New Media

In the early 1970's the media and Canada began pouring negative publicity on and around Aboriginal people's. As a result of the after math of residential schools, Aboriginal people were targeted for being drunkards, radicals and extremists. Although this was happening in Indian country, these movements were not the only direction that Aboriginal people were taking. Aboriginal organizations were created and started to educate and reintroduce the arts and culture back to the people. This was no different in the Okanagan, with the start up of the En'owkin Centre, the ULLUS Collective and Nak'ula?mn Productions.

In the early 1970's the En'owkin ran a program funded by Health Canada to train Okanagan and other Aboriginal's in video production. This group of Aboriginal trainees were the first group, to use a port a-pack (a battery pack that weighed approximately 30 lbs) reel to reel video camera. This camera they trained on, was a black and white camera (approximate 25 lbs) that was powered by this portable 30 lb battery that was also carried by the camera operator. This battery pack powered both their video camera and their audio mixers. “August Armstrong has been taping reel to reel, writing, editing and camera operating since 1975.� Says Jeannette.

When this training ended, In 1977, the En'owkin Centre brought in Klane King to train people how to produce broadcast quality film and video on ½" VHS tape. This training was offered to Aboriginal's all over BC and had representatives from the Okanagan territory, Chetwynd, Waglisla, Bella Coola, Bella Bella and Inuit's as well.

This training included animation, creating logo's (which was created on clear acetate paper and held in front of the camera over the desired background), editing and introduced the dolly shots (which was recreated by camera operators being pushed around in wheel chairs) and use of dolly shots in film/ video.

After their training ended, the group purchased a color reel to reel port a-pack video camera and started creating their own productions. Their first major production "FIRST PEOPLE" was written and directed by August Armstrong, who was also the cinematographer. This film was aired on CHBC on prime time television for a number of weeks and screened on the big screen at a juried film festival in Alberta. "One of the scenes in this film" recollects Richard Armstrong, "was a tracking shot, where the video camera follows a galloping horse. In order to do this shot, we had one the shows starring actors (Arnie Baptiste) on the hood of a moving car, with the video camera recording the actions we wanted."

Following this film was "FIRST PEOPLE" which was a collective plan from the entire group: Richard Armstrong, August Armstrong, Delphine Derrickson, Jeannette Armstrong and Jeff Smith. This film, like "FIRST CONTACT" was unscripted, but wasn't "on the fly". Every shot, Every location, every action and movement was carefully planned and discussed. "Things were different in those days, we did things differently, we didn't and write a script as it is known today. We sat together, planning our story, where we could shoot and what we wanted the actions to be, initially what we wanted people to see. Then it all came together in the editing process with Auggie (August) and Richard (Armstrong)." recalls Jeannette Armstrong.

By the 1980's, funding ran out, but the seed was already planted and the ideas kept flowing. One of the group members Jeannette Armstrong decided to form the ULLUS COLLECTIVE, which was umbrella 'd under the En'owkin Centre and was a collective of Aboriginal Artists involved in the film industry. This was initiated by the En'owkin Centre to give support to the Aboriginal people who interested in video production and training opportunities. Together they made plans, filled the funding applications and looking for additional training opportunities. When they made productions, they were made under the name "Nakulamen Productions"-which was a video and audio company. This group also created an older version of what would now be known as ‘power point’ presentations, with audio tapes accompanying slide carousals.

In 1981/1982 the collective received funds for script writing and development. This resulted into the creation of "Indians are good medicine" and "A Visit to the Penticton Indian Band". This money was applied for by Jeannette and the scripts were written by Jeannette but produced as a collective.

The Ullus Collective and the En'owkin Centre was a widely supported program on a community level. The collective even received a ¾â€� tape transfer from the CHBC television station, since they were producing works with and for CHBC. The collective produced several videos and shorts-including an experimental one stop animation about a man who falls asleep while sitting at the table, next to molding clay, drinking coffee. While he is sleeping the the clay forms into several little beings who duct tape him to a chair and spill the coffee on his lap.

After the group's successful emergence into the world of video and television, the group drifted apart for a number of years, working independently on their own projects or companies. It wasn't until Tracey Jack got into the film and television industry, that the ULLUS COLECTIVE resumed meetings, planning and making applications for funding in 1995. 1995 was also the year Tracey Jack founded the Indigenous Arts Organization (IASO) to "encourage, promote, advocate and advance awareness of Indigenous artists AND their contributions within the BC arts communities". In 1997 IASO conducted a study and found that Aboriginal media (and other art form) artists were under represented and limited to access to information. This study prompted the ULLUS COLLECTIVE to continue to work together and to initiate a formal process of organizing activities for its membership to help support their independent bodies of works. The collective began hosting and attending quarterly meetings to discuss media arts activities and the individual needs within the collective. The organizing body then partners with other established entities to plan and implement their activities.

The ULLUS COLLECTIVE began working in partnership with IASO to undertake the Aboriginal Media Arts Symposium in 1997. Proposing to provide a show case venue and a series of skills development workshops. Aboriginal media artists from various regions in the province participated in and endorsed initiatives to continue hosting the inaugural event.