Skip navigation
Brigham Young University
tma

The Children's Media Initiative

The Children's Media Initiative (CMI) is a course at BYU that focuses on the adaptation of stories and poems, making them accessible to young audiences and families.  The stories hold deeply rooted values or lessons, which prompt discussion within the family.  This program allows Media Arts students to develop scripts and produce short films.


The Roman Road

  • Directed by Melissa Brady
  • Awarded May 2005
  • For further information, contact: msb83@email.byu.edu

The Roman Road is a short story written by Kenneth Grahame. Stacey Snider, a graduate of the Media Arts program, adapted it for the screen. The story takes place in the early 1900's. In this piece, a young boy yearns to break free from his mundane life.  He decides to walk to Rome. While on the trail he comes upon an older man who is painting just off the road. The two begin a conversation. They talk of great lands and historical characters. They overcome the generational gap which could separate them and begin to develop a special understanding of each other. Ultimately, this is a story about a moment when optimism is regained and all is right with the world.

On May 10, 2005. Melissa Brady wrote:

Mr. and Mrs. Ira and Mary Lou Fulton,

Thank you for your support in funding the short film adaptation The Roman Road Your funds allowed for the piece to be shot, processed, and transferred on film.  The use of film was crucial to the overall look and feel of the piece.

We are currently working on post-production.  Once completed, the piece will be combined with other Children's Media Initiative (CMI) projects and placed in a package to air on KBYU.  We are looking into several festival options. Thank you for facilitating opportunities in allowing this piece to portray its content in the most valuable way.

Sincerely,

Melissa Brady

Ruiyun


Ruiyun is an adaptation of a traditional Chinese folktale. In the story, Ruiyun's foster mother owns her and prepares her to become a courtesan. She does not want to become one, so she prays for help, which comes through the puppeteer, a master teacher and magician. The puppeteer in his wisdom wants to help Ruiyun find happiness. He puts on a shadow puppet show to inspire a young scholar to believe he can win Ruiyun's hand in marriage. Despite the young scholar's devotion to Ruiyun, he is poor and her foster mother sends him away. So the puppeteer marks Ruiyun's forhead with a black blotch she cannot remove. Though the ugly marks seems like a curse, it devalues her as a courtesan and frees her from her foster mother so she can marry the young scholar. After their marriage, the puppeteer removes the mark.

An excerpt from a letter written by Jana Schurig on September 15, 2005:

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Fulton,

It was deeply rewarding for me to create a film involving the people and culture I came to love when I served a mission to Taiwan for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Fulton Grant money was spent to hire musicians, rent costumes, hire special effects equipment, provide entrance fees for film festivals, and so forth. The end result was a beautiful, professional quality film (much to my own surprise).

Thank you for your love and support of the arts and also your support of my personal education and the growth of my skills, which I could not have obtained in any other way. I am deeply grateful for the financial aid I received for the film Ruiyun. As a result of the kindness and generosity repeatedly shown me in the form of financial assistance and creative mentoring, I have developed a strong desire to assist the development of other young artists. As I leave BYU, I will strive to cultivate further skills and extend help to others.

Sincerely,

Jana Schurig

Last modified: September 07, 2006 Maintained by CFAC Webmasters.

Copyright © 1994-2006. Brigham Young University. All Rights Reserved.