in two parts.

Part One: research, building an audience, pre-production, funding and on-the-ground production.

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W.Va. Water Woes Continue

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W.Va. Water Woes Continue

Synopsis: West Virginia stands in a state of emergency after a potentially harmful chemical spilled into a local river and contaminated the water supply. And no one knows how long it will last. More than 100,000 customers in the nine counties receiving water from the 1,500-mile affected network were ordered to stop using their water for almost everything.

I produced this piece for the Charleston Daily Mail on Friday. If you need caught up on what has been happening in West Virginia, during the past 36 hours, take some time to watch the video.

 

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Hollow: Our Lessons Learned, Your Guide to Producing an iDoc

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SYNOPSIS Do you have questions about producing an interactive documentary? The makers behind Hollow, an award-winning interactive documentary about small-town America, are holding a live discussion to help you kick off your interactive projects in 2014.

The team will be available to answer questions about Hollow's fundraising and community building model, as well as design and development. Come with questions and be ready to learn from the team's successes and failures.

REMEMBER Google limits 10 people in the "room" at once. So come with questions and then let others in. The entire discussion will be posted on YouTube at 1 pm after the chat ends. After that point, you can reference it, revisit it and post it as you please!

 

Find us HERE on January 21, 2014 from noon to 1PM (EST).

 

TEAM MEMBERS IN HANGOUT: Director and Producer - Elaine McMillion Sound Designer - Billy Wirasnik Technical Director and Senior Developer - Robert Hall Art Director/Designer and Architect - Jeff Soyk

 

MODERATOR: Opeyemi Olukemi - Program Associate, Digital Initiatives at Tribeca Film Institute

 

HOW WILL IT WORK? When we go "live" there will be a Q&A sidebar on the video. You can post your questions there OR tweet at #hollowdocchat

 

FESTIVALS: New York Film Festival - 2013 Camden International Film Festival - 2013 Doc Lab at International Documentary Festival of Amsterdam - 2013 Future of Storytelling (featured in the Story Arcade) - 2013

 

AWARDS: Adobe Creative Edge Award - FWA Site of the Day - FWA Site of the Day - CSS Design Awards Selected for Doc Lab (Hollow was nominated as one of the top 3 projects out of 15 projects) - International Documentary Festival of Amsterdam Research and Documentation Award - National Coal Heritage Foundation

 

FEATURES AND REVIEWS: LA Times Huffington Post Filmmaker Magazine PBS Media Shift

 

WHAT ARE PEOPLE SAYING ABOUT HOLLOW?

LA Times:

Filmmaker Elaine McMillion’s project "Hollow: An Interactive Documentary" bridges that gap between the storyteller and the audience. The project is practically a living, breathing thing; viewers can subscribe for updates on individual people. Such connections create insight and understanding.

Huffington Post:

Anyone who saw promise for the future of web-based journalism after watching/reading The New York Times’ highly innovative "Snowfall," will positively be drawn to the work produced at "Hollow." It is next level. Maybe the most magnificently presented, web-aware journalism I’ve ever seen. But more important than the visual achievement is what it does — documenting the lives of people who live in a mostly ignored rural community, far from the traditional media bastions and bubbles.

TWEETS FROM VIEWERS:

I can say with confidence (Hollow) wins the Internet for 2013.Beautiful documentary execution of both film and interactive. Put down the #netflix and watch this. #hollerhomeExploring the greater tensions of modern America.Everyone–historians, students, designers, developers–drop everything you’re doing and watch this interactive doc.Hollow, the story of the American 20th century; the opening interaction is worth the price of admission (free) alone.Beautifully arresting. Stereotype-busting. An interactive documentary about people and a community.Hauntingly beautiful web-based storytelling@hollowthefilm is a game changer for interactive storytelling. Stunning!

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Pick up a copy of NYT Magazine!

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Pick up a copy of NYT Magazine!

The five short films commissioned (including our film, "For Seamus") by the NYT magazine for "The Lives They Lived" issue are featured in the most recent issue and online at nytimes.com/magazine.

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New Short Film: "FOR SEAMUS"

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New Short Film: "FOR SEAMUS"

Our short film, FOR SEAMUS, has launched today on The New York Times. The film celebrates the life and work of Ireland's most famous contemporary poet, Seamus Heaney. It was commissioned by NYT Op-Docs and NYT Magazine for "The Lives They Lived" series, along with four other films. See them all here.

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IDFA DocLab

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IDFA DocLab

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Hollow was selected for the International Documentary Festival of Amsterdam’s Doc Lab! The project was on display throughout the festival at De Brakke Grond. Out of 15 projects, we were named among the top 3 and nominated for the cash prize. Congrats to Jonathan Harris who won the DocLab award!

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