Faculty & Staff News - July 2009

Alan Baker's News Wire

Production senior lecturer Christopher Chomyn was interviewed for the Summer 2009 Filmmaker Magazine in the article entitled  "Pimp your DSLR" in which the author explores the growing use of select digital single lens reflex stills cameras as a tool for HD motion picture production. Chomyn also reports that American Primitive, the independent feature film he shot and was directed by alumna Gwen Wynne (Production '94), written by Wynne and senior lecturer Mary Beth Fielder, produced by Wynne, Fielder and writing adjunct James Egan, sold out the 600 seat DGA theater in its Outfest showing, prompting additional festival screenings.

Writing adjunct Frank McAdams recently completed an evaluation for the University Press of Kansas of a book proposal by Professor Nicholas Sarantakes of the National War College. The proposal was for Big Picture: The Making of Patton and Its America. The research included producer Frank McCarthy's 20-year ordeal to get the film produced and the many rewrites and screenwriters from the source material. In the early stages, Spencer Tracy and Lee Marvin were mentioned for the lead. John Wayne also had an interest in the script at one time. There is also a section on the film's lasting effect with audiences and critics. McAdams is the author of The American War Film: History and Hollywood (Praeger Publishers, 2002/Figueroa Press, 2005).

Interactive Media adjuncts Peggy Weil and Nonny de la Peña went to Barcelona to create a VR Gitmo demo at the Event Lab with Mel Slater and Maria Sanchez-Vives using IMD associate professor Mark Bolas's FAKESPACE system. They presented it at a conference on the Art & Science, Exploring the Limits of Human Perception, in Benasque, Spain. El Pais covered it in an article available here (site is in Spanish). A short video of the experience, Towards Immersive Journalism: The IPSRESS Experience, is on YouTube as well as on Weil's department blog.

Interactive Media assistant professor Chris Swain moderated a panel at July's Digital Media Summit conference entitled "Big Disruptions, Big Opportunities."

The South Florida Times quoted Critical Studies professor Todd Boyd about comedian and filmmaker Tyler Perry. "He's made a lot of money, but the quality of the work is sorely lacking," Boyd said. "It seems a bit ironic that at the moment of the first black president, the most popular African-American figure in African-American media is a man in drag engaging in some of the most stereotypical images of African-Americans ever created." The Cincinnati Enquirer also quoted Boyd about Tyler Perry. Boyd lamented the buffoonish characters in Perry's movies and TV series, the story stated. "Tyler Perry has gone backwards," Boyd said.

Production adjunct Robert Ballo has had a busy summer acting as director of photography and producer on the independent feature film Accused at Seventeen, starring Cynthia Gibb and Nicole Anderson. The film is in post-production with an October release date. For the American Humane Film and Television Unit, Ballo shot and produced a webisode that is part of a national campaign with a scheduled roll out next month. He went to Hawaii to shoot a major traveling museum exhibit for the National Library of Medicine on the health and welfare of native indigenous peoples and he is currently shooting five commercials for Donate Life on the misconception of organ donations. He is also in pre-production on another feature set to begin shooting late September.

On July 24, Critical Studies adjunct Leonard Maltin hosted a tribute to Mel Brooks at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, screening clips from his films, talking to some of his colleagues over the years and interviewing Brooks himself. The event sold out almost the moment it was announced!

Critical Studies adjunct Leonard Maltin hosted a tribute to Mel Brooks.

Screenwriting professor Howard A. Rodman was quoted in The Washington Post in Ann Hornaday's piece on the craft of screenwriting. Rodman also reports a mention in the Cornell Alumni Magazine on Cornell's Hollywood intern program. The Washington Post quoted Rodman about the importance of screenwriters in the creation of great films: "I understand the attention that Mickey Rourke got for his performance in The Wrestler because it was a very brave performance on his part. On the other hand, none of the moments in that film that were affecting would have been possible had the screenwriter, Robert Siegel, not written them."

Screenwriting professor Howard A. Rodman was just one of four writers recently invited by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scientists to become a member in 2009. A total of 134 artists and executives who "have distinguished themselves by their contributions to theatrical motion pictures" were invited, to bring the total membership to about 6,000. The other three writers included SCA alum John August, Dustin Lance Black and Courtney Hunt.

Production adjunct Kate Amend will appear on a panel at American Cinema Editors EDITFEST L.A. This second annual event will be held at Universal Studios August 7-8. Amend will be on the panel called "The Documentary Edit: The Process of Discovering the Truth" on August 8 from 12 - 1:30 P.M.

Critical Studies professor Marsha Kinder reports that The Labyrinth Project will be presenting a panel on their new project, "Jewish Homegrown History," at the upcoming Visible Evidence Conference on Friday, August 14. In conjunction with this conference, they will also be exhibiting three of their earlier interactive cultural histories about Los Angeles: Tracing the Decay of Fiction: Encounters with a Film by Pat O'Neill; Bleeding Through: Layers of Los Angeles 1920-1986; and Cultivating Pasadena: From Roses to Redevelopment. Kinder and Scott Mahoy will briefly present these works on Saturday, August 15 at 1:15 P.M. In addition, five works by the Labyrinth Project have been selected for inclusion in the LACDA 2009 "Digital Art.LA" Juried Competition. These works include: Mysteries & Desire: Exploring the Worlds of John Rechy; Tracing the Decay of Fiction: Encounters with a Film by Pat O'Neill; Bleeding Through: Layers of Los Angeles 1920-1986; Cultivating Pasadena: From Roses to Redevelopment; Dawn at My Back: Memoir of a Black Texas Upbringing; and Three Winters in the Sun: Einstein in California.

Visiting assistant professor Andreas Kratky gave an invited talk in the 'Einstein Forum' (site is in German) in Potsdam, Germany on June 23. Last week, he presented a paper on his research project, "Venture to the Interior" in the HCI 2009 International Conference where he also chaired a parallel session on "Virtual Classrooms and Communicability."

Variety quoted production adjunct Peter Exline about Lebowski Fest, at which fans celebrate the movie The Big Lebowski. "It's just an excuse for a party. And they sell a lot of T-shirts," Exline said. The film's titular character is partly based on Exline, the story noted.

The Los Angeles Times quoted Peter Stark Producing Program chair Lawrence Turman about the Los Angeles County Museum of Art canceling its weekend film program. "Because L.A. is a company town, this is the last museum that should be taking such an action," Turman said. "If I were on the board I'd say 'Let's go to every studio and see if they will pitch in,' " he added.

Production professor Mark Harris notes that two recent films with which he has been involved have been selected for the prestigious DocuWeeks Showcase in New York City and Los Angeles. He was executive producer of Living in Emergency: Stories of Doctors Without Borders (directed by Mark Hopkins) and mentored Point of Entry (a 582 documentary directed by Zeus Quijano). Both films will be playing in New York City and Los Angeles from July 31 to August 20 in a showcase of documentary films qualifying for Oscar consideration.

MSNBC quoted Critical Studies professor Rick Jewell about the appeal of gangster movies. "I think a tremendous amount of frustration builds up in society when people are hurting and out of work and they're wondering where their next meal is coming from," Jewell said. "The thing that is particularly fascinating about gangsters at that point in time is that [they bulldoze] through the laws and the impediments to enjoy life and get the most out of life."

Associate professor Tom Abrams has been invited to New Zealand by the Screen Directors Guild of New Zealand to conduct a seminar in Wellington and Auckland on "visual" storytelling. This marks Abram's third trip to New Zealand since 2007 and the second time he has worked for the Director's Guild there.

Interactive Media Lab manager Marientina Gotsis attended the 5th Annual Games for Health Conference held in Boston and participated in the panel "Age of Sensors" moderated by Debra Lieberman, national program director of Health Games Research, University of California at Santa Barbara, along with Kevin Stanley, University of Saskatchawan. Gotsis presented a project she consulted for named "PetPal," a sensor-based mobile game sponsored by Humana through GamePipe at the Viterbi School of Engineering. She was also interviewed by Fast Company for its July issue and appears in the
"FastTalk: The Networked Body" feature under the subtitle "Gaming the System." Gotsis's Robert Wood Johnson Foundation study has resulted in a game that is currently in beta testing phase. If you're interested in participating in this research, please email WPSTUDY-L@usc.edu. Gotsisis also looking for adult and child playtesters this summer for three games that were developed in last spring's 492L class, "Experimental Game Topics: Games for Health." Email her at: mgotsis@cinema.usc.edu

A rendering of what the completed Animation building will look like. The building is set to be occupied in summer 2010.

Director of Facilities and Operations Doug Wellman reports that Phase II construction is proceeding well ahead of schedule. Two stages and the equipment center may be ready in January, rather than the projected date of March, 2010. The Animation building is also ahead of schedule, but will not be occupied until the summer of 2010. The demolition of the old Lucas building is complete and the site is being prepared for landscaping. Much of this will be completed by the time students return for fall semester, although some outdoor furnishings may not be installed until late in the semester.

The Standard-Examiner quoted Phil Lelyveld of the Entertainment Technology Center about 3-D movies. "The two-color glasses, used for years and years, go back to the 1800s. They achieve the 3-D effect by sacrificing color," Lelyveld said. "[The newer] polarized glasses are slightly gray in tint, and they don't take the color out. With polarized glasses, which look like sunglasses, the light is spinning clockwise in one eye and counterclockwise in the other."

"When Summer Falls," a computer-generated animation by Interactive Media art director Kurosh ValaNejad, will be screened at the "Fly with the Cage" art exhibit at the Phantom Galleries in the Miracle Mile area from July 10 to August 1.

Video Business quoted Entertainment Technology Center executive director David Wertheimer about the anaglyph images currently used in 3-D films. "It's good for watching a few scenes, but it's uncomfortable to watch for the entire movie," Wertheimer said. "I don't think you'll see studios ship all of their fourth quarter movies [in anaglyph]."

Variety reported that the Entertainment Technology Center is a presenting partner for the 3D Entertainment Summit, to be held in September. "The Entertainment Technology Center has played a crucial role in helping facilitate the development of digital cinema, which is the foundation for today's 3-D movies, and is now working to do the same for 3-D TV and other small screens," the widely carried story stated.

The Los Angeles Times quoted administrative budget assistant Nina McMullen about Eddie Dotson, a homeless man who created elaborate shelter for himself under an overpass. "My small, SMALL thing was to share a bit with Eddie," McMullen said, adding that she would stop on the way to work and say hello and give him some money.

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Alan Baker