Bio
I was born and have lived most of my life in Phoenix, Arizona. I began my career as a teacher on the Navajo reservation. It was there that I borrowed a super 8 camera from the high school and taught an elective on filmmaking to junior high students. I didn't know anything about it at the time. But it lit a passion inside me that continues to burn. We put together a short film on the impact of machines, particularly the big ones at the Peabody Coal Company's mine site in Kayenta, on the reservation's landscape and culture. We set it to Pink Floyd's Welcome to the Machine, and it won two first place awards at the Arizona Student Film Festival. The year was 1976.
Fast forward twenty years. I took the plunge and bought my first video camera. I have been involved in professional video production for over 20 years. My previous work includes several videos that promote art programs for youth and document the creative process between students and artists in dance, theater, visual and performing arts. I've also produced informational/promotional videos for non-profit agencies such as the Wyoming Historical Society, Children International in Arkansas, Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture and the Shemer Art Center in Phoenix. Most of my current work is focused on documenting performing arts events, particularly professional dance.
I received a grant for this documentary project from the Arizona Commission on the Arts in January, 2013, and began production the following spring. This is my first full length documentary video. If you want to contribute to this documentary go to: www.GoFundMe.com/madisonjaildocumentary.