I09: The bloody final battle between humans and apes was the climax of this summer's blockbuster Rise of the Planet of the Apes. But how did Fox capture a human-vs.-animal showdown on the legendary Golden Gate Bridge?
Simple: Weta Digital, and lots and lots of ape-men in grey performance-capture pajamas. Watch how this film brought an imaginary war to life, in this exclusive behind-the-scenes footage from the DVD extras.
Friday, December 09, 2011
On Being a Noob at Networking Events and Conferences
The Savvy Intern by... - StumbleUpon: As a student, recent grad, or newbie to the work force, you might be (and you SHOULD be) going out of your way to get to all kinds of events and meet people – happy hours, panels, workshops, conferences.
But once you’re there, they can be a little intimidating – everyone knows everyone else, there’s the “cool kids” table at the back, and suddenly you’re back in middle school, wondering if you’re going to have to eat your lunch in the bathroom stall again.
There are a few tactics you can have up your sleeve to make sure you don’t end up without a date at the prom conference.
But once you’re there, they can be a little intimidating – everyone knows everyone else, there’s the “cool kids” table at the back, and suddenly you’re back in middle school, wondering if you’re going to have to eat your lunch in the bathroom stall again.
There are a few tactics you can have up your sleeve to make sure you don’t end up without a date at the prom conference.
On Location: ISS prop house going great guns in Hollywood
latimes.com: On a shelf in his Sunland office, Gregg Bilson Jr. displays one of his proudest props: a Nambu semiautomatic pistol that a Japanese soldier used for a suicide scene in “Flags of Our Fathers.”
The weapon was among nearly 600 guns that Bilson’s company, Independent Studio Services, shipped to Iceland for the 2006 Clint Eastwood World War II movie.
One of the Southland’s largest prop houses is going great guns in Hollywood. Over the last decade, Bilson’s family-run operation has emerged as one of the largest suppliers of arms to the movie and television industries, building a $20-million-a-year business by offering a one-stop shop for props, especially the firing kind.
The weapon was among nearly 600 guns that Bilson’s company, Independent Studio Services, shipped to Iceland for the 2006 Clint Eastwood World War II movie.
One of the Southland’s largest prop houses is going great guns in Hollywood. Over the last decade, Bilson’s family-run operation has emerged as one of the largest suppliers of arms to the movie and television industries, building a $20-million-a-year business by offering a one-stop shop for props, especially the firing kind.
Broadway Strikes an Autism-Friendly Chord
Yahoo! News: For most Americans, attending the theater is just one more form of entertainment. But for Katie Sweeney and her family, a recent trip to Broadway was true cause for celebration.
"It was absolute redemption," said Sweeney, recalling the afternoon in October when she, her husband Michael, 16-year-old son Dylan, and 14-year-old son Dusty -- who has autism -- caught a unique performance of "The Lion King."
"It was a special, special moment," she said, because the performance was the first-ever staging of a Broadway musical specially adapted for an audience of people with autism.
"It was absolute redemption," said Sweeney, recalling the afternoon in October when she, her husband Michael, 16-year-old son Dylan, and 14-year-old son Dusty -- who has autism -- caught a unique performance of "The Lion King."
"It was a special, special moment," she said, because the performance was the first-ever staging of a Broadway musical specially adapted for an audience of people with autism.
Could a Reconceived 'Cinderella' Get Invited to a Broadway Ball?
NYTimes.com: The first Broadway production of “Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella” is in the works for the 2012-13 theater season, with a new libretto by Douglas Carter Beane (“Lysistrata Jones,” “Sister Act”) based on the 1957 television musical that starred Julie Andrews, the producer Robyn Goodman said on Thursday.
Catholics protest against 'blasphemous' play in Paris
The Guardian: One of Paris's most prestigious theatres was being protected by riot police and guard-dog patrols on Thursday after it became the latest target in a wave of Catholic protests across France against so-called "blasphemous" plays.
The head of the Théâtre du Rond-Point on the Champs-Elysées complained of death threats in the runup to Thursday's premiere of the play Golgota Picnic by the Madrid-based, Argentinian writer Rodrigo García. Two men reported to have links to fundamentalist Catholic groups were arrested at the weekend while attempting to disable the theatre's security system.
The head of the Théâtre du Rond-Point on the Champs-Elysées complained of death threats in the runup to Thursday's premiere of the play Golgota Picnic by the Madrid-based, Argentinian writer Rodrigo García. Two men reported to have links to fundamentalist Catholic groups were arrested at the weekend while attempting to disable the theatre's security system.
Thursday, December 08, 2011
Mad Forest
Pittsburgh City Paper: There are always two emotions running side by side whenever I see a Caryl Churchill play. And the Carnegie Mellon Drama production of Mad Forest, her examination of the 1989 Romanian revolution, is no exception.
The first reaction is always shame. Churchill is blessed with one of the most awesome intellects of the 20th century, and with each play she drives herself and the audience to use every bit of comprehension we have. Meanwhile, I use what little intelligence I've got left on things like crossword puzzles and movie magazines.
My second, and overbidding, emotion is sheer awe. Churchill's vision of what theater can be is as broad as it is deep. Mad Forest isn't just a play about the Romania revolution and the dispatch of the Ceauşescus -- like that's not enough. It's also an examination into how theater can be used to tell a story.
The first reaction is always shame. Churchill is blessed with one of the most awesome intellects of the 20th century, and with each play she drives herself and the audience to use every bit of comprehension we have. Meanwhile, I use what little intelligence I've got left on things like crossword puzzles and movie magazines.
My second, and overbidding, emotion is sheer awe. Churchill's vision of what theater can be is as broad as it is deep. Mad Forest isn't just a play about the Romania revolution and the dispatch of the Ceauşescus -- like that's not enough. It's also an examination into how theater can be used to tell a story.
School of Drama tests boundaries of theater
The Tartan Online: A blood-lusting vampire, a rebellious son, and a bigoted father were among the characters that took the stage Friday night in the School of Drama’s production of Caryl Churchill’s Mad Forest. Set in the years surrounding the 1989 Romanian Revolution, the play explores life in Romania under the dictatorship of communist leader Nicolae Ceaucescu, the violent uprising that overthrew him, and the ensuing period of insecurity. Infused with documentary-like elements and magic realism, Mad Forest draws attention to human drama during a little-known revolution and tests boundaries between theater and film, fact and fiction.
Review: Quantum tweaks a classic with 'Fat Beckett'
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: Brainy theater critics and academics have long regaled us with the idea that Samuel Beckett's "Waiting for Godot" is really very funny.
But, most productions prefer to emphasize the more dour and philosophical side of two men waiting at a crossroads, beneath a barren tree for someone -- or maybe something -- that never arrives.
Irish theater critic Vivian Mercier has famously described it as "a play where nothing happens, twice."
But, most productions prefer to emphasize the more dour and philosophical side of two men waiting at a crossroads, beneath a barren tree for someone -- or maybe something -- that never arrives.
Irish theater critic Vivian Mercier has famously described it as "a play where nothing happens, twice."
Review: Laughs come as fast as clues in 'Mask of Moriarty'
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre's Christmas gift to area theatergoers is a hilarious and highly entertaining production delightfully free of holiday references or iconography.
Instead, "The Mask of Moriarty," which plays through Dec. 17 in the Charity Randall Theatre at the Stephen Foster Memorial, Oakland, transports us, not to the London of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" but to that of Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes.
Instead, "The Mask of Moriarty," which plays through Dec. 17 in the Charity Randall Theatre at the Stephen Foster Memorial, Oakland, transports us, not to the London of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" but to that of Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes.
'Christmas Carol' is still very much alive for CLO's Bob Crachit
Post gazette: The press notes for Pittsburgh CLO's 20th "A Musical Christmas Carol" say that Jeff Howell "is a veteran of numerous productions," but he knew how many right away.
"This will by my 17th, and I've been Bob Cratchit every time," he said. "I was Scrooge for just one performance, I had to go in for Edmund [Lyndeck]. That was a lot of fun."
He missed those three years because he was in other shows, but the holidays were not quite the same without that tradition.
"This will by my 17th, and I've been Bob Cratchit every time," he said. "I was Scrooge for just one performance, I had to go in for Edmund [Lyndeck]. That was a lot of fun."
He missed those three years because he was in other shows, but the holidays were not quite the same without that tradition.
2 comedians deftly juggle Beckett
Post Gazette: Fat isn't a word you associate with Samuel Beckett. Try angular. Wry. Spare.
But "Fat Beckett," a new comedy by Gab Cody in collaboration with Rita Reis, isn't actually Beckett. The world premiere staged by Quantum Theatre is a response, an extension or parody of the most influential and perhaps greatest play of the 20th century, Beckett's "Waiting for Godot."
But "Fat Beckett," a new comedy by Gab Cody in collaboration with Rita Reis, isn't actually Beckett. The world premiere staged by Quantum Theatre is a response, an extension or parody of the most influential and perhaps greatest play of the 20th century, Beckett's "Waiting for Godot."
'OCTAVIA' indicates maturing of Staycee Pearl group
Post Gazette: It's always rewarding to watch a young company take a quantum leap forward. Such was the case with Staycee Pearl dance project, just halfway into its second year and unveiling "OCTAVIA" at the Kelly Strayhorn Theater last weekend.
The title refers to Octavia Butler, a MacArthur Foundation "Genius" grant awardee and best known as a science fiction writer. But the author was more than that to Ms. Pearl, who immersed herself in Ms. Butler's writings for nearly 20 years.
The title refers to Octavia Butler, a MacArthur Foundation "Genius" grant awardee and best known as a science fiction writer. But the author was more than that to Ms. Pearl, who immersed herself in Ms. Butler's writings for nearly 20 years.
Clues in 'The Mask of Moriarty' lead to a zany time
Post Gazette: In "The Mask of Moriarty," the late playwright Hugh Leonard has played upon the comic potential of iconic characters, influenced as much by Benny Hill as he is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The thick London fog pouring onto the stage as the play opens can't mask the satiric intentions as Sherlock Holmes faces off, so to speak, with his arch nemesis Moriarty.
Miller troupe to celebrate resilience of human spirit
Post Gazette: Turn on the television or browse the Web, and the world can look like a pretty bleak place: Nations are warring, terrorists are plotting and economies are spiraling further into the red.
But humans are a pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps sort of species and can overcome whatever life hurls at them, says Mary Miller, founder and artistic director of MillerDANCE.
But humans are a pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps sort of species and can overcome whatever life hurls at them, says Mary Miller, founder and artistic director of MillerDANCE.
Fat Beckett
Pittsburgh City Paper: Quantum Theatre has embarked on another maiden voyage. It's world-premiering Fat Beckett, created by Pittsburgh's Gab Cody with Portuguese/Luxembourger Rita Reis.
They chose to spin off Samuel Beckett's bleak conundrum of futility Waiting for Godot, given that Beckett's estate prohibits women from playing the roles. They also express a fondness for "the French language [and] serious comedy." A valid impetus: Beckett's play was first published in French, and the work has always been open to multiple interpretations pointed up with comic touches.
They chose to spin off Samuel Beckett's bleak conundrum of futility Waiting for Godot, given that Beckett's estate prohibits women from playing the roles. They also express a fondness for "the French language [and] serious comedy." A valid impetus: Beckett's play was first published in French, and the work has always been open to multiple interpretations pointed up with comic touches.
Theatre Festival in Black & White
Pittsburgh City Paper: Compendiums of new plays are a mixed bag, sometimes with more tricks than treats. In its eighth incarnation, Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Co.'s Theatre Festival in Black & White -- presented in two evenings of four one-acts each -- seems to have kept its soapboxes but lost its edginess.
Two local stage artists retool Waiting for Godot from a contemporary female perspective
Pittsburgh City Paper: Like most of Samuel Beckett's work, Waiting for Godot takes place in a world of poverty, failure and loss. It's a world over which figuratively looms the gaunt, hawklike visage of Beckett himself, iron-gray hair bristling, blue eyes piercing.
Nonetheless -- or perhaps inevitably -- a few years ago, writer and performer Gab Cody announced to grad-school classmate Rita Reis, "We should do a show called Fat Beckett." And, recalls Cody, "She said, ‘OK!'"
Nonetheless -- or perhaps inevitably -- a few years ago, writer and performer Gab Cody announced to grad-school classmate Rita Reis, "We should do a show called Fat Beckett." And, recalls Cody, "She said, ‘OK!'"
The Mask of Moriarty
Pittsburgh City Paper: For those of us who have misspent much of our lives wallowing in the Golden Age of British Crime -- both fiction and fact, paper and celluloid -- Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre's production of The Mask of Moriarty is an unbridled romp of knowing chuckles, nodding guffaws and the occasional horselaugh. Hugh Leonard's 1985 play leaves few stops unpulled in this dissection of that first and greatest of franchise detectives, Sherlock Holmes. Director Alan Stanford, the show's original Dr. Watson, wraps it as a pretty package for holiday entertainment.
Wednesday, December 07, 2011
Faculty, students discuss FCEs
The Tartan Online: As the fall 2011 semester at Carnegie Mellon draws to a close, Faculty Course Evaluations (FCEs) are made available to students to evaluate courses and professors. Students’ responses will be reviewed by the university, which uses them to make decisions regarding course curricula and faculty promotion.
In an email, University Registrar John R. Papinchak explained the significance of FCEs and the importance of students’ feedback.
In an email, University Registrar John R. Papinchak explained the significance of FCEs and the importance of students’ feedback.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)