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V O L . 16 - N O . 1

•

FALL 2006

A PUBLICATION OF THE UCLA SCHOOL OF THEATER, FILM AND TELEVISION

• STEVEN BOCHCO • JOAN CHURCHILL, ASC • SAMUEL GOLDWYN, JR. • KEVIN SMITH • TIM ROBBINS • GEORGE C. WOLFE

FUTURE– TUBE UCLA AT THE LEADING EDGE OF THE TV REVOLUTION

from the Television, Then and Now: The Challenges of Change DEAN

POINT OF VIEW MAGAZINE • FALL 2006

F

rom the time that television emerged in the 1950s as America’s most pervasive cultural force and entertainment medium, its core attributes were easily recognizable. But not anymore. The differences between television then, “the golden age” and now, “the new millennium,” are truly dramatic.

Then, television programming was an appointment event. See it on Thursday night at 8 p.m. or miss it forever. Now, in an age of repeat screenings, TiVo time shifting, DVD distribution and online access through mobile devices, viewers increasingly expect to see what they want, when they want it and where they want it.

Then, the television screen meant the tube. Now, you have the choice of a plurality of screens: a traditional television set, a home theater, a computer monitor or the screens of any number of hand-held technologies.

Then, television shows were passively consumed on a small screen in the intimacy of a home setting, causing social theorist Marshall McLuhan to characterize it as a cool medium. Today, with large format plasma wall panels, high definition images, surround sound, and computer access, the medium is definitely getting hotter.

Then, your access to a sharply limited number of television channels resulted in media events shared by the entire community, the subject for debate and discussion around the water cooler. Today, hundreds of channels transmit a dizzying array of programs to audiences demographically fragmented by age, income level or life style.

Then, television was free, supported primarily through commercial advertising. Now, the economic model is far more complex including cable or satellite subscriptions, pay-per-view, on-line promotion, product placement and imaginative new forms of marketing.

Then, television was the only moving image medium in town. Now, it competes for audience loyalties with the internet, video games, down-loaded music, instant messaging and a host of other leisure time distractions opened up by the digital revolution.

Then, television was an exciting medium, full of promise for the future. Now, after long stretches of mediocrity, television and its technological cousins are once again exploding with possibility, including dramatic programming that is far more sophisticated than most major motion pictures.

These dramatic new realities pose complex and difficult questions in the areas of technology, business models and, most importantly of all, creativity. Leaders in the industry and media scholars are in accord that nothing will be the same ten years from now, but all reluctantly admit that they really don’t know where things are going.

That’s where the School of Theater, Film and Television comes in. We are in the midst of developing innovative curriculum, new laboratories and fresh concepts to explore where television is today and where it might be tomorrow. These initiatives are the focus of this edition of POV.

ROBERT ROSEN

CONTENTS 4 8 10 12 13 18 23 24 25

News Acknowledgments Awards Breakfast TFT in the Movies and on TV Cover Story Honor Roll Accolades Bookshelf Class Notes

Point of View Magazine, a publication of the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television VOL. 16 - NO. 1 • FALL 2006 © 2006 UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television

Robert Rosen, Dean Rich Rose ’75, MFA ’77, Associate Dean Edit Villarreal, Associate Dean Ollie Van Nostrand ’73, Assistant Dean William Ward ’67, MFA ’68, Chair, Department of Theater Barbara Boyle JD ’60, Chair, Department of Film, Television and Digital Media Rosalee Sass ’69, ’73, Director of Development Teri Bond, Director of Marketing and Communications, Editor-in-Chief David Chute, Senior Writer Ariela Franco, Assistant Editor Delphine Frost, Assistant Editor Beth Escott Newcomer/Escott Associates, Art Direction/Design Contributing Photography Todd Cheney ’90 Craig T. Mathew Tito Deveyra NBC Photography Ariela Franco Paul Olden Richard Harbaugh Faye Sadou Reed Hutchinson Lee Salem IMAX Craig Schwartz Don Liebig Juan Tallo Meg Madison Wireimage

ON THE COVER A 1961 couple gets a startling glimpse of the future on their brand new 23” Picture Window TV, featuring the “Sunshine” picture tube with Glare-Ban Screen and Space Command® remote control. Image of Keifer Sutherland in 24 courtesy Fox Broadcasting, Inc.; used with permission. Thanks to John Taylor, VP– Public Affairs & Communications, Zenith Electronic Corporation, and Tom Genova, www.tvhistory.tv. Photo composition by B. Scott Hanna.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ZENITH ELECTRONICS CORPORATION

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UCLA SCHOOL OF THEATER, FILM & TELEVISION • WWW.TFT.UCLA.EDU

Screenwriting Professors Hal Ackerman and Richard Walter with honoree Scott Kosar MFA ’01 and Visiting Professor Tim Albaugh MFA ’92. Kosar praised his instructors as “the three wise men.”

Special guest filmmaker Grace Lee MFA ’02 (bottom row, second from left) surrounded by award-winning student filmmakers on opening night.

Honoree Cathy Schulman with Producers Marketplace winning student Nick Spicer.

Filmmaker of the Year Paul Schrader MA ’70 with Barbara Boyle, chair, Dept. of Film, Television and Digital Media.

Producers Marketplace judges Michael Cole (Weinstein Co.), Mark Gill (The Film Department) and Chris Salvaterra (Participant Productions).

FESTIVAL 2006 Festival 2006 was an eight-day celebration of the very best that the students of TFT came up with during the year just past – which is saying a lot. The festival ran from June 9 to June 16 and in addition to screenings of 100 films and the distribution of more than a dozen awards there were some unexpectedly moving moments – such as Screenwriters Showcase honoree Scott Kosar MFA ’01 declaring that being enabled by his instructors to write his cathartic script for The Machinist may literally have saved his life. The emotions were genuine, if not quite as intense, when filmmakers Grace Lee MFA ’02, and Paul Schrader ’70, and producer Cathy Schulman, addressed the gathering, and when projects were pitched with heartfelt conviction in the Producers Marketplace. The cinematography students got into the act with the first annual China Ball, named after a distinctive piece of movie lighting equipment. For more details on the 2006 events and to save the dates for Festival 2007, visit www.tft.ucla.edu/festival2007/. J

At left: Screenwriter Showcase Winners Eyal Alony, Dan Mazeau, Phil Guidry, Andrew Cypiot and Brian Larsen.

At right: Producer Cathy Schulman is presented with the Vision Award by Vance Van Petten ’75, executive director of the Producers Guild of America.

UCLA SCHOOL OF THEATER, FILM & TELEVISION • WWW.TFT.UCLA.EDU

POINT OF VIEW MAGAZINE • FALL 2006

Honoree Scott Kosar MFA ’01

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POINT OF VIEW MAGAZINE • FALL 2006

NEWS

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Barbara Boyle, chair, UCLA Dept. of Film, Television and Digital Media, during an LA Film Festival panel discus-

Emmy-winner Mariska Hargitay ’87

UCLA & Los Angeles Film Festival: Partners in Growth

Congratulations

Film Independent’s decision to move the Los Angeles Film Festival (LAFF), sponsored by the Los Angeles Times, from Hollywood to Westwood this year was a success beyond even the most optimistic advance predictions, as attendance skyrocketed to the highest total in the event’s history.

This impressive growth, and the Festival’s much higher public and media profile, was made possible by such practical considerations as the availability of parking and venues that were all within walking distance of “LAFF is the only major film festieach other in Westwood Village. The Festival screened more than 250 films in 11 theaters val in the world that is intimately from June 22–July 2 and won high marks for associated with one of the best film stress-free efficiency.

For Barbara Boyle, chair of the Departschools in the world.” ment of Film, Television and Digital Media, – Barbara Boyle, chair of the Department of Film, TV who worked with Film Independent for more and Digital Media than a year and a half to bring the event to Westwood, this year’s Festival acquired a crucial extra dimension from its association with TFT: “LAFF is the only major film festival in the world that is intimately associated with one of the best film schools in the world.”

In addition to its previous collaboration on the Festival’s Guest Director program, the UCLA Film & Television Archive presented an array of special events at the James Bridges Theater. These included “LA Noir: The City as Character,” a guided tour of the City of Angels as depicted in classic post-war crime films, and “LA International,” a tribute to three foreign filmmakers who came to the city as immigrants.

“All the events at UCLA were a great success,” Boyle said. “The value to the School of being associated with a festival whose public presence is increasing so dramatically cannot be overestimated. We are determined to find ways to work even more closely with the LAFF in the future.” J

Emmy Winners!

Our cover story (p. 13) trumpets the School’s longstanding commitment to exploring the frontiers of television. Our accomplished graduates help us make the case, and we congratulate both the winners listed below and the many other nominees who made us proud this year. J Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Mariska Hargitay ’87 as Detective Olivia Benson Outstanding Animated Program The Simpsons, “The Seemingly Neverending Story” Don Payne ’87, MFA ’91, co-executive producer Outstanding Directing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program 78th Annual Academy Awards Louis J. Horvitz ’68, director

SUNDANCE 2007 DROP IN AT THE UCLA PARTY • JANUARY 22, 2007 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. • Café Terigo • 424 Main Street, Park City, UT • dspira@tft.ucla.edu

UCLA SCHOOL OF THEATER, FILM & TELEVISION • WWW.TFT.UCLA.EDU

The UCLA Film & Television Archive

A Year of Transition The world renowned UCLA Film & Television Archive will be going through some significant changes over the months and years ahead.

The process began last spring when Preservation Officer Robert Gitt announced his retirement. Gitt joined the Archive in 1977 and all but created its preservation program. His influence can be seen not only in the dauntingly high standards he set in his restorations of Orson Welles’ Macbeth (1948), Howard Hawks’ The Big Sleep (1946) and hundreds of other films, but also in the work of the many preservationists he trained or inspired. A tribute to Gitt, hosted by film critic Leonard Maltin, was the fitting centerpiece of this year’s 13th Festival of Preservation.

Another turning point for the Archive

is the early 2007 launch of public screenings in the new 294-seat, state-of-the-art Billy Wilder Theater located at the Hammer Museum in Westwood Village. The debut of the Wilder will form part of the lasting legacy of Archive Director Timothy Kittleson, who announced in July that he was leaving the post he has held for seven years.

Among Kittleson’s many accomplishments while on the job; he helped create the Archive’s Outfest Legacy Project, the only effort in the world specially dedicated to collecting, preserving and showcasing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender films. He also laid the groundwork to help expand public access to the Archive’s many collections by launching a DVD distribution system. J Attending the tribute to pioneering UCLA Film & Television Archive Preservation Officer Robert Gitt were, from left, film critic Leonard Maltin who hosted the event, Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan, Gitt and legendary film actor Norman Lloyd.

Goldwyn Receives UCLA’s Highest Honor Producer-philanthropist Samuel Goldwyn, Jr. (The Squid and the Whale) was presented with The UCLA Medal, the university’s highest honor, at the School of Theater, Film and Television’s commencement ceremony on June 16. Congratulating Goldwyn (above center) are Dean Robert Rosen (left) and Tony award-winning director, writer and producer George C. Wolfe (Angels in America), who was the commencement speaker. In their remarks, both Goldwyn and Wolfe cautioned students on the verge of professional careers to prepare themselves for hard knocks. This message did little to dampen the infectious high spirits of valedictorians, Negar and Rocsana Saddigh, pictured below with 88-year-old Emmy-winning graduate Stanley Rubin. J

Movie Trailer Tribute

POINT OF VIEW MAGAZINE • FALL 2006

A distinguished panel considers the overlooked art of the motion picture trailer: From left to right moderator Denise Mann, professor and head of the UCLA Producers Program; Rob Friedman, former COO of Paramount Motion Picture group; Greg McClatchy, president of Motor Entertainment, a producer of movie trailers; Joe Dante, director (Gremlins), whose first Hollywood job was editing trailers for Roger Corman; and Mike Shapiro, director of Coming Attractions, a documentary survey of the history of the trailer. The occasion was a screening of Shapiro’s documentary at the James Bridges Theater in April in recognition of a donation of $750,000 from the Andrew J. Kuehn Jr. Foundation. The gift will be used to expand the media marketing curriculum in the UCLA Producers Program, create student fellowships and establish the definitive archival collection of movie trailers produced by Kuehn’s Kaleidoscope Films. J

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NEWS

On With the Show, This is It! THE UCLA DEPARTMENT OF THEATER’S SEASON OF PERFORMANCES FOR 2006-2007 INCLUDES

� Stephen Jeffreys’ The Libertine, a biographical drama about the profligate John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester, one of the major poets of the 17th century; DESIGN SHOWCASE WEST, held on campus in June, featured a costume design exhibit (above); Tom Walsh, president of the Art Directors Guild, examining a student’s work (above right) and Visiting Professor Jonathan Deans, internationally renowned sound designer (right).

Students Meet the Pros at Design Showcase West

POINT OF VIEW MAGAZINE • FALL 2006

Design Showcase West, the School’s annual portfolio exhibit and review, presented in concert with the Costume Designers Guild and the Art Directors Guild, attracted more than 200 attendees to campus in June. Showcase is just one example of TFT’s intense commitment not only to educate and train students but to help them make the transition from the classroom to a career. Professional designers, art directors and others from the world of entertainment design were invited to UCLA’s Freud Playhouse to view the work of talented costume, scenic and sound design students from the nation’s top graduate programs. Be sure to visit www.tft.ucla.edu/dsw for information on the June 2007 edition of Design Showcase West. J

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Women in Film Honored in New Archive Collection Trailblazing women in the entertainment industry were celebrated in March at the James Bridges Theater at a gala event showcasing the Legacy Series, the jewel in the crown of the Women In Film Foundation. The series, which profiles exceptional women who have paved the way for subsequent generations in film and television, is now a collection at the UCLA Film & Television Archive.

Women in Film Legacy Series interviewees honored at UCLA include (top row, from left) Barbara Boyle, producer and chair of the UCLA Department of Film, Television and Digital Media; Dorothea Petrie, producer; Gena Rowlands, actress and event host; Marion Rosenberg, manager-producer; Else Blangsted, music editor; (bottom row) Gloria Stuart, actress; Fay Kanin, writer-producer; Eva Marie Saint, actress and Jane Wyatt, actress. J

UCLA SCHOOL OF THEATER, FILM & TELEVISION

� Vaclav Havel’s 1975 adaptation of John Gay’s political satire of 1728, The Beggar’s Opera; � The Death of Mayakovsky, written and directed by visiting professor David Bridel; � Tony Kushner’s A Bright Room Called Day, set in Germany at the dawn of the Third Reich; � Nikolai Gogol’s perennially popular satire of bureaucracy The Inspector General; and � The Ray Bolger Musical Theater production of Side Show, a four-time Tony nominee about Daisy and Violet Hilton, the Siamese twins who became a vaudeville act in the 1930s.

For additional information, visit www.tft.ucla. edu/dot/season/.

learning from the MASTERS PROMINENT PROFESSIONALS AND SCHOLARS FROM A VARIETY OF INDUSTRIES SHARE THEIR EXPERTISE WITH THE TFT COMMUNITY.

Clockwise from top left; Producer and Executive Board Member Steven Bochco, Cinematographer and Documentary Filmmaker Joan Churchill, Lost Writer Carlton Cuse, Casting Director Jason LaPadura and Designer Bran Ferren.

The Boys and Girls of Summer The UCLA Arts Camps and Workshops for young people again broke previous attendance levels this summer. Almost 900 high school and college students from around the world studied the performing and media arts in areas ranging from hip-hop to Shakespeare and back. Supervised by Producing Director Myrl Schreibman ’67, MFA ’69, a TFT Adjunct Professor, the camps and workshops are presented by the School of Theater, Film and Television in association with US Performing Arts. For information on the 2007 offerings, visit www. tft.ucla.edu/artscamp/. J

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POINT OF VIEW MAGAZINE • FALL 2006

In April, author Thom Andersen of Cal Arts presented a lecture on the innovative narrative structures featured in the works of the masters of Japanese cinema – Mizoguchi, Ozu and Kurosawa. Andersen maintains that “these unique alternatives to traditional story-telling constitute the most sustained and significant alternative to the cinema’s standard novelistic forms.” J In May, Casting Director Jason La Padura visited Theater Professor Sandra Caruso’s Career Development class. J Legendary television creator Steven Bochco spoke to Professor Emeritus Howard Suber’s class in May. J Carlton Cuse, television writer and executive, most recently for the ABC television series Lost, visited campus in July to discuss the runaway hit with Professor Denise Mann’s producing students. J In June, Peter Guber’s Producers Program class enjoyed the insight of Bran Ferren, a designer and technologist working in entertainment, product development, engineering, architecture and the sciences. Ferren is the former president of Research & Development and Creative Technology for Walt Disney Imag­i­neer­ing. J Last spring, Joan Churchill ’68, American Society of Cinematographers (ASC), served as the Kodak Cinematographer-in-Residence at UCLA. The prolific documentary photographer has been, for decades, one of the few women working regularly in what is still a male-dominated pro-

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

“I hope this award can help encourage playwrights as much as I was encouraged by my experience at UCLA.” – Tim Robbins ’82

New Tim Robbins Award in Playwriting Tim Robbins ’82 and Robert Rosen, dean

The first two winners of the new Tim Robbins Award in Playwriting were announced in June. Personally selected by the donor, recipients are recognized for an innovative play dealing with social, political, or religious themes.

“UCLA gave me a launching pad for my work with the Actors’ Gang and as a writer and director in Hollywood,” said Robbins.

“Writing can be a lonely and discouraging pursuit,” he continued. “Without recognition a writer can lose faith in that voice inside that compels one to put words on paper. I hope this award can help encourage playwrights as much as I was encouraged by my experience at UCLA.” A graduate of TFT with a BA in theater,

Robbins formed the Actors’ Gang , a politically radical theater group, in 1981 with UCLA classmates. He remained outspoken after he became a star in 1988 with Bull Durham and subsequently appeared in The Player and The Shawshank Redemption. He won a supporting actor Oscar® for Mystic River and has also directed and written several films including Bob Roberts (1992), Dead Man Walking (1995) and Cradle Will Rock (1999).

Robbins has been a generous supporter of UCLA’s theater program for many years, a teacher of master classes and a founding member of the Dean’s Alumni Council. In 2003, he was named the Edward A. Dickson Alumnus of the Year, UCLA’s oldest and highest alumni tribute.

Both “Robbins” award winners are unusually accomplished: Angela Berliner is a member of the Actors’ Gang, where in addition to appearing in many productions, she wrote the

surreal comedy Little. Her short play Blood Hungary, about the 17th century “vampire countess” Elizabeth Bathory, was performed at UCLA in June in the annual Francis Ford Coppola One-Act Marathon. She won the Robbins Award for Bender, an examination of gender roles in the Old West.

Michael Vukadinovich won two playwriting awards as an undergraduate at Loyola Marymount. At UCLA, his work has been honored with the Hal Kanter Comedy Writing Award, the Norma Seigel Memorial Award and the Sidney Sheldon Writing Scholarship. He is a member of the Alliance of Los Angeles Playwrights and has been published by Eldridge Plays and JAC Publishing. He won the Robbins Award for Billboard, which has been described as “a hilarious tale of art and commerce about a young man who pays off his debts by accepting a fee to tattoo a company’s logo on his forehead.” The play is being produced offBroadway. J

POINT OF VIEW MAGAZINE • FALL 2006

Sidney Sheldon Donates Papers to UCLA Library and Honors Student Writer

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The UCLA Library is now the home of one of the most coveted literary archives of the 20th century, the papers of Sidney Sheldon. Sheldon donated the collection, which encompasses manuscripts, scripts, research materials and correspondence relating to his more than 200 television scripts, 25 major motion pictures, six Broadway plays, 18 novels and a memoir. It will be housed in the Arts Library Special Collections, allowing future generations of writers unprecedented insight into one of the most prolific and popular writers of modern times.

This year’s winner of the Sidney Sheldon Scholarship Award for Screenwriting is Yule Caise for his script Snail Trails, a coming-ofage story about an eight-year-old boy and his single mother living in a basement apartment in Oakland in 1967 and the impact on their lives of the Black Panther Party and the shooting and arrest of its founding leader, Huey P. Newton. J UCLA SCHOOL OF THEATER, FILM & TELEVISION • WWW.TFT.UCLA.EDU

(Left to right) Mary Sheldon, daughter of Sidney Sheldon; Sheldon scholarship winner Yule Caise; Robert Rosen, dean of the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television; and Gary E. Strong, UCLA university librarian.

BAFTA/LA Auction Funds Scholarship The British Academy of Film and Television Arts, Los Angeles (BAFTA/LA) hosted a live auction in June to raise funds for its BAFTA/LA Film School Scholar­ship, which each year benefits a British born student already enrolled in the MFA film program at TFT. Two hundred VIP’s were invited to attend the Christie’s-run event at which 25 luxury “lots” donated by sponsors such as Cunard (a transatlantic voyage on the Queen Mary 2) and British Airways (two First Class roundtrip tickets between Los Angeles and London) were auctioned off. The winner of the 2006-2007 scholar­ship, announced June 6, was London-born Harry Hewland, a second year MFA directing student. Past winners have included Sacha Gervasi, who wrote The Terminal for Steven Speilberg and Gil Kenan, director of the CGI-animation hit Monster House. J (Left to right) Dean Robert Rosen with previous scholarship winners Gil Kenan MFA ’02 (director of Monster House), Lichelli Louise Lazar-Lea MFA ’00, Ronan MacRory ’07, Marcelo Mitnick and BAFTA/LA Executive Director Donald Haber.

A prolific professional actor, an alumna, and a key supporter of the School’s worldfamous theater program, M a r i a n n e Murphy ’71 has won a 2006 Red Carpet Award, given each year by the organization Women in Theatre for extensive support to theater in greater Los Angeles.

Although Murphy’s immediate response was to insist that she did not deserve the award, those who know of her tireless work for the School strongly Marianne Murphy ’71 disagree. She has consistently been one of the Theater Department’s most engaged and creative donors, originating, and sponsoring with a generous annual gift, The Marianne Murphy Women & Philanthropy Play Reading Series. By offering student playwrights the opportunity to see and hear their work performed, the series supports the creation of new theatrical work that explores the contributions of women to society. J

Technicolor Helps Student Directors Since the mid-1960s, when it donated one of the last remaining three-strip Technicolor cameras in existence to the UCLA Film & Television Archive, Hollywood’s oldest company dedicated to the production and processing of color motion picture film has forged a strong and growing bond with TFT. Last year the company took its generosity to a new level with the Technicolor Thesis Award, established to assist students with the production of a 30-minute, 35mm narrative thesis film. The award provides an impressive array of services, with a market value of well-over $150,000, that take projects from negative to release print and even creates a video “deliverable” for a future DVD release.

The recipient of the first Thesis Award was Nicole Hausser, a director and cinematographer who has worked on more than 30 films. Hausser’s project The Death Strip, filmed on locations in Berlin and Los Angeles, completed post-production at Technicolor in August.

This year’s second award went to Hezekiah Lewis, whose ambitious historical drama Warrior Queen was filmed in Kumasi, Republic of Ghana, in West Africa, in September. It tells the story of Yaa Asantewaa – the Ghanaian Queen and revolutionary who led an armed revolt against British rule in 1900-1901.

Film directing student Hezekiah Lewis with Bob Friedman of Technicolor.

Lewis so impressed a group of businessmen in Ghana that they gave him an extraordinary additional assignment: “I was given ten acres of land to do with as I pleased. My idea is to begin developing a cultural performing arts center on this land that would focus on teaching the arts to the residents of [the capitol of] Accra and surrounding communities.” (For more information, visit www.warriorqueenfilm.com.)

“It has been an inspiration working with Nicole and Heze on their projects,” said Robert Hoffman, Vice President, Marketing & Public Relations at Technicolor. “When I see young people of this caliber poised to enter the movie business, I feel that the future of the medium is in good hands.” J

UCLA SCHOOL OF THEATER, FILM & TELEVISION • WWW.TFT.UCLA.EDU

POINT OF VIEW MAGAZINE • FALL 2006

On the Red Carpet with Theater Donor Marianne Murphy

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AWARDS BREAKFAST The annual Awards Breakfast was held in June at the campus Faculty Center, continuing a tradition of bringing the School’s generous friends together with the students who have benefited from their support. Scholarship and fellowship recipients are able to express their gratitude to their benefactors, who learn directly from the students themselves how important these gifts can be in creating an environment in which creativity is nurtured.

J Many individuals, corporations and foundations generously donate to the

School each year through scholarships and fellowships that are awarded on the basis of merit and financial need. For the 2005-06 academic year, 327 awards were distributed valued at $1.2 million.

J TFT is very grateful to the donors of these awards.

A: Peter Stark Memorial Award winner Nicholas Zein with donor representative Janet Garrison and additional winner Indigo Wilmann; B: Michael Vukadinovich, winner of the Stage Spirit: Dini Ostrov Award in Playwriting with donor Dini Ostrov ’65 and Reel Spirit Award winners Emily Carman (critical film studies) and Elizabeth Hargreaves (screenwriting); C: Dean Robert Rosen with Milton Stark (Judith and Milton Stark Scholarship) D: Madgel Friedman with Arthur Friedman Scholarship winner Ariel Goldberg; E: Surabian Theater Award winners Larissa Auble and Ryan Borcherding with donor John Surabian MBA ’59 and additional winner Betty Wiegel. F: Professors Dee and Sandra Caruso ’79 with donor Martin Sosin ’47 and Amy Chapman and Nathan Longdon, winners of the Peter Matz/Martin Sosin Musical Theater Award G: Sharon Hill, winner of the Mickey Dude Fellowship for the Depiction of Ethnic Diversity in American Life, with donor Mickey Dude H: Donor Prudence Faxon MFA ’83; Sherman Epstein with Hezekiah Lewis, Abraham Polonsky Award winner; Lewis’ mother, Yolanda McCoy and donor Susan Polonsky-Epstein. I: Entertainment Partners Producing Award winner Caitlin Bogert with donor Albeth Grass and additional winner Erin

H Conroy.

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is grateful to the donors of these awards…

School of Theater, Film and Television Army Archerd Fellowship in Theater, Film and Television David C. Baumgarten Endowed Award in Comedy Writing George Burns and Gracie Allen Scholarship/Fellowship in Comedy Gilbert Cates Scholarship/ Fellowship Dean’s Advisory Board Award Mickey Dude Fellowship in Theater, Film and Television for the Depiction of Ethnic Diversity in American Life Executive Board Award Arthur Friedman Scholarship in Theater and Television Samuel Goldwyn Writing Award Edna and Yu-Shan Han Endowed Award Hal Kanter Comedy Writing Award Kovler Family Fellowship in Theater, Film and Television Teruko Kubota Memorial Scholarship Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme Scholarship Michael Minor and Robert Green Scholarship/Fellowship James Pendleton Foundation Prize Mary Pickford Award Beverly J. Robinson Memorial Award in Theater, Film and Television Chuck Schnebel Memorial Scholarship Sidney Sheldon Scholarship Award for Screenwriting and Playwriting Charles Speroni Memorial Award Streisand/Sony Fellowship Clifton Webb Endowment

Department of Theater Theodore Apstein Playwriting Award David C. Baumgarten Endowed Award in Acting Dorothy Bock Memorial Award Dana and Albert R. Broccoli Charitable Foundation Scholarship in Memory of Robert J. Natol Justin Matthew Carmack Memorial Scholarship in Acting Robert Ford Corrigan Memorial Award Hugh Downs Performance for Television Award Emerging Director Award Fine Arts Trust Award Ralph Freud Fellowship in Acting Mark Trent Goldberg Memorial Scholarship in Musical Theater Florence Theil Herrscher Award in Theater Arts

Lucile Thelma Karayan Scholarship in Theater Arts Dana Lind Drama Award Peter Matz/Martin Sosin Scholarship in Musical Theater Sir Ian McKellen Fellowship in Acting Marianne Murphy Women & Philanthropy Award in Playwriting National Actors’ Theatre Fellowship in Acting Jack Nicholson Prize in Acting Maidie Norman Scholarship Fund at UCLA Laura Pels Foundation Fellowship in Acting John Raitt and Rosemary Raitt Scholarship in Musical Theater Reach for the Stars Award Tim Robbins Award in Playwriting Beverly J. Robinson Memorial Fellowship for Playwrights Rebecca Schaeffer Memorial Scholarship in Acting Carol Schickel Memorial Fellowship in Theatrical Design Stage Spirit: Dini Ostrov Award in Playwriting Judith and Milton R. Stark Scholarship Rod Steiger Award for Excellence in Acting Faith Surabian Memorial Scholarship in Theater John and Faith Surabian Award in Musical Theater John and Sharon Surabian Award in Musical Theater Aaron Curtis Taylor Memorial Scholarship Theater Faculty Award in honor of Carl Mueller TFT Fellowship in Acting UCLA Affiliates Scholarship Onna White Award in Musical Theater Natalie Wood Acting Award

Department of Film, Television and Digital Media Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Internship Award Dan Angel Producers Award Dorothy Arzner Memorial Award William J. and Lee Phillip Bell/The Young and the Restless Fellowship Antonio David Blanco Endowed Scholarship Charles Boyer French Research Award James Bridges Award in Film Directing British Academy of Film and Television Arts-Los Angeles Fellowship Dana and Albert R. Broccoli Charitable Foundation Scholarship in

Memory of Robert J. Natol Caucus for Television Producers, Writers and Directors Foundation Production Grant Carmody/O’Neal Fellowship in Screenwriting Bridget and Bob Colleary Award for Best Romantic Comedy Screenplay Jerry M. Cox Memorial Award Carl David Memorial Fellowship in Film and Video Vincent E. DeFrances Scholarship in Animation Federico DeLaurentiis Memorial Award Deluxe Thesis Award Hugh Downs Graduate Research Fellowship Joseph W. Drown Award for Motion Picture Production DTS Thesis Award Entertainment Partners Fellowship in Producing Sean Evans Memorial Award Otis Ferguson Memorial Award in Critical Writing FotoKem Thesis Award Four Sisters Scholarship in Screenwriting, Directing and Animation Stephen J. Friedman Award in Screenwriting Georgia Frontiere Scholarship in Memory of the Humanitarian Efforts of Aaron Curtis Taylor Fuji Video Award Stephen N. Gershenson Memorial Scholarship Frank Glicksman Memorial Scholarship Zaki Gordon Award for Screenwriting Excellence Jay Grossman Comedy Writing Award Felicia Henderson Fellowship in Screenwriting Colin Higgins Film Director’s Screenplay Award Debra Hill Fellowship Hollywood Foreign Press Association Award Gerald Hughes Comedy Directing Fellowship Ion Pictures Endowed Scholarship Alan S. Jacobson Memorial Award Chuck Jones Award in Animation Kanbar Charitable Trust Award of the Jewish Community Endowment Fund Herman Kass Prizes in Motion Picture Production Charles and Lucille King Family Foundation Fellowship Stanley Kramer Fellowship in Film Directing Bill Lee Memorial Award Harold Leonard Fellowship Kenneth Macgowan Award for Excellence in Documentary Filmmaking

Dan McLaughlin Animation Fellowship William Morris Agency Fellowship Jim Morrison Film Award Rita Morrison Film Award Motion Picture Association of America Award National Association of Theater Owners of California and Nevada Fellowship in Film NBC/NAACP Fellowship Jack Nicholson Distinguished Student Director Award Jack Nicholson Prize in Screenwriting Oliver’s Prize Panavision Camera Award Plitt Southern Theater Employees Trust Fellowship Abraham Polonsky Award in Screenwriting Producers Guild of America Celebration of Diversity Award Reel Spirit: Dini Ostrov Award in Archive Studies Reel Spirit: Dini Ostrov Award in Screenwriting Gene Reynolds Scholarship Jack K. Sauter Award Carroll Sax Award in Motion Picture and Television Production The Eugene Edward Scott, Jr. Memorial Scholarship in Film and Television UCLA/Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Film Directing Fellowship UCLA/Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Screenwriting Fellowship Milton Sperling Fellowships for Excellence in Screenwriting Peter Stark Memorial Scholarship Technicolor Thesis Award Larry Thor Memorial Award Rocco Viglietta Memorial Scholarship in Film Card Walker Motion Picture Fellowship Edie and Lew Wasserman Film Production Fellowship Lynn Weston Fellowship in Film Lisa Wiegand and John Orphan Fellowship in Cinematography Ned Wilson Joie De Vivre Award in Screenwriting Women in Film/Crystal Lucy Award Women in Film Foundation/Verna Fields Memorial Fellowship Women in Film Foundation/Eleanor Perry Writing Award

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POINT OF VIEW MAGAZINE • FALL 2006

TFT

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TELEVISION

TFT ON

Ren Hanami ’84 with Sally Field

J Vanessa Holtgrewe MFA ‘06 shot an episode of FX’s 30 Days in India.

J Danielle Wolff MFA ’05 is a writer on Fox’s new MyNetwork TV Art of Betrayal.

Monk J Professor David Hoberman is the executive producer on USA’s hit show Monk.

The O.C. J Michael Nankin ’77 directed the Lifetime My Name is Earl movie Break-in and his third episode of Sci-Fi’s hit show Battlestar Galactica.

J Assistant Professor Judith Moreland has guest starred in Criminal Minds and Without a Trace.

J As the vice president of drama series at Touchstone Television, Channing Dungey ’91 supervises Day Break, Grey’s Anatomy and What About Brian. She also launched CBS’ Criminal Minds.

J Ren Hanami ’84 has a recurring role on NBC’s ER. She also has recurring Angela’s Eyes roles on The Young and the Restless and General Hospital.

J Professors Tom Nunan ’84 and Cathy Schulman are executive producers on Lifetime’s Angela’s Eyes.

J Caroline Williams MFA ’04 is a writer on NBC’s The Office.

J Danielle Sanchez-Witzel ’01 is a co-producer on NBC’s My Name is Earl.

J Rob Hoegee ’98 is the head writer and series story-editor on CW’s Legion of Super Heroes and The Cartoon Network’s Storm Hawks.

J Autumn Reeser ’04 stars as Taylor in FOX’s The OC. J Chris Gorham ’96 stars in ABC’s Ugly Betty.

J Darren Star ’83 is the creator and executive producer of CW’s Runaway.

Battlestar Galactica

TFT MOVIES

Everyone’s Hero

POINT OF VIEW MAGAZINE • FALL 2006

AT THE

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Catch a Fire, starring Tim Children of Men Robbins ’82 J Children of Men, executive produced by Thomas Bliss ’75 J Déjà vu, starring Advisory Board Member Denzel Washington J Everyone’s Hero, starring Rob Reiner ’66 J Fast Track, shot by alumnus Tom Richmond The Good Shepherd J The Good Shepherd, Marie Antoinette executive produced by Executive Board Member Francis Ford Coppola MFA ’67 and written by Eric Roth ’73. J The Holiday, shot by Dean Cundey ’68 and starring alumnus Jack Black J Lucky You, written by Eric Roth ’73 J Marie Antoinette, produced by Executive Board Member Francis Ford Coppola MFA ’67 J Miss Potter and Pathfinder, produced

by Mike Medavoy ’63 J Tenacious D in ‘The Pick of Destiny,’ starring alumni Jack Black and Tim Robbins ’82 J Young Hannibal: Behind the Mask, edited by Pietro Scalia ’82, MFA ’85 J 10 Items or Less, directed by Brad Silberling MFA ’87 J Firehouse Dog, directed by Todd Holland ’83 and produced by Mike Werb ’02 and Mike Colleary ’86 J

UCLA SCHOOL OF THEATER, FILM & TELEVISION • WWW.TFT.UCLA.EDU

Tenacious D in ‘The Pick of Destiny’

The Challenge of Explosive Change

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elevision is going through a period of transformation that will leave it altered almost beyond recognition.

The one screen we grew up with as a piece of living room furniture, “the video hearth,” has been replaced by a multitude of screens in a dizzying array of shapes and sizes, from towering Imax billboards to miniature cell phone postage stamps. Creative approaches to making content for the new devices have spawned a wave of neologisms, from “Mobisodes®” to “webisodes.”

As Robert Rosen observes in his dean’s message on page 2, the challenge of teaching TV in an era of explosive change is managing to stay abreast of everything new that matters, while avoiding the seductions of fads and fashions that begin to evaporate almost before they are introduced.

The School of Theater, Film and Television has several crucial advantages when it comes to meeting these daunting challenges. We established some of the first academic programs in TV production in the U.S., anticipating the need for them rather than playing catch up. And the School’s Critical Studies program,

inspired by the pioneering work in TV criticism of Professor John Caldwell, has conceptualized the key issues in a way that speaks to the realities of the creative community. The UCLA Producers Program has brought to bear the practical wisdom of experienced professionals, without which even the most passionate creative vision will fall short of fulfillment. Recently experimental programs like REMAP and the exploratory Mobisode® production workshop taught by directors Kevin Smith (Clerks) and Rory Kelly (Sleep With Me) are digging into the potential applications of the newest technology to what has always been the School’s core mission, telling stories. And, as we strive always to keep our eyes on that prize, the classics of the medium stored (and re-stored) at the UCLA Film & Television Archive stand as inspiring points of comparison against which all our efforts will be measured.

The initiatives described on the following pages offer an overview of the most important ways in which TFT’s multi-faceted, energetic and wide-ranging commitment to television will enable us to meet the challenge of the most important communication medium of our age. continued on following page

UCLA SCHOOL OF THEATER, FILM & TELEVISION • WWW.TFT.UCLA.EDU

POINT OF VIEW MAGAZINE • FALL 2006

FUTURE– TUBE

23 13

The New Technology: One Screen Or Many?

E

“[We are] in the midst of developing innovative curriculum, new laboratories and fresh concepts to explore where television is today and where it might be tomorrow.”

POINT OF VIEW MAGAZINE • FALL 2006

Robert Rosen

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ntertainment content is being produced and consumed now in a multitude of new ways.

Novelty releases such as The Blair Witch Project (1999), the first theatrical hit shot on DV, have been superseded by New Love Meetings (2006), the first theatrical feature shot entirely with camera phones. On the production side, the neologism “Mobisode®” was coined and trademarked by Fox Mobile’s Mitch Feinman in 2004 to describe small story fragments intended to be shown on cell phones. The first such series to be produced was Fox’s 24: Conspiracy, twenty-four, one-minute narrative units with a storyline that ran alongside the Emmy®-winning suspense drama’s fourth season. No one can predict whether these developments will mark permanent additons to the broadcast scene or short-lived fads, though the medium is already well enough established to have its own awards show: The MIPCOM Mobile TV Screenings and Awards event, recently held at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes.

Like every new development of technological tools, this one has attracted both skeptics and boosters: Kevin Smith “I am convinced you could tell interesting stories about large groups of characters in an array of three-minute segments on mobile devices,” says Dean Rosen, “although they would not necessarily have to be viewed sequentially.” Whichever way it goes, you are likely to hear about the result first at TFT, which is launching an experimental workshop on Mobisode® production this fall. TFT lecturer and filmmaker Rory Kelly calls the class a “research project” for trying out approaches to an as yet almost entirely untested new form.

Kelly will co-teach the workshop with filmmaker Kevin Smith (Clerks) in a project sponsored by mtvU, MTV’s 24-hour college network. In the class, the students will write, shoot and produce a new mtvU series, Sucks Less, With Kevin Smith, a pop culture showcase hosted by Smith from his Westwood comic book shop. The show will premiere simultaneously on Amp’d Mobile phones, mtvU and mtvU.com. The creative process of producing Sucks Less will also be documented on mtvU; unprecedented national exposure for the inner workings of a world-class program in TV production.

UCLA SCHOOL OF THEATER, FILM & TELEVISION • WWW.TFT.UCLA.EDU

Filmmaker Kevin Smith will join TFT lecturer and filmmaker Rory Kelly to teach an experimental workshop on Mobisode® production this fall.

Recombinant Med The Bloggers Project

“We’re experimenting along with everybody else to see what storytelling is going to be like in these formats.” – Lost co-creator and show-runner Carlton Cuse

THE GAMES FILMMAKERS

PLAY

“R

epurposing” is a term that comes up often in discussions of new media. It can be applied to everything from re-using a piece of recorded music in a new composition to pioneering the use of a device or software application in a way its original creator may never have imagined.

TFT Critical Studies professor Steve Mamber was an early academic cartographer of the brave new world of interactive media. Now, with video “gaming engine” software already hard at work for the Theater Department, creating immersive projected environments for productions such as The Bloggers Project, it makes sense for the School to go the extra mile by teaching courses in that area. The fall quarter class “Video Games: Theory and Practice” is being by taught by Professor Jacquelyn Ford Moire, and will explore issues that gaming has in common with many narrative mediums (“genres, storytelling, virtual worlds, graphic and sound design”) as well as some that may be unique (“massively interactive multiplayer games”). Mamber is also exploring video games.

In July, students were introduced to Lost executive producer/showrunner Carlton Cuse by associate professor and head of the UCLA Producers Program Denise Mann. Cuse revealed that it was the ubiquity of TiVo and the now-standard pattern of releasing whole seasons of popular shows on DVD that encouraged the Lost team to add hidden references and deeply embedded clues to their plots. “We’re experimenting along with everybody else,” he said, “to see what storytelling is going to be like in these formats.”

Steven Bochco

A UNIQUE EXPERIMENTAL ENCLAVE AT TFT helps students to not merely stay abreast of proliferating new forms of media but to get a jump on them. REMAP (Center for Research in Engineering, Media and Performance), a joint project of TFT and the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science that evolved from the Hypermedia Studio, founded in 1997 with grants from Intel and Microsoft, dedicated to pioneering new levels of synergy among technology, engineering and the arts. A prime example of what can result is The Bloggers Project, conceived and directed by Theater Professor Mel Shapiro, a path-breaking multi-media/live performance hybrid whose text was culled from actual online web logs. Presented in April, the show incorporated original digital video segments processed through “gaming engine” software to create navigable three-dimensional collages. The result looked eerily like the kind of game-based combat simulations that are actually used to train U.S. soldiers, a digital simulation that helped immerse the audience in the world of the characters.

Nicole Reding and Theo Perkins in the Theater Department/REMAP co-production The Bloggers Project

Brad Silberling

running the show

The writing of a television series requires intense collaboration, as exemplified by the concept of The Room, a group workspace in which up to a dozen writers toss ideas into the stew pot. At the eye of the perfect storm generated by the interaction of the creative and the industrial is the socalled “show-runner” (often, though not always, the program’s creator and writer-producer), a dominant creative force unique to the high-pressure, high-output medium of series television.

The School is initiating a multi-faceted effort in the 2007-2008 academic year to explore the role of the writer / producer hybrid and of the studio development executive. Several of TFT’s most generous industry friends, who serve on the School’s Executive Board, are helping to plan and implement these new programs: Steven Bochco, Darren Star, Brad Silberling and Phillip Kent, chairman, Turner Broadcasting System.

POINT OF VIEW MAGAZINE • FALL 2006

dia: Immersing Viewers In A World

Darren Star

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“The toughest job is to train inherently self-assertive creative types to collaborate as deeply as the TV production process requires.”

Robert Rosen

SWIMMING WITH SHARKS:

Teaching Artists To Survive The Business

Y

POINT OF VIEW MAGAZINE • FALL 2006

ou would expect an academic program on television to focus on the creative aspects of the medium.

The School recognizes that TV is also an industry and that students must confront the realities of a highly competitive arena head on if they are truly to realize their creative visions.

One of the first courses of this sort in the U.S. was devised almost a decade ago at UCLA

by Professor Howard Suber. It was Barbara Boyle, chair of the Department of Film, Television and Digital Media, who assembled the elements of the workshop class in developing concepts and pilot episodes for television, which was co-taught by Suber, show-runner Felicia Henderson MFA ’04 (Soul Food) and Fox executive Stefani Relle. Suber’s class established the TFT tradition best represented today by its direct successor “TV Development,” an introduction to the nuts and bolts of get­t ing a show on the air, taught by an alumna who knows them well, the vice president, drama, at Touchstone Television, Channing Dungey ’91 (Grey’s Anat-

16

omy). Students develop show concepts under Dungey’s supervision and try to make a case for them during weekly mock pitch sessions.

Under Boyle’s leadership students were enlisted to create original content for Showtime. The cable channel provided $125,000 in funding for Images of War in the 21st Century, seven student shorts that first aired in November 2004.

The responsibilities of the prestigious UCLA Producers Program include helping to ease the transition of students from the University to the professional world. Seasoned pros such as veteran William Morris film and television agent Jerry Katzman, who for the past five years has been has been teaching the course “Who Produces Television?,” give students direct access to their hard-won practical wisdom. “Overview of Network TV Management” is a guided tour of each department, its executives and functions within a network led by Tom Nunan ’84, former president of entertainment at UPN, now a partner in Bullseye Productions and executive producer of Lifetime’s Angela’s Eyes; while in “Running the Show: Producing for Broadcast & Cable,” Paul Nagle ’82, vice president and head of longform television packaging at the William Morris Agency, looks at how closely marketing and programming work together in branding a cable and broadcast network.

everything OLD is NEW again

TFT HAS A UNIQUE RESOURCE to draw upon when attempting to help students keep their bearings in the midst of explosive change. The UCLA FILM & TELEVISION ARCHIVE, one of the world’s leading institutions devoted to moving image preservation and restoration.

The Archive’s collection now includes thousands of hours of classic television material, more than any other museum or archival institution in the U.S., including choice episodes of Burns and Allen, The Jack Benny Program, I Love Lucy, The Carol Burnett Show (at right) and Texaco Star Theater. An ongoing program of commercial home video releases is planned to make the collection more readily available to the public, beginning with the launch last year of 26 episodes of one of television’s earliest weekly situation comedies, Mr. Peepers (1952-1955), starring Wally Cox. UCLA SCHOOL OF THEATER, FILM & TELEVISION • WWW.TFT.UCLA.EDU

CATHODE RAY GRADUATES: Only a few of the many alumni who have shaped the TV medium throughout its history.

Mike B. Anderson ’90 (The Simpsons) Dan Angel ’90 (The X-Files) Daniel Attias ’83 (The Sopranos) Michael Berk ’70 (Baywatch) Corbin Bernsen ’77, MFA ‘79 (LA Law) Bruce Bilson ’50 (Get Smart) Baker Bloodworth ’84 (Beauty and the Beast) Constance Burge ’84, MFA ’86 (Charmed) Carol Burnett ’54 (The Carol Burnett Show) Nancy Cartwright ’71 (The Simpsons) Larry Cedar ’76. MFA ’78 (Deadwood) Josh Cooke ’02 (Curb Your Enthusiasm) Joyce Dewitt ’74 (Three’s Company) Channing Dungey ’91 (Grey’s Anatomy) Merrin Dungey ’93 (Alias) Mariska Hargitay ’87 (Law & Order) Dean Hargrove ’60 (Perry Mason) Mark Harmon ’74 (NCIS) Felicia D. Henderson MFA ’04 (Soul Food) Laurie Holden ’93 (The X-Files) Todd Holland ’83 (The Larry Sanders Show) Judy Kaye ’73 (Law & Order) Seth Kurland ’82 (Friends) A. Martinez ’69 (LA Law) Kamran Pasha ’03 (Sleeper Cell) Don Payne ’87, MFA ’91 (The Simpsons) Gina Prince-Bythewood ’91 (The Bernie Mac Show) Autumn Reeser ’04 (The O.C.) Rob Reiner ’66 (All in the Family) Gene Reynolds ’47 (MASH) John Rubinstein ’67 (Star Trek: Voyager) Jay Sandrich ’53 (The Mary Tyler Moore Show) Jason Schafer ’93 (Queer as Folk) James B. Sikking ’59 (Hill Street Blues) Jocko Sims ’04 (CSI: Crime Scene Investigation) Darren Star ’83 (Sex and the City) George Takei ’60, MA ’64 (Star Trek) Kevin Weisman ‘93 (Alias) For a list of grads who are making a splash on the tube this season, see page 12.

LONG BEFORE 21ST CENTURY film critics naively “discovered” that television a la The Sopranos and 24 was more powerful cinematically than many feature films, a legion of film auteurs had embraced television as a canvas: John Frankenheimer, John Cassavettes, Paddy Chay­evsky, Steven Spielberg, Michael Mann, Spike Lee, David Lynch, Barry Levinson, Robert Altman, and Oliver Stone. Yet TV’s homegrown pantheon of those creators who chose not to “graduate” to features dwarfs even this widescreen-to-small hall-of-fame.

BY JOHN CALDWELL Since the 1960s, making TV commercials, and then music videos, served as vanguard boot-camps for hundreds of cinematographers and editors learning their crafts and pushing the limits of production style. Many of UCLA’s directing, producing and screenwriting alums helped make American television a hot-house of creativity and innovation during these years. Surprisingly, television provides a much bigger visual and narrative canvas than film in terms of audience numbers, dramatic complexity and financial clout.

Today’s revolution in delivery and production technologies has broken down hackneyed film/TV distinctions. Directors edit digitally on Final Cut during shoots, while CGI artists “produce” scenes during post-production. Reality TV producers transform PAs into screenwriters. Syndicators jam Panavision images into cell-phones. Home DVD sales dominate box office revenues. And studios now lock on to the very target once defined by telethons and infomercials: the home. In many ways, cinema has become television.

Historically, periods of industrial unruliness have provided fertile grounds for innovation. Not just technically, but theoretically as well. Today producers better be able to theorize how they plan to navigate multimedia uncertainties. Such is the integrated climate that students in both production and critical studies prepare for today. Doctoral researchers use media production for analysis and publication, while producers must theorize their audiences and unruly technologies in order to create.

TV didn’t get smart with HBO. It’s been smart from the start. And current shifts make film/TV history and aesthetics more valuable than ever. Scholars from UCLA’s Critical Studies program have been proving that—and changing the way television and film are researched—since the late-1980s. Landmark books at that time, based on doctoral research by Lynn Spigel (Living Room Wars, Television After TV), Nina Liebman (Living Room Lectures), Denise Mann (Private Screenings), and Hamid Naficy (Making of Exile Cultures) initiated what has evolved into a distinctive UCLA tradition of television studies. Grounded in systematic archival and historical research, uniquely available to our students at the UCLA Film & Television Archive and the UCLA Library Department of Special Collections, these scholars were among the first to fully integrate new insights from sociology and the humanities into studies of the television industry.

The influence of these scholars goes far beyond the typical confines of a “film school”

UCLA Blazes a New Trail in Television Studies Research

John Thornton Caldwell is professor and vice-chair of Critical Studies, Department of Film, Television, and Digital Media. His books include: Televisuality, Electronic Media and Technoculture, New Media and the forthcoming Production Culture: Critical Practice in Film/Television. He has curated a series of lectures on Media Convergence at UCLA for the 2006-07 academic year.

– stimulating new directions in American Studies, History, Sociology, Cultural Studies, Gender Studies and Ethnic Studies. TV is not only stylish and smart. It’s also woven inextricably throughout the fabric of American life.

By the mid-1990s the post-network era was in full swing. Another cohort of PhD researchers, and their books, tackled the multi-channel market. Daniel Bernardi, (Star Trek and History), Beretta Smith-Shomade (Shaded Lives ) and Vincent Brook (Something Ain’t Kosher Here), laid bare the new racial dynamics and programming logic of “multicultural” niche programming, in prime time science fiction, African-American series, and the history of Jews in American TV, respectively. Subsequent studies cut-across film, television, and culture and will be published this coming year by Bambi L. Haggins (Laughing Mad) and L.S. Kim (Maid in Color).

“Mob-casting,” online downloading and YouTube. com seem to undercut the adage that “the more things change, the more they remain the same.” Yet this rote “new media” dismissal of “old media” has been around Grounded in systematic since the 1940s. The digital revoluarchival and historical tion will generate incredibly diverse new ways to consume television research...[our] scholars (hand-held, cell-phoned, up-loaded, were among the first to shared). UCLA PhD researchers are studying this, even as MFA students fully integrate new are exploring novel Mobisode® insights from sociology and production techniques with the the humanities into studies help of filmmaker Kevin Smith.

But just as film did not replace TV, of the television industry. as promised in the 1940s, all the new “third” and “fourth screens,” may only reinforce viewer appetites for primetime Hi-Def dramas. Current PhD researchers are tackling this assumption, including: Miranda Banks (below-the-line production and merchandizing), Sharon Sharp (nostalgia programming), Erica Bochanty (music repurposing), Chiara Ferrari (international dubbing), Jim Friedman (live television), Maria Muñoz (ethnic production identities), Cecilia Hastings (online fan communities), Candace Moore (producing The L-Word), Sudeep Sharma (24/7 cable news), Eric Vanstrom (viral marketing), Mirasol Riojas (the culture of Nielsen research) and Felicia Henderson (the sociology of writers’ rooms), to name only a few.

If archival and industrial television research typified the ’80s, and multichannel cultural issues the ’90s, then current researchers are linked by an integrated approach within the context of “convergence,” which will be the subject of a major speakers series in the fall and winter quarters. The trajectory sketched out here is due in no small part to the influence of key faculty, including Nick Browne, Kathryn Montgomery, Daryl Hamamoto, Robert Vianello, Denise Mann and Chon Noriega, whose pioneering 2001 book Shot in America established another important intervention in the field of television studies.

The new television is stylish, engaging and intellectually demanding. UCLA television researchers have been patiently examining the logic behind these industry trends for two decades. Alongside FTV’s MFA students, doctoral researchers here are strategically positioned to change the way scholars and creators think about television in the years to come. Working across the theory/practice divide in the classroom may make television even smarter in the future.

UCLA SCHOOL OF THEATER, FILM & TELEVISION • WWW.TFT.UCLA.EDU

POINT OF VIEW MAGAZINE • FALL 2006

BIG ART, SMART TV

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Honor GIFTS 2005– 2006

Roll 2006

T

The School and the Archive are deeply indebted to their most generous donors for their extraordinary support from July 1, 2005, to June 30, 2006.

These targeted gifs support scholarshipsandfellowships,the Festival of New Student Work, ArtsBridge, film preservation, equipment, theatrical productions, academic programs, the Archive film series, the Dean’s discretionary funds and faculty

achievements, which would not be possible

$1,000,000 and above

alumni, friends and corporate and founda-

Hugh M. Hefner $500,000 to $999,999

he School of Theater, Film and Television takes great pride in its

without the commitment and generosi t y of li terally hundreds of supporters whom we honor here with gratitude. I am proud to acknowledge our tion partners in this Honor Roll recognizing

Packard Humanities Institute

the gifts received over the past year. Each

$100,000 to $499,999

gift matters in enhancing the educa-

James Bridges/Jack Larson Foundation Peter DeMille Calvin ’54 Barbara Alice Cooper Estate Melissa Draper and Tim Draper The Film Foundation, Inc. Joseph W. Harper Intel Corporation The Andrew J. Kuehn Foundation Walter Lantz Foundation Bette Lou Murray-Spurgeon Paramount Pictures Corporation Cecilia DeMille Presley Myra Teitelbaum Reinhard ’58 The Myra Reinhard Family Foundation Turner Entertainment Networks

tional experience of our students, and each also represents the conviction of individual donors that the School is worthy of their support. Thank you all!

POINT OF VIEW MAGAZINE • FALL 2006

$50,000 to $99,999

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Selma Archerd and Army Archerd ’41 Axium International David S. Bunin Erica Bunin Reada Bunin Edelstein The Samuel Goldwyn Foundation Peter Guber JD Hollywood Foreign Press Association Louis B. Mayer Foundation Jan S. Mitchell and William E. Mitchell Dini Ostrov ’65 and Les Ostrov ’64, JD ’67

$15,000 to $24,999

Bijan Amin and Soraya Amin Foundation Dee Caruso Directors Guild of America William D. Heer III The Colin Higgins Foundation David A. Leveton ’59, JD ’62, Director of the Ann C. Rosenfield Fund Howard Suber ’66, PhD ’68

$25,000 to $49,999

Anonymous Joseph Drown Foundation Eastman Kodak Company Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. Amy Pascal Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. Trust for Mutual Understanding Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc.

$10,000 to $14,999

Academy Foundation of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Gwen and Ray Bolger Fund Mickey Dude JetBlue Airways Kanbar Charitable Trust of the Jewish Community Federation

UCLA SCHOOL OF THEATER, FILM & TELEVISION • WWW.TFT.UCLA.EDU

Maurice S. Kanbar Newman’s Own Foundation Amber Sakai and Richard W. Sakai ’77, MFA ’80 Delia Nora Salvi MFA ’65, PhD ’69 Shirley Shapiro ’59 and Ralph Shapiro ’53, JD ’58 Warner Music Group Vivien Lesnick Weisman MFA ’06 $5,000 to $9,999

Evelyne Blau and Louis C. Blau ’35 CBS Entertainment Joan B. Carmack and Michael Carmack Creative Artists Agency Inc. Disney Hand/Disney Worldwide Outreach Hallmark Cards Inc. Edna and Yu-Shan Han Charitable

Foundation Gwen Hiller and Arthur G. Hiller Samantha McAdoo Jeffrey David Morehead MLS ’78 Ira M. Resnick Foundation Dale Chip Rosenbloom Sidney Sheldon Silent Foundation for the Arts Florence Sloan and Harry E. Sloan ’71, JD Sharon Stone Patsy Sung ’64 and Robert E. Sung PhD Sharon Surabian* and John Surabian MBA ’59 The TR Family Trust Ned Wilson Memorial Fund of the Denver Foundation Rita Wilson and Tom Hanks Mimi Wolfen and Werner Wolfen JD Women In Film Women in Film Foundation $2,500 to $4,999

Cynthia A. Angel and Dan Angel Barger-Baglite, Inc. Galen Biery, Jr. Donald E. Bishop Dana Broccoli Trust Jim Brown Frank Buxton Cascade Pass, Inc. Maryellen Clemons Comerica Bank Peter K. Dalton Deluxe Laboratories Cecil B. DeMille Foundation Marsha D. Goodman MFA ’83 and Daniel P. Einstein MA ’87 Cornelia Dozier Emerson Entertainment Partners Marty Farrell Dan Gordon ’69 Zaki Gordon Institute for Independent Filmmaking Claire L. Hackett EDM ’95 and Michael J. Hackett Headquarters Film International Inc. Lisa Hoffman and Dustin Hoffman Home Box Office James Johnston Scott Alan Kosar MFA ’01 Lyn Lear and Norman Lear Audrey Davis Levin and Daniel H. Levin Travis A. Lubinski Victor Mignatti Frances Molinari and Ted Molinari NBC Universal, Inc. Jim Paratore Estate of Virginia W. Pawell Julie Payne and Don Payne ’87, MFA ’91 Gretchen Newman and Randy Newman ’65 John L. Reeder Jazmin Rodriguez ’05 Ernest Daniel Rose ’49, MS ’51, PhD Randolph Sato Michael W. Schleiger Laurie Bartlett Schrader and

$1,000 to $2,499

A. S. Thomas Memorial Fund Inc. Blum-Kovler Foundation Inc. Bob Industries Susan Louise Chapman MFA ’01 and Darrel Chapman Shannon Colleary and Michael William Colleary MFA ’86 Composite Components Company CW Productions Christine Dipego and Gerald Dipego Corey Doherty and John Doherty DreamWorks SKG Marjorie Lesser Fasman Prudence Macgowan Faxon MFA ’83 FotoKem Film and Video Arthur and Magdel Friedman Trust Fuji Photo Film U.S.A. Inc. D. E. Garrison Sacha Gervasi Gary Grossman

“You can’t give anyone talent, but you can guide them and help them see what their role should be, and no one has done a better job of this than UCLA.” Sidney Sheldon, Sidney Sheldon Scholarship Award for Screenwriting and Playwriting

Robert J. Heiber

Elizabeth S. Herman ’43 and Gunter F. Herman ’42 Tia Hoberman and David Elliot Hoberman J. L. Fisher, Inc. Angela Landsbury Ellen Dinerman Little and Robert Little Lucasfilm Limited Virginia Newhart and George (Bob) Newhart Lisa Marie Orphan MFA ’98 and John C. Orphan Arlene Peck Pro-Tek Media Preservation Services Edward A. Rosenberg Linda Sandrich and Jay Sandrich ’53 Janet M. Schnebel Bonnie Rothbart Stark ’60 Cheri Steinkellner and William Steinkellner Angela Strain and James Strain MFA ’85 Strand Releasing Sukin Law Group Courtney Wagner Natasha Gregson Wagner Marianne S. Wibberley ’84, MFA ’91 and Cormac O’Connor Wibberley ’89 $100 to $999

Laura Susan Angotti MFA ’04 Apple Box Productions, Inc. Alan M. Armstrong Mary Therese Arnold ’72 Audio Mechanics Shelley T. Baker Nancy E. Barr Wendy Dobbs Bartel John L. Benson Amy Black and Craig Ellins Bock Family Trust Deborah Shames and David Edward Booth Suzanne Michel Pico-Brand and Donald Brand Lonnie Burr Kathryn Peterson Butterfield ’78 Carmody O’Neal Workshop Productions Jennifer Weyman-Chartoff and Robert Chartoff Carol L. Clarke Michael Jay Cohen ’79 Kirsten W. Combs Bill Condon Luis Cordero Cathleen Summers and Patrick Crowley Rory Cunningham Teresa Craft Dancer ’88 Janice Koyama and George Dea Lon Ira Diamond ’79 Robert G. Dickson DreamWorks SKG Vincent A. Dyer ’71 Ira Victor Ellenbogen ’70 Susan Polonsky Epstein Andrew A. Erish Shirlee A. Fonda Patricia Ann Ford ’73, MFA ’75 Cynthia Lynna Glennan James Michael Glennan Carolyn Goldstein and Lewis Goldstein ’76 Jeffery Jerome Grace Gary E. Graff Hands On Productions, Inc.

Loretta Naughton Helfant ’81 and Michael Helfant MBA ’83, JD ’83 Holly Holland Janet Houle and Michael Rene Houle Marvis Jocelyn Hughes ’64 Christine C. Humphrey Joe Hunsberger Judith M. Hutchinson and Ron Hutchinson Improv West Inc. In & Up Pilates International Al Jolson Society Michael C. Iracondo III ’91 Hal G. Jones Marlene Joyce Margaret G. Kahn and Donald Kahn Denise T. Richard-Kassar and Mario F. Kassar Gloria Katz ’69 and Willard Huyck Kino Flo Inc. Brian Kite ’91, MFA ’04 Elaine Krown Klein and Leo Klein Gail Kobe LA Works Inc. Gisele Hass-Lapiner and Robert Stanley Lapiner ’69, PhD Susan Ann Largent ’85, MFA ’90 John Mc Neill Lee Ronald Y. Lim Betsy D. Ling and Michael E. Ling David C. Ling Kristina Lee Lloyd ’99 Henry J. Lopez Michael Christopher Losey ’76 Cannon Kojak Macias ’00 Patti MacLeod and Gavin MacLeod Minta Manning Paul Manouelian Scott E. Margolin Donald Martin Stephen F. Maynard MFA ’69 Dean Glenn McClure ’71 Beth Ann McGroarty Carol A. Miller and Joseph M. Miller Ruth E. Miller Joan Mitchell and O. Ken Mitchell The Deborah Morgan Couples Estate Nancy Morris Alex M. Neel John C. Oglesby, III David Pacheco Manuel Pastor Mimi Perloff Iris B. Polonsky and Henry V. Polonsky Lourdes Portillo Remer Giacobello De La Cour & Co. Reynolds Works Jon Ritt Designs Mitchell A. Rosen Susan Rosner ’71 Christine Anne Roum Scott A. Sandage Richard Schickel Anne Kaufman Schneider Lloyd Jeffrey Schwartz ’68, ’69 Peter W. Scott David Benjamin Shapiro ’74 Dikran O. Shirinyan ’77 Corinne Entratter Sidney Anna M. Smith Brad E. Smith Alan M. Spaul John Robert Spellman ’94 Ted Joe Staton Robert Andrew Sternin MFA ’79 Ronald James Streibich ’60

Shirley A. Sullivan and Joseph C. Sullivan Surf City Lane Rentals Ann Marie B. Titcher and David Nathaniel Titcher ’78 Steven Van Bever Ed Michael Walker Jan Westman David C. Willms Rosemary P. Willson Fanchon Elaine Wilson Patricia K. Zapp ’70

DEFERRED GIFTS The School and Archive recognize the generosity and foresight of the following individuals who have informed us that they have made commitments to include the School or Archive in their estate plans.

Alan Armstrong II MFA Jo Ann Badeau* and Carroll A. Badeau* Noel B. Blanc ’61 Gwen Bolger* Mildred Bresler Kirsten W. Combs Barbara Alice Cooper ’60* Richard E. Eshleman ’52 Marcellina Gross ’50 and Edgar F. Gross ’53 Eleanor Haldane* and Arthur G. Haldane Georgyn Hittelman ’62, MA ’67* and Karl J. Hittelman PhD ’67 Charles M. Jones* Joanna Kerns ’72 Gail Kobe Doris Kuhns and William Kuhns* Azadia Mamoulian* Dini Ostrov ’65 and Les Ostrov ’64, JD ’67 James B. Pendleton* Deanna Peterson ’63 and Lowell Stanley Peterson, Jr. ’72 Delia Nora Salvi MFA ’65, PhD ’69 Katherine D. Samson* Jacqueline G. Sherman* ’41, MA ’63, PhD ’70 Phyllis Momtazee Snelling Cheri Eichen Steinkellner and William Steinkellner Edward M. Sterling Alicia M. Thorp ’58

UCLA SCHOOL OF THEATER, FILM & TELEVISION • WWW.TFT.UCLA.EDU

POINT OF VIEW MAGAZINE • FALL 2006

Scott Alan Schrader Martin Scorsese Stratton-Petit Foundation Turner Broadcasting System Inc. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Brian Whitney William Morris Agency Inc. Linda Yellen Eric Young

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TFT ANGELS 2005–2006 TFT Angels are contributors to an annual fund that provides critical support for TFT’s most urgent needs.

Memberships range from $100 to $5,000 and more.

Superstars

Dee Caruso Melissa Draper and Tim Draper Mickey Dude David Geffen Fred J. Hayman Maurice S. Kanbar Kanbar Charitable Trust of the Jewish Community Federation Audrey Skirball Kenis* and Charles Kenis* Jan S. Mitchell and William E. Mitchell Shirley Shapiro ’59 and Ralph Shapiro ’53, JD ’58 The Skirball Foundation The Fran and Ray Stark Foundation The Wasserman Foundation Vivien Lesnick Weisman MFA ’06 The Billy and Audrey L. Wilder Foundation

“There seems to be no end to the incredible blessings and gifts I’ve received from this program.”

Scott Kosar MFA ’01, Screenwriting Program Fund

Producers

POINT OF VIEW MAGAZINE • FALL 2006

The Walt Disney Company Bruce D. Berlinger MA ’73 Evelyne Blau and Louis C. Blau ’35 Rosette V. Delug ’75 Gail Doorley and Thomas Lawrence Doorley III Georgia C. Files and William S. Files, Jr. Patricia Ann Ford ’73, MFA ’75 Nancy Glaze and Richard Allen Glaze Lawrence A. Mirisch Jan and William Mitchell Marianne Murphy ’71, MFA and Michael Murphy ’69, ’71, PhD ’74 Patricia B. Oppenheim Margaret Black and John Anthony Ptak ’67 Kathleen Rubin and Stanley C. Rubin ’06 Cheri Steinkellner and William Steinkellner Barbra Streisand Foundation, Inc. Patsy Sung ’64 and Robert E. Sung PhD Marianne S. Wibberley ’84, MFA ’91 and Cormac O’Connor Wibberley ’89 Mimi Wolfen and Werner Wolfen JD

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Directors

Cynthia A. Angel and Dan Angel Joseph Michael Ansolabehere ’83 Christine De Seguirant and Lawrence De Seguirant, Jr. Marjorie Lesser Fasman

Mary Fleischer and Richard Fleischer* Hans J. Gudegast Carole Hirsch ’55 and Barry L. Hirsch ’55, JD Anthony Hopkins Teri Lynn Groome-Kucheman and William Henry Kucheman Timothy Andrew Maile ’83 Julienne Patricia Mendoza and Joseph Patrick Mendoza ’85 Anne Sweeny and Philip H. Miller Peter Newman ’07 John C. Oglesby III Gregory S. Poirier MFA ’90 Kerry Lee Reis ’79 Lisa A. Walker ’81 and John Cardon Walker ’82 Mike L. Werb MFA ’02 Marianne K. Wright ’83 and Matthew George Wright ’83 Writers

Jacoba Anne Atlas ’70, MFA ’72 Louise Auble and Robert J. Auble Renee Baren and Chuck Howard Baren ’84 Karen Bell and Robert M. Cox Michael John Benavente ’78 Peter E. Blau Anne Bruner ’98

Honor UCLA SCHOOL OF THEATER, FILM & TELEVISION • WWW.TFT.UCLA.EDU

Shannon Colleary and Michael William Colleary MFA ’86 Nancy Katz Colman ’81 Ann Straubinger De Wolfe ’66 Gay Durward ’67 and Donald Durward ’64 Christie Davis and Kenneth Raymond Fause MA ’78 Leslie F. Gaylord ’79 R. Jane Gilliam Daylene Harrison and Richard M. Harrison David Kepa Hart Tia Hoberman and David Hoberman Laura Christine Hogan and William Custer Hogan Kevin P. Hudson ’88 Anjelica Huston Joanne Ruth Jubelier ’65, PhD and James D. Zidell ’91, PhD Denise L. Katz and Andrew E. Katz ’69, JD ’72 Karen S. Kramer Kate Kruley Seth Michael Kurland ’82 Pauline Mayer ’47 and Roger L. Mayer Lucia Murphy and Richard Thomas Murphy ’80 Judy Ovitz ’69 and Michael Steven Ovitz ’68 Alexander Payne MFA ’90 Lauren Elizabeth Polizzi ’81 Cathleen Reiher ’82 and Peter Lawrence Reiher MS ’83, PhD ’87 Ann Reynolds and Gene Reynolds ’47 Brigitte H. Savage ’63, ’66 Joseph David Schleimer MA ’79 Martin Sosin ’47 Eunice Ting Dominique Lett Wirtschafter ’88 Angels

Gay B. Abrams and Harry A. Abrams ’57 John H. Acken MFA ’77 Warren Adler Janet P. Akers ’71 Larry Yuda Albucher Melanie Allen ’61, PhD Jean Lisette Aroeste Marianne S. Ash in memory of Lisa Lindgren Farrer George Lee Augspurger ’59 Margaret L. Back and Danilo N. Bach MFA ’70 Jeffrey D. Bader ’87 Jeff Barker Dennis M. Baughman ’71, ’72 Roger M. Befeler ’92 Karin Kaplan Bensusen and Albert Marovn Bensusen Renne J. Bilson and Bruce L. Bilson ’50 Katherine H. Blanc and Noel B. Blanc ’61 Karen Sue Blashaw and Charles Timothy Blashaw Merrily Weiss and Thomas A. Bliss ’75, JD ’82

Kenneth Edmund Bonus Lisa Rhoden Boyd and David Russell Boyd ’78 Heidi Breman and Phillip Laurence Breman Pam Brendlinger and Kurt Allen Brendlinger ’85 Leah Lynn Broidy ’71 Christine Byrnes and William James Byrnes MFA ’72 Carol Callaghan and Dennis J. Callaghan Laura Ann Campbell MFA ’00 Raymond Capiaux Selma Chait and Edward Ellis Chait Gail Cindy Chorna ’89 Kiyoe Cline and Michael B. Cline ’80 Gloria Watson Coppedge ’52 David Jpah Cocordan Pearl M. Courson and Columbus B. Courson Lisa Anne Dalesandro MFA ’01 Virginia Warren Daly ’54 Mindee Miller DeLacey ’78 Deanna DeCherney and Alan H. DeCherney MD Robert Armand Del Valle ’73 Kevin Michael Droney MFA ’75 Judith Dungey and Donald Maurice Dungey Robert William Duval ’93, MFA ’98 Sally Ehrmann and Sanford M. Ehrmann LLB ’55 and Linda English and Kerry L. English MD ’70 Richard Edwin Eshleman MA ’52 David Lee Fein ’69, MFA ’75 Scott Andrew Feiwell ’96 Larry W. Ferguson, Jr. MFA ’98 Gary M. Fierer ’80 Richard J. Fine ’82 Linda A. Flaherty and Peter Andrew Flaherty Susan Fonss and Christian P. Fonss, Jr. Donald Fonte Christine Forrest ’50 and Steve Forrest ’50 Arlene Ross Fredgant ’49 and Manuel Fredgant ’49 Curtis Jeffrey Freilich ’76 Martha W. French ’81 Kimberly B. Friedman and Eric Jason Friedman ’88 Kate Stephenson Gaitley ’87 and Stephen L. Gaitley Timothy Gallagher David A. Gaudio ’81, MFA ’85 Fariba Ghaffari MAR ’81 Alice Maire Gibson and Edward Oliver Gibson Joan R. Glickstein ’69 and Gary A. Glickstein ’69 Jane Gold and Michael Gold MD Anel Gorham ’98 and Christopher Gorham ’96 Bobbie Greenfield and Mark S. Greenfield ’71

Roll 2006 * Deceased

* Deceased

Elizabeth Scott and Robert Lane Scott PhD Anita Rose Seigel ’70 David Arthur Shafer ’81 Nedra Shunk and James Shunk Alan Sieroty JD George Henry Slotnick ’72 Lisa Peterson Smith MFA ’91 and Jeffrey J. Smith Cauleen Smith MFA ’02 Carmela H. Speroni Judith Stark ’31* and Milton Stark Dana Maxine Stevens ‘85 Carol Lynne Goss and Don Roy Straus George Takei ’60, ’64 David M Tetreault MFA ’02 Heather A. Thomas ’80 Conness Thompson ’84 Kenneth Kai-Kwong Tong ’74 Vincent Tsu ’00 Deborah Ann Turk ’78, MFA ’81 and Richard W. Turk Sonja Tone Utt Jane Evans Vacho Susan Valdes MFA ’77 and David Churchill Valdes MFA ’76 Denise Vega ’86 Judy Naomi Wada ’85 Michael Frederick Walstrom ’02 James Kevin Ward ’82 Robert J. Williamson Joy Wohlwend ’53 and Wells Wohlwend ’52, JD ’57 Irwin M. Zalkin ’76 W. Michael Zarotschenzeff ’62 Michele B. Zwillinger

“We like our gifts to touch people – and there’s no better way to do that than with scholarships.”

Casey Wasserman ’96, Edie and Lew Wasserman Film Production Fellowship

ARCHIVE COUNCIL 2005–2006 The UCLA Film & Television Archive acknowledges donors of $1,000 and above with annual membership in the Archive Council. Donations support film preservation and cataloguing, public programming and scholarly access.

Preservation Cirlce

The Academy Foundation The Ahmanson Foundation Mark Amin MBA ’75 The Bijan and Soraya Amin Foundation The George Burns Endowment Fund Carl David Memorial Trust Cecil B. DeMille Foundation Directors Guild of America Joseph Drown Foundation The Film Foundation The Ford Foundation Jodie Foster Eleanor Haldane* and Arthur Haldane* Hallmark Hall of Fame Productions, Inc. William D. Heer III Hugh M. Hefner Hugh M. Hefner Foundation Hollywood Foreign Press Association The Hollywood Reporter Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, San Francisco Andrew J. Kuehn, Jr. Foundation Ted Mann Family Foundation Louis B. Mayer Foundation National Endowment for the Arts National Endowment for the Humanities National Film Preservation Foundation Dini Ostrov ’65 and Les Ostrov ’64, JD ’67 David Woodley Packard The David and Lucile Packard Foundation The Packard Humanities Institute Paramount Pictures Corporation Cecilia DeMille Presley Myra Teitelbaum Reinhard ’58 The Myra Reinhard Family Foundation Jamie Rigler Lloyd E. Rigler-Lawrence E. Deutsch Foundation The Rockefeller Foundation Martin Scorsese The Skirball Foundation Sony Pictures Entertainment The Stanford Theatre Foundation Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. The Director’s Circle

Edna and Yu-Shan Han Charitable Foundation Netflix David Stenn Patsy Sung ’64 and Robert E. Sung PhD

Benefactor

Frank Buxton Maryellen Clemons Consulate General of Sweden in Los Angeles Family and Friends of the late Ron Isroelit Marjorie Lesser Fasman Kino International Corporation Ira M. Resnick Foundation Rohauer Collection Foundation, Inc. TV5 USA, Inc. UK Film Council US Mimi Wolfen and Werner Wolfen JD

“The UCLA Film & Television Archive plays a vital role in preserving the visual history of the 20th century...

It’s an important record of who we were and who we are.”

Myra Teitelbaum Reinhard ’58, UCLA Film & Television Archive

Sponsor

Carol Bahoric MBA ’88 and Myron S. Meisel Cathay Pacific Airways Robert De Pace Lisa Hoffman and Dustin Hoffman Daphne Nagle and Paul G. Nagle ’82 Eleanor Rimai Padnick DDS ’80 and Glenn A. Padnick Margaret Black and John Anthony Ptak ’67 TNT/TBS Turner Classic Movies Patron

Leonard Apt MD Loreen Arbus Foundation Judith B. Bedrosian and John E. Bedrosian ’56 JD George E. Berger The Bridges/Larson Foundation Margaret D. Champlin PhD ’89 and Charles D. Champlin Iya Labunka and Wes Craven Disney Hand/Disney Worldwide Outreach

UCLA SCHOOL OF THEATER, FILM & TELEVISION • WWW.TFT.UCLA.EDU

POINT OF VIEW MAGAZINE • FALL 2006

Liz Greenspan and Evan Martin Greenspan MFA ’80 Leila A. Greenstone ’55 Alex Hakobian ’72 Mary Elizabeth Hanson ’74, MLS ’77 and Eric Allin Hanson Richard Lynden Hardman ’51 J. Clark Henderson ’78 Steven M. Hirohama MFA ’81 Karl Yoder Hostetler MFA ’00, MD William Richard Hultstrom MA ’78 Pamela Hunter and Lewis Ray Hunter Claudia D. Israel Mark A. Itkin ’75, JD Thomas Robert Jacobsen MFA ’94 Thomas E. Jacobson MFA ’85 Caytha Ann Jentis MFA ’98 Susan I. Johnson Darryl Felton Johnson ’70 Holly Corn and Jonathan D. Kaufelt JD Melissa R. Kent ’91 Rita Keshena ’72 Allison Engel Kirkpatrick and Scott William Kirkpatrick Carol A. Schneiderman-Knee ’74, MBA ’78, JD and Howard Knee ’69, JD ’72 Amy Krell ’86 James A. Lane ’66 James M. Lane ’84, PhD ’91 Sherry Lane and H. Richard Lane Nikki Lauter and James D. Lauter ’56 Julie A. Leverence ’89 Peter Longdon Eric A. Mansker ’76 Ida Martina Martin ’63 Whitney McCleery ’85 and Bruce McCleery Debra McGreevey and Michael S. McGreevey ’70 Irena W. Medavoy and Mike Medavoy ’63 Stephen Tag Mendillo ’88 Paul G. Metchik Anne M. Sweeney and Philip H. Miller Pat Mirisch and Walter Mirisch Elaine D. Moskowitz and Irwin Moskowitz ’51 Cynthia Shaha ’73 and Philip Carr Neel ’73 Melanie Reynolds Norris ’75, JD David E. Norton ’44, ’66 Karla Noyola ’88 Jon T. O’Neal MFA ’04, MD Dauray T. Owens ’89 Seyem Petrites and Vincent P. Petrites Robert R. Pool MFA ’81 Judy Beth Pugach Monica Quintanilla ’04 Cenobia W. Quintanilla Judy Berkowitz Race ’81 and Louis S. Race Frank Eldridge Rehwaldt ’83 Michael Patrick Richards Arnold Rifkin Valerie M. Risner MFA ’04 Patti A. Riva Fred Reid Roos ’56 Gordon Jay Rose ’65, JD ’68 Jo Ann Roth and Leonard Jerome Roth ’57 Teresa Jo Sparks ’82, MFA ’85 and Pietro Scalia ’82, MFA ’85

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Kathleen Riquelme Quisenberry MA ’00 and John Quisenberry JD ’80 Sanbo S. Sakaguchi ’39 MD Alexandra Seros ’69 and Walter F. Ulloa Society for Cinephiles/Cinecon Christine Taylor and Benjamin Edward Stiller Barbra Streisand Foundation, Inc. Allison E. Thomas and Gary A. Ross Steven Van Bever Paula Wagner and Rick Nicita Aron Jack Warner ’83 Cynthia Yorkin and Bud Yorkin John Sacret Young

“Giving to the UCLA film program is a gift to me.”

POINT OF VIEW MAGAZINE • FALL 2006

Peter Guber, UCLA Producers Program

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DJ Audio Michael Douglas Rhonda Fleming Foundation Leslie W. Flesch and Michael B. Flesch ’70, JD ’73 Goethe Institute Los Angeles Sandy Goldman and Ronald D. Goldman Thomas M. Hansen JD Elizabeth Herman ’43 and Gunter Herman ’42 Arthur E. Hiller Tia Hoberman and David Hoberman Todd Holland ’83 and Scotch Ellis Loring Heather Ling Isroelit and Todd Isroelit Mark Allen Itkin ’75 and Bradley Bayou The Japan Foundation, Los Angeles JetBlue Airways Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall ’68 Allen Klein Gavin Lambert* Deborah Landis MFA ’75 and John Landis Jack Larson Lyn Lear and Norman Lear Linda Lee ’66 Barbara C. Ling Susan Lyne Alice Maltin and Leonard Maltin Ginny Mancini Scott Margolin Jeffery J. Masino Dean Mawdsley Lawrence A. Mirisch Ann Moss and Jerry Moss Jack Oakie and Victoria Horne Oakie Charitable Foundation Max Palevsky Diane C. Parriott and James D. Parriott MFA ’74

ENDOWMENTS The School and Archive are proud to present the full list of endowment funds that provide, in perpetuity, ongoing support for students, faculty and academic and public service programs.

The Dorothy and Carl Anderson Film Programming Endowment Army Archerd Scholarship in Theater, Film and Television Dorothy Arzner Memorial Award David C. Baumgarten Endowed Award in Acting David C. Baumgarten Endowed Award in Comedy Writing Antonio David Blanco Endowed Scholarship Gwen and Ray Bolger Musical Theater Fund Charles Boyer French Research Foundation Fund Dana and Albert R. Broccoli Charitable Foundation Scholarship in Memory of Robert J. Natol George Burns Dean’s Discretionary Fund George Burns and Gracie Allen Scholarship/Fellowship in Comedy Gilbert Cates Scholarship/Fellowship Columbia Motion Picture Research Collection Endowment Barbara Alice Cooper Dean’s Discretionary Fund Jerry M. Cox Memorial Award Carl David Memorial Fellowship in Film and Video Carl David Memorial Fund for Film Preservation Vincent E. DeFrances Scholarship in Animation Federico DeLaurentiis Memorial Award Hugh Downs Graduate Research Fellowship Hugh Downs “Performance for Television” Award Joseph W. Drown Award for Motion Picture Production Otis Ferguson Memorial Award in Critical Writing Fine Arts Trust Award

UCLA SCHOOL OF THEATER, FILM & TELEVISION • WWW.TFT.UCLA.EDU

Four Sisters Scholarship in Screenwriting, Directing, and Animation Ralph Freud Fellowship in Acting Georgia Frontiere Scholarship in memory of the humanitarian efforts of Aaron Curtis Taylor Stephen N. Gershenson Memorial Scholarship Frank Glicksman Memorial Scholarship Mark Trent Goldberg Memorial Endowment Fund in Musical Theater Ralph and Joan Goldwyn Newsreel Screening Endowment Arthur G. and Eleanor H. Haldane Endowment Fund Edna and Yu-Shan Han Endowed Award Fred Hayman Fund Hugh M. Herner Classic American Film Program Endowment Florence Theil Herrscher Award in Theater Arts Gerald Hughes Comedy Directing Fellowship Ion Pictures Endowed Scholarship Herman Kass Prizes in Motion Picture Production Edith Kopelson Memorial Fund Kovler Family Fellowship in Theater, Film and Television Teruko Kubota Memorial Scholarship Andrew J. Kuehn, Jr. Fund for Producing and Media Marketing Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme Scholarship Bill Lee Memorial Award Harold Leonard Fellowship Rouben Mamoulian Endowed Chairs in Film Directing and Theater Directing Dan McLaughlin Animation Fund Michael Minor and Robert Green Scholarship/Fellowship Jennifer Momtazee Memorial Scholarship Fund Jim Morrison Film Award Rita Morrison Film Award Motion Picture Association of America Award Franklin Murphy/Hallmark Hall of Fame Endowment Fund for Television Preservation National Actors’ Theatre Fellowship in Acting Jack Nicholson Distinguished Student Director Award Jack Nicholson Prize in Acting Jack Nicholson Prize in Screenwriting Kenneth T. and Eileen L. Norris Foundation Editing Suite Endowment in honor of Gene F. Martin Laura Pels Foundation Fellowship in Acting James Pendleton Foundation Prize Mary Pickford Award Plitt Southern Theater Employees Trust Fellowship Preservation Center Endowment Fund John Raitt and Rosemary Raitt Scholarship in Musical Theater Reach for the Stars Award Myra Teitelbaum Reinhard Preservation Center Endowment Gene Reynolds Scholarship Wayne Rogers Fund Jack K. Sauter Award

Carroll Sax Award in Motion Picture and Television Production Rebecca Schaeffer Memorial Scholarship in Acting School of Theater, Film and Television Fund The Ralph and Shirley Shapiro Discretionary Fund for the Chair/Department of Film, Television and Digital Media Jack Skirball Film Archive Fund Sony Pictures Film Preservation Fund Milton Sperling Fellowships for Excellence in Screenwriting Charles Speroni Memorial Award Judith and Milton R. Stark Scholarship Peter Stark Memorial Scholarship Streisand/Sony Fellowship Faith Surabian Memorial Scholarship in Theater John and Faith Surabian Award in Musical Theater John and Sharon Surabian Award in Musical Theater Aaron Curtis Taylor Memorial Scholarship TFT Fellowship in Acting Larry Thor Memorial Award UCLA Film & Television Archive Fund UCLA Producers Program Fund Rocco Viglietta Memorial Scholarship in Film Card Walker Motion Picture Fellowship Edie and Lew Wasserman Film Production Fellowship Edie and Lew Wasserman Geffen Playhouse Fund Clifton Webb Endowment Lynn Weston Fellowship in Film Women in Film Foundation/Verna Fields Memorial Fellowship Lew and Pamela Hunter/Jon and Janice Zakin Endowed Chair in Screenwriting

Please let us know of any omissions or errors in listing your name or gift by calling (310) 206-6154 or emailing at rsass@tft.ucla.edu.

Make a Gift Online.

Friends of TFT can now access up-to-the-minute information on the School’s needs, giving opportunities and corporate sponsorship and can make a gift online. Please visit www.tft. ucla.edu/give2tft.cfm

* Deceased

accolades

FILM, TELEVISION AND DIGITAL MEDIA Faculty/Staff Professor Hal Ackerman’s prize-winning short stories “Maidens” and “A Walk In The Park” were published in literary magazines this year.

In addition, his group of three poems “Elvis, Bob Dylan, The Ku Klux Klan and Me” will be published in Southeast Review this fall.

Professor Lew Hunter was honored with the Mary Riepma Ross Award in May at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The award, presented by Congressman Tom Osborne, pays tribute to film artists whose roots or artistic concerns are grounded in the Great Plains region, and whose life and work has contributed significantly to the art of cinema and national culture.

Professor Vivian Sobchack ’76, PhD, provides commentary on the recently released Warner Bros.’ Tough Guys DVD boxed set. Within the series, the Each Dawn I Die (1939) DVD includes commentary by Haden Guest PhD ’05.

Students Giacun Caduff created the International Box[ur]Shorts Film Festival which screens short films on LCD screens placed in artistically designed boxes. The audience can then screen the movies at different locations around the globe.

David Harris and the cast of his interactive advice column, How Do I Say This?

David Harris won a $25,000 grant from mtvU and Cisco Systems to develop an interactive peer-to-peer advice column project, How Do I Say This? The grant recognizes students pioneering the broadband content of tomorrow. Other Bruins involved in the project are: Amy Adrion, Jay Brevard, Ben Haaz, J.J. Kaye, Aaron Koblin, Michael McNeff, Vanessa Rojas, Dagmar Weaver-Madsen and Davey Whitcraft.

Patrick Perez is producing and directing new media content for the primetime soaps Desire and Fashion House as well as all future series for MyNetwork TV, the new Fox and 20th Television broadcast venture. Cinematographer Quyen Tran is working with Patrick on the promotional materials.

Qi Wang’s published articles include “Navigating on the Ruins: Space, Power and History in Contemporary Chinese Independent Documentaries,” Asian Cinema, Vol. 17, No. 1, Spring/Summer 2006 and “Who Is the Man with a Movie Camera? A discussion of the documentary Houjie Township,” in Ping Jie, ed. Reel China: A New Look at Contemporary Chinese Documentary, Shanghai: Wenhui Publishing House, March 2006.

Raul Cardenas directed the animation short Calaverita (Little Skull) in Mexico. The film has received awards at festivals in Mexico, Europe and South America.

Darren Guttenberg is the winner of the KNOWHIV/AIDS Paramount Pictures Screenplay Contest. In addition to a cash prize, he will be mentored at Paramount through the development and production of his short Black Book.

Amy Adrion, who’s film Surviving 7th Grade screened at the Tribecca Film Festival, with Festival Founder Robert De Niro.

Professor Michael Hackett with Carol F. Henry, president of the Los Angeles Opera and Plácido Domingo last fall.

(Story on page 24.)

UCLA SCHOOL OF THEATER, FILM & TELEVISION • WWW.TFT.UCLA.EDU

POINT OF VIEW MAGAZINE • FALL 2006

Professor John Caldwell ’83, PhD, authored the articles “Cultural Studies of Media Production,” for the book Questions of Method in Cultural Studies (Oxford: Blackwell Press, 2005), and “Critical Industrial Practice: ‘Branding and Re-purposing,’” for the journal Television and New Media (Sage Publishers, 2006).

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accolades

THEATER

Adjunct Assistant Professor Paul Wagar directed The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Abridged for the Ark Theatre Company this fall.

Faculty/Staff Professor Michael Hackett PhD presented Puccini: the Lover as Artist, featuring a conversation with Plácido Domingo, at the LA Opera last fall. This was the first of ten presentations by Michael focusing on the complete operas of Giacomo Puccini. In addition, he participated in the Mozart Festival in Salzburg, Austria last summer. (See photo on page 23.)

Visiting Professor Jonathan Deans was the sound designer for Love, the Cirque du Soleil show in Las Vegas, NV. Professor Sue-Ellen Case PhD was one of five recipients of this year’s prestigious Otto Rene Castillo Award for Political Theatre, which celebrates work that embraces humanistic and social concerns.

Students

“‘Shades of Grey:’ Articulations of Bisexuality in The L Word,” an article by Jennifer Moorman, is scheduled for publication in the forthcoming anthology Televising Queer Women.

Michael Vukadinovich and Rachel Brogan were finalists at the Eugene O’Neill playwriting competition for their plays titled Billboard and Nest respectively. Billboard is being produced off-Broadway.

POINT OF VIEW MAGAZINE • FALL 2006

BOOKSHELF

Victoria Ann Lewis, PhD ’00 edited the anthology Beyond Victims and Villains: Contemporary Plays by Disabled Playwrights (Theatre Communications Group, 2005). Her recent articles include: “Radical Wallflowers: Disability and the People’s Theater,” in Radical History Review, (Duke University Press, 2004) and “The Theatrical Landscape of Disability,” Disability Studies Quarterly, (Routledge, 2004).

J Frank McAdams MFA ’79 completed a series of lectures for Princess Cruises based on his book, The American War Film: History and Hollywood (Figueroa Press, 2005). In addition, Frank’s World War II novel, Treason’s Time will be published by Hakurosya Publishing. J Adjunct Professor Myrl Schreibman ’67, MFA ’69, authored The Film Director Prepares: A Complete Guide to Directing for Film & TV (Lone Eagle Publishing Company, 2006). J Professor Carol Fisher Sorgenfrei has co-authored the textbook Theatre Histories: An Introduction (Routledge, 2006). J Professor Howard Suber published The Power of Film (Michael Wiese Productions, 2006). J Professor Marina Goldovskaya authored the memoir Woman with a Movie Camera: My Life as a Russian Filmmaker (University of Texas Press, 2006). J

UCLA SCHOOL OF THEATER, FILM & TELEVISION • WWW.TFT.UCLA.EDU

The School has established a new online job bank for alumni.

If you are looking for a new gig, or need to fill positions on your latest production, be sure to visit www.tft.ucla.edu/ alumni/alumni_jobs

PhD student Connie Rapoo was chosen to participate in the African-New World Studies Program’s International Graduate Summer Seminar “Interrogating the African Diaspora” at Florida International University.

Professor Sue-Ellen Case

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ONLINE Job Bank

Larry Cedar MFA ’78 performed in the one-man show Billy Bishop Goes to War at the Colony Theatre, CA. He also starred in Reprise!’s My One And Only at UCLA’s Freud Playhouse.

1980s Catherine Busch-Johnston MFA ’81 produced and directed the series The Face of Wisdom: Stories of Elder and Spirit of the Trees, both of which ran on PBS. Her most recent work, Anchored in the Heart: Redeeming the Dark Feminine has made its way to Russia, Siberia and Prague.

Elizabeth Ince ’57

Elizabeth Ince ’57, M.A. ’63, began her career in the Theater Department’s musical Love Thy Coach with Carol Burnett ‘54. Her credits include Wings and the awardwinning films Public Access and Crazy Jones. She starred in the thriller Stitches and can be seen next in Nip/Tuck and in the music video Cut Chemist.

1970s Gil Jordan MA ’70 had a 15 year theatre career culminating with seven years as technical director at the La Mirada Civic Theatre, CA. He is now executive director of the Northwest Montana Historical Society and the Museum at Central School in Kalispell preserving and presenting local history.

Trish Buttrill ’79, MFA ’81, teaches high school drama classes and directs school productions. She received San Jose Unified School District “Teacher of the Year,” Silicon Valley Legends & Leaders Educator of the Year and the Anti-Defamation League’s IDEA awards.

Glenn Gaylord ’83 has been producing and directing documentaries such as Camp Michael Jackson, Queer Eye for the Straight Girl: Special Meet the Gal Pals Behind the Scenes, Party/Party: Gay Weddings, Living a Lie and most recently Show Choir. Prior to this, Glenn wrote, directed and produced the award-winning shorts Boychick and Lost Cause.

Gail Willumsen ’79, MFA ’84, was nominated for a News and Documentary Emmy for Delivering the Goods, a film about groundbreaking health programs in Thailand, Bangladesh, the Gambia and Chad.

The show was one of six episodes in

Mike Shkolnik ’85 has completed The Inedible Bulk, the epic origin story of Broccoli Man. Mike wrote, produced, directed, acted and sculpted the mask.

The film has played in the festival circuit and is intended as a TV pilot.

Broccoli Man has appeared on The Food Network and has met President George W. Bush and Jesse Ventura.

Janna Gelfand ’86 was the recipient of the 2004 Outstanding Screenwriting Instructor of the Year Award from UCLA Extension.

She has been a NEA judge for film and video grants and has done script consultant work for HBO on award-winning miniseries such as The Corner and Band of Brothers.

Mike Shkolnik ’85

Janna Gelfand ’86

Stewart Wade MFA ’87 wrote and directed Coffee Date, his first feature comedy. The film premiered at NewFest and other festivals around the country, including Outfest in Los Angeles. Outfest has named Stewart one of its Five in Focus first-time feature film directors.

G. Marq Roswell ’71 has been a music supervisor for more than 20 years for films such as Casanova, An Unfinished Life and Dawn of the Dead.

The play Help!, written and directed by Charles David Brooks, III ’74, MFA ’76, recounts the feelings of Black Americans who survived Hurricane Katrina. Brooks also wrote and directed Help!: The Storytelling of Bondage, Oppression and Refugees.

WGBH’s series Rx for Survival: A Global Health Challenge, which received an Emmy nomination for Best Informational Programming – Long Form.

1990s

Gail Willumsen ’79, MFA ’84

Donald Fried ’90 has stage managed several Broadway and Off-Broadway shows such as The Producers, A Raisin In The Sun, and Billy Crystal’s 700 Sundays. He is currently the assistant stage manager alongside fellow alums John Rando MFA ’88 (director)

UCLA SCHOOL OF THEATER, FILM & TELEVISION • WWW.TFT.UCLA.EDU

POINT OF VIEW MAGAZINE • FALL 2006

CLASS NOTES

1960s

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CLASS NOTES

Tammy Caplan ’93 directed and co-wrote the film Fartman: Caught in a Tight Ass which appeared on Howard Stern’s In Demand channel, Howard TV. Lori Friedlander ’93 starred in Neil Simon’s California Suite at the Raven Playhouse in North Hollywood, CA last summer.

Jonathan Bourne ’94 wrote for Nick Cannon’s improv competition show Wild ‘N Out. He was also the head writer for CBS’s Gameshow Marathon and ABC’s upcoming Set For Life.

and Jen Regaon (understudy) on the new comedy by Greg Kotis called Pig Farm at The Roundabout Theatre Company.

Christopher Chomyn MFA ’90 was the cinematographer on the 2005 film Sea of Dreams, starring Sonia Braga and Angelica Houston.

POINT OF VIEW MAGAZINE • FALL 2006

Robin Russin MFA ’91 was part of a National Endowment for the Humanities Institute entitled “Venice, the Jews, and Italian Culture: Historical Eras and Cultural Representations.” He also optioned two screenplays, an actioner and a murder mystery involving Leonardo da Vinci.

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Talk follows the eye-opening journey of a couple forced to confront the topic of HIV/ AIDS testing in the midst of a burgeoning relationship.

Pig Farm, a comedy directed by John Rando MFA ’88

Bob Jones MFA ’91 finished his new film Fetus Fetish, a comedy about alien abduction which has won several awards.

Michelle Lynne Coons ’97

Christopher Chomyn ’90

The Broken Code, written by David Baxter MFA ’97, is set to be directed by Peter Bogdanovich. The first project from the Tribeca/Sloan Development program to be fully funded, The Broken Code is a biopic about unsung scientist Rosalind Franklin.

Let’s Talk, a film directed by Michelle Lynne Coons ’97 and shot by Jason Inouye ’97, aired on BET last summer. Winner of BET’s Rap-It-Up Black AIDS Short Subject Film Competition in 2005, Let’s

Teressa Byrne ’92 starred in the world premiere of American Klezmer at the Egyptian Arena Theatre, CA last winter. She sang with tenor Peter Girardot and “popera” star Krassimir last spring. Teressa also starred in The Sound of Music at the Hollywood Bowl, CA last summer.

Teressa Byrne ’92

UCLA SCHOOL OF THEATER, FILM & TELEVISION • WWW.TFT.UCLA.EDU

Jason Inouye ’97 shot a Black Eyed Peas music video called “Bebot” from the multiplatinum selling album Monkey Business.

He also shot American Fusion. The film, written and directed by Frank Lin ’97, was the recipient of the Audience Award at the Hawaii International Film Festival.

In addition, Jason won a cinematography award at the Long Island International Film Festival for the movie The Duel.

Molly Gee ’99 is the recipient of a 2006 Telly Award for Lighting the PBS show Parents’ Survival Guide. The two part pilot was produced and shot at KTEH-TV (PBS) in San Jose, CA where she is currently the assistant production manager.

2000s Matthew Solomon PhD ’01 presented a paper, “Transnational Magic: Theatrical Orientalism and the Trick Film,” at the DOMITOR Conference of the International Association for the Study of Early Cinema, at the University of Michigan last summer. He is the curator of the series “Magic and Cinema” for the Pordenone Silent Film Festival, Le Giornate del Cinema Muto, to be held in Sacile, Italy this fall.

Tammy Nguyen Lee MFA ’04 signed on to represent commercial production company Sugar Film Production, based in Dallas, Texas. She is producing/directing Operation Babylift: The Lost Children of Vietnam, a documentary funded by the UCLA Mickey Dude Fellowship.

Maria Rosenblum MFA ’05 and Samantha Davidson Green MFA ’05

Dead End Job, a film by Samantha Davidson Green MFA ’05 and produced by Maria Rosenblum MFA ’05 won the “Best Student Visionary Award” at the Tribeca Film Festival 2006.

Chris Kyle MFA ’05 sold an animated pitch to Universal and was hired by DisneyToons Studio to write a prequel to The Little Mermaid for its Disney Princess line.

Giovanni Ortega MFA ’04

Giovanni Ortega MFA ’04 starred in the The Odyssey at the Geffen Playhouse, CA. He will be seen in Dogeaters at the Kirk Douglas Theater next winter. Giovanni can be seen next in Clint Eastwood’s film Red Sun, Black Sand and in Nancy Kwan’s film Ray of Sunshine.

David Quantic MFA ’04 screened his short comedy Heart at Outfest. This is the third in a series that started two years ago with Eargasm and continued with last year’s Push It.

Sharon Wezelman ’05 has been awarded a full tuition waiver and the Asian Theatre Research Graduate Assistantship at the University of Hawaii at Manoa where she begins the Asian Performance MFA Directing Program this fall.

Meg Friedman ’06 is the stage management production assistant for The Light in the Piazza national tour which will be playing at the Ahmanson Theatre this fall.

Kim Weisberg ’06 will begin an internship with Berkeley Repertory Theatre, CA, in the Literary/Dramaturgy department this fall.

Jesse Carrion ’05 co-starred on NBC’s Windfall and the film Lock-down Club. Jesse had the lead role in the new Latin musical/dance drama Possession: The Legend of El Rojo. He starred in the original play Boarders, which is being adapted into a pilot.

Lisa Kernan PhD ’00, librarian for film, tele­ vision and theater in the UCLA Arts Library, died June 25 at her home in Los Angeles.

Kernan was a recog­ nized expert on the motion picture trailer: Awarded a PhD by TFT in 2000, her dis­s er­ tation was published in 2004 as Coming Attrac­t ions: Reading American Movie Trail­ ers (Texas). “Movie trailers are a unique form of cinema; they’re ads for films, yet they’re also little films themselves,” she said, increasingly important because of “the crucial role that marketing plays in the ways meanings are produced within popular film.” Kernan had wide experience as a film librarian. She worked in the photography department at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York while earning an MS with honors in library science at Columbia, and when she moved to San Francisco in 1983 she took a job as the film librarian for Lucasfilm, Ltd. while working toward an MA in film studies from San Francisco State.

She came to Los Angeles in 1991 to take up a fellowship at the UCLA Film & Televi­ sion Archive, and remained as a teaching fellow at UCLA through 1996. During 199698 she was the chief librarian and archivist for Warner Bros. Feature Animation, before accepting the film, television and theater post at the UCLA Arts Library. J Peter Fuller MFA ’02 died in September at age 39. A native of Saratoga, CA, Fuller was working as an editor on California Indian, a feature film directed by Tim Ramos and star­ ring Gary Farmer. Living in Venice, CA, Peter was writing screenplays and working as an assistant editor on several television spe­ cials. A distinguishing feature of Peter’s was extensive tattoo art of his muscular system that covered his limbs. The design by Peter’s favorite artist H.R. Giger was later memorial­ ized with photos of Peter and the artwork in the Giger museum in Switzerland. J

Jesse Carrion ’05 at center holding slate

UCLA SCHOOL OF THEATER, FILM & TELEVISION • WWW.TFT.UCLA.EDU

POINT OF VIEW MAGAZINE • FALL 2006

Mary Martin ’04 is executive producing The Jason McElwain Story along with Magic Johnson for Columbia Pictures. The true story concerns an autistic teenager who became an international media sensation after hitting six three-pointers in the final minutes of a high school game. Laura Ziskin is producing through her Sony-based shingle.

IN MEMORY

27

SCHOOL’S EXECUTIVE BOARD Steven Bochco Francis Ford Coppola MFA ’67 Moctesuma Esparza ’71, MFA ’73 Peter Guber JD Reginald Hudlin Curtis Hanson

Philip Kent Harlan P. Kleiman Frank Marshall ’68 Ron Meyer Amy Pascal ’81 Cecilia DeMille Presley Joe Roth Martin Scorsese

Brad Silberling MFA ’67 Harry Evans Sloan ’71, JD Darren Star ’83 Gore Verbinski ’87 Paula Wagner Rita Wilson Richard Wolpert ’85 Jonathan Zakin JD

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