Accomplishments

• The backstorygroup's 2016 educational mission to israel comprised a diverse group of five film, tv and digital media students from a large public university, two professional tv producers,and one professional film score composer. the trip itinerary included meetings with israeli film & music students and professionals, a visit to the tefen school's program in filmmaking for students with disabilities, travel to historically significant sites in israel and an intensive 3-day joint project with israeli film students, based at the rimon school of jazz & contemporary music. in the project at rimon, the backstorygroup students, together with their israeli peers and the backstorygroup producer participants, conceived, filmed, edited and completed a project pilot video, followed by a networking event at which the finished video was screened. while at the ma'aleh school of television, film and the arts in israel, the professionals participating in the trip made a presentation to music students interested in film music composition. a similar presentation was made at another israeli school, idc herzliya. the professionals on the trip also conducted an educational panel at ma'aleh, where all of the trip participants had the opportunity to view ma'aleh students' work and to network with the ma'aleh students and faculty. as a result of the 2016 backstorygroup's israel project at rimon, an israeli music composition student later composed the music for the trailer of a film created by one of the backstorygroup's american student participants. at his own expense, the rimon student traveled to the school of the american student, the university of georgia in athens, georgia, and had the opportunity while there to meet with the dean of the grady college of journalism and mass media. additional networks were developed as a result of the trip, creating ongoing communication between the american and israeli students and professionals. Expenses $0.