Film & Media

“Film” by Marcos Guevara Rivera

Table of Contents

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A Dive into Everything Film

12 14 Film & Media | 4

Percentage of Box Office Revenue from Franchise Films

The Wonderful World of Screenwriting

“Film” by Marcos Guevara Rivera

6

Letter From the Editors

“DragonCon 2011 - Costuming Fashion Show” by madmarv00

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Which Book to Movie Adaptation Should you Watch?

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Who Cares about Costume Design?

Women’s Film and Fashion over the Ages Film & Media | 5

Meet the Editors Mikah is a LASA student with a passion for design. He plans to go to college to become an architect or an urban planner. He likes to read and relax. His favorite type of bread is pumpkin bread.

Kai is an easy going person who will let nothing stop them in the way of fun. They like to write and draw. They are interested in a possible career in marine biology and living a comfortable life after graduation from college. Kai’s main goal of EZine was to “create an essay that [they wouldn’t] look back at and cringe.” Their favorite type of bread is garlic bread.

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Meadow is a LASA freshman who is very interested in fashion, and who’s hobbies include dance, something she’s been passionate about for many years. Meadow wanted to research and write something about fashion; the changes throughout history, how it’s been impacted by film, and conversely how fashion has impacted film. After graduating, Meadow is interested in taking a gap year to discover the world. She lived in Washington D.C until moving to Austin, TX a few years ago. Her favorite kind of bread is baguettes.

Maxine is a freshman at Lasa High School.

She is really interested in fashion, and buys a lot of her clothing from vintage or thrift stores. This inspired her to cover the environmental aspect of fashion for her feature story. After high school, Maxine wants to take a year abroad to travel and gain more experience in the world, and wants to eventually have a job relating to the environment. Outside of school, Maxine enjoys playing tennis and doing art. Her favorite type of bread is sourdough.

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How T.V. and Movies Impact the Everyday Viewer

By Mikah Muhaisen You are walking through the multiplex, down the hallway past all the other theaters. You can hear the noise from the popcorn machine, a faint popping followed by a buttery, delicious smell. A box of Mike & Ike’s is shaking in your hand as you walk. You turn the corner and see your theater. Your heart is beating with anticipation of the story to come. You find your seat, the perfect one, and sit down.

The lights dim, and the movie comes on screen.

Josh Kupecki is a reviewer for the Austin Chronicle. He has been

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working with them for nine plus years and during his time, he has worked on a number of short films.

He says people can understand film deeply, even if they don’t work in the industry.

“I think, for people who do work in [film], there’s a deeper understanding of what it took, to get something made or to have those things but, I don’t think you need to be able to have that deep understanding.” Kupecki said.

Jazmyne Moreno has been a film programmer for the Austin Film Society since last September, but

“Alamo Drafthouse marquee” by BruceTurner

A Dive Into Everything Film

has been working with them as a freelancer for a few years.

“There are film lovers in all different ways and capacities” Moreno said, “You don’t have to make film to be able to enjoy film and to understand it and value it.”

However, both Moreno and Kupecki agreed that filmmakers have a different understanding than general audiences or film enthusiasts, to an extent. “​​It’s a different understanding.

You understand how something is made, but you don’t understand it anymore, its emotional impact” Moreno said. “I think it gives you a great understanding of why someone made that cut, or how someone got that shot, but it doesn’t help you to have a greater emotional impact. It can sometimes strip the media of its magic.”

“Just coming out of it fresh and not knowing much about everything, then I think sometimes

“AMC theatre concession area” by Tojosan

that can be reactive.” Said Kupecki.

Moreno believes that film is subjective and is different from person to person. People experience film in their own ways.

“I’ve always said It doesn’t really matter what the filmmaker intends, because their work is going to be interpreted on a very personal level by the individual.” Moreno said.

“You want to be kinda bowled over by a film. You want to feel like you are sitting in the front row, even if you’re not in the theater. You want that level of excitement and that interest and that intrigue and that you want to be hit with emotion, so something that has an emotional impact on you makes a good film. [...] What is good to me is not always good to other people.”

Kupecki agreed, stating that enjoying film is subjective, and shared some of his tastes.

“I think a narrative film has to have a good structure to it. Good structure and pacing, but those are my personal tastes,” said Kupecki, “I enjoy films that are kind of like, take me out, take me, show me something that I haven’t seen before.

something, and then they turn that into a number and then that number gets accumulated in the average percentage, and then that’s what people look at to decide on whether something is as a value or not as good, I think that’s a horrible way to think about things.” Kupecki said.

Moreno had a different point of view on online rating sites.

She said people didn’t give much consideration to them.

“I think IMDB has no impact on anyone’s opinion, but I’ll say some

Something that connects with you is a good film. What is good to me is not always good to other people.

-Josh Kupecki

When asked about how online movie rating sites impact viewers’ perceptions of films Kupecki had an issue.

“They are affected and I don’t think it’s a good thing. I think that when those kinds of ratings it turns someone who’s writing about it, or you know, a user who’s putting in a paragraph review of

people do look at those things when they are making a choice. If a movie ticket costs 16 dollars, are you going to pay 16 dollars to see something that is not very good?

Probably not. No one wants to waste two hours in a theater for a bad time or a mediocre time.” said Moreno.

Disregard percentages and scores

on online sites. There could be only a few people who actually reviewed Kupecki said.

“It’s not like an individual thing to be to be looked at. Discard it’s 90% on Rotten Tomato, it doesn’t even matter, because it could be 90%, or 100%, on Rotten Tomato, because only three people reviewed it, and they really loved it.” Kupecki said.

“I think it’s not the greatest thing in the world. And I think you lose a lot of good, like, people who are writing about movies. And that is just not necessarily having to put a degree of like, eight out of 10, or three out of five stars or putting those like things on it. [...] It’s more about having that conversation about the movies than actually just sticking something on there.”

Franchises are what make money in Hollywood now, Kupecki said.

The studios need to make money in some form, that’s why they do it.

“I think there’s an uptick in studios continuing to make them because it’s very easy for them to recoup their money. Look at the Fast and the Furious, how many, are they up to nine, right, I think.

And that’s like, I mean, that shows no sign of stopping, because it’s Film & Media | 9

a great film for under a million dollars, I think you can make a great film for, you know, one hundred and fifty million dollars.

And vice versa, you can make a horrible film.”

Moreno went a little deeper on the subject.

“Money can’t buy you good takes.

There’s definitely a bunch of films, very very pricy films, but they’re not particularly good. They may look great because they have a number of people involved that have a great deal of talent and money poured into them, but all you have to do is look at stuff like Fantastic Four that came out a few years ago, not a very good film.”

Moreno said.

So long as you have an interesting story people will watch. It doesn’t matter your props or location Kupecki said.

“As long as the work you’re doing is telling a compelling story, and people are responding to it. I don’t think that you have to have that shot on top of a skyscraper as opposed to in someone’s backyard.”

Kupecki said.

More money and people working on the project could even be worse as an inefficient structure could jumble a film.

“Despite however much money is put into whatever projects, you are left with a lot of names of people handing off things. You maybe don’t have a clear vision on some of those films either. Sometimes more money just leads to more issues.” said Moreno.

Overall, film is a complicated subject and varies from person to person. As any art is, Film has many different variations and is subjective.

“AMC Empire Movie Theater 2568” by Brechtbug

a movie. A continuing story or characters can sometimes be relaxing to us.

“Franchises create audience expectations, and they set expectations, and people want to be entertained. However, usually, that entertainment comes at a cost. You’re often seeing the same story over and over again. Whether it’s someone’s origin story that we just saw three years ago, or it’s sort of the same story or the same continuation of the story, characters aren’t changing very much.” Moreno added, “I think if anything it’s not just franchise films, I think it’s all sorts of media really. It’s all just content now. We just want more content, we just want to be entertained, and I think it’s just not challenging people.”

When making all this money, studios usually reinvest into other films. However, Moreno and Kupecki agree that the budget of a film does not reflect quality.

“I think money does not equal quality at all. I think a movie can be pretty because they spend a lot of money on it, but it could be a really bad movie. So I think that you can make you know, you could make it probably a pretty fascinating film very cheaply.” Kupecki said. “I do not think that but Budget equals quality. I think you can make

“Movie Theater” by roeyahram

a very easy way for them to just continue to make money.” Kupeci said, “And that’s what I mean, that literally is what Hollywood is, it’s a business.”

Moreno agreed with that note.

She says that because major studios have bills to pay, and want money, they make franchise films to do so. “[Movie studios] want to focus on profit. You have to focus on profit, you’ve got a bottom line. A lot of films that are coming out now are known entities in one way or another. You’ve got a known value to that. Whether it’s an adaptation, whether it’s a fifth, sixth, or seventh installment in a series, having that known quantity is very important to audiences. As an audience member, most people won’t want to take a risk on something they won’t know to be good, to have a good time. It works both ways.

Audiences are less adventurous and studios are less adventurous because they don’t want to take the risk of failure.” Moreno said, “It’s not that I think Hollywood is bankrupt with ideas, like a lot of people think, I just think that they don’t want to try them.”

Audiences get an idea about a franchise and expectations and sometimes just want to turn their brains off and be entertained by

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The Percentage of Box Office Revenue from Franchise Films

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Percentage of Franchise Films

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Created by Mikah Muhaisen

Over the past twenty or so years, at least before Covid took over our world, the box office earnings of franchises, compared to non franchises, have increased dramatically. As major film studios started realizing making sequels was profitable and popular, they produced more franchises to make more money and cut their losses.

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Data Courtesy of franchisere.biz Film & Media | 12

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2021 Box Office Revenue

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2020 Film & Media | 13

How Scripts Are Made The Ins and Outs of Writing Scripts By: Kai Henry

You’ve been writing for years to get to this moment. After revision upon revision, months in writers rooms barely sleeping, thinking of words and jokes until your head feels ready to burst, you have finally gotten to this moment. Your team’s first completed script. It’s packed with dialogue, action, heart and enough dramatic eyerolls and sighs to make even the most cheerful demeanor the sarcastic bad boy in the blink of an eye. You handed it off for recording a few weeks ago and now it’s on the screen in front of your eyes. This is it.

One of the most important things in a movie or show, just as much as the cinematography and acting, is the script. Scripts are basically the story, every action, stage direction, and quote is written down in the script by a genius writing team, working hard to make their ideas come to life. Imagine a book without words. That would be a show without the script.

Scripts dictate what the actors say and do,

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“Everyday I was like, ‘Ah, I get to go to work today!’.

I was always just really excited to get up and go to work.”

- Katherine Craft, writer and professor

making them sort of like the skeleton of the piece.

Without a good script, your movie could end up a flop, left to be mocked by polite society and ridiculed upon the mere mention of the title. Cheesy lines, awkward wording, and boring dialogue can hurt a movie more than flat delivery. On the flipside, a good script can make the characters all the more real and moving, making the story a thousand times better. Making up this skeletal structure are teams of writers, getting up, going to the studio, and planning out new things with their co-workers every day. And that’s the fun part about it!

Katherine Craft is a script writer and a professor at UT. She has written many episodic works for Apple TV as well as a few short films like June and Charlotte and Charlie. I was able to meet with her over Zoom for an interview a few months ago and she had a lot to say on the ups and downs of writing scripts.

“I worked on an Apple TV show last year and the writer’s room for that show was just, really fun,” said Craft, “I just really enjoyed it. It was a comedy so everyone was really funny and there was a lot of joking and everyone was really nice. So, it was just a lot of fun. Everyday I was like, ‘Ah, I get to go to work today!’. I was always just really excited to get up and go to work.”

But scriptwriting is not all sunshine and lollipops. There are hard parts of any job and this one is no exception. For one thing it’s a really vulnerable job, you have to sort of put yourself into the script, just like any creative job. Even if the aim of the artist is to reveal beautiful things one cannot help to reflect themselves in their creations. This is but one issue in the practice, however. Another difficult part is just getting started.

Cynthia McCreery is a scriptwriter and Film & Media | 15

You’ll rattle the stars you will.

Toto, we’re not in Kanasas anymore....

May the force be with you.

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teacher at UT, just like Craft. Her expertise in the matter is also personal, and she has written an abundance of things for TV and film, even writing some for Disney. One thing that she told me during her interview is that the hardest thing for her while writing films was simply starting writing.

McCreery said, “It’s always hard for me to get started - writing the outline. Once I have the story figured out it’s fun and exciting to write the draft. [...] It can also be difficult getting notes and having to address notes, especially when you’ve been hired to write the script.”

Even after you think you’re done though, there’s still more to do. Editing is a major part of the writing process, perhaps as much or more than the writing itself. After the script is written, there’s much to change no matter how good the script seems. The script needs millions of tiny little, microscopic even, revisions to really make it really shine.

One person who talked with me about this aspect of the process was Van Ditthavong of GoPOP films. Ditthavong has much experience directing and writing and doing a thousand other things to make films shine. He has written quite a few short films such as This is Dominica and You’re There in the Sun Let Go. He mentioned the small edits first thing when I asked about the difficulties of script writing.

Scriptwriting is still an extremely important and fun job despite its difficulties whether you go into teaching or just writing. The job can be vulnerable and tiresome but it’s all worth it to see everything come together for some.

You can see your words coming out of someone else’s mouth, like writing a book but immediately getting a play made out of it. You can also get to work with amazing people every day and get appreciation for your hard work. They might even give you free donuts for a job well done!

Our fast paced world is being filled with entertainment as I write this piece. Shows are filling up to watch lists faster and faster, movies are going into theaters at breakneck speed and all of these pieces have scripts and writers behind them. So, maybe the next time you watch something, think of the person behind it. For every soliloquy that brings a tear to your eye, for every gag that makes you laugh out loud, every beautifully crafted scene with dialogue that tugs at your heartstrings, a team made that for you. Look for them in the credits. They’ll be right there waiting for you to notice them.

“Once you finish the first draft your work has just begun,” said Ditthavong, “as they say, ‘writing is rewriting’” Another viable path to pursue in the career of screenplay is in teaching. Two out of three of the people I interviewed were teachers as well as scriptwriters. There are tons of teaching jobs in the industry and just like with other creative teaching jobs, they can be oceans of fun. Activities are diverse, ranging from watching shows for ideas to simple creative writing exercises. Both Craft and McCreery told me of the fun of having students and watching them approach things and learning from that.

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Which Book to Movie Adaptation Should You Watch?

By: Kai Henry

Everybody likes a good movie! Especially when it’s an adaptation of a beloved book! Even though not all adaptations are good, you should definitely give some a try. Will you end up drawn in by the 1920’s splendor of The Great Gatsby or will you end up doomed to watch the Percy Jackson movies and cry? Play at your own risk!!

Question One: Out of these, what is your favorite dessert?

A. Hummingbird cake B. Blue oatmeal cream pies C. Treacle tart D. Gold plated truffles

Question Two: Where would you want to go on vacation?

A. Georgia (the state) B. The beach C. The forest D. New York City

Question Three: What would you get as a pet?

A. Scarlet Macaw B. Hydra C. A black dog D. No pets. I’m too fabulous.

Question Four: What's your favorite era of history?

A. Pre Civil war America B. Ancient Greece C. 1990’s Britian D. The Roaring Twenties

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Question Five: If you could have any super power, what would it be?

A. Healing powers B. Water gun fingers C. Invisibility D. Money, and lots of it

Question Six: What's your favorite book?

A. All Quiet on the Western Front B. Harry Potter C. Keeper of the Lost Cities D. Romeo and Juliet

Question Seven: What is your favorite drink?

A. Water from a babbling brook B. Virgin Piña Colada C. Sparkling water D. Non alcholic champagne and money

If you selected mostly A’s....

You should watch Gone With the Wind! You are caring and really enjoy a classic. Don’t do war, kids.

If you selected mostly B’s....

You should watch the Percy Jackson Movies! You like the ocean and you like interesting food choices! You probably don’t deserve to suffer and I am very sorry.

If you selected mostly C’s....

You should watch the Harry Potter movies! Even though JK Rowling is a sucky person, you still like magic and Harry Potter certainly has that! Just remember to donate to your local trans person (probably me) to spite the creator!

If you selected mostly D’s....

You should watch The Great Gatsby! Now, I hear you asking, which one? The answer is BOTH! Watch both of the Great Gatsby movies and realize that money can never bring you happiness and the American Dream is a lie! GET OVER YOUR EX ALREADY!

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Who Cares About Fashion Design?

The Process of Costume Design and who it Affects

by Meadow Petusky Lights, camera, action! Behind the sets of a movie, sewing machines whir, cameras click, and directors shout to keep everyone going. Various teams work together to complete every aspect needed to create the final product. Everything happening is crucial to the film, and is all leading up to the day the movie premiers, releasing it to the public audience.

Since the start of filmmaking, films have had an incredibly immense impact on pop culture. From creating new trends and inspiring individuals to increasing our basic knowledge of the world. Although movies reflect on our society, our society can also reflect on movies. Films are created for a specific audience, but the films themselves can reflect on us as people, changing certain things in our vocabulary, the way we dress, and the way we do certain tasks.

Miranda de Pencier is a director, producer, and actress. She has produced a multitude of films and tv series, including Anne with an E, the Grizzlies, and the Beginners.

She explains that to understand the influence of a film, you need to understand the process.

and planning a television series,” she explains. de Pencier lists all the tasks, including figuring out the money, the script, and how it will translate to locations. She lists production design, costumes, stunts, schedule, and how you will shoot it. “And then, of course, there is one of the fun parts,” she says. “Casting and determining who is right for a role.”

The actors are not the only ones who have to audition for a role.

Costume designers similarly have to ‘audition’ for a spot on the team.

They are judged very strictly based on what the filmmakers want to see in their designers as certain designers can excel in certain scenarios such as the one they would be filming.

“When we look out for costume designers we send out a script to many different costume designers [who] will bring a portfolio of their work, but if they’ve read the script in advance they will often bring along a presentation specific to that script.” de Pencier said.

“There is a lot that goes into- as you can imagine- planning a movie In these interviews, the designFilm & Media | 20

“I love the detail and specifics when it comes to this kind of art because it just makes it better when you’re thinking on that

er brings in their interpretations of the costumes based off of the script they are given. The directors and producers will then evaluate which person had the best idea for the show’s vision.

“When we were looking for a costume designer for ‘Anne with an E’, we met with about 10 costume designers, and they all brought in

images of 1898 life in Canada. So, we got to see their ideas for what fabrics they would go for and what sort of looks they would go for.” said de Pencier.

Once hired, the designers immediately take the script and break it down in order to find all the costumes they need to make and find, and how much it’ll cost in order to report it to whoever’s in charge of finance. de Pencier said, “Then once they get the job, once we decide who feels like the best fit, due to their work and their personality and a sense of kind of a mutual understanding of the creativity of it, then they will go and start to break down that script and list all the costumes they need to make, reproduce, or find at a rental place.

And that itself is a huge process.”

deeper level. You get to immerse yourself in their world.”

- de Pencier

Costume design is particular to each film or show it is made for and has much significance based on the settings and characters of the show. De Pencier explains that when creating a wardrobe, or even a set and music soundtrack, there is little thought into how the audience will interpret the product.

Through this, a sort of authenticity is created by said film.

“A place where people consider the audience is in advertising, but in my mind, with good art, creators should not be thinking about the audience,” she said. “When you see bad costumes, or bad sets or props, it pulls you out. You’re like ‘they would never wear that’ or ‘why did she just get out of the water but she has makeup on’. That makes it feel unreal. But when it’s real, we’re so much more immersed. To

me, nothing matters more about costume design or any other kind of design than if I feel it. I want to be changed emotionally.”

De Pencier explains that when she worked on the movie “The Beginners” in 2010, the strong sense of style it had carried over to the audience.

“It is partially because the director is also a graphic designer, so there is an excellent use of graphics.

However, you will see a vibe in all the costumes that’s a certain kind of California, Boho aesthetic.

I would say it was influenced by the time, but it also influenced the time.”

Additionally, de Pencier remarks on how even the wardrobe of Anne with an E, a show set in the 1800s, became an inspiration for many fans of the show.

“When the very first season of Anna of Green Gables came out it was a big hit. And then there was a company that started making these kinds of high collared, puffed sleeve blouses, and everyone started wearing them. It was very obviously from the 1890s, early 1900 period. But suddenly, people were wearing those shirts with skirts and jeans in our time,” said de Pencier.

This happens with many mediums of film set in the past and contributes to the repeating cycle of fashion trends.

“I think sometimes those old looks come back. A big movie will come out, and there’ll be a pair of sunglasses from the 70s or something in the movie, and then all of a Film & Media | 21

sudden everyone’s wearing it in the world,” said de Pencier.

Katherine Fuller, a professor at the University of Texas in Austin, has researched these effects on society from media throughout history.

She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses on topics such as the development of film and media throughout history and has written various books regarding these topics.

Fuller states that costumes are one of the first things we notice, and people take inspiration from what they see shown on the screen.

“When movies are shown on the big screen, interesting costumes or fashions appear more appealing because they’re large, and we’re in a darkened theater, and we’re paying attention to it. The fashions might be worn by really interesting actors or stars who people already

sort of want to be like, or model ourselves after,” said Fuller.

People have been influenced by what they see worn on the big screens throughout the entire history of film. In the 1930s, mothers were inspired by the child actress Shirley Temple.

“Mothers everywhere were so fond of Shirley that if they had a little daughter, they would try to put her

Dresses from Marie Antoinette, Exhibition Scuderie Aldobrandini, Frascati, Italy Film & Media | 22

hair in the same pin curls, and you could buy Shirley Temple branded dresses, as well as Shirley Temple dolls wearing the same movie dresses,” says Fuller.

Another noteworthy film was the 1968 gangster flick, Bonnie and Clyde: “A single movie that started a huge fashion trend was the 1968 film Bonnie and Clyde,” said Fuller.

“They made it in ‘68, but they set it in the 1930s. The costume designer, Theadora Van Runkle, did a really great job of melding interesting aspects of 1930 fashion. Bonnie and Clyde fashion suddenly became a huge trend just because of this movie. Guys were wearing pinstripe suits and big hats and women were wearing belts and long skirts and things like that.”

In the past, movies have not only influenced fashion, but lifestyles and even gender stereotypes.

“Suddenly you started to see these attractive young actresses portrayed in the movies who weren’t just sitting on couches like Victorian women did. They got up, they played tennis, went to parties and danced, went to amusement parks and played on the rides. And so they really helped popularize the sort of the shorter skirts, and lack of undergarments, because before

then, Victorian women were really constrictive,” says Fuller.

“If the clothes do a great job, and if the costumes do a great job, either if they’re contemporary or regular type fashions, they work to the narrative,” Fuller explained. “If they really hit those sort of punctured sentimentality or excitement of a film, it would create a huge impact. Fashion designers pay attention to movies, and movie designers pay attention to fashion.”

For decades, there has been a significant connection between the movie industry and the fashion industry, what we see in films, and how that influences our choices.

There are countless examples of times when movies have influenced trends. This is even happening nowadays and can especially be seen in shows like “Euphoria”, which bring popularity to various styles of clothes and makeup. In this era of social media, trends are constantly starting and changing, spreading like digital wildfire, and influencing our day-to-day lives.

In the future, the effects of the content we are exposed to will only increase, becoming more apparent and influential.

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1950s Marilyn monroe(shown), tea dresses, swing coats

1960s Audrey Hepburn(shown), kitten heels, pearls, shapeless dresses

1970s

Farrah Fawcett(shown), platform boots, bellbottom jeans, jumpsuits

Women’s Film and Fashion over the ages

the connection fashion and film have had with each other for decades Film & Media | 24

by Meadow Petusky

1980s

Michelle Pfeiffer(shown), Molly Ringwald(not shown) cuffed jeans, thick belts, suit jackets, shoulder pads

1990s

Angelina Jolie (shown), alicia silverstone and Jennifer Aniston (both not shown, but very influencial) Mila Kunis(shown), corset tops, plaid skirts and trucker hats, juicy couture, clothing, “hip-hop style” tube tops, low waisted bottoms

2000s

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