the guide FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014
Beyond the Gates Sketches of life after Georgetown reveal possibilities and challenges ahead JESS KELHAM-HOHLER Hoya Staff Writer
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t least once a year, Georgetown students can be found camped outside Healy Hall at 4:30 in the morning, waiting for admission to listen to world leaders, members of the cabinet or one of the Clintons. Resumes are lined with internships from Wall Street and major consulting groups. Suits are kept ready for pre-professional networking events. This attitude reflects Georgetown students’ academic paths — and their plans post-graduation. While the plurality of graduates goes into consulting, many follow less traditional paths, whether or not through their own volition. From struggling to find full time-employment to dropping ambitions of becoming a doctor to pursue acting, three recent graduates and a current senior share their experiences of taking on the world outside of Georgetown.
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THIS WEEK LIFESTYLE
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT FEATURE
Behind Solomon’s Story Screenwriter John Ridley discusses the making of ‘12 Years a Slave’ JOSEPH KUPERSCHMIDT Hoya Staff Writer
From Wall Street to Writing
Writer Mélanie Berliet (COL ’03) is making a living in NYC through her work on both professional and personal pieces. B2
Fanning the Flame
The Fire This Time, an online student-run publication, explores and celebrates the multicultural college experience. B4
FOOD & DRINK
Irish Indulgences
Rí Rá, M Street’s newest pub, features classic, hearty Irish dishes as well as a wide selection of delicious brews. B5
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
New Album, New Sound
Young the Giant’s second album showcases the band’s creativity. B6
Mother Dearest
From the creator of ‘Two and a Half Men,’ ‘Mom’ brings humor to an awkward mother-daughter relationship. B7
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ow nominated for nine Academy Awards, “12 Years a Slave” has had a profound effect on critics and audiences alike. The film tells the story of Solomon Northup, a free black man kidnapped and forced into slavery. On Jan. 15, John Ridley, the screenwriter of “12 Years a Slave”, sat down with NPR’s Michele Norris for a conversation about the film and his writing process. Ridley, who has written everything from stage plays to graphic novels, was first drawn to this project during a meeting with Steve McQueen, the film’s director. “About 2008, Steve had just finished ‘Hunger.’ He had read one of my manuscripts. He was very fascinated,” Ridley said. “And I thought he was very fascinating.” Neither he nor McQueen had heard of Solomon Northup, but when they discovered his memoir by the same name of the film, Ridley felt strongly about adapting it for the screen. “Reading his story was so powerful, and I said, ‘Yeah, of course!’” Ridley said. When they started work on the film, they had almost no funding, but Plan B Entertainment, a production company owned by Brad Pitt, promised to find money for the project once Ridley had written a script. While the latter expressed an enormous amount of gratitude to Plan B, he made it clear that “12 Years a Slave” was not a Hollywood movie. “Fox Searchlight stepped in much later to distribute the film,” Ridley said. “That is different from going to see ‘Man of Steel’, which is, from beginning to end, a Hollywood film.” Throughout the night, Norris, who is a very accomplished journalist, aimed to find out how Ridley transformed Northup’s memoir into a complex, haunting film that garnered such international attention. “One of things we wanted to do with this film is make it more experimental.” Ridley said of the goals he and McQueen shared. But while the storytelling techniques were unconventional, the story was completely authentic. Ridley did very careful research. “Many of the things you see are sense
COURTESY AMY TA/NPR
NPR journalist Michele Norris discusses the brutality and honesty of “12 Years a Slave” with screenwriter John Ridley at an event for the movie. memory for Solomon,” Ridley said. Remaining truthful to Solomon’s memoir became essential to Ridley. “I wanted the script to be as informative as possible and to try and think of as many details as possible,” Ridley said. At times, however, this became a demanding task. “There were moments where there were gaps in the dialogue, and it was a bit like a restoration project,” Ridley said. One of the things Ridley found so fascinating about Northup’s story was the role of communication. “To gain his freedom he had to communi-
cate with his family,” Ridley said. In the film, Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor) tries several times to write a letter to people in New York, his home state. But getting a letter from the South to the North is nearly impossible for a slave who receives harsh punishment if it is revealed he can write. This element of Northup’s struggle hit home for Ridley who discussed how much he took communication for granted. Also discussed was the reaction the film has received, and while nearly all feedback See NPR, B3