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Next: SJSU Student Film Festival
May 24th, 7pm, Camera Three Theatre, Admission is Student $7, General $10

One of ours: From Professor Sublett: Perry wrote an utterly charming feature script entitled “Love and Pizza.”

Congratulations Perry! We’re very excited to announce that your movie, Billy has been selected to continue on to CMF Hollywoodas a CMF Staff Pick. Out of the thousands of submissions we receive each year your film, along with 7 other CMF movies have been awarded this high honor. But what does it mean? It means that Billy will continue on to the next round of judging which will determine which films receive Best Picture, Best Comedy, and Best Drama to be announced at our red carpet awards ceremony on Saturday, June 23, 2012. It also means that Billy will screen at CMF Hollywood with an opportunity for you, the filmmakers, to participate in a Q&A about your film. It also means that your team has earned 2 complimentary all-access badges to the CMF Hollywood events! We hope you’ll join us at CMF Hollywood June 21-23, 2012! This year’s event promises to be the biggest and best yet! While we continue to finalize the details for all of the workshops, screenings, panels, parties and more to fill this three-day celebration of your work, we wanted to invite you to register for your complimentary CMF Hollywood badges, book your room at the official CMF Hollywood hotel – The Universal Sheraton, and offer you 10% discounts on flights. Please see below for all of the details, and as always if you have any questions don’t hesitate to contact us at support@campusmoviefest.com. The CMF Team Good Luck! The CMF Team

See the PROOF Photos

SJSU student Daniel Maggio’s feature film to play April 26th at the Camera 3  The screenplay was written at SJSU and SJSU students worked on parts of the film.

Professor Mike Adams’ book on Lee de Forest is reviewed in the San Jose Metro

Hi Professors. I apologize for my lack of face time in the department as of late. I am currently on the last leg of my 15 city comedy “OMFTour.” I have traveled back to back from cities such as Dearborn, Florida, Chicago, New York, Ottawa, Edmonton, Toronto, etc. I am exhausted and very glad to have my last stop this weekend until Australia which is in June. I will be back in full this coming Monday and will have my main focus on completing the semester. I wanted to share with you some pretty cool news. I was featured on The Ellen Degeneres Show for the third time in the last 2 months but this time it was a segment on me being selected as her first finalist for her Dance Dare. That is one step closer to flying to her show and getting a chance to dance and be interviewed by her. Check it out down below. I also included links to 2 of my Tour Video Logs which showcases some footage of the screaming audiences at the shows. Hope all is well. See you soon. Thanks for allowing me to believe in my dreams and really prove to my parents that “success” is what you make it. Ellen Show | Toronto | Dearborn Let me know what you think! Yousef Erakat

Cinequest Film Festival:  Cheap Fun Trailer | More Cinequest News | Watch the Opening Night Video | Director of Cinequest, Halfdan Hussey, teaches in RTVF

Congratulations to RTVF major BRIAN MONIZ, who won First Place in the Student Script category of the 2012  Los Angeles Film & Script Festival.  His feature-length screenplay, RUSSIAN CROSS, is a thriller about a bullied high school student who gets mixed up with Russian gangsters. Here’s a link to the list of winners: http://www.lafilmtickets.info/Spring_2012_Winners.html

Very nice job with “Emma,” Kathleen. Too many wonderful moments to mention. I was especially impressed, though, by the interaction between Jason and Danielle in the declaration of love scene in Act II. Reminded me of the kind of work I used to see at Steppenwolf, where the actors are totally focused on each other, listening with their pores.

When you auditioned Danielle and Liz for the lead role, I found myself thinking it was a toss-up who should play her. But seeing them, it’s hard to imagine anyone but Liz playing Jane Fairfax. And Danielle had a wonderfully light touch, carrying so many of the scenes with easy confidence. Where did you get that amazing soundtrack? It sounded like a string quartet playing Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl” and Adele’s “Someone Like You.” What a hoot! Fit the play perfectly. Really a lovely job all around. You’ve earned your spring break. Hope all is well at home. Best wishes, Scott Fosdick, Journalism/Mass Comm

Performance Art and Design Collaborative is holding a fundraiser to benefit Angels on Stage. Friday, April 6th in HGH room 226 at 7 pm. Tickets are $5 and include entry into our raffle. The event is called “Mad Hatter’s Ball” and will be MCed by Theatre Arts graduate Tony Sales. Thanks, Kelly

Tortilla Curtain Nice article.  Keep an eye out for the familiar names Spangler, Valdez, Kahn.

See the Mercury News for a look at the viral video from our student Yousef | Our prize-winning ESPN commercial – watch it now:

08-Mar-2012 Patrick Dutcher, Public Affairs Writer San José State University On behalf of the CASE VII board of directors and the CASE Awards of Excellence Committee, we congratulate you on receiving an award for Entry ID: 24501 Entry Title: Acceleration Campaign Print Newsletter Award: Gold Category: Communications & Marketing Programs – External Audience Tabloids and Newsletters – Print External Audience Tabloids and Newsletters

Entry Title: San José State University ESPN Commercial Award: Bronze Category: Communications & Marketing Programs – Video PSAs and Commercial Spots – Traditional video, DVD, CD or film Company Name: San José State University. We received a record number of entries this year, and your excellent achievement stood out among the best. We appreciate you sharing your fine work with us. One of our objectives is to share best practices among our colleagues in an effort to help all improve their skills and increase their effectiveness. Your efforts will be recognized as an example for others to emulate. Thank you for producing the kind of work that brings respect to our profession.

For your information, here are some details about your recognition:

Certificates and trophies–all certificates and trophies for Bronze, Silver and Gold award winners will be mailed in April, 2012. If you would like to purchase additional copies of your award, please contact the Chameleon Creative Group directly at www.getcreative.us by March 31. Please reference the CASE VII 2012 website at http://casevii.org/awards/awards_excellence.html for the public announcement of the awards and a complete list of the final award winners.

Awards Ceremony – Now that District VII is on a biennial district conference schedule with our next conference scheduled for Spring 2013, there will be no public award ceremony for our 2012 winners this year. Nevertheless, we are proud to celebrate your achievement through a special announcement on our CASE District VII website, CASE International’s website, and through upcoming editions of the e-newsletter, BriefCASE.

CASE Award promotion—we hope you will promote your award with the CASE logo on your website or other communications. You can find the CASE logo images online at www.case.org and type ‘dlogos’ in the CASE Code box. Click the arrow button to the right of this box (do not push “enter” key)

2013 Awards Judges—as an award winner, we invite you to become a part of our judging panel for 2013. As a judge you are still eligible to enter award submissions, but you cannot judge in those categories. Judging is a great way to lend your expertise to the advancement profession, and to see the best of the work being done throughout District VII. If you are interested, please contact Lishelle Blakemore at lblakemore@berkeley.edu

Once again, congratulations on your great work and we wish you the best for a prosperous and successful year!

Many thanks, Timothy O’Malley, CASE VII Chair, University of San Diego

Feature-length Comedy Written, Shot and Acted by Students at San Jose State Filmmaker Seeks to Define “Post-Crash” Generation

Cheap Fun, a boisterous comedy about the aimlessness of youth in a post-crash America of diminished wallets and lessened expectations will have its World Premiere at the Cinequest Festival on Saturday, March 3 at 4:30 p.m. The film screens in the 1200-seat California Theatre at 345 First St. in Downtown San Jose.

The film’s writer-director, Zachary Sutherland, attended Washington High in Fremont and recently graduated from SJSU. He was still a student when he wrote the script and directed the film, under the auspices of the school’s RTVF Program and Spartan Studios, the University’s film production entity.

“I hoped that if I made something honest about my life and my friends’ lives, maybe it would define our generation,” said writer-director Sutherland. “Films like American Graffiti and Dazed and Confused are generation-defining, but they look at their generations in retrospect. They’re nostalgic. That’s a luxury I don’t have here. I’m trying to talk about a generation immediately, without reflection or distance. It’s kind of risky, but I didn’t have a choice. We’re trying to figure things out in the now. We’re not sure who we are, where we’re going, or even where there is to go. Maybe every generation feels that way, but every generation feels that way in a new, different world.”

The film is an ensemble comedy about a pack of college-age friends who decide that there’s more to life than sitting around at home and smoking pot, and live to regret that decision when they get into an increasingly dangerous series of scrapes.

San Jose State University’s feature films have done extremely well in the past at Cinequest. In 2009, Mark Tran’s Vietnamese family comedy All About Dad won the Best Feature: Audience Award, going on to be named one of the Top Ten Asian American Films of 2009.

“Zack is one of the most brilliant, hard-working students I’ve ever taught,” said Prof. Scott Sublett, in whose screenwriting class Sutherland wrote the Cheap Fun script. “He’s not only a deft writer and a sensitive director, but he has an astonishingly encyclopedic knowledge of film history. He’s seen absolutely everything and he’s understood it all, yet he doesn’t imitate. Older people admire the film, but its cohort adores it.”

Apart from the Saturday, March 3 premiere there are two more screenings, also at the California Theatre: Wed. March 7 at 7:00 p.m.; and Saturday, March 10 at 11:00 a.m. The fact that Cinequest has scheduled three screenings in such a large venue indicates their assessment of its potential.

“This film is the most San Jose State-intensive feature films we’ve ever made,” said Barnaby Dallas, director of Spartan Films and one of the executive producers. “It’s an SJSU student writer, an SJSU student crew, and because of the age of the characters the director was able to use a student cast. The RTVF program at SJSU is like a mini-Hollywood studio, developing material with writers and then taking the films all the way to final cut. It’s unique in the nation.”

Says the filmmaker, “We’re hoping that the reaction at Cinequest is strong enough to get us a distribution deal. We’ve made the film, now we have to get it out there.”

Advance tickets are available at CINEQUEST.ORG, or at the door.

For more information or screeners, press may call the filmmaker directly.

Zachary Sutherland: 510-209-4845 or at coastrboy@comcast.net

You may also call:

Barnaby Dallas, Executive Producer and Head of Spartan Films: 408-687-8537 or atBarnaby.Dallas@sjsu.edu

Scott Sublett, Executive Producer and Associate Professor of Screenwriting: 408-449-7525 or atProf.Sublett@sjsu.edu

Congratulations to Brittany Chavez (Theatre Arts MA, 2011) who has accepted a fully-funded offer from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s doctoral program in Communication Studies with a Graduate Certificate in Latin American Studies. She’ll be studying performance studies, oral history, queer theory, critical theory, rhetoric and the coalition possibilities between LGBTQ and undocumented Latina immigration in the United States, through her work with Latina “undocuqueers.” Brittany begins her Ph.D. program in Fall 2012.

Hello, I am an SJSU student working on a “room” for the Tunnel of Oppression event scheduled for this Spring. As a “retired” theatrical artist my head is exploding with ideas, but I do know I want to have a “theatre of the oppressed” corner where a video cart will be set up presenting several monologues on a continuous loop. I am in need of some actors and/or orators experienced in acting/interpretive events. I am fine with actors holding scripts (like those little black binders they use in forensics presentations), but if they feel like memorizing the pieces that’s cool, too. The title of my “room” is “Fat!So?” and will be addressing fat oppression. Needless to say, since this is a visual piece, the one caveat is that the people I’m looking for need to be fat – not a few extra-pounds-fat, but like 5’2″-200lbs.-fat. I have a couple pieces for men, but most of them are for women. Age isn’t really a concern. (I may also have a piece or two where the size of the actor is irrelevant.) I also need actors that are comfortable owning the word “fat” and/or willing to learn how. F-A-T is not a four letter word and since that’s kind of the main point of this project, I need people who are either already comfortable in their skin or interested in getting comfortable with their bodies. Fat/body haters need not apply – unless they are ready to let go of the hate! I’m hoping you can forward this email to members of you’re departments who can then direct it to “eligible” candidates. SJSU affiliation is not required, so if anybody knows someone outside the university community that might be interested, feel free to forward this on to them too. I plan on scheduling 1 or 2 days in the 2nd or 3rd week of March where I can record all of the pieces. Below is my contact info. Thank you for you’re time. Gina LoVecchio gelyfish18@gmail.com 503-756-5484

Internships are currently available with the Green Ninja . Students will manage a project (and in some cases a small budget), set goals and work on content throughout the semester and receive a stipend upon completion of their work. The internships we are looking to fill are in the following areas: 1) Facebook, 2) YouTube and 3) Writing for our WordPress blog. Students are not expected to be experts or have extensive experience in these areas. However, they should have an interest in the medium and a desire to learn how to use these tools effectively. It is anticipated that students will develop skills and experience that may be helpful in their professional careers. To apply, please email Eugene with a copy of your current resume and the content area of your interest. Go Green Ninja!. Eugene Cordero Dept. of Meteorology and Climate Science

Dear Barnaby & Randy, Pat and I attended the performance of “Coldest Night” last night at the Hal J Todd Theatre. The Theatre IS PERFECT for what I’d like to do! I think that you all, at the SJSU Performing Arts Depts., should be applauded for allowing your students to have the opportunity to produce independent productions like the one we saw last night. When I was a student there, we didn’t have such wonderful opportunity and from what we observed, the company/cast take it very seriously and should be very proud of what they accomplished. I also think Dr Todd would be proud of how the theatre is being utilized.Please inform the cast that we enjoyed the evening and appreciate their commitment and courage. I am so pleased and honored to be able to have the first public presentation of my play at the Hal J Todd Theatre and the production will be a “Tribute” to Dr Hal J Todd. Please let me know when I can meet and set a date etc. Again, Thank you so very much. Wes Finlay

I have some great news! On March 15, 2011, I interviewed for the NBC Page Program in Burbank, CA. On December 15, 2011, I received a phone call from the Page Program Coordinator inviting me into the program. As of January 9, 2012, I have been enjoying this incredible experience as an NBC Page. As an NBC West Coast Page, I am working in the guest relations department for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. In less than 2 months from now, I will be eligible to partake in an assignment as an executive assistant on a variety of productions that will enable great networking opportunities as well as the chance to demonstrate my knowledge developed during my studies at SJSU, internships, and other tasks alike. NBC receives about 12,000 applications annually for their West and East Coast Page Programs. About 30 college graduates are accepted into the program each year. I am truly proud, thankful, humble, and excited to be a part of this wonderful opportunity. During my 1st week into the program, I attended numerous meetings. At these meetings, I would introduce myself as a Spartan, having graduated from San Jose State University with a major in Radio/TV/Film and a minor in Business under the direction and mentorship of Dr. Alison McKee, Dr. Ted Coopman, and Babak Sarafan. I know I have said it before, but you three in particular have really pushed me to my full potential. You have always encouraged me to excel in my endeavors and I will continue to do so as I strive to be the best that I can be. Thank you. Best Regards Always, Leah Lanier Smith, SJSU RTVF Alumni

Hi RTVF folks – happy new year, and hope to see everyone around campus as the semester begins this year. As you might remember, I’ve been performing in improvisation for several decades (yipes!), including ComedySportz in DC, Chicago, and now in the Bay Area.  I wanted to make sure everybody knows about ComedySportz in downtown San Jose, and hope folks can stop by weekends this semester – within walking distance of campus, cheaper than a movie, with Psycho Donuts in the lobby! I’ll send an eblast under separate cover – please send it to your list serve, friends, etc., if possible.  We can also set up workshops and special shows for you guys too – let me know how we can work together! Let me know if you have questions – see you soon! Best, Karin McKie

Photos from the Short Film

I wanted to forward this to four of you (Kahn, Dallas, Taylor, McKee) because you are the professors who have shown me so much support and encouragement over the past two years with my writing. Today, Publishers Weekly announced the sale of my first novel, which sold Monday. My announcement is about half was down the page under MARINA ADAIR Thanks again for everything! Marina

Barnaby Dallas is the Newsletter Editor and you can send your news to him