Spring MAR Online Newsletter!

Chelsea Coles visits Kathy Rivers at KXCI

Chelsea Coles visited KXCI on Tuesday afternoon to speak with Cathy Rivers about I DREAM IN WIDESCREEN.

I'll update soon w/ an audio clip.

Austin Counts covers IDIWS for Tucson Weekly's City Week

Films by Students!
by Austin Counts

If you were unable to make it to the Sundance Film Festival in January and won't be flying out to France for Cannes this week, don't worry. The UA's School of Media Arts has got you covered.

Student-film showcase I Dream in Widescreen is back with its latest installment of film shorts, music videos and commercials that were written, produced and directed by some of the brightest minds in the Media Arts bachelor's degree program.

"This is a great opportunity for film students to showcase their work for their friends and family," says Meg Askey, of the UA School of Media Arts. "There are very few film schools in the country that do this, and we're proud to be one of them."
read more online >>

[ IDIWS09 ] Contacts

contacts:
Meg Askey
520.626.1405 | mgaskii@email.arizona.edu

Lisanne Skyler
520.621.8977 | skyler@email.arizona.edu

overview ... program ... filmmakers ... trailer & clips ... photo gallery ... venue ... sponsors ... CONTACTS

IDIWS, Senior BFA student Chelsea Coles Featured in CALIENTE

Local scene: See UA student's music video

By Phil Villarreal

pvillarreal@azstarnet.com

Tucson, Arizona | Published: 05.14.2009

Chelsea Coles, a soon-to-graduate University of Arizona media-arts senior, wants to establish herself as a music-video director before she moves on to feature films. She's already well on her way to the dream. read the full article on aznightbuzz.com...

IDIWS Coverage in the Wildcat

I Dream in Widescreen
By: Brandon Specktor
Issue date: 5/13/09 Section: WildLife

The end of this semester will usher in a fond farewell to countless talented UA artists, but one section of students that often goes overlooked is the group of student filmmakers who will be exiting the competitive Media Arts Bachelor of Fine Arts program. This year's graduating class of BFA seniors will take their final bow on May 15 at downtown's Tucson Music Hall during a yearly event called "I Dream in Widescreen," a free public screening showcasing fifteen thesis films that represent the culmination of everything these aspiring artists have learned over the past four years.

Read the entire article on thedailywildcat.com >>

IDIWS Coverage on uanews.org

BFA Students to Screen Films
By University Communications

May 6, 2009

Students graduating from The University of Arizona School of Media Arts bachelor of fine arts program will screen their senior thesis films at the annual "I Dream in Widescreen."

read more at uanews.org >>

[ IDIWS09 ] Filmmaker Profile | J. TORETTI

Filmmaker
Joseph J. Toretti

Bio
At age 20, he defeated a giant fire breathing cactus. At 21, he reigned in the Wild West. Come 22, heroes became evil. Now, at the age of 23, Joseph Toretti has completed his academic masterpiece: a fantasy film complete with a huge dragon! Joe hails from Western Pennsylvania and is graduating with a B.F.A. in Media Arts.

Film
The Wind and Hills [ clip ]
After his true love is threatened by a dragon, a young fiddler sets out to destroy the beast.

[ IDIWS09 ] Filmmaker Profile | T. ERICKSON & W. GOLDSTEIN

Filmmakers
Thomas Erickson & William Goldstein

Writer Bio
Thomas Erickson grew up loving the arts, engaging in amateur filmmaking, creative writing, photography, and ceramics all throughout high school. On the cusp of graduating with a BFA in Media Arts, Tom looks forward to the future while celebrating the present – writing and editing his senior capstone film Destination: Heaven, alongside Will Goldstein.

Director Bio
Will, born and raised in Scottsdale, AZ developed a love for the art and craft of film early in life and never looked back. He is currently completing his degree in Media Arts with an emphasis on production, and will attend USC’s School of Cinematic Arts in the Spring of 2010.

Film
Destination: Heaven [ clip ]
They were brothers in arms… when they were alive.

[ IDIWS09 ] Filmmaker Profile | K. RICHARDSON

Filmmaker
Keisha Richardson

Bio
Keisha Richardson grew up in Oracle, Arizona. She remembers the first film she ever saw in theaters ( it was La Bamba). She has always had a passion for anything film related ever since she was young. Metamora is her first animation and was inspired by the animated works of Lotte Reiniger.

Film
Metamora [ clip ]
A Star leaves its home in space in search of adventure on a planet below, but finds the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.

[ IDIWS09 ] Filmmaker Profile | S. SMITH

Filmmaker
Sheldon Smith

Notes
Director Sheldon Smith has worked as photographer/ photo editor for three years at the Arizona Daily Wildcat and a graphics designer/ operator at KVOA Channel 4 News, while concurrently studying in the Media Arts Bachelors of Fine Arts program at the University of Arizona. While studying in the program Smith made a short documentary about the lives of two local comedians. Inspired by the struggle, friendship, and tragic conditions of comedic lifestyle, Smith was inspired to write a fictional narrative, which ultimately became Airplane Peanuts.

Film
Airplane Peanuts [ clip ]
The daily struggle of a few unlikely comedians.

[ IDIWS09 ] Filmmaker Profile | R. STEPHENS

Director
Rockie Stephens

Notes
Rockie enjoys cinema whether it be watching it or making it. She’s excited for the future and hopes to one day become an editor. She wishes her classmates all the best and is excited to see where they go.

Film
Omega 3000 [ clip ]
A young boy's dreams of an otherworldly squirt gun are thwarted by a she-devil in pigtails.

[ IDIWS09 ] Filmmaker Profile | C. COLES

Director
Chelsea Coles

Notes
As an undergrad, Chelsea has completed several internships in LA and made films that have traveled to festivals as far as Australia and England. Chelsea, plans to continue her career directing music videos and ultimately plans to direct and produce her two feature film ideas.

Music Video
song ... Bipolar Bear Mania
band ... Holy Rolling Empire [ clip ]

Suppression, struggle, belief, and drive provoke a revolution among a fantasy toy society looking to achieve their greatest desire, freedom.

[ IDIWS09 ] Filmmaker Profile | P. O'ROURKE

Filmmaker
Patrick O'Rourke

Bio
Patrick O'Rourke director of the Countdown To Disaster series and producer/editor of Sacrifice returns to his over-the-top action roots with a thrilling send up on the mobster genre. Patrick is a graduating BFA Media Arts major and Theatre Arts minor who hopes to pursue his passion for editing throughout the film and television industry. He would like to thank his family, friends and crew for everything they’ve done to make Holiday Justice possible.

Film
Holiday Justice [ clip ]
It was supposed to be his last job. Kill the priest. Get paid. But for Johnny Chino, things don't always go as planned ...

[ IDIWS09 ] Filmmaker Profile | K. ANLAIN

Filmmaker
Kendall Anlain

Bio
Film is, and always will be, Kendall’s favorite adventure. Leaving Tucson this May, she will be entering the combat zone: Los Angeles. Kendall will be attending American Film Institute as a Producing Fellow. She hopes to achieve the exciting positions of First Assistant Director or Producer in the Studio world. Working and managing large productions located in other parts of the world is Kendall’s “Mount Everest”. She cannot wait to start her new journey in the unpredictable world of film.

Film
An Afternoon with Grandma [ clip ]
“It’s time to grow up and act like a lady,” screeched Grandma Martha.

[ IDIWS09 ] Filmmaker Profile | R. STOVER

Filmmaker
Rhys Stover

Bio
Humor is Rhys Stover’s middle name. He believes comedy can sell anything. While studying at the University of Arizona School of Media Arts, he developed a passion for commercial production. During which he was the Production Director of the UofA’s 2009 National Student Advertising Competition team. After graduating, Rhys plans to move to New York City to begin a producing career at a commercial production company.

Commercials
Snickers Saves: Blow Dart [ clip ]
An Employee accidentally sneezes into a blow dart gun, shooting an arrow at his Boss’s who fortunately brought a Snickers bar to work.

Glade: Clean Linens
A man sprays his dirty living room with the fresh scent of Glade confusing his girlfriend into thinking he washed the laundry.

Monster.com: Coffee Pot
An overzealous office employee goes too far when celebrating his company’s quarterly earnings.

[ IDIWS09 ] Filmmaker Profile | S. SILVER

Filmmaker
Scott Silver

Bio
Scott Silver is a passionate filmmaker who strives in making entertaining projects. After growing up in Tucson, Arizona, he has come to find that his major interests are movies, sports, and… musicals! Scott’s hope in his future is to find something in the entertainment industry in which he can pass along his passion to other people and hopefully find success in making films.

Film
Sui-Sci-Fi MUSICAL [ clip ]
When all is felt to be lost by Billy, a familiar old face comes to save him from making the worst decision of his life….through song and dance.

[ IDIWS09 ] Filmmaker Profile | A. BACA

Filmmaker
Antonio Baca

Bio
Antonio Baca has worked as an Assistant Cameraman, and Grip for commercials, music video, and feature films. Most recently he worked as a Production Coordinator for Greencard Pictures in New York, and an Associate Producer for the feature film entitled The Woods. He has received numerous awards for his work including the Medici Art Foundation Aspiring Artist award for his short documentary about the 1970’s film Deep Throat and its impact on the Tucson community. After graduation he will continue to work in the camera department for reality TV shows, and hopes to some day become a Cinematographer.

Film
It’s American! [ clip ]
How far must one man go to rectify his manhood?

[ IDIWS09 ] Filmmaker Profile | G. OLIVER

Filmmaker
George Oliver

Bio
George was born and raised in Tucson. He plans on pursuing a career as a film maker. He is currently applying to graduate programs.

Film
Ellipsis [ clip ]
A murderer searches for a purpose to her actions.

[ IDIWS09 ] Filmmaker Profile | A. STERN

Filmmaker
Ariela Stern

Bio
Ariela Stern has interned for the KPBS local news show Full Focus in 2006,
and in the graphic arts department of Wyle Laboratories, an aerospace engineering
company, in 2005. She’s worked at Aero Films, a commercial production company in
Santa Monica, and participated in the Venice International Film Festival with the
American Pavilion. Short films include the documentary, Journey to Israel and she plans to continue screenwriting and producing, and she is currently developing the full feature script component of The Inheritance.

Film
The Inheritance [ clip ]
After his father’s death, Rob Tannen envisions a mysterious woman and uncovers clues to his past and heritage in an old apartment holding historical artifacts.

Volunteering for IDIWS is Fun!

I DREAM IN WIDESCREEN the BFA thesis film screening on May 15 2009 at the Tucson Music Hall needs student volunteer ushers, Media Arts info booth greeters, event photographers and microphone wranglers.

Working at this event is a lot of fun and student involvement is critical to its
growing success.

Anyone interested should contact Prof. Skyler: skyler@email.arizona.edu!

Thank you!

MAR 210 End-of-Semester Screening

2009: A Film Odyssey

EVENT
2009: A Film Odyssey

DESCRIPTION
Final Screening of MAR 310 and MAR 313 films

WHEN
Friday
May 8
7:00 PM

WHERE
The Gallagher Theater
[ map it ]

Burn After Screening

Mark your calendar, fans!

MAY 13, 2009
The Loft Cinema
Tucson, AZ

BURN AFTER SCREENING
A presentation of short fiction & documentary films by UA Media Arts BFA Students

[ IDIWS09 ] Trailer & Clips

I Dream in Widescreen
The School of Media Arts 2009 BFA Thesis Films

Friday May 15, 2009 | 7:30 pm screening
The Tucson Music Hall, Downtown Tucson >> map it
FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

overview ... program ... filmmakers ...TRAILER & CLIPS ... photo gallery ... venue ... sponsors ... contacts

[ IDIWS09 ] Program

I Dream in Widescreen
The School of Media Arts 2009 BFA Thesis Films

Friday May 15, 2009 | 7:30 pm screening
The Tucson Music Hall, Downtown Tucson >> map it
FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

overview ... PROGRAM ... filmmakers ... trailer & clips ... photo gallery ... venue ... sponsors ... contacts

Airplane Peanuts
Written and Directed by Sheldon Smith/Co-directed by William Goldstein

A comedy about the daily struggle of a few unlikely comedians.

An Afternoon with Grandma
Written and Directed by Kendall Anlian

Four year old Aimee never guessed that being a "lady" meant playing with toys.

Destination: Heaven
Written and Edited by Thomas Erickson/Directed by William Goldstein

They were brothers in arms…when they were alive.

Ellipsis
Written and Directed by George Oliver

A murderer searches for a purpose to her actions.

Holiday Justice
Written and Directed by Patrick O’Rourke

It was supposed to be his last job. Kill the priest. Get paid. But for Johnny Chino, things don't always go as planned...

The Inheritance
Written and Directed by Ariela Stern

After his father’s death, Rob uncovers myst clues to his past and heritage in an old apartment holding historical artifacts.

It’s American!
Written and Directed by Antonio Baca

How far must one man go to rectify his manhood?

Metamora
Written and Directed by Keisha Richardson

A Star leaves its home in space in search of adventure on the planet below, but finds the grass isn’t always greener on the other side in this silhouette animation piece.

Omega 3000
Written and Directed by Rockie Stephens

Henry’s dreams of an otherworldly squirt gun are thwarted by a she-devil in pigtails.

Sui-Sci-Fi Musical
Written and Directed by Scott Silver

When all is felt to be lost, a familiar old face comes to save Billy from making the worst decision of his life in this genre-bending musical satire.

The Wind and Hills
Written and Directed by Joseph J. Toretti/Edited by Patrick O’Rourke

Is life better lived playing it safe, or should we risk it all for those we love? A jaded warrior must decide when he bumps into a young would-be dragon-slayer.

MUSIC VIDEO
Conceived and Directed by Chelsea Coles

Holy Rolling Empire: Bipolar Bear Mania
A toy society, awoken from slumber, starts a revolution against a world run by evil in this fantasy-inspired music video for Tucson Holy Rolling Empire.

COMMERCIALS
conceived, produced and directed by Rhys Stover:

Snickers Saves: Blow Dart
A conveniently placed Snickers bar saves the day when an employee accidentally launches a blowdart at his boss.

Glade: Dirty Living Room
The fresh scent of Glade helps a man convince his girlfriend that he has done his share of the household cleaning.

Monster.com: Coffee Pot
An overzealous office employee goes too far in celebrating his company’s quarterly earnings.

[ IDIWS09 ] Event Overview

I Dream in Widescreen
The School of Media Arts 2009 BFA Thesis Films

Friday May 15, 2009 | 7:30 pm screening
The Tucson Music Hall, Downtown Tucson >> map it
FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

OVERVIEW ... program ... filmmakers ... trailer & clips ... photo gallery ... venue ... sponsors ... contacts
Students graduating from the School of Media Arts Bachelor of Fine Arts program at The University of Arizona will screen their senior thesis films at I Dream in Widescreen. This popular, standing-room-only event is the culmination of the skills, knowledge and creative vision fostered by the highly selective Media Arts BFA program in film and video production. Many students from the program go on to present their films at major film festivals, such as 2006 alumnus Jonathan Pulley, whose film Move Me played in the Sundance Film Festival.

Slated for this year’s screening is an unusually diverse and ambitious array of films of different genres. All films were written, directed, and crewed by Media Arts students and feature acting talent from throughout the Tucson community. The films will be followed by a question and answer session with all of the graduating filmmakers.

A local tradition started at The Loft Cinema, I Dream In Widescreen drew 800 people to the Fox Tucson last year and an even bigger crowd this year is expected at The Tucson Music Hall. “The School of Media Arts is excited about taking the stage at The Tucson Music Hall, in the center of Tucson’s historic downtown arts district,” said Lisanne Skyler, Assistant Professor in the School of Media Arts and producer of the screening, which is free and open to all.

I Dream in Widescreen is made possible by support from The University of Arizona College of Fine Arts Small Grants Program,The Hanson Film Institute, The Student-Faculty Interaction Program, The Loft Cinema and the School of Media Arts.

UA Recognizes Producing Adjunct Ed Ackerley with the 2009 ASUA Bumps Tribolet Award

Producing adjunct Ed Ackerley has received significant recognition from the UA.

Ed will receive the 2009 ASUA Bumps Tribolet Award, given by the ASUA Senate to a member of university faculty or staff for their commitment and dedication to service to the students of the university community.

Ed has been nominated for an Accolade award presented by the Center for Student Involvement, as "Outstanding Faculty Organization Advisor."

In addition to teaching M AR 303 and M AR 478, Ed is the faculty advisor for the UA's National Student Advertising Competition team, which counts several Media Arts students among its members and officers. This weekend, Ed and the team are going to the national competition in Salt Lake City.

Old Tucson Studios Intern Mixes Homework with Stunt Work

Meet senior Media Arts major Ben Reesing. He recently sat down with MAR Alumnus Will Holst for a video interview about his student internship at Old Tucson Studios.

Check out Ben's Video at uanews.org

BFA Alum Screens Film at MockFest '09

Randall French screens his BFA thesis film, HUNTERS, at MockFest '09 in Hollywood in May.

Congrats, Randall! Think you have any chance of winning the Zelig Award? Enjoy the fest!

Congrats to Luis Carlos Romero-Davis

Congratulations to Luis Carlos Romero-Davis, an alumnus of our Film & Television division, who recently won the Audience Award at the Puerta Vallarta Film Festival for his documentary 389 Miles, Living on the Border.

Luis Carlos is pictured here accepting his award.

::: more info :::
Vallarta Newspaper Article [ en español ]
Film Festival Web [ en español ]
389 Miles "Living the Border" Documentary [ YouTube ]

Harp + Silver

Phil Villarreal
covers the Harp+Silver event in Caliente

Silver & Harp::Intermedia Presentation on April 7

TUESDAY APRIL 7, 2009
» 6:00 PM
» Gallagher Theater, Student Union

On April 7, 2009, 6:00 pm at the Gallagher Theater, Hilary Harp + Suzie Silver present a media presentation and lecture about their collaborative art with a focus on their current media performance AV Lodge Presents: Fruit Machine. Included in this presentation is a live demo performance of excerpts of Fruit Machine. Post-performance discussion will be led by media scholar Caryl Flinn (UA Women’s Studies).

AV Lodge Presents: Fruit Machine
Media Performance by Hilary Harp and Suzie Silver

Fruit Machine Description
Fruit Machine is a campy hour-long media performance that uses a dynamic interplay between live and screen-based events to probe the relationship between bodies and fantasies. Inspired by a long tradition of camp aesthetics, especially Jack Smith’s homemade participatory glamour and Leigh Bowery’s extravagant perversity, Fruit Machine brings together camp and digital performance. Using Arduino microcontrollers, Bluetooth and Max/MSP/Jitter, we create physical props and costumes that actively influence screen-based and sonic events. The overall performance is more mutant musical or concert than play. As much emphasis is placed on sound as image, with props and costumes functioning as audio-visual instruments.
“Fruit Machine” was a name given to a Canadian device designed during the Cold War to ferret out homosexuals from the civil service and the military. The subjects were made to view pornography, and the device measured the pupils of the eyes, perspiration, and pulse for a supposed erotic response. The word “fruit” in our title refers to both a quirky, eccentric or queer individual and to the fecund sex organs of plants. “Machine” references the rather technical engineering of the lurid and antic images. Camp codes of high artifice and excess, and camp’s self-conscious celebration of exotica are all at work here. Fruit Machine occupies a unique place at the juncture between technically sophisticated interactive media and humble and carnivalesque aesthetics reminiscent of a folk ritual or a school play.

Brief Bio
Collaborating since 2003, Hilary Harp and Suzie Silver have created a range of projects including objects, installations, videos and performances. Drawn to exotica, science fiction and pre-digital special effects, Harp & Silver create D.I.Y. spectacles by combining technical sophistication with humble materials. They have exhibited their objects and installations throughout the U.S. Their videos have screened all over the world and are distributed by the Video Data Bank. They have performed their live media variety show “Fruit Machine” in a number of venues nationally including Transformer Gallery, Washington DC; Around the Coyote Festival, Chicago, IL; and the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts.

cfa website
flier, in .pdf format

Brad Slater visits on April 6

MONDAY, APRIL 6, 2009
» 3:00 - 3:50 PM & 4:00 - 4:50 PM
» Marshall 211 » Professional Practices discussion
» Event is free and open to all Media Arts students

Brad Slater is a talent agent at the William Morris Agency (WMA). Previously a talent manager, Slater joined WMA in 2003.

Slater’s clients include Academy Award winners Forest Whitaker (“Last King of Scotland”) and Jennifer Hudson (“Dreamgirls”); Brendan Fraser (“The Mummy”), Amaury Nolasco (“Prison Break”), Chad Michael Murray (“One Tree Hill”), Derek Luke (“Notorious”), Dan Fogler (“Balls of Fury”), Chazz Palminteri (“A Bronx Tale” and “The Usual Suspects”), Terry Crews (“Everybody Hates Chris”), Neal McDonough (“Desperate Housewives” and “Flags of our Fathers”), Emily Procter (“CSI Miami”), Jerry Ferrara (“Entourage”) and Jensen Ackles (“Supernatural”).

Prior to WMA, Slater was a manager at The Firm, which he joined from AMG where he had worked since 1998. Slater began working in the talent representation business as an assistant for Keith Addis at Industry Entertainment and later went to work as an assistant to Rick Yorn at AMG. He was promoted to manager in 2001.

A Los Angeles native, Slater graduated in 1996 from the University of Arizona. In college he interned at Sony Music for MJJ records (Michael Jackson’s record company) and Sony Pictures for Mandalay Entertainment where he worked for Peter Guber, Todd Black, Ori Marmur and Jason Blumenthal. His first job in the business was at Goldbar Entertainment selling American films to overseas buyers.

BFA Info Workshops

FRIDAY, MARCH 27, 2009
» 4:30 - 5:30 PM » Marshall 221

FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 2009
» 9:00 - 10:00 AM » Marshall 211 Conference Room

Are you interested in applying to the BFA Program this fall? Then you need to attend one of these workshops!

Learn more about the BFA program, the difference between the BA and BFA degrees, and details about the portfolio process.

If you plan to apply to the BFA program in September, you are REQUIRED to attend a workshop. These will be the only two offered this semester.

Please note: these workshops are open to Media Arts students only.

For questions contact
Professor Michael Mulcahy at mmulcahy@u.arizona.edu or 621-1155

.pdf flier