Please join The Writers’ Exchange in congratulating Dr. Bill Taylor in the successful completion of his dissertation:
AfroAM: A Virtual Film Production Group
Because of the gatekeeping practices of the Hollywood film industry, and the high cost of both filmmaking and distribution in general, Afro-American filmmakers have struggled to produce films with “global reach.” This study visits the possibility of Afro-American filmmakers using alternative technologies and infrastructures to produce high-quality films, thereby bypassing the high cost and exclusionary practices of Hollywood studios. Using new 21st-century digital technology, this study involved the creation of a small geographically dispersed virtual film production team.
WEX is always interested in learning from successful writers about their process. Here, Dr. Bill Taylor shares a few pointers:
How has WEX professional coaching/editing support promoted your academic and/or professional success?
Being dyslexic, and also not having a high enough Microsoft Office skill-set to edit and properly format my research, working with WEX provided two major positive results concerning my dissertation. First, it saved me time. It would have taken me months to do the corrections, modifications, and formatting needed to get the dissertation approved. Second, I learned a lot by seeing the results of the editor’s work. I gained insight into APA 7 formatting, vocabulary use, clarity of sentences, and of course, grammar.
What advice would you give to others writing a dissertation?
I advise that dissertation writing start with WEX early in the research. As soon as the proposal, the first three chapters of a dissertation are approved, I would immediately send the proposal to WEX while I worked on research for Chapter 4. This will create two major advantages. First, when you later complete the final Chapters 4 and 5, Chapters 1, 2, and 3 will have already been edited and cleaned up, requiring very little further work. Second, the WEX editor can see certain mistake trends in the first three chapter proposal and alert you to them as you write Chapters 4 and 5, thereby allowing you to write a better-quality Chapter 4 and 5 for the rest of the dissertation.
What are your next steps in your academic/professional career?
AfroAM films is transitioning into a real-world film group, now that the dissertation research is complete. We will produce films with social value, and train and mentor other aspiring filmmakers.