IN THE NEWS...
CAUCUS FOUNDATION SPONSORS 3 INTERNS[May 2010] The Caucus for Producers, Writers & Directors Foundation has selected three student filmmakers from diverse backgrounds to receive an internship with a host company in the Foundation’s Summer 2010 Student Internship Program. Price Hicks has been instrumental in laying the groundwork for this program, now in its third year, it was announced by Foundation President Chuck Fries. Recipients of this summer’s internships are: Nicole H. Gordon of UCLA; Max Bickelhaupp and Nick Pucci of CSUN. Each student will intern with a host company in the related fields of active production/post production companies selected by the Caucus Foundation. “The Caucus Foundation, established in 2001 for the purpose providing completion or finishing monies for student thesis projects in television, film, video or interactive entertainment, will have awarded 100 grants and plans to reach $1,000,000 completion funds, in-kind grants and internships in this our 10th Anniversary,” Fries stated. www.caucusfoundation.org |
FBI and Local Law Enforcement in Partnership with CSUN Film Program Produce Gripping PSA on Cyber Predators and ChildrenThe scene opens on a family at dinner. Each member is lost in his or her own world – listening to music, reading a magazine or staring off into space. In a corner of the room sits a laptop open to the image of a man typing away on his own computer. Glancing up at the camera, the man says, “If you don’t talk to your children, I will.” The 30-second public service announcement, created by a team of Cal State Northridge faculty, students and alumni, is a stark reminder of the importance of parents taking advantage of every opportunity to talk to their children. (Click here to read more and to view the PSA) |
ASC Outstanding Achievement Awards AnnouncedThe American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) has named the recipients of the Richard Moore Heritage Award for outstanding achievement in student filmmaking. CSUN Senior Film Project "Sounds of Silence" (participant in 2009 Senior Film Showcase) has won an honorable mention for the Directors of Photography Ryan Carmody and Masaki Imai. This prestigious honor is a first for CSUN. Other top honors went to AFI, USC and Loyola Marymount. The awards will be given at the 24th Annual ASC Outstanding Achievement Awards on February 27th at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Century City where the cinematography nominees from the feature entries will be announced. Nominees are the Directors of Photography from: "The Hurt Locker', "Nine", "The White Ribbon", "Avatar", and "inglourious Basterds". The ASC Outstanding Achievement Awards for feature films are the highest honor for a cinematographer under the Academy Award. Click here to watch the trailer. |
CSUN Receives $1M Pledge From Anonymous Donor to Honor Entertainment Industry Alum MediaContact: Carmen Ramos Chandler
The gift will be used to create the Scott M. Weiss Memorial Scholarship Fund and the Scott M. Weiss Memorial Scholarship Endowment in honor of a cinema and television arts alumnus and entertainment industry professional who was killed in an automobile accident in July 2008. Cal State Northridge has received a $1 million pledge to honor alum Scott M. Weiss who died in 2008. Cal State Northridge has received a $1 million pledge to honor alum Scott M. Weiss who died in 2008. “This gift is not only generous, but inspiring,” Willey said. “Scott Weiss’ memory will be both an encouragement and a standard for a talented, creative and enterprising student to cross the bridge from school to his or her professional life. The gift truly is wonderful.” Scott M. Weiss Scholarships will be awarded to cinema and television arts students who meet the university’s financial need requirements and demonstrate promise in their major measured by their passion, commitment, creativity and effort. A recipient must be at least a sophomore and maintain a 2.5 or higher grade point average. The first scholarship is expected to be awarded later this year. Karen Kearns, associate dean of CSUN’s Mike Curb College of Arts, Media, and Communications, had Weiss as a student in fall 2000. “Scott was in my single-camera television class,” she said. “He and his group created a wonderful, five-minute piece called ‘Silver Lining.’ It was about a little girl who was hit by a car and killed. Her organs were donated and the family met the little girl who received their daughter’s heart. It was very touching. It also was the first time one of our television projects won a CSU Media Arts award. Scott was the editor on that team. “He was a great student. He was funny and he worked really well with his group,” Kearns recalled. “He just added so much to the team and its ability to create this wonderful story.” Kearns said she was “touched” that an endowment for cinema and television arts students was created in his honor. “It is so difficult to think that a student this young has left us,” she said. “Yet, his legacy will live on in the work of these other students he is able to help.” Scott Weiss transferred to Northridge in 1999 after having completed his general education requirements at Pierce and Valley Colleges. He enrolled in what was then the Radio-Television-Film Department with an eye on a career in the entertainment industry. During his final year at the university, Weiss obtained a much sought-after internship with a post-production company, earning credits toward his major at the same time. When he graduated in 2001, the company offered him a one-year contract to edit film coverage of the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics. In 2003, Weiss was hired by RIOT, a Santa Monica-based post-production company, to work exclusively on the company’s contract with the Fox Broadcasting Company. His editing skills were used to create promos for upcoming movies on the FX cable channel. Pleased with his work, Fox hired Weiss as an in-house editor in 2006 when it ended its contract with RIOT. Two years later, on July 12, 2008, Weiss was killed in a automobile accident. He was 32. In memory of Scott, two $5,000 awards are available in 2010The CTVA faculty from all options will nominate students for the Scott Weiss Memorial Scholarship based on a student’s strong potential for success in his or her chosen field of interest. The best candidates are those who have blossomed at CSUN and have found focus and direction through their work in the Cinema and Television Arts Department. The intention of the award is to both reward and assist a student with a monetary gift that insures that the student is able to complete in his or her degree. Class Level Academic Achievement Students do not apply for this scholarship. Candidates are nominated by members of the CTVA faculty who have observed the talent, professionalism, and personal development of the students nominated. |
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Temma Willey, chair of Cal State Northridge’s Department of Cinema and Television Arts, announced today that the university has received a $1 million pledge from an anonymous donor who asked that the money be used for scholarships for students in her department.
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