Media Arts Student on CNN

School of Media Arts student Jackie Stubbs shares her views on the controversial SB 1070 on CNN.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/04/29/arizona.students.immigration/index.html?hpt=T2

Focus on Bret Seeger

Bret Seeger gigging for a Cheerios commercial in the 

Presidio de Tucson.

Bret Seeger is a School of Media Arts student and will be graduating soon with a BA in producing.  Bret is from Seattle and hopes to return to his hometown when he finishes up with his coursework.

Bret is interested in producing and also gorilla marketing.  He references Stanley Kubrick as one of his favorite directors and lists The Shining, Hurt Locker, and Goodfellas as some of his favorite films.

Jackie Stubbs covers the Story

Jackie Stubbs, camera in hand, shoots civil rights history as it happens.

Jackie Stubbs is a sophomore in the School of Media Arts producing program and will be applying for the competitive BFA program.  After graduating Jackie hopes to work on narrative and documentary projects.  Currently she has been busy following Senate Bill 1070 and the controversy surrounding the toughest immigration bill in the country.  Jackie has a strong interest in creating social justice documentaries and lists Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing as one of her favorite films. 

IDIWS 2010 List of Films

I Dream in Widescreen

BFA Thesis Films from the School of Media Arts

THE FOX THEATRE, DOWNTOWN TUCSON

17 W. Congress Street

Saturday, May 15

Doors open at 6:00pm

Screening will begin at 7:00pm

FREE

LIST OF FILMS

Lunch Obedient lunch lady Marlene teams up with the Lunch Ladies Mafia to fight against salary cuts and the corrupt school principal.

Katie Gault enjoys making people laugh. She’s the director of UA’s sketch and improv troupe, Comedy Corner, for which she writes and performs. Katie hopes to continue her comedic career by moving to Hollywood and becoming a television writer. The only thing that stands in her way is an abnormally large fruit tree outside her house.

Bastard: An Illegitimate Film Documentarian Chris Robinson explores the romances, the breakups, and most importantly the nine children from six separate relationships that resulted from his father's constant need of a woman at his side.

Chris Robison began his film career as an editor, a passion that eventually led him to directing documentary films. His first documentary, Bankrupt By Beanies, was an official selection at LA Shorts Fest. After graduation Chris intends to cut a longer version of his documentary while pursing a career as a television writer.

Cuckoo An unfulfilled virtual fighter in the near future has a hallucinogenic vision that teaches him a deeper truth about reality.

Alan Hayman has a passion for production design and cinematography. With elaborate sets and unique visual effects, he hopes to create dreamlike stories with cinema. Cuckoo is his most ambitious film. Instead of using digital effects in post-production, all of the visual effects for the film were created on location and in-camera.

Corner Suite In a New York hotel room circa 1950, Frank consoles his best friend over the phone while struggling to find morality in a web of lies and betrayal. *

Alex Hulsey has worked in L.A. on commercials and music videos the last two summers. His film Pennies to the Dollar was an official selection at the Playhouse West Film Festival. Alex plans to return to the coast to pursue a fiendishly successful careers in directing and in the art of surfing.

Bring in the Night Three friends coping with their personal struggles through a lifestyle of graffiti, vandalism, and violence face a run-in with a rival crew. By choosing to embrace this destructive path, they create romance and beauty in a dark world.

Alisha Lim believes that cinema is a way of looking for the magic. Her past films include Black Book, a graffiti documentary. She has worked at 20th Century Fox with VFX on Alvin and the Chipmunks 2: The Squeakquel. Alisha plans to be a freelance filmmaker in L.A., N.Y., and beyond.

The Man from O.R.G.Y. In The Man from O.R.G.Y. director Kyle Mark Gutiérrez attempts to uncover his late grandfather’s controversial occupation as a New York City adult-novelist amid the sixties sexual revolution.

Kyle Gutierrez has a passion for music and cinema; he has worked as production assistant on two music videos, one with a director representing the MTV network. Kyle plans to relocate to New York City and hopes to work in music or film production.

Until Next Time Victor is planning to cook a romantic dinner for Alex, who has returned from boot camp, but Alex has other unexpected plans.

Jillian believes that film is both the ultimate art form as well as an important tool for social commentary. Like her previous work (Don't) Stop, Until Next Time examines a controversial topic and asks audiences to draw their own conclusions. Jillian is moving to New York City in June with plans to further her film career. 

Hearing Colors Sebastian has a special gift; he can hear colors and see sounds. After a nasty breakup, Sebastian’s gift is on hiatus, leading him on a desperate hunt to get it back, and blind to the possibility of true love.

Brandon Skinner grew up in Lake Tahoe, where he developed a passion for skiing and writing. Hearing Colors is Brandon’s second film. He has interned at Scott Stuber Productions in L.A., and plans to return to L.A. to pursue writing and directing, or move back to the mountains to shoot ski/snowboard films.

Medical Mary After taking time off from the job that she loves, Mary finds a new way to feel useful by following her doctor’s orders.

Sarah Haber's work, including We Own The Sky and Binker, is inspired by wit, whimsy and wanderlust. She hopes to combine her professional goals of working in production with her personal love of food and travel. After graduating, Sarah will move to Los Angeles where she will happily work for food.

Funny Meeting You Here As God awaits public execution for a lack of follow-through, an eccentric group of characters wait for an apocalyptic event that could come at any minute or never come at all.

Ryan Glenn likes to use film to explore societal insanity and delusion. His previous projects include The Maxwell Billington Journey and Tigers. He plans to start preproduction this summer on his first feature film.

Polaroid Boyfriend Meagan and Caleb start a flirtatious relationship by leaving each other Polaroids and notes in Meagan’s apartment. The only problem is that they’ve never met.

Monique Dias is proud to present her final BFA film, Polaroid Boyfriend, alongside those of her esteemed peers. She believes that the filmmaking process is a metaphor for life, and hopes to continue “living” by pursuing a career in production design and directing.

The Transformation of Dr. Janus After ordering that a lioness be put down, zoo director Dr. Jane Janus is cured of her institutional neurosis by a healer, and regains awareness of her role in the animal kingdom.

Jennifer Noll has worked for over two years as part of the production crew for Arizona Public Media, which has led to a growing interest in documentary and public broadcasting. She plans to use film to explore and educate on the arts, world religions, and human interaction with the natural world.

Black Marauder An unblinking portrait of a deteriorating relationship between Rosilind and Jamie. As Rosilind struggles with her own fears and insecurities, Jamie searches for a healthy way to love her.

Ellie Jepperson grew up acting then decided that she desired more creative control, which lead to filmmaking at the UA. Black Marauder, and characters Jamie and Rosilind have been with her for two years and bringing them to life has been a most gratifying achievement. I love you BFA Class of 2010.

The Big Job When the woman he loves is killed, “The Bad Man” must reconcile himself and kill the man responsible for her death.

Adam Valencia has served as a crew-member on over two dozen student shorts while at the UA, and is currently entering pre-production on a feature-length film noir that is being developed through his production company Gigantisaurus. He plans on directing motion pictures.

Hold Up Andy recruits his friends Charlie and Catherine to join him in a corner store hold-up. Despite Charlie’s objections, he folds under pressure and agrees to join the team. As Andy shares his plan, the characters envision a quick, clean get away. Guess again.

John Roney's current focus is on camera work and he has plans to shoot and direct his own work in the future. Having split time between commercial production and non-profit political documentary media, he hopes to continue to work in a manner that will allow him to satisfy his wide variety of interests.

Torment Lost in the delusional fantasies of an ex-boyfriend's mind, Jill must find her way out and end things, before they are both consumed.

Nick Geib has written and directed numerous features and shorts, in his mind, in bed just before he sleeps, and in the shower just after he wakes. Torment is the result of restless nights spent indulging whiskey and dark thoughts. He is a lover though, and a poet, and he's hopeful.

-----

CREW MEMBERS

Benjamin Kochman will be graduating with degrees in Media Arts and Economics. He served as Producer for five thesis films (Funny Meeting You Here, Hearing Color, Bring in the Night, Until Next Time, and Hold Up) as well as working in various roles on four others. Cheers.

Melissa Osteen worked as the Director of Photography on three thesis films (Until Next Time, Black Marauder, and Medical Mary), and on three additional student projects. Additionally, she was a Colorist for the thesis films for the last two years. Melissa plans to continue creating new worlds for audiences through her camera work and the manipulation of color.

Members of the 2010 BFA class plan to continue their creative collaborations through Skeleton Kids, a production collective formed with the intention of providing a home for future media endeavors. With the aim of developing a place for development, funding and production, the collective will focus its efforts on music videos, spec commercials, short films, documentaries, episodic content and feature films. For information regarding booking and availability, please email: theskeletonkids@gmail.com

New Camera Technologies

Alum David Mun (BFA 00) was on a panel of fellow filmmakers and cinematographers at the Arizona International Film Festival 2010.

They discussed the impact of new camera technologies and how it is changing the industry.

Desconocidos (Unknown)

Former school of Media Arts student Alma Hernandez will be screening

Desconocidos (Unknown) at the Arizona International Film Festival.

Saturday, April 24

4:00 p.m.

Screening Room

127 E. Congress in Tucson

Desconocidos (Unknown), a short documentary film that offers a glimpse into the lives of immigrants hoping to cross the U.S.-Mexico border.

Every day, throngs of immigrants are deported to Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, after failed attempts to cross the border illegally. Many end up at the San Juan Bosco Shelter, where they rest before heading north toward the Arizona desert again. Travelers arriving at the shelter accept a hot meal and a warm bed for the night but disregard any warnings about the dangers that await them in the Arizona desert. They are desperate for something better, and they will keep trying to sneak across the international line until they make it to their destination or die in the process.

In recent years, Arizona  has become a deadly repository for immigrants who trek north across the border and into a rugged, remote desert that becomes the tomb of many. Oftentimes the corpses of immigrants lie in the desert for so long that all that is found are bones, which hinders identification. No one really knows how many more bodies have yet to be discovered.

This 12-minute documentary was produced by TierraSol Films, a Tucson company.

Directors are Alma M. Hernandez, who studied film at the University of Arizona, and Lourdes Medrano, a journalist who has reported extensively on immigration.

Shorts Program

Alum Keisha Richardson 

Three School of Media Arts Alumni screened their shorts at the Arizona International Film Festival 2010.

Antonio Villagomez (BA 08) screened Lines.

LINES:  A struggling screenwriter loses his ability to know what is real and what is not.

While Alum Keisha Richardson (BFA 09) screened her short Metamora.

METAMORA:  In search of adventure, an animated star finds the grass isn’t always brighter on the other side.

Rockie Stephens (BFA 09) screened her Omega as part of the shorts program.

OMEGA:  A young boy’s dreams of an otherworldly squirt-gun are thwarted by a she-devil in pig tails.

Derek Griffith screens D*Y*I*

Alum Derek Griffith (BA 2000) screened “D*Y*I*” a 84-minute feature at the Arizona International Film Festival.

Set in Tucson, this charming coming-of-age teen drama is about a teenage boy who starts his dream-business of promoting new bands. To save the foreclosure on his ill mother’s house, he does everything in his power to transform his struggling company into a profitable enterprise.

Congratulations to Derek!

Rachel JeeHye Thomas has her Arizona Premiere!

Rachel JeeHye Thomas (BFA 07) will have the Arizona Premiere of her 9-minute short “Stuttering Ears (Deafening the Heart)” as a part of the “Edgy Shorts” program at the Arizona International Film Festival.

STUTTERING EARS (DEAFENING THE HEART)

Friday, April 23, 2010

10:30pm

The Screening Room

 

STUTTERING EARS (DEAFENING THE HEART):  A stuttering boy and a deaf girl escape into a fantasy world to find their human connections.

Short Film Competition!

Make a short film with your cell phone and enter "Cortando Fronteras"

A global short film competition is being organized by the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs to celebrate the commemoration of the Bicentennial of Independence and Centennial of the Revolution.

According to the rules of the contest, the participants must meet the following characteristics: be at least 15 years old but no older than

30 years old, be a Mexican national or have Mexican ascendance and currently live in a country different from Mexico.

For more information please visit:

http://www.redesmexico.mx/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3301&Itemid=132

RSVP to IDIWS 2010

The lunch ladies of Katie Gault's Lunch.

RSVP to IDIWS 2010 HERE!

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=117236611620120&ref=ts

IDIWS Trailer!

A still from Alex Hulsey's "Corner Suite"

SEE THE BFA SENIOR CONCEIVED, DIRECTED AND PRODUCED TRAILER HERE! 

 http://vimeo.com/10570941

 

IDIWS 2010 at the Fox Theatre

A still from Ellie Jepperson's "Black Marauder"

“I Dream in Widescreen” 2010 Unspools at The Historic Fox Tucson Theatre

Celebrating the Work of University of Arizona School of Media Arts BFA Seniors

Presented by Wells Fargo as a part of the innovative and new Fox Theatre Foundation Performance Partnership program, “I Dream in Widescreen: BFA Thesis Films from the School of Media Arts” will return this year to the historic Fox Tucson Theatre in downtown Tucson. The event, which is also being sponsored by Cox, features the work of students graduating from the School of Media Arts’ highly selective Bachelor of Fine Arts program in film and video production and has continued to grow in popularity since its “standing-room only” days at The Loft Cinema.

“I Dream in Widescreen” is the culmination of the skills, knowledge and creative vision fostered by the Media Arts BFA program in film and video production. Students from the program go on to present their films at major film festivals around the world. The event, which is free and open to the public, will take place Saturday, May 15 at the Fox Tucson Theatre, located at 17 W. Congress Street in downtown Tucson.  The doors to the Fox Theatre will open at 6:00pm and the screening will begin at 7:00pm.

“Wells Fargo, Cox and the Fox Tucson Theatre are giving this event an unprecedented level of support,” added Beverly Seckinger, Interim Director of the School of Media Arts.

The films unspooling this year feature themes close to the hearts of Media Arts students with a mix of love stories, bitter breakups, destructive lifestyles, outlaws, and strange torments, and documentaries that illustrate family drama.  “The work this year is exceptionally bold and exciting, and perfectly represents the School’s mission to encourage unique voices in filmmaking,” said Associate Professor Yuri Makino, the instructor of the year-long BFA Senior Thesis course.

The University of Arizona School of Media Arts prepares students to create, to produce, and to understand the significance of film and television. It sustains excellence in the teaching of creative expression, aesthetic appreciation, practical knowledge, and scholarship of film, television, related media and their relationships to other arts. The School provides professional preparation in the art of filmmaking, as well as preparing students for scholarly activity in media arts. It encourages interdisciplinary teaching and research within the College of Fine Arts and promotes public understanding of media through outreach in Arizona and the Southwest.

 “I Dream in Widescreen” is made possible by Wells Fargo, the Fox Theatre Foundation Performance Partnership, the School of Media Arts, the Hanson Film Institute, and Cox.

Writer Paul Guyot

Television writer Paul Guyot will be speaking in:

M AR 270

Wednesday May 5th at 4pm

ILC 130

Paul's credits include writing for Felicity, Judging Amy and Snoops. He has worked with Stephen J Cannell, JJ Abrams, David Kelley, etc. He was also Chow Yun-Fat's personal assistant at one time. The format will be a Q&A session. Students from outside the course are welcome to attend.

Further information about Paul Guyot is at:

http://paulguyot.net/

Free Land screens tonight!

School of Media Arts Alum Minda Martin’s (IDS-BA 94) film FREE LAND will be screening this evening as a part of the Arizona International Film Festival.

FREE LAND

The Screening Room

Thursday, April 22, 2010

6:00pm

running time: 62 minutes

FREE LAND is a personal historical documentary that examines what it means to be constantly looking for opportunity in America. Using family history of homelessness and displacement, Martin examines the unfulfilled promise of "The Land Of The Free" and reveals how the search for free land has geographically and psychically uprooted people, created social inequalities, and left legacies of emptiness.

Focus on Minda Martin

Filmmaker and Assistant Professor Minda Martin

ALUM Minda Martin (IDS-BA 94) is an internationally critically acclaimed, award-winning director, editor, and producer of documentary and narrative films and videos that explore the underpinnings and disparities of social class.

Her films include: Mother's Heritage, (1996,Video, 11min) A Little Ballad (1998,16mm, 7.5min) AKA Kathe (2000,Video, 55min) Do You Know...(2002,16mm, 15min) Love, Minda (2003,Super8mm, 3min) Monsoon St., '77 (2006,16mm, 12.38) and most recently, Free Land (2009,Film/Video,70min).

Born and raised in Tucson, Arizona, Minda received her Bachelors of Arts degree from University of Arizona in creative writing, classics, and media arts. She then received her Masters of Fine Arts degree from California Institute of the Arts in film/video production. She is currently an Assistant Professor in the department of communication at California State University, San Marcos where she teaches production, media theory and culture related courses.

Arizona International Film Festival in Full Swing!

Over 90 films representing 16 countries will be featured in Arizona's longest running and largest Festival.

The festival runs from April 15 to April 25.

Checking in with Bryan Oki

Alum Bryan Masataro Oki (BA 09) is interning at Stuber Pictures. They are currently working on the major motion picture “Your Highness,” starring Natalie Portman, Zooey Deschanel, and James Franco.

Volunteers needed for IDIWS

I DREAM IN WIDESCREEN CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS

VOLUNTEER MEETING ON APRIL 30, 12PM

At the end of each year, the BFA seniors screen their thesis films program in the highly attended public event "I Dream in Widescreen." This year we'll screen at an exciting venue -- downtown at The Fox! Tucson Theatre. We are looking for student volunteers to greet and usher guests and to act as photographers for the event.

I DREAM IN WIDESCREEN will be held on Saturday, May 15 at 7pm and volunteers would be required to be available at 5pm for set up and stay throughout the screening.

If you are interested in volunteering for the event, please attend the volunteer meeting on April 30, 12pm in the small conference room of the Media Arts office.

Please RSVP via email to both:

Ben Kochman, Volunteer coordinator

bkochman@email.arizona.edu

and Prof. Skyler

skyler@email.arizona.edu

Feel free to contact us with questions. We look forward to hearing from you and thank you for your interest!

Randall French up for an Emmy!

Alum Randall French (BFA 2008) is working for ESPN as a Stedicam and Gib operator.  During the 2009 NFL draft he worked as an Art Designer to create visual ‘bump’ elements that could be used in several ways throughout the weekend and in collaboration with the ESPN studios.

French has been nominated for a national sports Emmy in the ‘Technical Team Studio’ category.

Congratulations to Randall French on the nomination!

Papers is at the Loft

“Papers” Film Screens in Tucson

Wednesday April 7th, 2010     7 PM

The Loft Cinema


3233 E Speedway Blvd


General Admission: $8.00 Loft Members: $6.00

The film highlights the stories of immigrant undocumented youth and the challenges they face as they turn 18 without legal status. It is being presented as a fundraiser by the non-profit organizations Border Action Network and The Loft Cinema. 

There are approximately 2 million undocumented children who were born outside the U.S. and raised in this country. These are young people who were educated in American schools, hold American values, know only the U.S. as home and who, upon high school graduation, find the door to their future slammed shut.

65,000 undocumented students graduate every year from high school without “papers” and the door to their future slams shut. It is against the law to work or drive. It is difficult, if not impossible in some states, to attend college. Currently, there is no path to citizenship for these young people.

National elected and community leaders as well as educators provide the backdrop for the young people’s compelling narratives. Representatives Raul Grijalva, Howard Berman, Mike Honda and Maxine Waters appear in the film. Senator Robert Menendez, Leaders from the Asian American Justice Center, the Human Rights Campaign, NAKASEC, the UCLA Labor Center, and the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) add to the narrative. The opening montage includes footage from anti‐ immigrant and pro‐immigrant marches, visually describing the polarized context in which these youth must live each day.

The event will include an introduction by Border Action Network Executive Director Jennifer Allen. Established in 1999, the Border Action Network is a human rights organization working with immigrant and border communities in Arizona to ensure rights are protected and upheld.  

A post screening discussion with a panel of local youth will conclude the event.

Warring Factions at the Gallagher

WARRING FACTIONS

Wed April 14, 7pm

Gallagher Theater, UA Student Union

FREE

 

Screening of documentary WARRING FACTIONS, by UA Media Arts Alumnus Justin Mashouf

"Warring Factions" is Mashouf's first feature length documentary. Filming began in April 2007 while Mashouf was a student in the Media Arts BFA program.  In the wake of rising international tensions, he is cornered into answering the question, "Where is your loyalty, America or Iran?" Shot in both countries, Mashouf's journey throughout the film uses his love for break dancing as a way of bridging an American culture with Iranian youth. Additionally, he becomes a student of the traditional Iranian martial art of "Varzesh Bastani" and seeks to understand the sentiments of the religious conservative generation of Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution.

As voices in the Obama administration deliberate their official Iran policy and media outlets have fueled the perception of a nuclear standoff, "Warring Factions" is a call to (dis)arms. By combining documentary and studio reenactments, Mashouf looks at the blurring of world borders, and the looming threat of another war in the Middle East.

Mashouf will be screening the 70 minute documentary in addition to speaking about his experiences in Iran, his detention by Homeland Security and the confiscation of his video footage on suspicion of terrorism.

The screening is sponsored by Asian Pacific American Student Affairs, the Center for Middle East Studies, and the School of Media Arts.

Fascism and Totalitarianism

Heroic Sacrifice: On Fascism and Totalitarianism in Cold War Cinema

Friday, April 2, 2010 - 2:00 p.m.

HARVILL 204

Sabine Hake, Professor of German Literature and Culture, University of Texas, Austin

The first German films about the Third Reich were made in the 1950s, with filmmakers in east and west seeking to explain the rise of the Nazis and the continued attractions of fascism. These differences reflect not only conflicting interpretations of German history on both sides of the Iron Curtain but also competing attempts at utilizing this history in the ideological confrontations of the Cold War. This talk reconstructs the complicated relationship between fascism, antifascism, and totalitarianism through a number of important films from the period, including "The Devil's General" (1956) and the two-part "Ernst Thälmann" (1955-56). 

This event is co-sponsored by the Department of History and the School of Media Arts Visiting Artists Program.