Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts

Hollywood in Studio One

2008-05-05T12:28:00.000-07:00

Winston Tharp, BECA's Head Television Engineer sent some interesting information (and speculation!) about BECA Studio 1:

The history of the SFSU BECA Department's television Studio One (CA-128) includes its use for production of at least two major Hollywood feature films, THX 1138 (1971) and The Candidate (1972).

George Lucas's feature film remake of his USC student film, THX 1138 was shot in 1969 and released in 1971. His rumored use of SFSU's TV studio as a location seemingly was never acknowledged and has been hard to pin down.

Herb Zettl had heard the same rumor I had about the THX 1138 connection but was unable to authenticate it for me, so I went to the Internet and came up with two pieces of information which seem to confirm it.

From American Cinematographer, in October 1971:

“The THX 1138 company traveled to no less than 22 locations in the San Francisco Bay Area, filming in such places as the Oakland Coliseum, the San Francisco Pacific Gas and Electric Building, the Marin County Civic Center in San Rafael, and the various tunnels and tubes of the a-building BART system...a tumor research center in San Jose, where there was a four-million-volt linear accelerator and a laser treatment machine...the cathedral sequence near the end of the picture that was actually shot in a TV studio.”

(from http://www.scoopy.com/thx1138.htm)

Is this THX-1138 Cathedral Sequence being shot in the BECA Department's Studio One? It looks like Studio One to me (probably shot from the catwalk), but only George Lucas or one of his cast or crew members would know for sure. In contrast, Studio One's role as the location for the debate scene in Robert Redford's The Candidate is not itself open to debate; it occupies an entire chapter in Bruce Bahrenburg's 1972 book Filming "The Candidate." Not only were studio space and technical facilities used, but students and staff became extras. BECA's Television Engineer, Dave Wiseman, was cast in the part of the pollster, as director Michael Ritchie describes in the book: "'I needed someone who was going to look bored.' Ritchie went up to the man who looked most bored on the set, had him read the few lines, and in fifteen minutes the part was cast."

According to Herb Zettl, the department received equipment in lieu of payment from Redford's production company (unfortunately, the equipment was stolen not long after, so BECA didn't profit in a material sense from its experience with Hollywood).

Thanks again to Winston Tharp for this contribution

MANDATORY SUMMER INTERNSHIP MEETING!!!!

2008-05-02T04:56:00.000-07:00

Don't forget! If you want to intern AND take BECA 576 you MUST attend the May 8th Mandatory Meeting in CA 128 at 12n. It's your one and only chance to get the necessary information before the summer begins!

Popular Online Sitcom Wants YOU!

2008-04-30T17:22:00.000-07:00

Here's a great opportunity to participate in the creation of an episode of "Break a Leg" — one of the hottest online TV shows.

Extras (and other helping hands) are needed this Saturday for a shoot in Sebastopol. Contact Yuri@breakaleg.tv for directions.

New-media fans and practitioners shouldn't miss this chance to get in on the fun (and, of course, the LEARNING). Be sure to mention you're a BECA person!

Summer Video Editing Opportunity

2008-04-26T17:06:00.000-07:00

JOB OPPORTUNITY during the Bay Area Multicultural Media Academy (June 15 to June 28, 2008) http://www.ciij.org/workshops?id=1787

BAMMA is an intensive two-week summer journalism workshop in which 12 Bay Area high school students live on campus and produce the Golden Gate Xpress 2.0. The workshop offers college journalists a great opportunity to mentor high school journalists. All jobs are full-time 40 hour/week temporary positions. Hours vary, and include some evenings and weekends. All BAMMA staff must attend a meeting at SFSU on Monday, June 9 at 1 p.m. Lunch will be served.

ASSISTANT VIDEO EDITORS (two positions)
Description: Assist BAMMA participants in developing news sources, write, shoot and edit stories.

Salary: $1,000.00 stipend for two week assignment.
Requirements Digital video journalism experience, editing skills.

Submit a cover letter stating interest, resume and two professional references to:
Zoneil Maharaj.

Center for Integration and Improvement of Journalism
San Francisco State University
1600 Holloway Avenue, HUM 307
San Francisco, CA 94132
ciijhs@sfsu.edu (415) 338-2542
Deadline: 12 noon Friday, May 2, 2008

Thailand Video Airs on Community TV

2008-04-23T19:53:00.000-07:00

"Beautiful Thailand," a video documentary addressing the Thai perspective on the environment, will air on a local community TV station to help celebrate Earth Week. The documentary, produced in BECA 580 - Media and Community Service in Thailand in June of 2007, will be seen on Millbrae Community TV on April 29th from 2:00-2:30 PM, 4:00-4:30 PM, and 6:00-6:30 PM, and on May 1 from 5:00-5:30 PM. Students in BECA 580 traveled to Thailand to work with the Thai Society for the Conservation of Wild Animals (TSCWA), an organization that restores animals to the wild. The class produced two short pieces for the TSCWA to use in their educational efforts. In addition, students took the initiative to produce two longer documentaries addressing environmental issues. "Beautiful Thailand" is one of the documentaries. Jennifer Chow, who completed her BECA major in May of 2007, served as producer of the documentary. Maria Hanafy, Eva Kane, Melinda Quesenberry, Paul Weigand, and Roman Zepeda completed the production team. Professor Betsy Blosser and Ms. Sonia De La Cruz co-taught the class.

Interested in a Career in Media Sales?

2008-04-23T01:15:00.000-07:00

Meet and mingle with more than a dozen media sales professionals (radio, television, advertising) today (April 23rd) at 5:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. in Studio One. (Extremely light refreshments will be served.)

This event is brought to you by CSB and the top-secret Media Management Society.

BECA Undergrad on "The New Price is Right"

2008-04-23T01:07:00.000-07:00

BECA's own Susan McNertney will appear the "The New Price is Right," Wednesday, April 23rd. Susan became a contestant on the famed game show while visiting Los Angeles as part of BECA 395, Close Up on LA.

BECA alum, Roger Dobkowitz, is the producer of the show.

ABC Talent Development & Diversity seeking Diverse Writer's Assistant Candidates

2008-04-22T23:05:00.000-07:00

Disney•ABC Talent Development & Diversity Seeking Diverse Writer's Assistant Candidates

ABC is now accepting resumes for diverse writer's assistant candidates. This program was created in answer to various ABC, ABC Family and Disney Channel Executive Producers' desire to increase the diversity of their writing staffs. Disney•ABC Talent Development & Diversity will provide productions hiring diverse writer's assistants up to nine months of salary reimbursement for the candidate. Past candidates have been staffed on Disney•ABC Television Group series such as: "Men in Trees," "Lincoln Heights" and "Kyle XY."

Ideal candidates should have a passion for television, and interest in writing for the medium, and though it is not required, it is helpful if candidates have had exposure to the television production process. Upon receipt of resumes, qualified candidates will be entered into a database. Should writer's assistant positions become available, Disney•ABC Talent Development and Diversity will submit potential candidates to inquiring showrunners.

Please submit resumes to: abc.fellowships@abc.com

MANDATORY SUMMER INTERNSHIP MEETING!!!!

2008-04-18T21:38:00.000-07:00

If you are planning to intern this summer, you MUST ATTEND the summer internship meeting on Thursday May 8th at 12n in CA 128. If you do not attend this meeting you will not be able to take the course this summer.

Questions? Contact Dr. Melissa Camacho at mcamacho@sfsu.edu.

BECA Student Goes on for Ph.D.

2008-04-18T12:08:00.001-07:00

Sonia De La Cruz, who earned both her B.A. and M.A. from the BECA Department, has been admitted to a Ph.D. program at the University of Oregon for the Fall of 2008. Sonia completed her M.A last spring, with video documentary entitled, "Working Hands," which addresses the situation of the migrant farmworker in California. Immediately afterwards, she traveled to Thailand with the BECA 580 - Media in Community Service course in which she directed production for both of the environmental videos that class produced for the Thai Society for the Conservation of Wild Animals. This year, Sonia continues her work as a union organizer while running her own production company. In addition, Sonia is directing production for BECA 580's spring project for the San Francisco Conservation Corps. She is also working with Professor Betsy Blosser to prepare the students for their upcoming trip to Guatemala.
At the University of Oregon, Sonia's adviser will be Dr. Gabriela Martínez, an assistant professor, who also earned her B.A. and M.A. from the BECA Department. As a BECA graduate student, Dr. Martínez created the international portion of the Media and Community Service course, and directed class productions in Cusco, Peru, in two different years. Sonia will be in good hands in Oregon!

Great Sports Radio Internship Opportunity!

2008-04-15T20:20:00.000-07:00

Right Off The Bat: Sports Radio Show

Right Off The Bat is in its eleventh season preceding the Oakland A's games. Their flagship station in 2008 is KYCY 1550 AM here in Northern California. The show is is created, produced, hosted and sold by Marty Lurie.

The internship is geared towards a student who wants to learn the ins and outs of radio producing, be part of life in a major league press box, react and help during the one hour show which is live each day, and watch the baseball season unfold over the next six months. The internship is for all home games at the Oakland Coliseum. For night games hours are 3:45 PM until 6:45 PM. Day games 9:45 AM until 12:45 PM. Credential is provided. Parking is provided. Car and laptop necessary. Unpaid. Future contacts in radio, television, journalism, and stadium operations are numerous and are encouraged. Go to www.loveofthegameproductions.com to hear samples of the show! More information on what the intern will do is in the internship binder. Contact Marty Lurie 510 338 0907 or e mail luriem@earthlink.net. Position is available immediately.

Great Internship Opportunity! Making Contact Radio Internships

2008-04-15T18:10:00.000-07:00

National Radio Project/Making Contact has opportunities throughout the year for highly motivated radio production interns who care about community-based media, peace and justice. Interns will learn how to produce a segment or feature for Making Contact. He/she will learn audio editing, voicing, script writing, interviewing and field reporting. By the time the intern leaves, he or she will have produced at least one segment for us for national broadcast. This internship is unpaid. College credit can be given, but is not necessary. Check out the information in the internship binder or email lrudman@radioproject.org or trubio@radioproject.org 510-251-1332 ext 105 for more information!

BECA Graduation Celebration

2008-04-09T13:11:00.000-07:00

BECA Graduation Celebration, sponsored by the BECA department and presented by College Students in Broadcasting, will be held on May 24th at 9:00 a.m. on the Lowell High School Football field. All BECA graduates for Spring, Summer and Fall are invited to register.

Pick up a registration form in the BECA office, CA 133, or on the CSB website.

Registration deadline is extended to Thursday, April17 by 12:00 p.m.

If have questions please email BECAGRAD08@gmail.com

BECA DEPARTMENT TOURS

2008-04-09T12:28:00.000-07:00

*BECA tours are now available: the last Thursday of every month, 12-12:45pm, outside the main BECA office, CA 133 Next tour: Thursday 24 April*
Want to see in person what BECA has to offer? Tours of the facilities are now available! Starting from outside the main BECA office, tours provide information about studying at BECA and visit key areas, including KSFS, the BECA radio station; video and sound editing laboratories; television studio facilities; and more. Tours are open to all interested potential undergraduate and graduate students. RSVP by emailing becagrad@sfsu.edu or by calling 415-338-2456.

BECA Scholarship Deadline Extended

2008-04-09T10:35:00.000-07:00

Paul C. Smith Memorial Scholarship- $500-Extended Deadline May 1
Richard Palmer Hartwig Scholarship- $1000-Extended Deadline May 1
John Bayliss Radio Scholarship- up to $5000-Deadline April 21 to BECA Office
Bob Brown Memorial Scholarship for Journalists- $1000- April 30 to Journalism Office

Scholarship applications and specific information about each scholarship are available in the BECA office, CA 133, or on the scholarship board in the BECA basement.

BECA 580 and the San Francisco Conservation Corps

2008-04-08T13:04:00.000-07:00

Students in the Spring 2008 class of BECA 580 (Media and Community Service) are spending the semester making a video for the San Francisco Conservation Corps (SFCC), an organization that prepares "at risk" youth for future employment.

The SFCC, in existence since the early 1980s, attracts youth from The City, many of whom have not yet graduated from high school and whose lives appear to be spiraling downward.

At the Corps, youth work for an hourly wage to do environmental projects for the city of San Francisco. Reviving a defunct neighborhood park or managing recycling for a special event are examples of the kinds of conservation projects they undertake.

Simultaneously, the youth go to school to complete their high school degrees, and they also receive job and other counseling. The BECA students are responding to the Corps' need for support from foundations or private donors to contribute to the SFCC. By early May, the students will share their video with the Corp. Before the end of the semester, the video will be finalized and given to the Corps for their use.

For more information about this project, contact either Director of Production Sonia De La Cruz sdelacruz77 (at) yahoo dot com or Professor Betsy Blosser at bblosser (at) sfsu dot edu.

BECAfest is coming soon

2008-04-08T12:59:00.000-07:00

BECAfest, the year-end festival of BECA department, is coming soon, the 15th of May.
Students can submit the materials in an edited format, 5 minutes long. There is a box in the cage. The deadline of submission is the 28th of April.

BECA Grad + NASA = Fun in "Inner Space"!

2008-04-07T23:42:00.001-07:00

BECA alumna Alison Victor has made her second independent documentary, Ed's Inner Space: The Genoa Remote Guidance System for the Blind. Here is a blurb about the film:

Ed Gallagher was a visual artist until he slowly lost his sight over 8 years. Inspired by space technology, Ed Gallagher developed the Genoa remote guidance system for the blind using wireless internet technology to communicate with a remote operator. Receiving clear commands from someone viewing Ed's world through his head mounted web cam, Ed, as a blind man, is able to participate in every day tasks, such as shopping, skiing, sailing and riding a bicycle, solo!

The short piece (15 minutes) will be featured in the Yuri's Night Bay Area 2008 extravaganza at the NASA Ames Research Center at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 12.

Alison's documentary Sailors First won a Best of Festival Award at the 2003 Berkeley Video and Film Festival; in 2004 Alison was awarded the Peter J. Marino Television Production Scholarship by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

Alison was also the founding guitarist of San Francisco's own legendary all-girl cover band, AC/DShe, though that's a story for another time.

Back to the original topic: What on earth is Yuri's Night? Glad you asked!

Yuri's Night World Space Parties is a unique convergence of artists, scientists, astronauts, performers, technologists, and musicians to pay tribute to our shared global heritage in space exploration while celebrating humankind's first venture into space by Russian Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin on April 12, 1961, and the launch of the first Space Shuttle on April 12, 1981.

Through simultaneous celebrations worldwide, Yuri's Night is a collaboration of creative thinkers from all fields to ignite excitement about what is new on the horizon in space exploration and to remind us of the inspiring possibilities that humanity can achieve.

Yuri’s Night Bay Area 2008 will feature talks by Will Wright and Stewart Brand; art and sculpture by The Flaming Lotus Girls and Michael Christian; live acrobatic and modern dance performances by Capacitor; musical performance by Amon Tobin and the special debut of the new band Telstar, featuring Phil Lesh of the Grateful Dead; and much, much more!

Radical Technology For A Sustainable Future The theme for Yuri's Night Bay Area 2008 is Radical Technology for a Sustainable Future. This year, in addition to celebrating and learning about mankind's legacy of space exploration, you will see art, science, and technology demonstrations showcasing the breakthroughs that will help us preserve our planet and our species, and hear from the brightest minds who are developing these technologies and helping to shape our future.

Extended BECA Programming

2008-04-05T16:28:00.000-07:00

We have extended our programming of College Sports Report, State of Events, Under SF and documentaries produced in the BECA department to the following areas:

2 hour block - CSR, SOE, Under SF, BECA Doc's

San Francisco Comcast Channel 27
Fridays - 5 & 10pm
Thursdays - 8am (after April 17) & 6pm (after April 24)

San Francisco Comcast Channel 75 (Astound Ch. 31)
Mon 1pm, Tues 9am, Wed 4pm, Thurs 12pm

1 hour block - CSR & SOE

ACCESS SF San Francisco Channel 29 – (Astound & Comcast) & Ch. 99 (AT&T)
Sundays – 3:00 – 4:00 pm
*LIVE WEBCAST accessf.org

MCTV Milbrae, Brisbane, San Mateo, San Carlos Ch. 27 (Comcast)
Wednesdays 10:00pm – 11:00 pm
*LIVE WEBCAST mctv.tv

PCT - Pacifica Ch. 26 (Comcast)
CSR on Fridays at 4:30 pm
SOE on Saturdays at 3:30 pm
*LIVE WEBCAST pct26.com/id16.html

Camacho talks about "soccer moms"

2008-04-04T18:46:00.000-07:00

In a recent article in the New Jersey Star-Ledger by Carrie Stetler, Associate Professor Melissa Camacho offers some insight on the entertainment industry's current portrayals of women as "soccer moms".

"These are women who are either balancing jobs and children or who have left a job to stay home. They're older than moms of the past; they have educations and career aspirations they gave up. Or they have to do it all at once, " says Camacho. "They're a generation of women who made tough choices. And they have to struggle with that every day."

Read the full article!

BECA 1000 Launch

2008-04-03T11:16:00.000-07:00

Here's what SF State Alum and radio personality Ben Fong Torres has to say
about the recent launch of the BECA 1000 in his Radio Waves article in The
San Francisco Chronicle.

Extended Lab Hours

2008-04-02T12:09:00.000-07:00

The Edit Lab in CA 200 is open for extended hours!
It will be open during the following times:

Monday - Thursday: 9am - 9pm
Friday: 9am - 5pm
Saturday & Sunday: 10am - 6pm*

*Lab will close @ 5pm if no students are present.

Edit Lab Workshops - Series 2

2008-04-02T11:54:00.000-07:00

The schedule for the second set of Edit Lab Workshops is ready!
Come improve your editing skills in CA 200!

APRIL & MAY WORKSHOPS:

104 – Exporting & Compressor: Learn three basic ways to export video from FCP, how compression works, and how to use the Compressor software.

• THURS 4/3 @ 4:00 pm
• FRI 4/4 @ 12:00 pm
• TUES 4/8 @ 3:30 pm
• THURS 4/10 @ 2:00 pm

105 – DVD Studio Pro: Learn how to use templates, buttons, author, build & format DVD’s using DVD Studio Pro.

• TUES 4/15 @ 5:00 pm
• FRI 4/18 @ 12:00 pm
• MON 4/21 @ 11:30 am
• THURS 4/24 @ 2:30 pm

106 – After Effects Overview: Learn the basics of key framing, 3-D motion, and advanced Chroma keying techniques.

• TUES 4/29 @ 3:30 pm
• FRI 5/2 @ 11:30 am
• MON 5/5 @ 12:00 pm
• THURS 5/8 @ 2:00 pm

107 - Motion: Learn the basics of motion graphics using Motion 3.0.2, taught by Leigh Wolf

• MON 4/7 @ 1:00 pm
• WED 4/16 @ 12:00 pm
• FRI 4/25 @ 12:00 pm

108 - Web Video: Learn how to compress video for the web, upload to a video hosting site, create a flash player, and learn how to embed videos, taught by Leigh Wolf.

• MON 4/28 @ 1:00 pm
• WED 5/7 @ 12:00 pm

I'm saving Tues & Thurs of Finals Week for anyone who would like to request a repeat of a workshop you were unable to attend. Send your requested workshop & time to msjenvaughn@gmail.com Requests will be filled on a first come first serve basis.

ABC Talent Development Fellowship Programs

2008-04-01T20:50:00.001-07:00

ABC Talent Development offers a variety of fellowships to help talented people get their foot in the door. Programs are in Directing, writing, acting, post-production, creative development and other areas. Check out the website for more information.

http://abctalentdevelopment.com/default.htm

These fellowships are in Los Angeles and last one year. They are paid and include health benefits.

Copy Editor Position with mun2

2008-04-01T20:34:00.000-07:00

Copy Editor / Writer at mun2 (NBC Universal)

A great way to get into NBC Universal.

JOB TITLE: Copy Editor/Writer mun2 Digital Media

The mun2 Digital Copy Editor and Writer divides her/his time between editing and creative writing tasks. The ideal candidate is able to quickly review copy for grammatical and stylistic flaws, honoring the distinct qualities of the mun2 editorial voice: young, bicultural generous and irreverent. She/he is also able to contribute pitchy, creative posts on a wide variety of topics (from up-and coming duranguense artists to vinyl toys) as well as the occasional, heart- wrenchingly poignant quip. Finally, this position requires writing for both online and television audiences.

Mun2 is the first national cable network to target young, U.S.

Latinos (12-34) with lifestyle-driven programming. mun2 provides an alternative mix of entertainment programming in English and Spanish that is 90%original and includes comedy, music, variety, lifestyle, and entertainment/information genres. The mun2 signal reaches approximately 9 million households in the United States including all top 20 Hispanic markets. mun2 is part of Telemundo cable, the cable division of the Telemundo network. Telemundo, the Spanish-language network dedicated to developing original programming for the U.S.

Hispanic market.

SKILLS & REQUIREMENTS: Basic Qualifications:

- At least two years professional experience as an editor and/or writer with online publishing experience.

- Competent with online production tools such as Adobe Photoshop and HTML

- Highly skilled at using the Web for research and distribution

Eligibility Requirements:

- Ability to read and understand written Spanish

- Willingness to travel and work overtime, and on weekends with short notice.

- Must be willing to work in Los Angeles, CA

- Must be willing to take drug test and submit to a background investigation

- Must have unrestricted work authorization to work in the United States

- Bachelor's degree

Desired:

- Excellent organizational skills and habits

- Ambitious

- Obsessive love for a well-turned out sentence

- Desire to articulate the foibles, hopes and fears of a generation

- An intimate understanding of the mun2 audience

- Excellent verbal and written communication skills

Apply by e-mailing directly to monica.pons@nbcuni.com