THE HOPE TAPES, 2009

” Ten thousand men possess ten thousand hopes.”  - Euripides

Summer 2009

This blog will chronicle a project entitled The Hope Tapes that will ask people to describe what hope is in their own words, point blank. The intention is to visually and externally explore what the emotion of hope means to people right now. It was inspired by a desire to know if in our collective psyche hope is more than merely something that made a pithy campaign slogan, if it is in fact something within the zeitgeist. Pieces will be edited and compiled in mixed media including video, still images, and words. This blog will be a part of that presentation, documenting the progress of the project once taping begins. The project is in pre-production summer 2009. Check back in the fall of 2009 for preliminary postings. If you are interested in participating in the project, contact me directly at tessamoruso@aol.com for more information.

September 2009

“There is a point. You just have to find it…and have your hope.” Savannah F.

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Project preproduction this summer has been slower and more difficult than planned. The start of the school semester mandated that preliminary taping begin. The first participants were taped in Virginia Beach; both young collaborators were not only photogenic, as expected, but also unexpectedly compelling. I say collaborators because it is immediately evident that this work is a collaborative project, not just in the sense that film and video are by necessity collaborative arts, involving the work and talents of various people, but the actual content and substance of this work is being co-created by the collaborators who agree to participate in a taping.

Many talented technical people have also already worked with me on this project. My design team, Kuro Creative, Ryan, Dennis and Tony, redesigned my website and linked it to this blog. The Geek Squad at Best Buy upgraded my hardware and the technical Genius’s at the Apple store worked out the kinks. The salesmen at B&H photo helped me with camcorder advice. Two excellent trainers at the McArthur Mall Apple store, Ryan and Doug, have helped me upgrade to Final Cut and start editing in it.

The artists and teachers at ODU and NSU have supported this project from it’s inception.  Some have already met with me and given me guidance; I am looking forward to their continued advice and assistance as the various parts of this work develop.

“Hope has always been to me a sort of vindicated stubbornness.” Caleb P.