UNews - cell phones

Passion for film drives Poliquin

trevor.kenney — Thu, 19 May 2011 17:25:15 +0000

Do you remember when the family video camera was a rare and valuable piece of bulky equipment brought out of its protective case to record little more than holidays and birthdays? Fast-forward a decade or more and video cameras, found in everything from cell phones to laptops, are a common and well-used technology that we can no longer imagine living without.

Like most of his generation, 24-year-old John Poliquin (JP) (BFA '08) grew up using digital media to capture the everyday moments of his life. Unlike his peers, however, this up and coming music video director took it to another level, building a creative and promising career using the common technology.

"In high school I was into skateboarding and my friends and I were always making videos for that. I also took graphic design and was into flash animation and Photoshop. I designed a lot of posters for plays and parties, but it was just for fun. I really wasn't thinking about new media as a career," recalls Poliquin. "Then my mom read about the New Media program at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge in Macleans magazine."

Alumnus JP Poliquin at work in the studio.

After recommending the program to a friend, Poliquin visited her on campus, saw the facilities and enrolled himself.

Although Poliquin's initial intent was to focus on graphic design, he fell in love with film production during his second semester at the U of L. As a child, he'd acted in several commercials and spent time on set with a childhood actor friend. Taking Terry Gallie's film production course reminded Poliquin of how much he loved the energy and activity on a film set.

"After my first assignment in film production, I was so excited with it that I realized I really liked the aesthetic of film and working in that medium. I also really liked learning about effects and about how I could bring my design
experience into that," says Poliquin. "The New Media program at the U of L is really good. I know a lot of other directors that went to film school but I am really glad that I have a full university degree. It is so much broader in terms of the media we learned. The fact that I have different skill sets that a lot of people in my field don't, that I have experience with sound design and editing and graphic design and web editing, it just makes it a lot easier for me to market myself and not be pigeonholed into one thing."

Following his first year at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, Poliquin spoke to Gallie and got some advice about how to work in the film industry. He returned home to Vancouver and began working with a production assistant on the sets of The Fog and RV. He continued to spend subsequent summers immersed in the Vancouver film industry, sampling everything from camera assistant and assistant director to working in wardrobe.

Poliquin also brought his passion for film back to campus. He and his friends founded the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's Student Film Festival in 2007, premiering the film, Inside Charlie, which they had written and produced. He pulled all-nighters in the new media lab and even had to hide from a security guard once in order to keep working after hours – although he would not recommend doing that today!
Since his graduation in 2008, Poliquin has amassed quite a body of work directing music videos, and is beginning to break into commercial directing and fashion photography.

"I love being a director, writing the ideas and following it through to the editing. It is nice to be able to look back at your portfolio and see these different creations," says Poliquin. "My next goal is to move to New York City; I want to try it out while I am still in my twenties. My goal is to eventually direct high concept commercials, music videos, maybe a feature film or TV episode once a year, and then do fashion photography and editing on the side."

GET THE FACTS

· Poliquin has directed more than 30 music videos.

· He was nominated for music video directing awards for: ill Scarlett featuring Kardinal Offishall (Much Music Video awards); Paper Lions, Tim Chaisson, Morning Fold (East Coast Music Association Awards and Music PEI Awards); Hey Ocean (Leo Awards).

· His film, Inside Charlie, was nominated for Best Short Film at the Calgary International Film Festival.

· To check out some of his work go to: www.johnpoliquin.com.

This story first appeared in the Legend. To view the Legend in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Taking a stand against bullying

trevor.kenney — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 18:26:45 +0000

The ever increasing use of cyber technology among children is rapidly leading to a transformation in the traditional forms of bullying, with cyberbullying becoming more prevalent among today's youth.

To increase the awareness of cyber bullying and bullying amongst students, teachers and the general public, the third annual ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Anti-bullying and Cyberbullying Awareness Week was held Oct. 4-6.

Organized by the Education Undergraduate Society, the event is the only student-organized anti-bullying campaign in Alberta. The emerging issue of cyberbullying was added to the campaign's itinerary this year.

"We feel there's a real need to inform teachers and student teachers about how to react towards bullying in the classroom and how to support students who are being bullied," says Jenn Shuster, EUS president.

Shuster and Ashley Lepage, the EUS vice-president external, have both been involved in the previous anti-bullying campaigns. They note that bullying is prevalent in schools, regardless of the age of children. It is therefore important for teachers understand the seriousness of the issue and how to recognize it at its earliest stages.

New to the scene is cyberbullying, which Shuster characterizes as intentional hostile behaviour inflicted on others through the use of communication technology. She points out that cyberbullying is much harder to control than traditional forms of bullying.

"There's a greater level of anonymity associated with cyberbullying," says Shuster. "That makes it especially difficult to pinpoint where the problem originates."

One of the unique aspects of cyberbullying is that it does not always happen at school. It is at school, however, where the bully and the bullied often confront one another, highlighting the need of schools to develop policies and curriculums that deal with cyberbullying.

"It's imperative that teachers educate their students against all types of bullying," says Shuster. "We hope that through this campaign, we're able to provide teachers with techniques and resources to do so."

This year the event consisted of four free lecture sessions featuring grad student Chelcie Zimmer (The Experience and Psychological Impact of School Violence), ATA speaker Cynthia Malner-Charest (Cyberbullying and E-liability), ATA speaker Mark Yurik (Tips and Strategies for Preventing and Dealing with Bullying) and Dr. Robin Bright, Dr. Mary Dyck and Constable Tom Gross (Teaching in the 21st Century: Online Citizenship for Ourselves and
Our Students).

Bright, a professor in the Faculty of Education, uses the term "cyber citizenship" when she discusses respectable behaviour online.

"The rules that apply to face-to-face interactions must also be the basis of cyber interactions," she says. "This should apply to texting, e-mail, instant messaging, blogs, personal websites and chat rooms."

She adds that it is crucial children be introduced to the concept of cyber citizenship as early as possible, considering that cell phones and the internet are being used at such young ages.

The EUS raised money in support of bullying.org by selling bracelets at the lectures. A non-profit organization located in Cochrane, bullying.org, is dedicated to increasing the awareness of bullying and to preventing, resolving and eliminating bullying in society through anti-bullying workshops and courses.

The original research documents by Bright and Dyck regarding online communication and social development of rural adolescents in Alberta can be found at www.cybertalk.ca. Those who would like to know more about the campaign against bullying can visit the website www.bullying.org.

Youth Science to get boost from recycling program

trevor.kenney — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 15:34:31 +0000

Trust Kristy Burke (BSc '08) to find a way to benefit both the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge's Youth Science Program and the environment.

Her idea is a recycling initiative that calls for people on campus to drop off used ink cartridges and old cell phones, which she then ships to a recycling depot. In return, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ collects payment for qualifying items and she funnels the money into the Youth Science Program.

"I stumbled across this while I was looking up ideas for fundraisers," Burke, co-ordinator of youth programs for Conference and Event Services, says. "I have a degree in environmental science so I am pretty conscious of recycling and this really appealed to me."

She signed on with Think Recycle (www.thinkrecycle.com), a company that offers free recycling programs for schools and non-profit organizations. The company supplies boxes, shipping labels and promotional materials (posters, letters and brochures) and it's simply up to the school to package the items and send them off for a rebate.

"I am the only full-time staff for these programs so it's pretty difficult to take on any labour-intensive fundraising initiatives," Burke says. "With this program, I just have to set up the drop boxes, try and spread the word that they're available and collect and ship the items. It essentially runs itself."

Think Recycle partners with the Tree Canada Foundation and American Forests and has been in operation since 1995.

"There is a huge list of items they accept for a refund but they take virtually everything, including digital cameras," Burke says. "Even if we don't get a refund for a particular cartridge or phone, they still recycle it and it stays out of the landfill."

Burke has set up drop boxes in both Piikani and Kainai House lobbies, as well as the Airport Lounge. She plans to add other locations around campus, including the Atrium and Students' Union Building, and to make the event an ongoing program.

"My hope is to make enough money to pay for our Science Club supplies on an annual basis and maybe one day co-ordinate an annual cell phone drive, as they carry a much bigger refund price than the cartridges."

Youth Science creates recycling initiative

trevor.kenney — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 15:05:37 +0000

The act of recycling is beneficial in the first place. Recycling for a cause is even more worthy.

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Youth Science Program is pleased to announce the initiation of a new recycling program on campus that also doubles as a fundraiser. They will now be accepting used print cartridges and cell phones for recycling. For each qualifying item, they then earn a rebate to be used to purchase necessary supplies for the Youth Science Program.

Drop boxes are currently located in Kainai House and Piikani House Lobbies and the Airport Lounge. More drop boxes will soon be positioned in the Atrium and Students' Union Building.

Please note that all toners purchased through Materials Management must go back to Materials Management.

The Youth Science Program urges people to think of them before they throw out used ink cartridges or cell phones. It's an opportunity to raise funds for a worthy cause and protect the environment.

For more information on this new recycling initiative, or to request a drop box in a certain area of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, contact Kristy Burke at 403-382-7161.

UNews - cell phones

Passion for film drives Poliquin

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Youth Science to get boost from recycling program

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