Photography in the Barrio

Making Of Community Mural

Gil Guevara of the Oxnard Housing Authority was very pleased with the collective efforts of all the people who worked on the community mural.

Q&A Interview

BP: Why did you make the mural?

GG: We made the mural to add culture and visibility to the community.

BP: Was it expensive to make the mural?

GG: It was not expensive to make the mural because we had many groups donate items and there effort to the mural.

BP: Which groups helped make the mural?

GG: The Groups that participated in making the mural were the Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, Colonia Youth Council, and the Oxnard Police Department.

Q&A Interview with Marcos who worked on the mural

BP: How did you feel participating in making the mural?

M: I enjoyed making the mural because i was able to participate on drawing and there was a lot of history about Oxnard.

BP: How long did it take to make the mural?

M: It took about 4 weeks in the evening to make the mural

BP: What was your overall impression on making the mural?

M:I think that we did a good job and since we need so many people to work on it it brought a sense of unity to the community.

Creating a community garden.

Q&A Interview with Gil Guevara

BP: Why did you build the garden?

GG: We built the garden because the people of the community wanted to improve the community and add something nice to the community.

BP: Was it expensive to build this garden?

GG: It was not expensive to build this garden because many groups and people helped build it.

BP: Which groups helped you build the garden?

GG: The groups that helped us build the garden were the Police Department, the Fire Department, the SeaBees, Colonia Youth Council, Girl Scouts, parents, th Oxnard Housing Staff, and the youth of colonia.

BP: What was your overall impression on the finished result?

GG: I think that the finished result was good and it gave the people a sense of pride in their neighborhood and that the community accomplished on what they were aiming for.

With the help of OPD and other local agencies we have built a community garden in the main Oxnard Housing Authority site.

With a wonderful grant from the Fish and Wildlife Service, we will be adding “native” plants to our garden. Native plants will grow easier and adapt to the weather in our area. We’d like to thank NOPALITO NURSERY for there help on this project.

Be on the look out for our upcoming video promoting Native gardens and Prject Budburst.
Special thanks to Kate and Antonio.

B.P. Studios offering Video and sound productions at killer rates

Create gif animations with your photos on FunPhotoBox.com

Beginning this year Barrio Productions will be offering the best deals to produce commercial and sound recordings. The rates will expire at the end of this month. Don’t miss out.

805/385-7844

Digital Youth Photography

Our photography is now being sold as a fundraiser. Wether you want it framed or a poster print contact us

Digital Youth Photography Project

Barrio Productions is now training youth to create astonoshing photography of the community of Oxnard.

For more info contact us at (805) 385-7844. Ask about the DIGITAL YOUTH PHOTOGRAPHY PROJECT. We supply the camera and you supply the talent.

Check out our Gallery.

Barrio Productions is now training youth to create astonoshing photography of the community of Oxnard.

For more info contact us at (805) 385-7844. Ask about the DIGITAL YOUTH PHOTOGRAPHY PROJECT. We supply the camera and you supply the talent.

Check out our Gallery.

Oxnard Student Digi Fest Winners!

Barrio Productions is very proud to have placed in this year’s Oxnard Student Digital Film Festival. Among the winners was “Runaway Betty”

Article from VC REPORTER.COM

Real to reel Oxnard film festival celebrates youth talent By Michel Cicero 10/15/2009 Raise your hand if you’re hip to the mysterious space portal that’s situated somewhere in La Colonia district of Oxnard. Didn’t think so, and you’re probably not alone. That’s because it exists only in the minds of some aspiring filmmakers and on the sci-fi short film they made, called Port Holonia (a merging of Port Hueneme and La Colonia). For $5, you can experience it at the Oxnard Student Digi Film Festival this weekend. The festival — both a competition and a celebration — provides a showcase for the talent of western Ventura County youth who have found an outlet for expression via digital filmmaking. Entrants include students at the high school and college levels, but many younger kids also participated in the filmmaking process in various capacities. Though it’s been around in different incarnations for the better part of a decade, the festival finally found its footing as a student-centered event through Oxnard College a few years ago. Television production specialist and part-time Oxnard College faculty member Kitty Merrill, has served as festival director for two years and feels strongly about the importance of independent filmmaking in contemporary culture. “I think there is something exciting about people together in a room, watching a movie on a big screen,” she said. There is something powerful about people watching the same thing together.” The Port Holonia project emerged from a little-known but badly needed program based out of the housing authority complex in La Colonia. Barrio Productions, headed up by video production coordinator Julio Alcala, gives kids with seemingly few options an opportunity to find purpose, direction and expression through the creative process. “Many of them have never had their stories told,” said Alcala, who, in addition to teaching the kids how to make short films, also guides them through commercial production for the city of Oxnard.

One example, says Alcala, is a troubled young girl who ran away from home but was able to work through some of her difficulties via the film she made. Together, the other students, under Alcala’s direction, wrote a rap song for it. “It became something she was able to express,” he said, “so it became a community dialogue.” Her film will be shown during the festival. Earlier this year, when a young boy was killed in Oxnard, Barrio Productions rallied elementary school students to write a song about it. Alcala said they were able to process the raw emotion the kids were experiencing, the tragic elements of everyday life, via art.

The central theme in Port Holonia is that something amazing can exist in what might otherwise appear to be a hopeless situation. Inspired by the Twilight Zone series, students from elementary and junior high schools shot the film in the projects of La Colonia. The idea was that in the location’s main “strollaway” a portal exists.

“We took an area that was perceived as negative and made it magical,” said Alcala. Merrill says that even if kids don’t plan to pursue filmmaking as a career path, there is much to be learned and applied to other areas of life. “They’re learning amazing skills, taking an idea and bringing it to creation, organization,” she said. “The culture of coming home and watching TV at the end of the day is never the same after you make a film.” Like other arts-related non profits, Barrio Productions is nearing the end of its funds and facing an end to its successful run in La Colonia neighborhood. The benefit of creative pursuits to low-income and at-risk youth cannot be overstated. Alcala would like the program to continue to help these kids who often don’t grow up in the best environments for learning, but when given a chance, thrive. “We’re trying to show the other aspect of Colonia, not just the gang element,” he said. Merrill agrees. “You can see that it gives them focus and direction, they have a clearer vision of who they are and what they think of the world.” Oxnard Student Digi Film Fest is open to the public Friday and Saturday, Oct. 17-18, 7-9 p.m. Tickets are $5 per evening. A series of workshops will be offered on Saturday to anyone interested in film and video production. The event will be held at Plaza 14 Cinemas in downtown Oxnard, 255 W. Fifth St. For more information visit http://www.studentdigifilmest.org. To learn more about Barrio Productions, visit http://www.barrioproductions.wordpress.org. michel@vcreporter.com Welcome to Barrio Productions

Come check out our recording studios!

 

Barrio Productions now has a professional recording studio and a state-of-the-art recording booth.  This is a wonderful addition to our video productions facilities.   Contact us for our rates today. Your song and music video is just a phone call away.  Act now.  Call 805-385-7844.

A Production Studio representing the Barrio Life!