The Barbie Film Festival
BARBIE VIDEO GIRL \\ In 2010 Mattel added a new Barbie to their repertoire: Barbie Video Girl. A real working video camera doll, Windows/Mac compatible, with a necklace featuring a camera lens that could shoot and create movies from her point of view, Barbie Video Girl had 25 minutes of recording time and her owners could watch their recordings in real time and then play them back on the color LCD screen, conveniently located on her back. With the ability to scroll through clips, delete unwanted footage, and transfer the video to your computer for editing, Barbie Video Girl was a $50 child's play way to become a film director, cinematographer, editor and producer, all in one.
The question: Could aspiring professional filmmakers use it to shoot footage, the same as a more expensive, professional movie camera? Would the audience be able to tell the difference? Cinematographer Brandon Bloch's decided to shoot some comparison footage, pitting the popular, high-end Canon 7D camera against the inexpensive Barbie Video Girl.
CANON 7D vs BARBIE VIDEO GIRL \\ Brandon's viral video “Canon 7D vs. Barbie Video Girl” has been viewed over 475,000 times since its launch in August, 2010.
THE 2011 BARBIE FILM FESTIVAL \\ We decided to take Brandon's observations a step further, and solicit entries forThe Barbie Film Festival, inviting UCLA undergraduate and graduate students to write, film and edit two-minute films. The only requirement was that the entire filming had to be done on the Barbie Video Girl camera.
We received more than three dozen entries. Armed with a new handheld challenge, some students decided to tackle some older material and pay homage to previous works. One submission was a parody of a classic “The Twilight Zone” episode, while another re-imagined a famous scene from the 1987 film “Fatal Attraction.”
Some students used video-editing programs like Final Cut Pro to craft the final results, but some opted to use the special software that Mattel developed specifically for Barbie. As an added bonus, anyone who submitted a finished film got to keep their Barbie Video Girl, donated to us by Mattel.
COORDINATOR \\ THE BARBIE FILM FESTIVAL Under the purview of our Head of Production, I organized the entire festival - publicizing the event, organizing submissions and planning the logistics of the festival screenings and after-party.
I worked closely with Marketing Director Rosie O'Neill and other executives from Mattel, hosting them for an evening of screenings prior to the festival event, so that they could review and select the winning entries.
The event was covered numerous media outlets, including The Los Angeles Times and The LA Weekly (left).
The Barbie Film Festival
http://www.tft.ucla.edu/programs/special-programs-initiatives/barbie-film-festival/
Rose O’Neil, Mattel’s Director of Barbie Marketing,
Rosie O'Neil, brand manager in marketing and "chief Barbie girl" for Mattel.
THE FILMS \\ THE FILM AWARDS
FASHIONABLE / STYLISH / DISTINGUISHED / BEST DRESSED \ ‘Ken Gets A Makeover’ by MFA Screenwriter Sian Chen
THE BARBIE BRUIN SPIRIT AWARD – tied – ‘A Barbie For All of Us’ by Undergraduate Scottie Bookman \ ‘Making An Animated Film’ by MFA Animator Natalie Xavier
THE BRANDON BLOCH SPIRIT AWARD FOR ACHIVEMENT IN BARBOGRAPHY \ ‘Bug Eye’ by MFA Animator Marika Boehler
AUDIENCE AWARD – ‘Bug Eye’ by MFA Animator Marika Boehler.
BEST ANIMATION \ ‘The Twilight Zone: Barbie Edition’ directed by Nolwen Cifuentes
BEST DOCUMENTARY \ ‘Thanks, Barbie’ directed by Undergraduate Susanna Ericsson
BEST COMEDY \ ‘Audition For Barbie’ directed by MFA Director-Cinematographer Judy Phu
THE PRODUCTION VALUE AWARD FOR OVERALL DESIGN AND INGENUITY \ ‘Le Muse’ by Undergraduate Travis Geiger
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY \ MFA Director-Cinematographer Soraya Selene for ‘The Ken Show’
