Uts'am Witness (16)

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Hello Cool World Intern Julius Booth creates short film from Archival footage

By Julius Booth On August 21, 2013 | 0 Comments

Verifying/Tkwáynai7m - A Short film by Julius Booth

Before packing my things and heading off to Montreal, I interned at Hello Cool World during a remarkably sunny July. The perfect send off from a city I’ve called home for so long. Accentuating the great month was the great time I had in the HCW office. Thanks to Kat and David for making me feel super welcome. Kat and I had quite a few ideas for what I could do at the beginning of the month but it turned out editing was my thing. When comparing the following video with my first its obvious how much I learned in such a short period of time.

I’ve been in Montreal for almost two weeks and I’m writing this only now because of the whirlwind of activity that’s involved in renting and furnishing an apartment. The hard work is behind me and a crazy first week of university awaits. Enjoy this short film on what was easily the most important day of the entire Uts’am/Witness Project.

Editors Note: We've been thrilled to have Julius for part of the summer and we're very proud of the short film he's made. Looking back at the events of 2001 and doing new interviews with Chief Bill, Nancy and myself was a great way to be reminded of what, with the participation of over 10,000 people, the Uts'am project accomplished. We wish Jules all the best at McGill and will miss having him around!

Watch the film after the break...

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Julius Booth is our Hello Cool World summer marketing intern. Every day, he bikes along the sea wall and is fed amazing lunches which make up for his lack of pay. He is heading to McGill in the fall for his first year of University.

The Witness Ceremony - Blog + Video by Julius Booth

By Julius Booth On July 23, 2013 | 0 Comments

Julius Booth - HCW's summer intern - has been working on the Uts'am-Witness book project. Check out his video clip "The Witness Ceremony" below!

I’ve been asked as a summer intern at Hello Cool World to write a blog entry about the Uts’am Witness project. Here we go.

The Witness project began in 1997 back when video cameras were clunky and produced footage not fit for 1080p monitors. One of those cameras just happens to be in the editing room right now. I have been transferring hours of footage from tapes of the early Witness Ceremonies using the antique camera and a newly purchased cord that is specifically capable of plugging into the camera and a USB port.

The footage is very cool. I’ve known Kat and Nancy for a long time, seeing them much younger is an interesting experience. As a child from the 90’s there is a surprising lack of home videos in my family, so any footage from that time is a treat to see. The Witness weekends are cool to watch as well. There are songs, dancing and even drum-making lessons. The weekends remind me of a regular summer camp. I wouldn’t be surprised if they went canoeing and told ghost stories around a fire.

Before combing through the hours of footage that chronicle the Witness Project, I was editing my own little trailer/piece for the book. Despite being brand new to Final Cut Pro at the time, coupled with the computer troubles that have been haunting the Hello Cool World office for the last week, I think I did a mighty decent job. Unfortunately, the photos are a bit blurry because I had to screenshot them off a PDF of the Picturing Transformation book BUY IT NOW!!! My piece is about what a traditional witness ceremony is and how it was adapted for the Witness Project. You can watch the video here:

Look for my name in the book! JB

Picturing Transformation, Nexw-áyantsut Needs Sponsors!

By Katherine Dodds On April 30, 2013 | 0 Comments

Dear Friends! Please support ‘Picturing Transformation, Nexw-áyantsut’ book. (Published by Figure 1 Publishing, Fall 2013) consider becoming a sponsor!

We are so close now to this book coming to life! We've done the substantive editing, all the photos have been selected and the design is about to begin!

Now there's just one more thing... We need to raise $25,000 from sponsorship to print the book.

We are seeking 2- 4 major sponsors for 5-10K, and 10 sponsors at 2K. Can you, or do you know of someone who can help us? If so please suggest them to us and we'll send a proposal package to them! email Kdodds@HelloCoolWorld.com if you can help us find sponsors.

All those who contribute at this level, will be given logo space on our sponsors page.

If you yourself are unable to help as a sponsor consider pre-buying the book now at the special price of $29.95 (it will retail for $39.95 when it comes out in October.

Tag(s): Uts'am Witness

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Katherine Dodds AKA "Kat" is the founder of Good Company Communications and HelloCoolWorld.com. Trained in renegade advertising & branding through her work with Adbusters in the '90s, Kat's early induction into the possibilities of the web-world was inspired by the term hypertext, which she immediately found comforting. She is dedicated to cause-related communication and to the development and use of tools that promote democratic processes.

sylvi macCormac video, as she records

By Katherine Dodds On April 15, 2013 | 0 Comments

Thank you sylvi! I was inspired to post this blog about sylvi's new work as I listened to her beautiful song and poetry as it came into my inbox this morning.

"I care for you like an old ancient tree, you are the feather falling to me..."

As sylvi's press release states: "See Through Publishing in association with VAMS, is pleased to announce the release of The Feather (video). Feather will feature in an upcoming book/dvd that will include footage of sylvi, who has multiple sclerosis, when she was standing and playing guitar."

If I'm not mistaken this footage of sylvi from the past, is of the Uts'am Witness era! Her beautiful lyrics speak to the power of the forest behind her, to inspire and to sustain.

sylvi participated in the Uts'am Witness project from the early days.

You can buy the Uts'am Witness CD she created as fundraiser for the project (proceeds now going to our Picturing Transformation book Project) on the Hello Cool World Webstore.

"Sylvi is an inspiration to the world. A superb composer and sound artist who easily risesabove every conceivable obstacle to create memorable and demanding projects with extremely positive values" -Charlie Richmond

sylvi's music runs from folk to cinema-for-the-ears soundscapes. Her songs have a particular depth. This video is particularly cool for how it showcases sylvi's talent, but also the recording facility itself at Vancouver Adapted Music Society's fully-accessible recording studio.

Tag(s): Uts'am Witness, Video

Update on the book project!

By Katherine Dodds On March 13, 2013 | 0 Comments

New year, new publisher and coming soon -- new crowdfunding plan!

Margaret Reynolds photo of Scott McIntyre's blanketing ceremony at the Equinox Gallery on February 27, 2013.

We are very excited to be working with our new publisher Figure 1 Publishing on the book. We're getting the drafts of the cover now, and the final copy has gone to our editor.

As some of you may (or may not) know, last October our original publisher D & M (Douglas & McIntyre) filed for bankrupcy protection. This was sudden and sad news as D & M was Canada's largest independent publisher, of fantastic art books and many many books on First Nations art and culture, so we knew our book would have been been in good hands. And for some time we simply did not know if it would be happening.

So while we were in limbo for a while, now we can announce with great excitement, that "Picturing Transformation, Nexw-áyantsut" is going forward, full steam ahead, and with the same creative team that was working with us at D & M who have all formed this new publishing company FIgure 1 Publishing. They've also hired our wonderful editor Lucy Kenward so we can start the process from where we left off.

The Quill and Quire reported on the new publishers mentioning our book among others.

In the Vancouver Sun Margaret Reynolds, executive director of the Association of Book Publishers of B.C., said she will be watching the new company with great interest.

“It’s a very different shift than the traditional publishing services model because of the quality of what they’re doing,” Reynolds said. “It’s really interesting because of who they are and the expertise they bring to this endeavour.”

So while we are excited about moving forward, we are also very grateful to D & M, and Scott McIntyre in particular for believing in our book from the start. Along with the fine folks from Figure 1 Publishing, the day after they announced their new company, Nancy and I we particpated in a traditional blanketing ceremony to honour Scott McIntyre, with Chief Bill Williams, Marc Williams, and Aaron Nelson-Moody of the Squamish Nation

This felt like a fitting way to transition from one plan to the next, with ceremony and gratitude. Thank you Scott McIntyre, and thank you Figure 1 Publishing.

Stay tuned for our crowdfunding plans to suppor this work which now needs a little more support from our 'community" to see it come to life!

Watch for updates in the coming days and weeks.

Tag(s): Uts'am Witness

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