We’re saddened by the news that Ray Manzarek, UCLA Department of Cinematography alum and co-founder of The Doors, passed away today at the age of 74.

Manzarek, a student at UCLA from 1962-65, met Jim Morrison here and the two formed the iconic rock group in 1965.

Photo Credit: Alex Jilitsky

]]> http://www.tft.ucla.edu/2013/05/co-founder-of-the-doors-ray-manzarek-has-passed-away/feed/ 0 http://www.tft.ucla.edu/2013/05/professor-chuck-sheetz-directs-episode-of-the-simpsons/ http://www.tft.ucla.edu/2013/05/professor-chuck-sheetz-directs-episode-of-the-simpsons/#comments Wed, 15 May 2013 00:19:41 +0000 reignjohnson http://www.tft.ucla.edu/?p=28791 Continue reading →]]>

News

Chuck Sheetz ’83, TFT professor and the School’s vice chair, undergraduate studies, will direct the Sunday, May 19th season finale of Fox’s “The Simpsons,” entitled “The Saga of Carl/Dangers on a Train.”

In the episode, Homer, Moe, Lenny and Carl win $200,000 in the Springfield Lottery. But when Carl takes off to Iceland — his homeland — with all the winnings, the guys embark on a Nordic adventure to get the cash back. Then, Marge mistakes a swinging Ashley Madison type for a Dolly Madison-type cupcake site, not realizing it’s a destination for married people seeking liaisons. On the site, she meets the charming Ben (guest voice Seth Mac Farlane).

“Train” is the 17th “Simpsons” episode that Sheetz, an Emmy Award-winning animation director, has helmed. He most recently directed “Gorgeous Grandpa,” which aired on Sunday, March 3. Other “Simpsons” credits include such classic episodes as “I am Furious Yellow,” “Any Given Sundance,” “Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala(Annoyed Grunt)cious,” “Springfield Up,” and “Eternal Moonshine of the Simpson Mind” (for which he won the Emmy™ in 2008). He produced and directed many episodes of the TV series “Recess” and directed the feature film “Recess: School’s Out” (2001).

He has directed episodes of “King of the Hill,” “The Critic,” “Drawn Together,” and “What’s New, Scooby-Doo?,” which he produced for three seasons (2002-2005).

Related Link:

• Animation MFA

On Wednesday April 24th, UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television hosted its 3rd annual Jack Oakie Confabulation featuring Emmy Award-winning actress and UCLA/TFT alum Nancy Cartwright.

The evening included a brief introduction of the Jack Oakie Foundation initiatives followed by a Q&A with Cartwright, which was moderated by Gary Gardner, Chair of UCLA’s Ray Bolger Musical Theater Program.

The Jack Oakie and Victoria Horne Oakie Charitable Foundation’s mission is to follow through with the late Jack Oakie’s wish, “Give the money to the kid,” by underwriting lectures on comedy and providing scholarships for deserving film and theater students at the most prestigious institutions in the country.

In addition to the annual comedy confabulation, The Jack Oakie and Victoria Horne Oakie Charitable Foundation has sponsored four scholarships this year at UCLA/TFT.

Cartwright is best known as the voice of spike-headed underachiever ‘Bart Simpson,’ but also gives voice to “Ralph,’ ‘Nelson,’ ‘Todd Flanders’ and various others in the town of Springfield. In addition to her work on the THE SIMPSONS, currently in its 25th season, Cartwright has portrayed ‘Chuckie’ in the cable series RUGRATS, ‘Rufus the Naked Mole Rat’ in KIM POSSIBLE, ‘Todd’ on Disney’s THE REPLACEMENTS and many others for nearly three decades.

Related Links:

• Giving to TFT

TFT was well-represented with two student winners at the 2013 College Television Emmy Awards held on Thursday April 25, 2013 at the JW Marriott LA Live. Susana Casares won best drama with her film “Tryouts” and Alethea C. Avramis won 3rd place in the comedy category with her film “The Foreigner.”

“Tryouts” follows Nayla, a Muslim American girl who wants to join her new high school’s cheerleading squad. The film explores the identity conflict that many teenagers go through when their parents have a different cultural and religious background from their peers and from the society they live in.

In “The Foreigner,” a remote Greek village must raise its population in order to avoid being cut off from the local government. When a foreigner, Eric, stumbles into town, the village mayor rallies the hostile townspeople to convince Eric to stay.

Entries are judged online in preliminary and secondary panels on a secure server by members of the Television Academy working in each respective discipline. College Television Award winners are honored in Los Angeles and receive cash awards, industry recognition and the opportunity to network with top television executives.

The College Television Awards is a national competition recognizing excellence in college student-produced video, digital and film work. Entries are received from hundreds of colleges and universities nationwide and judged online by members of the Television Academy who are professionals working in each respective discipline.

Related Links:

• List of 2013 College Television Award Winners
• “Tryouts” on Facebook
• “The Foreigner” on Facebook

Dean Teri Schwartz, Senator Christopher Dodd, Chairman & CEO Frank Price and ATAS Foundation Chair Jerry Petry will receive the prestigious Caucus for Producers, Writers and Directors American Spirit Award on Tuesday, April 30th at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Dean Schwartz will be honored for her special achievement in educating new filmmakers.

The Caucus’ American Spirit Award annually selects and honors government and local community leaders in recognition of their efforts that positively impact the Los Angeles entertainment community. The Caucus consists of Producers, Writers and Directors working primarily in the television industry and strives to elevate program quality in television and new media by promoting and protecting the artistic, intellectual and economic rights of Producers, Writers & Directors.

Related Links:

• Official Announcement

LOS ANGELES, CA (April 18, 2013) – UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television (TFT) has named Academy Award-winning screenwriter and UCLA alum Dustin Lance Black as the recipient of the 14th Annual Lew and Pamela Hunter/Jonathan and Janice Zakin Chair Holder in Screenwriting Award.

The award will be given to Black on Tuesday, April 30th at UCLA’s James Bridges Theater. The evening will include a screening of the Oscar-winning film “Milk,” in addition to a Q&A with Black.

The Hunter/Zakin Chair Holder in Screenwriting Award was established in 1999 by San Francisco businessman Jonathan N. Zakin and requires that the recipient teach a ten-week screenwriting seminar at UCLA/TFT. Zakin is a member of the School’s Executive Board, and Lew Hunter is an emeritus professor in UCLA/TFT’s prestigious screenwriting program.

This past Fall quarter, Black taught a ten-week feature screenwriting seminar in which eight graduate students wrote their own feature length screenplay.

Black has won two WGA Awards for his work on HBO’s “Big Love” and an Academy Award for the hit film “Milk”. His recent credit includes “8,” a film reenacting the federal trial that led to an appellate court’s overturn of California’s Prop 8.

Past Hunter/Zakin award recipients include Primetime Emmy Award winner Don Payne (“Thor,” “The Simpsons,” “Fantastic 4″), Ed Solomon (“Charlie’s Angels,” “Men in Black”), Caroline Williams (“Up All Night,” “Modern Family,” “The Office”), Felicia D. Henderson (“Fringe,” “Gossip Girl”), Mike Werb (“Face/Off,” “The Mask”), Michael Colleary (“Face/Off”), and Sacha Gervasi (“The Terminal”), among others.

Related Link:

• Dustin Lance Black’s Website
• Announcement on Variety
• IMDB News

LOS ANGELES, CA (March 28, 2013) – UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television (TFT),
one of the world’s most prominent academic institutions for entertainment and performing arts
education, and Cirque du Soleil®, one of the world’s most revered entertainment organizations,
today announced the formation of a multi-year fellowship program based in Las Vegas, Nevada,
home to seven Cirque du Soleil productions.

The inspiration behind the alliance with Cirque du Soleil stems from Dean Teri Schwartz’s new
vision which re-imagines entertainment and performing arts education as an interdisciplinary
enterprise grounded in humanistic storytelling, innovation and global diversity. This exciting
partnership offers TFT students new and unique opportunities to work collaboratively across a
multitude of exciting interdisciplinary platforms integrating visual storytelling with live
performance, multimedia, 3D, CGI and other forms for digital content creation.

“We are delighted and honored to partner with Cirque du Soleil, the gold standard and leader for
the highest levels of interdisciplinary creativity and innovation,” stated Schwartz. “Cirque du
Soleil has boldly pushed the boundaries of where live performance and visual imagery can go,
and in ways not imagined before. This is a groundbreaking, singularly important, one-of-a-kind
relationship for which we are deeply appreciative to Cirque du Soleil. It allows us to test our
philosophy for interdisciplinary studies in a real world context, and represents the fullest
expression of our new vision and strategic plan for re-imagining the entire educational
enterprise for entertainment and performing arts education in the 21st century. I am so excited
and happy for our students to have this amazing, transformational experience.”

“We are like-minded in terms of what Dean Schwartz is trying to do,” stated Jordan Fiksenbaum,
Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations for the Resident Division of Cirque du Soleil.
“We formed this partnership to provide a creative, conducive and collaborative environment
that’s prosperous for both entities. We are excited to give TFT students real-world working
knowledge and experience to help them become better storytellers, creators, designers, and
overall more talented individuals.”

The annual fellowship program is open to graduate students from the Film/TV/Digital Media
Department and Theater Department, with a highly selective process for admittance beginning
with a written narrative on why the student wants to participate in this unique program with
Cirque du Soleil. The program will provide a total of four graduate students chosen from
candidates from both departments with the opportunity to collaborate with one another at Cirque
du Soleil’s resident shows in Las Vegas, and to actively participate in the creative, technical,
production, marketing and management process of their shows. Students will work with a
mentor at Cirque du Soleil and a TFT faculty advisor and will be involved in the process from
development through production.

About UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television:
The vision of the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television is to serve as a premier global
interdisciplinary professional school that develops outstanding humanistic storytellers, industry
leaders and scholars whose diverse, innovative voices enlighten, engage and inspire change for
a better world. Consistently ranked as one of the top elite entertainment and performing arts
institutions in the world, the School offers an innovative curriculum that integrates the study and
creation of live performance, film, television and the digital arts. Our distinguished graduate and
undergraduate programs include acting, directing, writing, producing, animation,
cinematography, and lighting design, set design, costume design, sound design, Moving Image
Archive Studies, and offers PhDs in Theater and Performance Studies and Cinema & Media
Studies.

About Cirque du Soleil®:
Since 1984, the company has brought wonder and delight to more than 100 million spectators in
more than 40 countries in more than 300 cities on six continents. Cirque du Soleil has 5,000
employees, including more than 1,300 performing artists from close to 50 countries. In Las
Vegas, Cirque du Soleil has seven permanent resident shows. These productions include
Mystère at Treasure Island, “O” at Bellagio Resort & Casino, Zumanity, The Sensual Side of
Cirque du Soleil at New York-New York Hotel & Casino, KÀ at MGM Grand Hotel & Casino, The
Beatles LOVE at The Mirage Hotel & Casino, CRISS ANGEL Believe at Luxor Hotel and Casino
and Zarkana at ARIA Resort & Casino. In Orlando, La Nouba is presented exclusively in
Downtown Disney West Side at Walt Disney World Resort. For more information, visit the
Cirque du Soleil website at www.cirquedusoleil.com/lasvegas. Like us on Facebook or Tweet
us: @Cirque.

Related Link:

• Printable PDF Version of Press Release

Posted on March 8 2012 in Accolades

The Animation Career Review website, in an article published February 28, 2013, ranked the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television’s animation program Number Two on its list of the Top 100 Schools of Animation and Game Design in America, above such celebrated institutions as USC, The Rhode Island School of Design and the Savannah College of Art and Design.

“Although the school is home to 41,341 students,” the article notes, “the school’s world famous Animation Workshop accepts just 12 new students each year.”

Selectivity was a key factor in the rankings, the ACR says, along with “academic reputation, depth and breadth of the program and faculty, value as it relates to tuition and geographic location.”

Founded in 1947 and run for almost fifty years by Dan McLaughlin, and with Celia Mercer as its current head, energizing Workshop professors such as TFT alumnus and Emmy-™-winning “Simpsons” director Chuck Sheetz ’83, have always inspired exceptional efforts from students.

Oscar™-nominated Workshop alumni Shane Acker MA ’98, MFA ’04 (“9”), David Silverman ’79, MFA ’83 (“The Simpsons Movie”) and Gil Kenan MFA ’02 (“Monster House”) are mentioned prominently in the Animation Career Review write-up.

The home of the world-class Walter Lantz Digital Animation Studio, a central tenant of the Animation Workshop’s philosophy has been an enthusiastic embrace of new technology, coupled with a firm emphasis on storytelling and individual expression. McLaughlin forged the Workshop’s defining creative philosophy of “one person, one film,” the result of which is that every animation student at TFT learns to write, direct, edit and animate — and above all to tell compelling stories.

Related Link:

• Animation MFA
• Animation Career Review survey

Posted on March 8, 2013 in Announcement

Two films from the Los Angeles-based production and sales company, XYZ Films, have been selected to screen at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, “Frankenstein’s Army” and “Raze.”

XYZ Films, formed by partners Nate Bolotin MFA ’07, Nick Spicer MFA ’06, and Aram Tertzakian MFA ’07, is best known for heralding Gareth Evan’s breakout hit “The Raid: Redemption” for Sony Pictures Classics. Budgeted for $1 million, the film grossed nearly $15 million, with a record-breaking $4.2 million in Indonesia. XYZ Films executive produced and handled worldwide sales of the film and is now working on a sequel, with North American rights presold to Sony.

With two films recently selected by the Tribeca Film Festival for its Midnight screenings, XYZ continues its momentum to impress international audiences. XYZ Films produced the horror pic “Frankenstein’s Army,” directed by Dutch filmmaker Richard Raaphorst, making this his feature film directorial debut. The story is set at the end of World War II about Russian soldiers who stumble across a secret Nazi lab, which has been experimenting with the journal of Dr. Viktor Frankenstein. In addition, XYZ Films is the sales agent for the gritty horror, action film “Raze,” starring Quentin Tarantino’s favorite stuntwoman, Zoe Bell (“Kill Bill,” “Grindhouse”). “Raze” follows two abducted women forced to do battle with other innocent women for the pleasure and amusement of unseen spectators.

If the genre-fan credentials of these projects seem impeccable, that’s in large part because the XYZ Films partners are fanboys themselves. “They’re the films we like best,” Tertzakian has said, “(and) they’re the films that perform best internationally. Genre films are a more digestible way to get financiers onboard with new talent.”

XYZ Films’ upcoming credits include Gareth Evens’ “The Raid 2,” Calvin Lee Reeder’s “The Rambler,” starring Dermot Mulroney and Lindsay Pulsipher, in addition to the supernatural thriller “Aguas Rojas,” which Participant Media is financing.

XYZ Films partners were able to tap into the Internet’s fan grapevine in an inventive way, acquiring the global action and horror movie news site Twitchfilm.com, whose 40 worldwide correspondents keep them up to date and function as an army of savvy talent scouts. “The Raid’s” Gareth Evans first came to their attention as a Twitchfilm discovery.

XYZ has also moved strongly into distribution, forming an international sales division to handle third party projects, like the American-made indie “Raze,” that are deemed “consistent with the XYZ brand,” hip genre films with broad commercial appeal.

Related Links:

• XYZ Films homepage
• Twitch.com
• Tribeca Film Festival Midnight
• “Variety” on XYZ