Dana Plays
Digital and Interactive Media
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Digital and Interactive Media
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Consultant
in Digital Media
Production and Post-production in Film Video and Interactive Media Dana Plays - filmmaker/digital media artist and professor of film and new media - specializes is in the interface between film and digital techologies inlcuding interactive digital media for DVD and the web. Her work has been exhibited internationally. She served as acting program head and associate professor of Film and New Media Production at Occidental College and was one of two faculty members responsible for running the film program in the Art Media Studies Department at Syracuse University, during the period when digital began to transform the film industry from the 90s and into the new millennium. Dana Plays received a Mellon Foundation Grant for innovative teaching with technology at Occidental College in 1999. Streaming Videos of Students' Work in Digital Media Dana Plays' production credits include director, director of photography, editor, visual effects, and location sound. She has specialized in the interface between digital developments in Final Cut Pro, AVID, DVD Studio Pro, Protools, and interactive media for the web, since 1996. Dana Plays serves as a consultant for the Putney School, in Putney Vermont, in the development of the Digital Media Lab at the Michael S. Currier Center for the Visual and Performing Arts. She also designed a digital media lab and revamped the curriculum for the Film and New Media Production Program of the Weingart Center for the Arts, at Occidental College. She has previsously served as a consultant for the development of a Media Arts centered Highschool in Orange County. IMDB Credits in Production and Post-production director of photography 
and Many Happy Returns Directed by Owen Shapiro Filmed on location by Dana Plays and Owen Shapiro at the Salomon Vacation Center, Brewster, NY and Camp Isabella Freedman, Falls Village, CT 1995, 57 Minutes, 16mm Color and Black & White Filmed with NPR Eclair Camera Available through Point of Contact on location sound 
Investigation of a Flame Directed by Lynne Sachs On location sound for San Diego locations by Dana Plays. "BEST DOCUMENTARY in 2001", Phillip Lopate, Village Voice Critic, Jan. 4. 2002. "Investigation of a Flame artfully revisits this footnote to recent history that took place right in our own backyard. This is an account of the war at home against the war in Vietnam. These people were not Yippie fist-shakers. All but one of the men wore suits. Investigation of a Flame captures the heartfelt belief behind the Nine's symbolic action of civil disobedience that sparked other (actions) like it across the nation. Sachs cannily avoids the usual documentary dance of talking heads and file footage by interspersing impressionistic shots. (The film) provides a potent reminder that some Americans are willing to pay a heavy price to promote peace." Lee Gardner, Baltimore City Paper, October 17, 2001 San Francisco International Film Festival, Golden Gate Award, 2002 Ann Arbor Film Festival, Honorable Mention, 2002 Black Maria Film and Video Festival, Director's Citation, 2002 New York Underground Film Festival, 2002 45 minutes / c/b&w / 2001 Distributed by: First Run/Icarus Films (Distributor) 32 Court St., 21st Floor Brooklyn, NY 11201 mail@frif.com www.frif.com T: 800.876.1710 or 718.488.8900 director filmography - director of photography - editor - optical printing 
Love Stories My Grandmother Tells Directed by Dana Plays Filmed and Edited by Dana Plays Optical Printing and Sound Design by Dana Plays 1994, 30 Minutes, 16mm Color and Black and White Filmed with NPR Eclair Camera • Black Maria Film Festival - Director’s Choice • New Orleans Film Festival - 16 Best Documentary • Big Muddy Film Festival - Third Place Documentary Montreal International Film Festival Madrid Experimental Week New York Underground Film Festival Seattle International Film Festival Dutch National Television VPRO Broadcasting, Holland Onion City Festival Dresden Film Festival Interfilm Festival, Berlin, Germany Leipzig Documentary Festival, Germany St. John’s International Film Festival Viper International Film Festival Pacific Film Archive Filmforum SF Cinematheque 
Nuclear Family Directed by Dana Plays Filmed and Edited by Dana Plays Optical Printing and Sound Design by Dana Plays 2001, 22 Minutes, 16mm Color and Black and White • Black Maria Film and Video Festival, First Prize, Jurors’ Choice Award, 2002. • Ann Arbor Film Festival, Honorable Mention, 40th Annual 2002. • Empire State Film Festival, First Prize Experimental Film Award, 2002.
Across the Border Directed by Dana Plays Filmed and Edited by Dana Plays Optical Printing and Sound Design by Dana Plays 2001, 22 Minutes, 16mm Color and Black and White • Santa Fe Winter Film Expo,
First Prize Experimental,
See filmography for more director credits and details. EXHIBITIONS • HONORS • AWARDS • FESTIVALS • TELEVISION Museums and Art Venues - Invited Exhibitions Whitney Museum of American Art The Color of Ritual, The Color of Women Avant-Garde Filmmakers in America 1930-2000 Programmed by Whitney Film Curator, Chrisie Isles 2000 Pacific Film Archive at the University Art Museum ALTERNATIVE VISIONS: Retrieved Images Programmed by Kathy Geritz Berkeley, California 2002 San Francisco Cinematheque at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Films by Dana Plays, In-person presentation Programmed by Steve Anker San Francisco, California June 13, 2002 Filmforum at Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibtions Films by Dana Plays, In-person presentation Programmed by Thom Anderson Los Angeles, California September, 1997 Museum Arts and Culture Spokane, Washington October 22, 2002 Millennium Personal Cinema Program Millenium Film Workshop Fall Series Curated by Howard Guttenplan. Films by Dana Plays, In-person presentation New York, New York December 6, 1992 Women Direct 12th Annual Series of New Films and Videos by Women, Re-producing Memory, Re- Making Vision Speaker: Dana Plays, Programmed by Patricia Zimmerman Ithaca College, Roy H. Park Hall Auditorium Ithaca, New York Pacific Film Archive, University Art Museum Avant-Garde Cinema, Listening to our (Grand)mothers: Films by Lynne Merrick, Dana Plays and Pola Rapaport Love Stories My Grandmother Tells, Part 1 Berkeley, California November 22, 1994 HALLWALLS Contemporary Arts Center Off the Track: Works by Dana Plays, Donna Cameron & Claire Dannenbaum Series of independent media from around the world Programmed by Rene Bouchard Zero Hour Buffalo, New York June 30, 1993 Experimental Film Conference Co-ordinated by Stan Brakhage Zero Hour, Recollection, In-person screening. University of Colorado at Boulder Boulder, Colorado July, 1992 S.F. Cinematheque Films by Dana Plays/ Andre Zdravic In-person presentation San Francisco, California June 9, 1988 San Francisco Art Commission Gallery Alternative Space Select In-person presentation Shards, Across the Border San Francisco, California, July 21, 1988 Capp Street Project Souvenir Highway A Site-specific Installation by Jerry Beck Saturday Nite Screenings at Jerry's Drive ins Arrow Creek San Francisco, California June 6, 1987 Southern Exposure Gallery Anti-World War III Festival Across the Border San Francisco, California San Francisco International Film Festival Bay Area Filmmakers’ Showcase Pacific Film Archive University Art Museum In-person presentation Across the Border Berkeley, California November 12, 1983 Edinburugh Film Festival Across the Border Edinburgh, Scotland San Francisco Exploratorium Films by Dana Plays - In-person presentation. Programmed by Liz Keim San Francisco, California December, 1989 Alternative Cinema Dana Plays in person. Programmed by John Knecht Colgate University, Hamilton, New York October 27, 1992 FILM FESTIVAL AWARDS & SCREENINGS Black Maria Film and Video Festival, 2002 FIRST PRIZE, JURORS’ CHOICE AWARD Nuclear Family Jersey City, New Jersey 40th Annual Ann Arbor Film Festival, 2002 HONORABLE MENTION Nuclear Family Ann Arbor, Michigan Empire State Film Festival, 2002 FIRST PRIZE, EXPERIMENTAL FILM AWARD Nuclear Family Saratoga Springs, New York Big Muddy Film Festival, 1995 DOCUMENTARY AWARD, THIRD PLACE Love Stories My Grandmother Tells, Part 1 Carbondale, Illinois Black Maria Film and Video Festival, 1995 DIRECTOR’S CHOICE Love Stories My Grandmother Tells, Part 1 Jersey City, New Jersey New Orleans Film and Video Festival, 1994 CINEMA 16 BEST DOCUMENTARY AWARD Love Stories My Grandmother Tells, Part 1 New Orleans, Louisiana 30th Ann Arbor Film Festival, 1992 TOM BERMAN AWARD, MOST PROMISING FILMMAKER Zero Hour Ann Arbor, Michigan Sinking Creek Film Celebration, 1992 CASH AWARD Zero Hour Greenville, Tennessee Black Maria Film & Video Festival, 1992 DIRECTOR’S CITATION Zero Hour Jersey City, New Jersey 12th Annual San Francisco Art Institute International Film Festival, 1990 AWARD Shards San Francisco, California 24th Ann Arbor Film Festival, 1986 CASH AWARD Via Rio Ann Arbor, Michigan Fifth Annual San Francisco Art Institute International Film Festival, 1983 CASH AWARD Don't Means Do San Francisco, California Persistence of Vision, 16th Annual Humboldt International Film Festival, 1983 HONORABLE MENTION Across the Border Arcata, California Universiade International Film Festival, 1983 FIRST PRIZE, EXPERIMENTAL FILM Across the Border Edmonton, Canada Santa Fe Winter Film Expo, 1983 FIRST PRIZE, EXPERIMENTAL Across the Border Santa Fe, New Mexico Houston International Film Festival, 1983 BRONZE AWARD, EXPERIMENTAL Across the Border Houston, Texas 20th Ann Arbor Film Festival, 1982 CASH AWARD Across the Border Ann Arbor, Michigan Sinking Creek Film Celebration, 1982 DIRECTOR’S CHOICE Silverfish Greenville, Tennessee 19th Ann Arbor Film Festival Tour CASH AWARD Silverfish San Francisco Art Institute San Francisco, California Sinking Creek Film Celebration CASH AWARD Grain Graphics Greenville, Tennessee Poetry International Film Festival FIRST PRIZE Grain Graphics San Francisco, California Seventh Annual San Francisco Art Institute Film Festival UICA (AICA) Student Film Competition FIRST PRIZE Grain Graphics San Francisco, California Seventh Annual San Francisco Art Institute Film Festival UICA (AICA) Student Film Competition HONORABLE MENTION Arrow Creek San Francisco, California TELEVISION AIRINGS Dutch National Television / VPRO Broadcasting Company Televised: Love Stories My Grandmother Tells, Part 1 (invited) Summer Guest Film Director Ian Kirkoff, curator Amsterdam, Holland July 9, 1995 KQED, Channel 9 San Francisco - Frontal Exposure Televised: Across the Border (juried) San Francisco, California July 30, 1983 WTTW, Channel 11, Chicago - Image Union Televised: Across the Border, 1/29/83 & 1/30/83 (invited) Chicago, Illinois January, 1983 Peralta Colleges Television, Oakland California - Best of the Fests Curated by the San Francisco Cinematheque (invited) Televised : Shards Cable Channels 47, 29 and 59 Alameda County, California October 26 , 1989 INTERNATIONAL AND NATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL SCREENINGS - JURIED Big Muddy Film Festival Carbondale, Illinois NUCLEAR FAMILY March 3, 2002 Women in the Director’s Chair Film Festival Chicago, Illinois NUCLEAR FAMILY March 15, 2002 Black Maria Film and Video Festival Jersey City, New Jersey NUCLEAR FAMILY January 25, 2002 Various Tour Stops Empire State Film Festival Sarasota Springs, New York NUCLEAR FAMILY January 14, 2002 Euro Underground Film Festival Maribor, Slovenia NUCLEAR FAMILY September17-24, 2001 Ann Arbor Film Festival In person screening and presentation NUCLEAR FAMILY Panel Discussion and Screening “What the Hell Was That?” Ann Arbor, Michigan March 15, 2002 Deep Ellum Film Festival In person screening and presentation Dallas, Texas NUCLEAR FAMILY November 17, 2001 Savannah Film and Video Festival Guest of the Festival In-person presentations Savannah, Georgia Trustees Theater October 30, 2001 Mondanaro Theater October 31, 2001 Trustees Theater November 3, 2001 Round table discussion; Experimental Cinema October 30, 2001 NUCLEAR FAMILY Montreal International Festival of New Cinema and Video (International Competition) Love Stories My Grandmother Tells, Part 1 Montreal, Quebec, Canada June 11, 1995 21st Annual, Seattle International Film Festival Varsity Theatre Love Stories My Grandmother Tells, Part 1 Seattle, Washington May 23, 1995 New York Underground Film & Video Festival Love Stories My Grandmother Tells, Part 1 New York, New York March 23, 1995 37th Int’l Leipziger Festival In person presentation and 16mm film screening, Information Program Love Stories My Grandmother Tells, Part 1 November 15-20, 1994 Round Table discussion: State of Documentary in the United States with panelists Jenny Livingston, Mira Benford, Georgia Mckinnis, and Dana Plays American House Leipzig, Germany November 19, 1994 VIPER International Film and Videofestival In person screening & presentation, International Program: Experi-doc Love Stories My Grandmother Tells, Part 1 Lucerne, Switzerland October 17-22, 1994 Onion City Film Festival Love Stories My Grandmother Tells, Part 1 Chicago, Illinois May 6, 1995 Seventh Annual Dresden Film Festival Love Stories My Grandmother Tells, Part 1 Dresden, Germany April 29, 1995 Interfilm Festival Love Stories My Grandmother Tells, Part I Berlin, Germany April 23, 1995 Madrid Experimental Week (Official Section) Love Stories My Grandmother Tells, Part 1 Madrid, Spain April 4-11, 1995 Carolina Film & Video Festival Love Stories My Grandmother Tells, Part 1 Greensboro, North Carolina March 31, 1995 Big Muddy Film Festival, Love Stories My Grandmother Tells, Part 1 Carbondale, Illinois February, 1995 Black Maria Film and Video Festival Love Stories My Grandmother Tells, Part 1 Jersey City, New Jersey February, 1995 Chicago Underground Film Festival Love Stories My Grandmother Tells, Part 1 Chicago, Illinois July 21, 1995 The 1995 Big Show Film Festival at Cinema Village Love Stories My Grandmother Tells, Part 1 New York, New York May, 1995 5th Annual St. John's International Women's Film Festival Love Stories My Grandmother Tells, Part 1 Newfoundland, Canada October 13-17, 1994 30th Ann Arbor Film Festival ZERO HOUR, RECOLLECTION Ann Arbor, Michigan March 17, 1992 30th Ann Arbor Film Festival ZERO HOUR Sunday Winners' Program Ann Arbor, Michigan March 22, 1992 Sinking Creek Film /Video Festival Celebration Cutting Edge of Experimental Media, ZERO HOUR June 13, 1992 Vanderbilt University Nashville, Tennessee 12th Annual San Francisco Art Institute Film Festival Shards San Francisco California April 21, 1989 Festival of International Progressive Film and Video Across the Border La Pena Cultural Center Berkeley, California October 21, 1987 New Orleans Film and Video Festival In person screening and presentation Love Stories My Grandmother Tells, Part 1 New Orleans, Louisiana October 7-13, 1994 Women of the Americas Film and Video Festival UC Theatre In-person presentation Across the Border Berkeley California October 20, 1987 25th Ann Arbor Film Festival Via Rio Ann Arbor Tour Ann Arbor, Michigan April, 1986 Women's Film Festival, Humboldt State University Via Rio Arcata, California April 5, 1986 The Humboldt State University Women’s Film Festival Across the Border, Don't Means Do Arcata, California February 28, 1985 Women's Film Festival, Humboldt State University Don't Means Do Arcata, California 5th San Francisco Art Institute Film Festival Don't Means Do San Francisco, California April 14, 1983 Fifth San Francisco Art Institute Film Festival Across the Border San Francisco, California April 16, 1983 16th Annual Humboldt Film Festival, Persistence of Vision Across the Border Eureka, California April, 1983 Santa Fe Winter Film Expo Across the Border Santa Fe, New Mexico March, 1983 Universiade International Film Festival Across the Border Edmonton, Canada July, 1983 Houston International Film Festival Across the Border Houston Texas June, 1983 EDINBURGH International Film Festival Across the Border Edinburgh, Scotland August 26, 1983 20th Ann Arbor Film Festival Across the Border Ann Arbor, Michiga March 9-14, 1982 Women in the Director's Chair Film Festival Across the Border Chicago Illinois December, 1982 13th Annual Baltimore International Film Festival Across the Border Baltimore, Maryland May 2, 1982 19th Annual Ann Arbor Film Festival Silverfish, Tour Ann Arbor, Michigan March, 1981 Sinking Creek Film Festival Silverfish Greenville, Tennessee 1981 articles and reviews Spokesman Review | The Inlander | Spartan Screening | LA Weekly | Curator's Comments Holly Willis, The Los Angeles Weekly, “Filmforum,” April 4-10, 2002. Julianne Crane, The Spokesman-Review, In Life, “Vision Strays far from Mainstream,” F3, Sunday October 20, 2002. Marty Demerest, The Pacific Northwest Inlander, Arts and Culture, “Filmmaker Dana Plays,” p. 27, October 17-23, 2002. Eric Ernest, “Celebrities Give Insight on L.A. River,” Our Times (local supplement of LA Times in Studio City), April 13, 2000. Carol Schmuckler, Syracuse University Magazine, “Faculty Research: Dana Plays,” Spring 1996. David Baron, "The Best of Cinema 16, Baron's Cinema 16 Picks, New Orleans Film and Video Festival." The Times-Picayune , New Orleans Thursday, October 6, 1994: E-3 Russ Tarby, "Times Table Picks" Syracuse New Times, July 20-27, 1994:26, 30. Joan Vadaboncouer, "Emerging Filmmaker Series offered at Manlius Cinema," The Post-Standard, July 11, 1994:C5 Barbara Hammer, "Filmmakers" Yesterday and Tomorrow: California Women Artists, Ed. Sylvia Moore, Midmarch Press, 1989. Calvin Ahlgren, "Eight New Works Make a Splash in 'Local Color'" Pink Pages, San Francisco Chronicle, 10 Dec., 1989. Stuart Cudlitz, "Cinematheque to Show New Works by Bay Area Filmmakers" Film/Tape World, December, 1989. Deborah Martin, "Alternative, Experimental films offered at Gallery" Accent, El Paso Herald-Post, 5 May, 1989. "Films Should Change Rather than Entertain," El Tiempo, El Paso TImes, 5 May, 1989. Lynne Sachs, "What Do You Have To Say: Women Film and Politics", program for Pushing the Margins: Women in Experimental Film, a selection of National and International Films by Women, University of Utah, May 1988. Ian Bell, "Films: Fuller hits Raw Nerve," The Scotsman, Edinburgh, Scotland, 26 August , 1983. Edgar Daniels, "Ann Arbor Film Festival," Festivals in Review, Filmmakers Monthly, June 1979. GRANTS Louis and Hermione Brown Humanities Research Grant for Documentary Film Work in Progress: The Story of Ottilie Moore Occidental College, Los Angeles, CA Summer, 1999 Mellon Grant for Innovative Teaching with Technology Occidental College, Los Angeles, California Spring, 1999 Edison Summer Internet Workshop Occidental College, Los Angeles, California Summer, 1997 Faculty Instructional Grant, College of Visual and Performing Arts, Syracuse University Fall, 1994 Travel Grant Leipzig Documentary Festival Leipzig, Germany Fall, 1995 Travel Grant Viper International Film and Video Festival Lucerne, Switzerland Fall, 1995 Faculty Instructional Grant, Center for Instructional Development, Syracuse University 1991 DETAIL ON FILMOGRAPHY PROFESSIONAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICE 1987 to present Occidental College, Los Angeles California, 1996- present Associate Professor Film and New Media Production Program Film, Department of Art Media Studies Assistant Professor Tenured in 1996 Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York 1990- 1996 Film and Digital Production, Post-production Numerous Clients, 1987-present San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, California Humanities Department Manager and Events and Facilities Coordinator The Putney School, Putney, Vermont Board of Trustees Consultant for the development of a Digital Media Lab for the Michael S. Currier Performing Arts Building, 2004 at the Putney School, 2001-present Filmforum, Los Angeles, California, 1997 to present Board of Directors Media Arts High School Orange County Public School District, 2000-2001 Advisory Board for the Digital Media Development EDUCATION California College of the Arts, Oakland, California Master of Fine Arts with High Distinction in Film and Video, 1986 TECHNICAL FLUENCY Avid, Final Cut Pro 4, Cinema Tools, ProTools, Adobe Photoshop 7, DVD Studio Pro 2, Front Page, Canon GL1, XL1, Sony Digital video cameras; JK Optical Printer, Éclair ACL, Bolex, Beaulieu, CP16, Arri, Mitchell Photosonics 16mm cameras, Nagra and Sony DAT tape recorders, Sennheiser Microphones, Magnasync Moviola, Steenbeck, Kem, Moviola flatbed editors, and Arri; MZ; ColorTran light kits. Courses Designed and Taught Filmography Contact Back to Home |