IN MOTION (backup) V.3 - USC School of Cinematic Arts - University ...

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Advanced Editing Students “Eye” New Opportunities
Production students at the USC School of
Cinema-Television shoot and edit short films of
varying lengths and complexity, but no class has
ever edited an entire feature-length film. That is, no class
had ever done that until last spring, when 12 students in
Norman Hollyn’s Advanced Editing Class (CTPR 556), reedited
Aaron Woodley’s feature film Rhinoceros Eyes, starring
Michael Pitt, Paige Turco, and Gale Harold. The film, winner
of the 2003 Toronto Film Festival’s Discovery Program,
was released in May by Madstone Films.
The project was set in motion when two of the film’s producers,
Tom Gruenberg and Chip Seelig, began supplying
footage to schools for students to re-edit scenes.
We [were] thrilled with our cut, but the nature of the story
is such that there are many stories that could have been told
from the source material,” said Gruenberg. “We thought
that the project would be enlightening as well as help generate
college/university-level discussions of the film.”
The two contacted USC and, through Professor Doe Mayer,
were put in touch with Hollyn.
In Memoriam
(continued from page 14)
dear friends of the School, establishing an endowed faculty
chair in 1997 and providing funds for student support
and other vital needs.
Ray Stark is survived by his daughter Wendy and granddaughter
Allison.
T.C. WANG
Legendary Hong Kong filmmaker T.C. Wang, who studied
cinema at USC more than a half-century ago, passed
away in April at the age of 93.
Widely regarded as the patriarch of the Chinese movie
industry, Wang was involved in the production of hundreds
of film and television shows, including The World
of Suzy Wong, The Deer Hunter, Rush Hour 2, Hawaii
Five-0, Love Boat, and Shogun.
Wang founded Salon Films, a worldwide leader in film
production headquartered in Hong Kong, and also served
as honorary chair of the Chinese Film Foundation.
Wang’s children, including Fred, director of Salon Films,
also studied at USC.
In 2002, he established the T.C. Wang Internship
Program at the USC School of Cinema-Television to
provide more opportunities to film students committed
to depicting Asian matters in film.
Wang is survived by two sons and three daughters.
“ We were in the process of taking a new look at the editing
curriculum,” Hollyn said. “While we’re always interested in
getting professional footage for our students to learn editing
techniques, it struck me that there was a larger opportunity
here. Most of our graduate students go on to work in longer
formats than they make here. But there is an appreciable
difference in the editing process, between long and short
films. In the re-editing process, it’s important to learn how
changes in one area of the film can subtly impact the story
45 minutes later. You also get a much different sense of
pacing when you’re working across 100 minutes, rather
than 10.”
Hollyn contacted Madstone and proposed that, instead of
supplying the raw footage from some selected scenes, they
supply all dailies, as well as the original music that had been
recorded by John Cale and Eric Woodley and all of the
film’s paperwork. He and Madstone also agreed that the
film’s director would come out to speak to the class to discuss
his editing process.
“ Aaron’s visit to the class was crucial for me since this wasn’t
a class just about Rhinoceros Eyes, but about the entire editing
process,” said Hollyn. “I crafted the class so there were
constant visits from people involved in post-production. We
had Walter Murch discuss editing Cold Mountain; composer
Lee Curreri talked about how music interacts with editing;
assistant editor Greg Thompson spoke about organizing
editing rooms; and DVD producer Mark Rowen talked
about the very new job category of creating DVDs. We also
had USC alumnus Marcel Valcarce discuss Adobe After
Effects, and DVD authoring maven Bruce Nazarian gave
instructions about how to author a DVD. In addition,
career consultant Janet Conn addressed the class on job
hunting, networking, and résumé building.”
Hollyn added that he is already working on finding new
films to anchor the class in succeeding semesters (students
will again work with Rhinoceros Eyes this fall). Seelig reported
during his visit to the class that, of the dozen schools
participating in the program, only USC was able to re-edit
the entire film.
“ There are some things that you’ve done,” director Woodley
told the class, “that I wish I was able to put into our film.”
Scenes from Rhinoceros Eyes. Actors pictured: Matt Servito,
Victor Ertamanis, and Michael Pitt in frame 1; Pitt in frame
2; Paige Turco and Pitt in frame 3; and Pitt and Ertamanis
in frame 4.
Ross/Time Warner Award
(continued from page 1)
dean’s chair at the USC School of Cinema-Television, the Steven J. Ross/Time Warner Award honors leaders who
have advanced the modern media industry and culture. Honorees share Ross’ unwavering commitment to nurturing
the talent and technology of the future. Past recipients include the late Ambassador Walter Annenberg, Kirk
Douglas, Bill Cosby, and John Calley.
This year’s award was presented to Daly by Richard D. Parsons, chairman and CEO of Time Warner Inc. Parsons
spoke eloquently about the award’s legendary namesake and, in particular, about how Steven J. Ross brought fun
and humanity to the workplace.
“
Steve really was a giant,” he noted. “He not only dreamt big, but he accomplished big things.”
From left to right: Richard D. Parsons, chairman and CEO of Time Warner Inc., Steven J. Ross/Time Warner honoree
Robert A. Daly, and Dean Elizabeth M. Daley.
Like Ross, Daly’s management style — notably, his emphasis on friendship, teamwork, and individual integrity — set
the standard for those who followed. “We at Time Warner are grateful for everything you did,” Parsons told Daly.
During his years at Warner Bros., 13 of the more than 400 major motion picture releases overseen by Daly garnered
Academy Award nominations for Best Picture, and three (Chariots of Fire, Driving Miss Daisy, and
Unforgiven) received coveted Best Picture Oscars. Daly also had a guiding hand in bringing top-rated, top-quality
programming (including such acclaimed series as China Beach, ER, Friends, and Murphy Brown) to television.
Daly, a self-described “suit,” made a heartwarming acceptance speech, thanking his family and telling the gathering
that “the most important person in my business life was Steve Ross … I owe him a lot.” Ross, said Daly,
taught his colleagues that “it’s OK to bring your heart to work.”
fall 2004 in motion | 15