Savannah Film Festival in Atlanta, Nov. 2-4

SCAD Digital Media Center
1611 West Peachtree St.

Nov. 2-4

Film: ”Valentino: The Last Emperor”
Monday, Nov. 2, 11:30 a.m.
DMC Screening Room
The documentary features Valentino and his longtime business and life partner Giancarlo Giammetti, who together built a fashion empire like no other. An intimate, unprecedented and very funny exploration of the singular world of two of Italy’s richest and most famous men, “Valentino: The Last Emperor,” joins them behind the curtain as they confront the final act of a nearly 50-year reign at the top of the glamorous and fiercely competitive world of fashion.

At the conclusion of the screening, Andre Leon Talley, editor-at-large for Vogue magazine, and director Matt Tyrnauer will be on hand in Savannah to discuss the film. Students in Atlanta will be able to screen the film in the DMC screening room and ask questions of Mr. Talley and Mr. Tyrnaeur, in “real time,” through the use of electronic media.

Panel: Pitching the Next Big Thing
Monday, November 2, 2:30 p.m.
DMC Conference Room
Have you ever had an idea that you thought would make a great television show, or wondered what making a great television show would take? There are opportunities for content developers and creators to transform their ideas into the next big hit, whether it’s a ground-breaking series like “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” or innovative cable hits like “Airline” or “Project Runway.” This panel will discuss how you can take ideas from your head to the screen.
Panelists:
Freddy James, Senior Vice President of Programming for HGTV
Denise Cramsey, President and Executive Producer of DCTV
Joe Houilhan, Senior Vice President for Programming for Cineflix
Jane Rogerson, Commissioning Director for UKTV
Moderator: Leigh Seaman, Co-EP of TPTV

Panel: Ad Sales and Product Integration in Programming
Tuesday, November 3, 9:30 a.m.
DMC Conference Room
How do the partnerships between programming and ad sales, which incorporate product placement, corporate messaging and other commercial endeavors into the editorial/content areas that used to be off limits, affect what we see on television? Are these partnerships required to get programming on the air? Do they compromise editorial integrity? The panel will discuss the role ad sales and product integration play in programming decisions and how to keep the line clear between sponsors and content.
Panelists:
Freddy James, Senior Vice President of Programming for HGTV
Denise Cramsey, President and Executive Producer of DCTV
Joe Houilhan, Senior Vice President for Programming for Cineflix
Jane Rogerson, Commissioning Director for UKTV
Moderator: Leigh Seaman, Co-EP of TPTV

Panel: The Future of Entertainment
Wednesday, November 4, 11:30 a.m.
DMC Conference Room
The advent of the Internet has destroyed the singular power studios and networks once held over distribution; today, almost anyone can access TV programs and films online. Conversely, the cost of quality equipment and editing programs has transformed those who “wish” to shoot a film to those who “make” content. Hear pioneers of Internet content discuss production, dealing with sponsors, distributing digitally and making money in the new landscape. For anyone who plans to be part of the future of entertainment, this is a must-attend panel.
Panelists:
Justine Bateman, Illeana Douglas, Eric Mortensen, Stephanie Sarofian and Christine Beardsell
Moderator: TBD

Panel: Visual Effects Superstars
Wednesday, November 4, 2:30 p.m.
DMC Conference Room
From “Star Trek”, “Tron” and “The Empire Strikes Back,” computer animation and visual effects have grown to be among the most important parts of making and marketing films. The panel features leading producers, studio execs, visual effects supervisors and animation directors discussing the importance and limitations of CGI, visual effects and animation.
Panelists: TBD
Moderator: Scott Ross

(SCAD shuttle service is available.)

‘Love 2′ is in the Air

The French tech-pop duo Air is back with its sixth album, “Love 2.”

Despite the burgeoning of other French artists in the 11 years since Air’s debut, the duo is still among the crème de la crème of French beats. The playful and experimental tunes put Air ahead of the pack, and “Love 2″ shines as a prime example of its eclectic style.

The highlight of “Love 2″ is the album’s ninth track, which is also its first single. “Sing Sang Sung” vibrates with carefree sensitivity, pairing restrained, upbeat guitar riffs with a lush, downtempo melody. Wedged between the cotton-candy weight of the melody and the fluffy chorus are melancholy lyrics: “What are we doing here my friend?/Take a breath push your pain away/Nothing lasts it’s better that way/It’s better that way.”

Despite this, the sound is overall fun. This is also captured in the music video, which offers is ethereal, trippy and, at times, downright weird. Throughout the animated video, a black dot travels through scenes similar to levels of a Super Mario Brothers Game. The dot bounces off oddly shaped mushrooms and winds through a repeating set of women’s legs. (Check out the video here.)

“Eat My Beat” follows “Sing Sang Sung” with a bit more auditory variation and substance. It serves as the feisty, uptempo second wind of the album before it winds down with “You Can Tell Everybody,” the pleasant afterglow that features a lilting, melodious beat layered atop a rolling drum line. Air also mixes a harp with its signature androgynous vocals in that song.

Following “You Can Tell Everybody” is  “African Velvet,” with a hint of rock and a smooth finish.

However, the album isn’t perfect. “Do the Joy” lacks the umph apropos for a leading track and falls flat under the grogginess of its fuzzy undertone. The song “Love” is heavy with repetition and sparse in lyrical diversity but it catches up in pace with a catchy hook.

“Heaven’s Light” follows a couple tracks later with a piece more true to Air’s musical style, which melds a rising cadence with a sense of emotion and urgency as it progresses. It’s a nice beat to chill to.

“Love 2″ feels a bit domesticated when compared to the untamed “Moon Safari,” Air’s 1998 debut album, which is rich in sexy, quirky dance beats perfect for any Parisian nightclub. Even the band’s 2007 album, “Pocket Symphony,” incorporated the use of traditional Japanese instruments amidst an introspective, electro-pop exploration.

But the tracks on “Love 2″ are varied enough to suffice. Some of the tracks are enjoyable as weightless background music and others are memorable enough to get stuck in your head.

Air has always successfully taken inspiration from a variety of musical styles to create something different and fresh. A sprinkling of synthpop, a bit of bossanova, a pinch of psychedelic ambient — whatever the flavor, “Love 2″ is littered with countless auditory morsels.

Where the Wild Things Aren’t

By Alexis Blaudeau

“Where the Wild Things Are,” directed by Spike Jonze, is an adaptation of Maurice Sendack’s well-known children’s book of the same name.

The book consists of only ten sentences. The movie lasts an hour and a half. So, as expected, the two are much different.

The book tells a story of Max, a boy who is sent up to bed without supper after “making mischief” in his wolf costume. While in his room, Max imagines a journey to an island inhabited by monsters who make him their king after Max wins a contest. The book ends after Max tires of “rumpusing” with the monsters and returns home to find dinner awaiting him.

The adaptation, starring Max Records, as Max, and Catherine Keener as Max’s mother, carries a more melancholy tone. It focuses on Max’s feelings about his parents’ divorce. The intricately rendered monsters all exhibit the same childish actions and feelings Max displays in the beginning of the film.

Because of its depressing tone, the movie doesn’t seem suitable for children, and parents likely will be unhappy with this adaptation. However, the film’s soundtrack is more cheerful than the movie itself. With scores from the likes of Karen O. and The Kids, the music could pass as a moving backdrop for an Urban Outfitters commercial.

Despite the strength of the adaptation’s lively soundtrack and the detailed character designs, the book comes out on top.

Animal Facts

By Rachel Ochoa

SCAD Party in the USA

By Allyssa Lewis

Kittie

By Nadine Lindberg

Loyal heavy metal fans packed The Local in Marietta Oct. 5, to see the headlining band Kittie, along with Soil, Arkaea, Straight Line Stich, Inviolate and Dixie Duncan. Duncan, of Lawrence, opened the show, and the night continued with generous doses of heavy metal from the rest of the bands. The show closed with Kittie, an all-female troupe, and after cranking out some older crowd favorites, Kittie rocked a selection of songs from its newly released album, “In The Black.”

SCAD to mark International Animation Day

By Allyssa Lewis

October 28, 2009, SCAD will join ASIFA for its seventh anniversay celebration of  International Animation Day.

International Animation Day was launched in 2002, but ASIFA-Atlanta celebrated for the first time in 2006 in the  basement of Relapse Theater. The next year the event moved to the High Museum of Art, where it has been ever since.

The films shown are received through a DVD exchange within ASIFA chapters.

“We take the best films from our annual showcase of local independent animation, and send it around the world,” said Brett Thompson, president of ASIFA-Atlanta.

This year’s event will feature films from Japan, Korea, Brazil, India and Croatia. Films from Portugal, Russia, and Bosnia may also make a special appearance.

The SCAD Atlanta Animation Society (SAAS) also plans to attend the event.

“I really am excited because I’ve only been exposed to two international animations since I got to SCAD, and I want to see it because I think it will broaden my horizons,” said third-year animation student Adreon Patterson. “I will actually get to see how other people are creating animations in their own way.”

The event is free and open to the public.

For more information, visit ASIFA-Atlanta on the Web at asifa-atlanta.com

ABC’s new drama has ‘Flashes’ of promise

Every year since “Lost” premiered on ABC, the major networks have been scrambling to find the “next Lost.” That is, the next sprawling, mythological drama series. With the exception of “Heroes,” every attempt to breed a new show in the vein of “Lost” has failed. Enter ABC into the fray one more time with the highly anticipated adaptation of Robert Sawyer’s sci-fi novel “Flash Forward.”

“FlashForward,” the show, is the story of what happens after everyone on the planet blacks out for two minutes and 17 seconds. During that time, people see a brief vision of themselves six months from now, and they all must now go on living with the knowledge of their own destiny. Fate is a common theme  — yet another thing “FlashForward” so desperately tries to copy from “Lost.”

The show is aiming for a high-concept hook laced with mythology a la “Lost,” and it has quite a pedigree to do so. “,FlashForward” is written by one of the producers behind last summer’s blockbuster movie “The Dark Knight.” Its top-notch cast includes Joseph Fiennes, John Cho, and “Lost” alums Dominic Monaghan and Sonya Walger,

With these elements, “FlashForward” has the makings of a great show. Unfortunately, four episodes in, it still has some major problems, primarily with its characters.

The main focus is a team of FBI agents, including lead character Mark Benford (played by Fiennes), whose foresight showed him solving cases in what is called the “mosaic” of visions from around the world. This glimpse is his main motivation and its how the audience is to approach many of the mysteries.

Benford’s partner, Dimitri (played by John Cho), didn’t see anything in the short blackout, which he thinks is a sign of his untimely demise.

On the civilian side of things is Benford’s surgeon wife, Olivia, who saw herself with another man. Olivia’s assistant tried to commit suicide before the blackout, but now has a new outlook.

There are more bit players introduced as the show goes on, but none of names or motives are worth recalling. Even the aforementioned characters, save for Dimitri, are hard to care about.

“FlashForward” has yet to really flesh out its characters or their motivations, instead choosing to focus on playing up mysteries and driving the overarching plot forward. This is a substantial problem since relatable characters are crucial to a mystery. When guest stars trump most of the main cast, except for the one character that probably won’t make it to the season finale, there’s a problem.

If viewers just looked at the series high production values, excellent cinematography and engaging premise, “FlashForward” would be one of the best dramas in years.

But it is making the same mistake as all the other “Lost” clones, namely focusing on the mystery without giving the audience room to care about the human pieces of the puzzle.

Although it excels at turning underwhelming episodes around with stunning openings and interesting cliffhangers, “FlashForward” needs to find a way to keep the other 37 minutes of the show engaging. The show recently received a full-season order, so there may be time to move these flashes of promise forward.

College Security Report: Oct. 13-16, 2009

Oct. 12

10:37 a.m. — Beeline Bus Driver noted a suspicious person near the area of the breezeway walking toward Peachtree Street. Beeline driver notified Security of the individual’s description and direction of travel. Security confirmed that the person had indeed left the property.

2:33 p.m. — The RD for Spring House requested a transport of a student. Student got a ride from a friend before Security could arrive to pick up.

Oct. 14

10:23 a.m. — The RD for Spring House requested a transport of a student. Student was transported to minor emergency center and later picked up to be returned to the residence hall.

11:54 a.m. — The RD for Spring House requested a transport of a student. Student was transported to minor emergency center and later picked up to be returned to the residence hall. Student then had to be taken to hospital due to insurance not accepted at minor emergency center.

Oct. 15

6:53 a.m. — A student approached the security command desk asking for first aid help. She reportedly had been bitten by a dog at her home off campus. She was treated at the command desk with available first aid supplies and then transported to the hospital for further treatments.

3:26 p.m. — A student had passed out in class, then again as a friend was bringing her down on the elevator, then one more time at the security command desk. The student was asked to sit down behind the desk and the security supervisor, account manager and OCC were called. Water and a snack were offered to her. She was transported to the minor emergency center for further evaluation. Student was later picked up and returned to campus.

4:26 p.m. — A professor notified Security that a student was hyperventilating in the stairwell outside his class. The security supervisor responded and found a student in emotional distress which was triggering an asthma attack. Student treated the asthma. The OCC was called to talk to the student.

7:40 p.m. — A student slipped and fell in the Hub. She was attended to by security staff and later transported to the hospital for evaluation.

Oct. 16

2:26 a.m. — RA noted a party going on in one of the rooms at Spring House. Security was called along with the RD. Participants’ information was taken. Alcohol was confiscated, photographed and disposed of.

Printmaking is one of SCAD’s hidden treasures

A pot of gold is said to be at the end of every rainbow. Recently, that legend proved true.

Nestled on the fifth floor of Building C, the printmaking department is one of the best-kept secrets at SCAD. But Professor Robert Brown, chair of the printmaking department, hopes it won’t be a secret for much longer. His ultimate goal? To stimulate more students to take classes in the world where art collides with ancient and new technologies and processes.

Brown said he fell in love with printmaking the first time he walked into a printshop in college.  Since then, he  earned a BFA and a MFA in printmaking and, interned with a master printer at Flatbed Press. He then became a master printer before venturing into academia.

Unlike many other fine artists who are more attracted to painting or photography, Brown said he has always been a printmaking junkie. “I’m technically minded. Printmaking deals with mechanical things, chemical variables. To some degree, it’s like cooking. You follow a recipe, but it’s also possible to modify the process and achieve different effects.”

Now in his third year in Atlanta, Brown previously worked four quarters in Lacoste and five years in Savannah. SCAD Savannah has a well-established minor in printmaking, but the BFA, MA and MFA degree programs are only offered in Atlanta. Atlanta offers several opportunities for emerging printmakers. Besides SCAD Atlanta’s printmaking facilities, professionals can work in cooperatives or at the Atlanta Printmaking Studio.

Unlike other careers in the arts, printmakers often work closely with the community.

“Printmakers are social animals,” Brown said.

According to Brown, that is what attracts people to the printmaking field — the opportunity to work on collaborative projects. Artists can invest money in their own equipment, but the manifold technologies they deal with often require artists to work with colleagues who master specific processes or equipment.

To get a glimpse the world of printmaking, Brown suggests students take the introduction to printmaking course. It’s a hard class, he said, but it’s a good option for students who have one elective to spare. It covers intaglio, relief, lithography and monoprint.

Printmaking majors have more concentrated introductory options, such as introduction to etching, introduction to lithography and relief printmaking.

Opportunities to engage in printmaking are not limited to formal courses, though. Students recently launched a Print Club, which already has projects and long term goals.
“One of [the goals] is to go to the Southern Graphics Council, which is the largest printmaking conference in the world,” Brown said. The club meets on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. at the printshop and is open to all.

Also, on Nov. 12, SCAD will host Open Studio, in which the printmaking department is planning to have four demonstrations: etching, silk screen, letterpress and lithography. Among the pieces to be printed, is a sample of the artwork produced in collaboration with visiting artist Chackaia Booker.

If you cannot attend the meetings or the Open Studio event, the “social animals” will be in their shops and studios, eager to show off their work. And you don’t even need to chase a leprechaun to find them. Directions are easy: fifth floor, Building C, at the far end on the left.

That’s where the rainbow ends.

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