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Bill Taylor Jr., Ph.D. is a 2022 graduate of the PHD Program in Leadership and Change at Antioch University.
Dissertation Committee
- Jon Wergin, Ph.D., Committee Chair
- Philomena Essed, Ph.D., Committee Member
- Christine Acham, Ph.D. Committee Member
Keywords
action research, Afro-American/Black filmmaking, virtual teams, Hollywood, digital technology, racism, Foster Photoplay, leadership
Document Type
Dissertation
Publication Date
2022
Abstract
Because of the gatekeeping practices of the Hollywood film industry, and the high cost of both filmmaking and distribution in general, Afro-American filmmakers have struggled to produce films with “global reach.” This study visits the possibility of Afro-American filmmakers using alternative technologies and infrastructures to produce high-quality films, thereby bypassing the high cost and exclusionary practices of Hollywood studios. Using new 21st-century digital technology, this study involved the creation of a small geographically dispersed virtual film production team. The study’s foundational framework was a constructivist qualitative research paradigm, using Action Research, and supported by 24 months of triangulated data from field notes and a Likert-type end-of-study survey, both of which were then addressed in an end-of- research online group discussion using the Zoom platform. The research question was, What are the most effective leadership and team-building practices/processes for creating a virtual geographically dispersed Afro-American film production team, with the intent of producing digital films, using new digital technology, social media, and the default global infrastructure of the Internet? The major conclusion of the study was that it is possible for a small virtual team to produce broadcast quality digital film using only consumer-level computers and cameras, audio and lighting equipment, and readily available software. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu).
Recommended Citation
Taylor, B. (2022). AfroAM: A Virtual Film Production Group. https://aura.antioch.edu/etds/761
Included in
African American Studies Commons, American Film Studies Commons, Broadcast and Video Studies Commons, Communication Technology and New Media Commons, Critical and Cultural Studies Commons, Film Production Commons, Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Ethnicity in Communication Commons, Interdisciplinary Arts and Media Commons, Leadership Studies Commons, Visual Studies Commons
Comments
Bill Taylor Jr.
ORCID Scholar ID #: #0000-0003-1626-4257
Bill Taylor is a broadcast production expert, and filmmaker. He began his career in radio, producing programmatic content for KRKE, WGAR, WJMO, WHUR, and WOL radio stations. His free-lance voice-over work includes the Nigerian Broadcasting Company, National Public Radio (NPR), narration for various documentaries, and acting and voice-overs for other free-lance radio and television advertising commercials. He has participated in extensive production, working at stations WDCA and WVIZ television. He has taught at 3 different Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and also at California State University. His education includes a B.A. in Communication, a terminal MFA in Film Production, a Master’s degree in Leadership and Change, and Ph.D. in Leadership and Change.