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Thursday, Aug. 23, 2018 | Indiana Daily Student | idsnews.com
COURTESY PHOTO
Actors discuss a scene for “Hometown Heroes” with director Dakota Taylor as part of the Seed&Spark contest. This is the second year of this specific competition from Seed&Spark.
‘Probie’ challenges firefighter customs BY SARAH LLOYD sadlloyd@iu.edu | @sxrxh99
Members of the IU Student Cinema Guild are creating a feature film for the “Hometown Heroes” rally on Seed&Spark, a crowdfunding website for upcoming filmmakers. For the contest, filmmakers submit their idea for a project and create a crowdfunding campaign through Seed&Spark. This is the second year of this specific competition from Seed&Spark, and senior Dakota Taylor and sophomore Caleb Wallace want their film to make it to the top. “Probie” is a fictional film focused on a rookie firefighter who faces a pivotal decision when he realizes just what the job entails. “While working as a firefighter, my dad was told to hide his emotions while picking dead kids up off the ground,” said Taylor, President of the Student Cinema Guild and the executive producer, co-writer and director of this film. Taylor came up with the idea based on his dad, a firefighter in his hometown. He said he believed fire-
fighters had stereotypes and masculinity issues that need to be addressed. One theme that “Probie” focuses on is mental illness, and how firefighters can have illnesses like PTSD and not receive treatment for them. Taylor and Wallace want their film to show the real side of firefighting, which is not at all like “Chicago Fire” and other dramas. The harsh reality of being a firefighter is they don’t just fight fires; they are thrust into traumatic situations like car accidents and other medical emergencies. Being a firefighter affects relationships with family and friends because firefighters are on call for 24/7. The filmmakers hope their movie will show firefighting in an accurate light, instead of showing Hollywood’s vision of it. “I’m looking forward to shooting the film, approaching investors to lock down money and just live out the process of making our own movie,” said Wallace, executive producer, co-writer and first assistant director. The idea for the film needs to embody the
“hometown heroes” concept that Seed&Spark has put into place. Then, crowdfunders must reach 80 percent of their goal and reach 1,000 followers to qualify for winning prizes. The finalists then post a video telling the executive producers what they would do with the prize and why the film should be produced. Five winners will be announced in early November to win a grand prize, which is their film being produced by Duplass Brothers Productions, Salem Street Entertainment and UnLTD Productions. The winners will also be eligible to receive up to $50,000 in loans. Most members of the IU Student Cinema Guild will participate in some way with the process of creating the movie, Taylor said. Their main goal now is to raise awareness and get followers once the crowdfunding page goes live Sept. 17 on Seed&Spark. For those who have interest and experience in film and would like to help out, contact Taylor through Cul-de-Sac Film Company or the IU Cinema Guild.
TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE
Aretha Franklin in concert at the Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles on Aug. 2, 2015. Franklin died Aug. 16.
‘Think’ about ‘saying a little prayer’ to pay ‘respect’ to Aretha Franklin Hannah Reed is a senior in journalism.
Aretha Franklin did her time — all 10,000 hours of it, to be exact. It’s clear Franklin was gifted. It’s also clear she worked hard to make her gift reach its full potential. According to the 10,000hour rule created by Malcolm Gladwell, in order to reach peak performance at any given thing, one must put in 10,000 hours of work. “Aretha Franklin, Jimi Hendrix, people like that, they illustrate well that these are people that when they entered the public consciousness, they had done their time, they had put in their 10,000 hours,” Jacobs School of Music Professor Andy Hollinden said. Soul music is for anyone who has a soul — it creates a feeling, a smile, a light heart, snapping fingers, a bobbing head, two moving feet. You don’t have to be religious to listen to and enjoy soul music. Some people make that mistake, Hol-
linden said, and though Franklin began in a church, that’s not where the listener needs to be to appreciate her sound. “I think an atheist could listen to her music and be moved in, for lack of a better term, a spiritual way, in a very human way,” Hollinden said. It’s always difficult to see greatness go — Franklin’s death Aug. 16 was no exception. However, her death isn’t a goodbye or the end of her legacy. Similar to artists such as David Bowie and Freddie Mercury, Franklin has created a type of feeling and influence with her music that listeners can’t get anywhere else. “Anyone can listen to Aretha Franklin at any point in time, so she will never go away or vanish from the human consciousness,” Hollinden said. “Performers have learned from her, and can incorporate what she illustrated on an intuitive level.” Franklin was born in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1942, meaning she was 76 years old when she died of pancreatic cancer. She be-
gan her journey with gospel music because of her father and was encouraged to perform in his church when her family moved to Detroit. In the late 1960s, she was recognized for her hits, “Chain of Fools,” “Think” and “I Say a Little Prayer.” Franklin’s influence wasn’t only in her voice — it was also in her actions. She was the first woman to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and by 1970 she had five Grammys. She earned a total of 44 nominations and 18 statues. In 1991, Franklin received the Grammy Legend Award, and in 1994, she won the Lifetime Achievement Award. Additionally, she performed at President Barack Obama’s 2009 inauguration and the 2015 Kennedy Center Honors during a tribute to Carole King — the latter of which moved Obama to tears. Franklin might be gone from the physical realm, but the inspiration she leaves behind — for women, for musicians, for anyone with a soul — will stay forever.
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