Niki is putting the final animation and graphic touches on a new Kickstarter video for a client, and has made some amazing graphics for a local hospital that reflect the culture of our rural area.
Sophie may be 11 years old, but she and I hiked Kamiak Butte this week, a loop more than two miles. She is in great shape and great spirits, and we couldn’t be happier.
Taking a break at the top of Kamiak Butte, Washington.
We’re in the middle of re-designing the Muse Media website so bear with us. Visit the “About Us” page for a sneak peek. Stay tuned for springtime video projects.
My latest project, Skeleton School, is the ultimate labor of love.
Last September, I finally wrapped production on a short documentary chronicling a tenuous levy campaign in the small rural town of Kamiah, Idaho.
My husband and I lived in Kamiah from the summer of 2017 to 2019. He was a teacher at the Kamiah School District at the time, and I was a substitute teacher while I freelanced as a media consultant.
Skeleton School has been submitted to several film festivals around the country, most of which are virtual.
I immensely enjoyed my time as a substitute teacher, more than I ever thought I would. I found my niche among secondary students, mostly subbing for middle school and high school, assisted with after school programs, and volunteered with school clubs.
To me there is something endearing and magical about how kids and teens are at the beginning of their whole lives. Their optimism and creativity is inspiring, and it is a joy to help them discover different skills and ways to navigate the world.
What broke my heart was walking through the classrooms of this rural school and realizing, even though I too went to a rural school, these kids didn’t have nearly the resources I did.
Opportunities for rural youth like sports, extracurricular activities, or even basic books continue to be a challenge for many rural school districts. This short documentary is a slice of life following teachers and staff anxiously awaiting a vital school levy in a divided rural community.
I did my best to remove myself from the story, and allow both sides to have their say. It’s important to realize that all stories have many voices. But I was part of the community of the town and the school, which gave me the relationships and the access to paint a picture of real people going through a hard challenge.
Although I’m a writer for a university by day, Muse Media serves as an outlet not just to freelance, but to produce my own creative media projects. For a short while during my time in Kamiah, I had a downtown office and art gallery.
Ms. Hopkins’ eighth grade language arts class visited Muse Media to see our What Does Equality Mean to You Exhibition in the spring of 2019. The students saw art made by artists all over Idaho, in a variety of different mediums.
The film was filmed, edited, and narrated by me, and I’ll be forever grateful to my friends who sat through screenings, and my mentor Jon Palfreman.
Since post-production finally wrapped in September of 2020, Skeleton School has been selected and shown and even as a finalist in several festivals. After the final notification date of September 01, 2021, I will make the documentary available publicly on YouTube and Plex.
If anyone out there would like to arrange a screening or showing of Skeleton School for their organization, get in touch by emailing me at lauren@musemediaco.com. The trailer is below, and the full film will be available to view on September 30, 2021. Those interested in screening the film for an event can contact me for an exclusive early screening.
For now, here is a sneak peek at what to expect.
Muse Media Co. presents: Skeleton School
Selected for festival:
Venice Shorts Montreal Independent Film Festival Toronto International Women Film Festival SHORT to the Point
Selected & named as finalist:
New Wave Short Film Festival Tokyo International Short Film Festival Roma Short Film Festival
It’s been a long time in the works, but it’s coming soon – Muse Media will be releasing a podcast!
The podcast logo is still in the works.
I’ve (almost) cobbled together 5 episodes focusing on different aspects of the media, including topics like yellow journalism, the Telecom Act, and the history of podcasts. The first season will most likely be released in June 2021.
This is your chance to weigh in! Comment or email me and let me know if you would like to hear a special topic for the podcast. While the production of this first season is nearly complete, I’ll need more topics to research in the future.
Raised in Kamiah, Idaho along the Clearwater River, artist Amelia Oswold said she didn’t discover her passion for art until her early twenties.
“When I found Any Warhol and the pop art scene, that’s when it really took off for me,” she said.
Amelia Oswald stands on a ridge in Kamiah at sunset.
Bright and bold colors are a hallmark of Oswald’s style, with kaleidoscope effects encompassing her often female subjects in a digital collage of patterns and shapes. She calls her brand The Bold Generation, and shares her artwork and videos through social media.
“I always try to have some kind of message, something relevant to society and our time.”
Oswald said she is inspired by the loud and proud style of graffiti and street art, and even sticker bombed her hometown to forcefully blast a location with art. “Something about that impulsive display of creativity has always really excited me.”
Muse Media Co. 