Film And Television (audio)

Mr. Rogers' wizard-like powers with children and the moment Tom Hanks first appeared on set as Fred arise in this conversation between screenwriter/producer/actor Noah Harpster and Pollock Theater director Matt Ryan about A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. In this video, Harpster recounts his deep personal connection to the story and describes the joy of acting in scenes with Tom Hanks. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 35572]

A much-abused wig, the ad-libbing of Michael Keaton, and the gender imbalance in 1980s film makeup departments arise in this conversation about Beetlejuice (1988) between award-winning makeup artist Ve Neill and Rachael Ball (Film and Media Studies, UCSB). In this video, Neill shares a series of illuminating and entertaining anecdotes from many of her iconic film projects including Mrs. Doubtfire, The Lost Boys, and the Pirates of the Caribbean series. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 35466]

America’s pre-WWII anxieties, Depression-era economic disparity, and the potential for positive social movements arise in this conversation about Frank Capra (director) and Robert Riskin’s (screenwriter) film Meet John Doe (1941) between author Victoria Riskin (Robert Riskin and Fay Wray: A Hollywood Memoir) and film scholar Charles Wolfe. Riskin and Wolfe discuss the multiple endings shot for the film, and Riskin reads passages from her father’s England-based radio broadcasts amidst the Battle of Britain. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 35397]

The difficulty of restaging real world trauma on a film set, the challenge of character development based on individuals with non-disclosure agreements, and the power of women speaking truth to power all arise in this conversation about Bombshell (2019) between director Jay Roach and Pollock Theater director Matt Ryan. In this video, Roach discusses the amazing reaction of the cast and crew of Bombshell after the films initial studio backer pulled out weeks before production was set to start. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 35410]

Advances in film restoration technology, the challenges of matching black and white footage with shades of military khaki, and the depth of Peter Jackson’s passion for all things World War I arise in this conversation about They Shall Not Grow Old (2018) between assistant editor Elliot Travers and Ross Melnick (Film and Media Studies, UCSB). Travers describes the convoluted path the film took from its initial conception as a 30-minute museum commission for England’s Imperial War Museum to an internationally-distributed feature-length film. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 35411]

Preproduction collaboration on spatial design and character development, the value of bending rules in a supernatural narrative, and the potential for on-set innovation all arise in this freewheeling discussion about the critically-acclaimed Netflix series Russian Doll between production designer Michael Bricker and Carsey-Wolf Center assistant director Wesley Jacks. In the video, Bricker talks hidden easter eggs in set construction and the joy of finding the right construction material at the right moment. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 35396]

The pursuit of fame, changes in China’s youth culture, and the gift economies of live-streaming are explored in this lively conversation between director Hao Wu and Hangping Xu (UC Santa Barbara). Hao vividly compares internet fandom in the US and China and reveals how the lives of the documentary subjects’ has changed since the release of the film. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 35343]

The isolation of house arrest, film as a tool for political expression, and the serpentine nature of Iranian cinema all arise in this thoughtful conversation about Jafar Panahi’s documentary, This is Not a Film (2011) between Anna Brusutti (UCSB) and Hamid Naficy (Northwestern University). Naficy and Brusutti’s wide-ranging discussion explores the wit and creativity of the film, the state of Iranian filmmaking, and the importance of cinema to engage entrenched political power. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Public Affairs] [Humanities] [Show ID: 35342]

The difficulties of low-budget documentary filmmaking, strategies for first-time political candidates, and the importance of new voices in Congress all arise in this inspiring conversation between producer Sarah Olson, documentary subject (and Missouri congressional candidate) Cori Bush, and Emily Zinn (UC Santa Barbara). In the video, Olsen and Bush share the remarkable energy that arose from a group of insurgents who ran for US Congress against incumbents in 2018. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Public Affairs] [Humanities] [Show ID: 35341]

The benefits of set fires, the strenuous work of puppetry on film, and the magic of practical film effects are all explored in this energetic discussion between The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance director Louis Leterrier and Carsey-Wolf Center associate director Emily Zinn. The two explore the strengths and challenges of working with puppets and practical effects while reviving the magical world of Jim Henson’s classic. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 35328]

Dangerous stunts, actor injuries, how to build a twister, and the technicolor production process all arise in this bright and deep conversation about The Wizard of Oz (1939) between UW Milwaukee professor Jocelyn Sczepaniak-Gillece and graduate student Hannah Garibaldi. Professor Sczepaniak-Gillece introduces and describes the gradual formation of the film’s enduring legacy as a nostalgic, family television tradition after its initial box-office disappointment. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 35326]

Composited digital and physical special effects, mechanical post-apocalyptic design, and the battle for limited resources are all touched on in this wide-ranging conversation between UC Berkeley professor and special effects scholar Kristen Whissel, and Carsey-Wolf Center director Patrice Petro. The two explore the films depiction of bodies and landscapes, masculinity and femininity. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 35327]

Yale University professor and filmmaker Charles Musser explores the historical and contemporary perspectives of race relations in German and American cinema from the 1920s by examining The Ancient Law (1923) and The Jazz Singer (1927). He evaluates how each film addresses anti-Semitism as well as the burning question of the history of blackface as a theatrical convention. Series: "Library Channel" [Public Affairs] [Humanities] [Show ID: 35016]

Tying together the Infinity War saga, crafting emotionally satisfying sendoffs to beloved superheroes and dispatching supervillain Thanos all arise as topics in this conversation about Avengers: Endgame (2019) between screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely and Pollock Theater director Matt Ryan. McFeely and Markus also discuss their extensive contributions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe including previous work on Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Captain America: Civil War (2016), and Captain America: Winter Soldier (2014). Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 35325]

UCSB Script to Screen interviewed this year's Emmy-nominated writers before the 2019 Sublime Primetime panel discussion at the Writers Guild Theater in Los Angeles. Series: "Writers" [Humanities] [Show ID: 35180]

A Q&A featuring director and producer David Elfick, and author and environmentalist Garth Murphy. They are joined by moderator Alexander Champlin in a conversation that covers the production and legacy of the classic surf film Crystal Voyager (1973). Elfick played an instrumental part in the establishment of the New Wave of Australian cinema internationally. Garth Murphy worked with Elfick on the post-production of Crystal Voyager. The Q&A addresses Elfick and Murphy’s work with George Greenough, a legendary surfboard designer and the subject of the documentary. They discuss the production of the film, including acquiring the rights to use Pink Floyd’s "Echoes" in the closing segment of the film. Their conversation also addresses the legacy of Crystal Voyager, in terms of both its historical significance and its groundbreaking style of surf cinematography. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 34955]

Scholars Cristina Venegas (UC Santa Barbara) and María Caridad Cumaná (Miami Dade College) discuss the political, literary, and biographical backgrounds of Tomás Guitiérrez Alea’s 1968 classic film Memories of Underdevelopment. While examining the style of the film, Venegas and Cumaná analyze Alea’s skillful adaptation of the plot of Edmundo Desnoes' original 1965 novel as well as the film’s position within Alea’s filmography. They also treat Memories of Underdevelopment's place within the late-60s era of Cuban cultural production and the early-60s era of political tumult. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 34956]

Editor Maryann Brandon joins Pollock Theater Director Matt Ryan for a conversation about the process of editing Star Trek (2009). The Star Trek franchise has captured the imagination of audiences for over fifty years using a blend of spacefaring high-adventure and futuristic, utopian themes. In 2009, J.J. Abrams refreshed and extended the series with the series’ eleventh film. Brandon explains what is was like to edit a film that was part of such a beloved franchise, as well as how she maintained her own editing style while staying true to the original series. She discusses the process of manipulating footage and cutting on set, as well as how she shapes each scene around an actor’s performance while maintaining a delicate balance between exposition and effects. She also discusses her professional relationship with Abrams, sharing anecdotes from the sets of both Star Trek and Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker, which she is currently editing under his direction. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humani

Professor Michael Berry (Asian Languages and Cultures, UCLA) joins PhD candidate Wesley Jacks (Film and Media Studies, UCSB) for a post-screening conversation about Zhang Yimou’s 1987 film adaptation of Mo Yan’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Red Sorghum. Berry explains the legacy of the so-called “Fifth Generation” of Chinese filmmakers including Yimou, and how Red Sorghum’s production during the era following Deng Xiaoping’s 1978 shift to an open door policy resulted in a film that was both uniquely a product of its own time, and subject to less censorship and thematic restriction than other eras of Chinese filmmaking. A milestone adaptation of an important literary text, Berry describes some of the history of Yimou’s work on the project, and how many of the cast and crew involved in Red Sorghum have since gone on to have celebrated careers. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 34884]

Director Nishtha Jain joins UCSB’s Bishnupriya Ghosh (English and Global Studies) for a post-screening discussion of her 2012 film Gulabi Gang. The conversation includes Jain’s early career as a documentary filmmaker, the film’s examination of violence against women in India both as a result of the dowry system and a general social devaluation of women, and how she worked with Gulabi Gang leader Sampat Pal on location with individuals that were sometimes reluctant to speak on their own behalf or who felt conflicting familial loyalties. Jain addresses the film’s unusual three-part structure and her desire to let the complexities of the film’s subject shape the structure, rather than the reverse. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 34844]