Grad Student Creates Powerful, Animated, BLM Infographic
Capstone project seeks to jump-start a conversation about racism in America
When Emily Gentile, a Sacred Heart University graduate student, was considering her capstone project, she wanted to create something with meaning. The news of George Floyd’s death had people rallying for racial justice, and the movement spoke to her.
“With the pandemic, we are all sitting in front of our screens right now,” said Gentile, who is studying broadcast journalism and media production. “It’s easier than ever to do your homework on these issues. The information is all right there, and it’s very easy to find. But you have to want to look for it.”
That’s what Gentile was hoping to inspire with #BlackLivesMatter, an animated infographic that runs nearly three minutes. It’s available on her website and on her personal Vimeo page. This powerful, informative piece teaches viewers about systemic racism, redlining and white privilege, while encouraging them to educate themselves further on the subjects. There is also a list of books written by black authors that Gentile recommends as a place to start.
“I wanted to create a piece that educates others and inspires them to continue to look for more education about these issues,” she said. Though this piece is part of her capstone, “it became so much more important than that.”
Rick Falco, coordinator of multimedia journalism in the University’s School of Communication, Media & the Arts, previously worked with Gentile when she was an intern with VisionProject, which he leads. “She came to me and said ‘What’s happening now is really on my mind. I want to do something related to it.’” They started brainstorming and sketching out elements of what would become Gentile’s infographic.
“When something is important to Emily, she’s very inquisitive and she acts,” said Falco. “And she acts in the way that she’s best capable, through this media component that has become such an important part of her life.”
#BlackLivesMatter is the first in a series of animated infographics that Gentile is creating. Topics of her upcoming works will include police and the use of force, minimum wage and possibly one about climate change.
“Infographics have come a long way from the classic PowerPoint presentation in years past,” said Joe Alicastro, director of the broadcast journalism and media production master’s program. “They are a fairly new form of journalism that is particularly well-suited to online presentation.” He noted that The New York Times has been very successful at communicating through infographics on its website.
“Emily has combined careful, factual research with a mastery of software tools in video editing and Adobe® After Effects to create content that is powerful in its ability to communicate with a viewer,” Alicastro said. “She is an excellent student about to embark on what I am sure will be a successful career.”
Gentile, who graduates with her master’s degree in August, used her experience in Adobe® Illustrator and InDesign software, coupled with a working knowledge of After Effects, as building blocks coupled with online tutorials to create her infographic. She will be moving to North Carolina after graduation and looking for a position in post-production. “I am passionate about post-production and graphics animation. If I could do that for a living, that’s the dream,” Gentile said.
Photo of Emily Gentile by Giovanna Gatto