The Triangle

Issue date: 4/10/09 Section: News

Media Credit: Michael Arrison

Drexel student Bruce Pinchbeck was awarded $5,000 and a trip to Washington, D.C. by the National Geographic Channel for a short documentary film he and a group of friends made in Nov. 2008. The film had placed first in the NGC film and Public Service Announcement contest. Margaret Rudder was also recognized as a runner up for her 30-second PSA.

Her film competed online for the viewer's choice award at www.preserveyourplanet.com

"I knew we did solid work," Pinchbeck, a senior film and video major, said. "But I really did not put us up there for first place."

According to Christopher Albert of NGC, the NGC, PSA and short film competition is a part of the "Preserve Our Planet" initiative, which won an Emmy in 2008.

Albert also said the NGC contest received almost 100 submissions this year, which were narrowed down and judged by a pool of judges that included NGC representatives, National Geographic Explorers, representatives of the National Geographic Society and national co-sponsors.

A NGC news release stated that the judges evaluated entries based on creativity, reflection of the year's core idea "Together We Can Make a Difference" and production value. According to Pinchbeck, director of the winning short film entitled "Pedal Co-op," the film is a documentary about Philadelphia's green movement.

"[Pedal Co-op] offers environmentally friendly services to local businesses and residents in Philadelphia," according to the group's Web site, www.pedalcoop.org. Additionally, the association offers bicycle deliveries of recycling, bakery goods, FedEx packages, compost and more. The group of students who worked on "Pedal Co-op" included producer and editor, Bunker Seyfret, cameramen, Dylan Steinberg and Brian Hinsinger and Matt Sullivan on soundtrack.

"[The PSA] abstractly follows the life of a carrot," Rudder, a Drexel senior who worked as art director of the PSA entitled "The Way We Choose," said. "We really wanted to talk about simple things that everyone can do; simple things, that kids can understand and that are not technological, so that older people can do them too."

She also said the team highlighted buying from local vendors that do not use pesticides, using reusable water bottles, using Tupperware, and educating the youth. According to Rudder, in the final shot of the PSA, the children are replanting the carrot seeds and also are metaphorically replanting the seeds of their own future.

Continued...

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