Check out the various leaders and exciting workshops that will be offered from 9:30-11:30 on Saturday morning:
ROSS ANDERSON (CdeP 1969)
BIO: Mr. Anderson has been a critically acclaimed architect, educator and mentor for more than twenty years. Using the power of simple gestures, his body of work shows a unique search for an authentic architecture, one that becomes the “voice” of the site as well as one that speaks to a wide audience.
From carpentry to concrete casting, Ross Anderson has sought hands-on work as an essential/important counter point to studying historical and theoretical aspects/approaches of designing and building, and continually draws on this broad range of experiences. In addition to his studies at the Graduate School of Design, he served as one of the founding editors of the Harvard Architectural Review. After receiving his Masters degree, Mr. Anderson worked with noted California architect, William Turnbull, focusing on the specific relationships between buildings and site and the cogent use of appropriate materials. This deep concern with the power of the site continues to shape his work.
WORKSHOP: Stories define us. Since early cave dwellers left their graffiti in Lascaux, people have been moved by telling and listening to stories. Stories are powerful: They give meaning and context to what would otherwise be a collection of easily forgettable facts. Stories invoke the imagination so that listeners begin to own them almost as much as the teller. In fact, a growing body of research points to the power of narrative not just as a way to engage people, but as the only way to change deeply entrenched views.
A story is “a fact, wrapped in an emotion, that compels us to take an action that transforms our world,” writes TV writer/producer Richard Maxwell and executive coach Robert Dickman in The Elements of Persuasion: Use Storytelling to Pitch Better, Sell Faster & Win More Business (HarperBusiness, 2007).
1. Stories don’t have to be long.
2. Stories don’t have to be verbal (think of brand logos.)
3. The right story, at the right time, helps us shape and control our world.
In this workshop we will talk about various approaches to the idea of a narrative with content, both visual and written. We will gather images as a group, identify key moments and places (as well as characters!) and attempt to compose an illustrated story of A Place Called Thacher. We will have no idea where this will go or what the result will be BUT we will attempt to create a meaningful booklet that weaves a compelling tale.
THE BROTHERS BARBAKOW (CdeP 2000 & 2007)
BIO 1: Bennett Barbakow is a Director, Composer, and Visual Artist in Los Angeles, CA. Co-Founder and Partner of Huma-Huma (a bicoastal music house in LA/NYC) and Test Pattern (an LA based production company), Bennett works on projects of all sizes and shapes: commercials, music videos, film, comedy series, documentaries and installations of music and sound. Clients include Google, Nike, Microsoft, Sony, Starbucks, Showtime, IFC, Sony Pictures Television, Fox Sports Network, NFL, NBA, Trident, Mercedes-Benz, KIA Coca-Cola, and Pepsi. Bennett graduated in 2004 from Brown University with Honors and received the Roberta Joslin Award for Excellence in Visual Art. He has received numerous film festival awards and honors including the prestigious Art Directors Club “Young Guns Award.” His film “Byron’s Theme” is currently touring the film festival circuit and has played at 10 festivals thus far. http://bennettbarbakow.com/ www.huma-huma.com
BIO 2: Max Barbakow is a writer and filmmaker who sees storytelling as the privilege of exploring the characters, landscapes, and oddities that color This Crazy Place Called The Planet Earth. Max graduated from Yale in 2011 with a BA in American Studies, and was nominated for the Sudler Prize for Excellence in the Arts. He also studied in Bolivia. Post-grad, Maxspent time in Southeast Asia shooting RUMORS, a project about backpacking culture, then worked as a writer’s intern for David Milch (DEADWOOD). Recently, he’s made short profiles for ABC/UNIVISION, directed a rock ‘n roll web series for Participant Media, and worked as a location assistant on David O. Russell’s AMERICAN HUSTLE. He currently has two projects on the festival circuit: big brother Bennett’s existential comedy BYRON’S THEME (producer), and his own feature-length directorial debut, MOMMY, I’M A BASTARD! (about his adoption). Max lives in Los Angeles, where he is pursuing his MFA at the AFI Conservatory as a Directing Fellow. http://vimeo.com/copperwires and http://mommyimabastard.
WORKSHOP: Young Guns Tell Tales out of School. And in school. (Their school, in fact.) Both of the Barbakow brothers, Bennett and Max, are film directors and accomplished artists. They will screen parts of their recent films and then open up the room for a creative and informal discussion of all related topics. Although one film is a narrative short and the other is a documentary feature, there are similarities in the filmic explorations and lead characters-in-the-film as they go on journeys to find meaning in their own lives. The very process of filmmaking and the exploration of story ties directly to the journey we all want to take as filmmakers and as people. The Barbakows would like to discuss all of this and more!
Byron’s Theme Meet Nick. Nick is obsessive compulsive. He loses his tooth… and sleeps with his girlfriend’s twin sister. He gets stranded in the desert … and must decide who he is as a man. Nick learns his most important lesson… with the help of his golden retriever, Byron. A love story; with a tail. (12 min)
Mommy, I’m a Bastard! A young filmmaker considers his adoption and the three families linked by his birth. He journeys across the USA to film his families, both adopted and adoptive, exploring his own identity and the meaning of family. (65 min)
WHITNEY DOW
BIO: Calling myself a filmmaker implies that I set out produce specific physical objects, while in actuality filmmaking is the structured process I use to examine an idea or subject matter in which I am interested. A film happens to be the byproduct of that process, and the narratives of my films are my attempts to put what I have learned into a form that will engage and provoke others. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1103119/ (See also: Panelists)
WORKSHOP: Vine Videos. One of film’s main jobs is to expand and compress time. Decades of story can be collapsed into a 90-minute film and a split second event can be dragged out for minutes. There is no video platform more compressed than the Vine app, which forces its users to boil their stories down to six seconds. In this workshop we will conceive, write, storyboard shoot and post an episodic story made up of Vines. Be forewarned though, I have never done this before so it has the potential to be a complete fiasco leading to public humiliation for all who participate.
CAROLYN FOX (P ’07, ’09)
BIO: My art is a melding of different stylistic approaches from American, European and East Indian painting. All celebrate the beauty and importance of nature, our surroundings and everyday life. Shape, color and pattern lead the viewer into a world that emanates its own particular light and sense of space. Instead of using linear perspective, I often use a more narrative and abstract approach that incorporates multiple points of view. The scenes are at once familiar and exotic, combining grounding architectural elements with stylized plants and trees and figures. My aim is to evoke all the senses, transport the viewer and bring a feeling of optimistic expectation.
http://cfoxart.com/index.html
WORKSHOP: Drawing and Painting as Narrative. The visual element can be so important in telling a story. In this hands-on workshop students will create their own narrative painting to illustrate a favorite story, song or poem. We will start with a sketch , move into pen on paper and then complete with watercolor. Ms. Fox will share examples of her own narrative collage paintings as well her book and magazine illustrations.
JENNIFER JOANOU FRANK (P ’16)
BIO: I have been creating visual journals and altered books utilizing mixed media and collage techniques for the past 9 years. They incorporate my love of personal expression and all of my past mediums including fabric, photography, paper and paint. But the most important part of my work is the process and the self-discovery that occurs while I’m working in my journal. The pages tell a powerful story. One that I sometimes didn’t even know existed. http://www.jenniferjoanou.com/
WORKSHOP: Tell your story in a Visual Journal. What is a Visual Journal? It is a combination of imagery and text. That is the simple definition, but the magic is in the process. We will combine journal writing and art assignments using various mixed media techniques to help find the story of YOU. No art skills required, just an open mind, a sense of adventure, experimentation and a willingness to get a little messy.
ELIZA GREGORY (CdeP 1999)
BIO: Eliza Gregory uses the power of story to bring people together across entrenched social divisions. As an artist who builds projects that catalyze relationships and explore cultural identity, she frequently uses photographs, interviews, exhibitions, and partnerships, among other media. Eliza is trained as a fine art photographer, a creative writer and a strategic communicator. She lives and works in San Francisco. www.holdon-letgo.com www.elizagregory.com
WORKSHOP: Hunter Gatherer. This workshop will focus on the art of the interview. How do you find stories in the people around you? In your family, your neighborhood, your extended community? Once you’ve found them, how can you shape those stories into something that an audience can engage with in some way? How do you get involved with telling other people’s stories without objectifying, humiliating or idealizing them? Journalists, oral historians, researchers, authors, screen writers, social scientists and many other professions use interviews in their work. We will think about hunting and gathering stories through the lens of my practice as an artist who actively pursues, collects and shares stories in her work.
DAVID HURWITH
BIO: Mr. Hurwith has created and presented more than 50 works for dancers since 1981. These dances have been performed at major theaters in the United States and Europe, for feature films and department store windows. The dancing has been informed by Mr. Hurwith’s immersion into Contact Improvisation, Authentic Movement and Body-Mind Centering®. The inspiration of Jazz music with its sublime evocations of idiosyncracy and moments of humor have led David to experiment with a variety of methods and forms in creating work that express the beauty and irony of many human moments and the possibilities inside perception.
WORKSHOP: Relearning Your First Language. Movement is the first language in a human being’s development. As dancers we communicate with shape, rhythm and phrasing. The stories we tell are often beyond words and yet their impact is lasting and powerful. In this workshop we will explore forms of perception and retrieval of improvised movement in order to deepen our relationship to how we create narrative. Experience in dance, movement or performance, and/or an ability to focus and try something unknown are necessary.
JOAN ISAACSON (P ’16)
BIO: I love the energy and dynamic nature of cities and urban neighborhoods. As a professional urban planner, my favorite days are spent doing field work on city streets, learning what makes them unique by talking with people and studying neighborhood form and structure, assessing needs and opportunities, and engaging community members in formulating viable plans to achieve collective goals. My inspiration is to improve lives and environments, and make cities fantastic places so that people choose to live there rather than in new developments that continue to erode natural habitats and ecosystems.
WORKSHOP: Urban Stories. Explore how stories are a powerful force in the evolution of urban neighborhoods and districts. The physical and cultural manifestations of stories tell us about communities’ history, struggle, and inspiration. Importantly, stories connect people to places and each other, which in turn sustain healthy, thriving, and contributing communities. Recognizing the power of stories, professional urban planners use them as a tool to revitalize declining urban districts and neighborhoods. Come prepared to share the stories of the place where you grew up, examine changing conditions, and develop ideas for keeping the stories alive to benefit the residents of today and the future.
SULEIKA JAOUAD
BIO: Suleika Jaouad is an Arab-American journalist, blogger, women’s health advocate and cancer survivor. She is the author of the Emmy Award-winning New York Times series “Life, Interrupted”. Suleika’s career aspirations as a foreign correspondent were cut short when, at age 22, less than a year after graduating from Princeton with highest honors, she was diagnosed with leukemia. But cancer didn’t stop her from pursuing her dreams to become a writer. At age 23, in the Spring of 2012, she became one of the youngest New York Times journalists, and began writing her column from the bone marrow transplant unit at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/category/voices-2/life/
WORKSHOP: Making Your Mess Your Message. Everyone has a story to tell. More often than not, that story is right in front of you. After being diagnosed with cancer, Suleika began reporting from the front lines of her hospital room and writing the Emmy Award-winning New York Times series “Life, Interrupted.” The workshop will explore the many different mediums through which creative non-fiction narratives can be told and shared; it is a guide to writing true stories, well told.
MELISSA JOHNSON
BIO: When I was a kid the idea of death freaked me out so much that my mom got me a picture book called Freddy the Leaf that was about embracing change in the seasons of life. I remember thinking, “Oh, I see what you’re trying to do here.” The power of story has made an impression on me ever since – in the way we use stories to make meaning, connect, and yes – feel less afraid on the great wild adventure. I like stories that dive into the complexity and beauty of the human experience but are also irreverent and funny. My favorite ways to tell stories are through documentaries, 1st person essays, and narrative screenwriting.
Melissa has taken leadership roles in documentary film, television, web production, and digital marketing over the past ten years. With the launch of High Hip Productions in January 2008, Melissa directed and produced the short documentary film, Act As If, about Harvard women’s basketball coach Kathy Delaney-Smith and her positive life philosophy. Alongside director John Singleton (Boyz in the Hood) Melissa recently co-produced a documentary for ESPN’s acclaimed 30 for 30 series about former track star Marion Jones. As Senior Producer and Digital Director for Comedy Central, BBC America, and Spike TV, Melissa ran websites for hit television shows including The Colbert Report and Top Gear. She also directed and produced over 100 shorts and segments for these networks, earning a 2009 Webby Honoree for BBCAmerica.com. Melissa worked as Assistant to the Director and Assistant Editor on the documentary film, Class Act, directed by Sara Sackner and Executive-Produced by Morgan Spurlock following his Academy Award Nominated film, Super Size Me. Keeping in touch with her digital media roots, Melissa co-created an original web series called, The Worst Speeches of All Time that premiered on ComedyCentral.com in August 2009 and has garnered 900,000 views to date. Melissa’s personal essays have appeared in the New York Times and Salon.com.
WORKSHOP: My Life Out Loud. Joan Didion famously said, “We tell ourselves stories in order to live.” So what stories are you telling about your own life? How can you create these stories most powerfully? One of the great secrets to mastering the first-person essay is sharing it out loud with fellow writers. This class will be a truly interactive workshop where each student crafts a new, original short story about his or her own life by playing back and forth between the spoken and written word. Emphasis will be given on tools and tricks to take one’s writing process to the next level in an atmosphere of positive feedback and mutual encouragement.
DEREK TAYLOR KENT
BIO: Derek Taylor Kent’s love of scary stories began when his parents inexplicably took him to see the movie Aliens on a school night when he was just seven years old. He is now award-winning author and screenwriter based in Los Angeles. He received a three-book deal for his horror-comedy book series Scary School, which has become one of the most popular middle-grade book series and was voted “Funniest Chapter Book of 2011”. Derek’s horror screenplay Naughty was recently optioned by The Donner Company (Tales from the Crypt, The Goonies) and is currently in development. http://www.scaryschool.com/
WORKSHOP: Be Scared. Why do scary stories and terrifying tales enthrall us in childhood and stay titillating in adulthood? In this workshop, award-winning author Derek Taylor Kent (Scary School series) will reveal why children crave scary stories and how they are psychologically beneficial for young minds. Derek will then discuss the secrets behind crafting an effective horror story and lead the group in a writing exercise to get you started on your own!
RONA KOE & SYLVIA EDGAR
BIO : Sylvia Puanani Edgar and Rona Pualani Koe are hula teachers in the area that teach traditional Hawaiian dance, culture, and history for the sake of perpetuating, honoring, and sharing.
WORKSHOP: Hula Dancing. This workshop will provide historical and cultural lessons of Hawaii through traditional ancient style Hawaiian dance. Students will learn basic hula steps and put them together to tell a story of a Hawaiian Queen.
Faculty: Theana Snyder
DAN MALLOY
BIO: I grew up just down the hill from Thacher on Gridley Road, and spent the weekends of my childhood exploring ranches in the Cuyama Valley and surfing the beaches of Ventura and the Channel Islands. The stories my father told of his childhood adventures doing these same activities inspired my two brothers and I to use our career as professional surfers as a platform from which to launch various storytelling projects, including films, books, magazine articles and marketing campaigns. For the past 9 years I have been lucky to work for Patagonia, telling stories with a great community of craftspeople, artists and adventurers. http://www.patagonia.com/us/ambassadors/surfing/dan-malloy/71244
WORKSHOP: Storycraft: Slow is Fast. The class will be centered around process. Using my last project Slow is Fast and Patagonia’s new Worn Wear campaign, amongst other stories, we will explore storycraft from a practical perspective. Throughout the workshop, we will ask and answer questions such as “What stories are worth telling?”, “Who’s the audience?”, “What medium is best for crafting this story?”, and learn how to build a good storytelling team, how to tell stories simply in the fewest words or images, and how to make a compelling storyboard for more visual stories. The students will come up with plans for several different types of stories.
GREG MACHLIN
BIO: At age six, I wrote my first story—a ten-page epic called “The King, the Queen, the Prince, and Ol’ Doc Lobster.” My parents loved it, so I wrote a sequel. Works include: “Sushi” (one-act; sushi pieces try to survive); 7 Days (full-length drama about Miles Davis); WRNG in Studio City (webseries; reporters make up fake news.) More important than productions is my growing acceptance that the work itself must be the reward. Some very good work gets recognized; a lot goes undiscovered. That doesn’t mean you won’t achieve external success, but cultivating internal success will sustain and fulfill you. http://www.gregmachlin.com/ www.wrnginstudiocity.com/
WORKSHOP: Your New Superpower is: Playwriting. Greg (who’s taught writing at the University of Iowa) will guide students through writing a 5- to 10-minute play, possibly with a non-human or inanimate object as protagonist. (He’s weird like that). We’ll mix techniques from the legendary workbook The Artist’s Way with practical, hard-headed advice on such riveting topics like FORMATTING! COVER LETTERS! and SUBMITTING!. You’ll be glued to your seat. Probably because Greg got to the chairs. At the end, you’ll not only have a play, but Greg guarantees you’ll be a millionaire playwright in one year’s time!*
(*Note: Guarantee not valid in states beginning with letters A-M.)
J.P. MANOUX (CdeP 1987)
BIO: Throughout both my professional acting career and my personal life, the rules of improvisational theatre and the skill set that comes with routine practice have proven to be enormously rewarding. In this arena, you MUST listen to your partner. That, it turns out, is the foundation of any solid relationship… the successful tackling of any collaborative project, etc. http://jpmanoux.com/
WORKSHOP: Improv Comedy. Not everyone loves a magician, but everyone loves magic. Improvisational theatre is magic. The creation of something funny and substantive from the slightest of suggestions… or, from nothing at all. WHOSE LINE IS IT ANYWAY? fans (and those who have no idea what I’m talking about) are invited to play theatre games in a highly energized, failure-free environment. Learn to appreciate the awesome power of the hive mind!
KIM MAXWELL
BIO: “We teach people to launch their stories loudly and unapologetically into the world; to laugh more, risk more and have bigger lives.” ~ KMS Mission Statement. This is the war cry of my little studio on Ojai Avenue. This is the fuel that has sustained a life-long infatuation with stories over my career as an actor, writer, director and producer.For over twenty years I’ve watched my students stand on a stage, proclaim what they want from life, and change their lives. It is the best job in the whole world and I hope to do it forever. http://www.kimmaxwellstudio.com/
WORKSHOP: Public Speaking: Oh the Horror! Does the idea of an open mic nights excite and petrify you at the same time? Do you have a story you are dying to tell, but find yourself spending a little extra time with your cats instead? This workshop will give you the pragmatic tools to get off your sofa and on the stage. Yes, it is terrifying to put the things you think and feel out there for the world to hear, but it is also the most rewarding investment you will ever make. We all know that stories change lives – so memorize a brief quote, bring a pencil and take a leap. * Please memorize a brief quotation for the workshop.
ALICE MEYER (P ’98, 01)
BIO: Nearly 30 years ago, Alice Meyer was introduced to the art of Ukrainian egg-dying at a workshop put on by a local artist, who had learned the craft from her Ukrainian relatives. Fascinated by the challenge of designing a balanced and pleasing design on a non-symmetrical three-dimensional surface, Alice spent many years learning about traditional designs, practicing technique, and experimenting with designs from other cultures. Along the way, she began teaching Ukrainian Egg classes, to children and adults alike. Alice explains, “It’s nearly impossible to make a ‘perfect’ egg – I’ve never even come close. But, even your first egg, with all its imperfections, can be stunning. Mastering the technique, immersing yourself in creating a story on your egg, and trying to pull it all together into a coherent design—it’s an engrossing and satisfying way to spend a morning.”
WORKSHOP: Pysanky. The art of pysanky, Ukrainian decorated eggs, began centuries ago as a pagan ritual to ward off evil spirits and celebrate annual rituals, such as the earth’s rebirth every spring. The advent of Christianity only strengthened this cultural tradition, as the church linked the practice of creating eggs to the celebration of Easter. Over many years, pysanky have been used to commemorate births, deaths, marriages, good harvests, and many other important human celebrations. Using traditional symbols, the eggs are decorated using a wax resist technique and a layering of dyes. Each egg tells a story, both through the choice of color and choice of symbols.
JUNA ROSALES MULLER
BIO: Juna Rosales Muller is a fabric artist, printmaker, and outdoor educator who loves bad jokes. Her work with migrant’s clothing began while leading teenagers on trips to the U.S.-Mexico border. The stories she heard there were big enough that she wanted to share them and to keep hearing more about what it meant for someone to leave their home country. She is baffled and awed by what she sees story-telling artists doing today to invite community participation.
WORKSHOP: Mending Patriotism. This workshop will focus on exploring how artists become storytellers. By looking at examples of projects that use simple images to tell complex stories, we will take apart the methods that artists use to get to the right image. We will learn about how it looks to participate in and shape our communities through art-making, and then, we will practice brainstorming images that will communicate the whole story we want to tell– and create real project ideas! The workshop will use examples of projects about border-crossing, community revitalization, and national identity — which are explored through media ranging from quilt making to porcelain to found art objects.
LELAND MYRICK
BIO: Leland Myrick is the Ignatz Award- and Harvey Award-nominated author and illustrator of The Sweet Collection, School Girls, Bright Elegy, and Missouri Boy. His writing and illustrations have appeared in publications as diverse as Dark Horse Comics, GQ Japan, Vogue Russia, Flight, and First Second Books. His most recent graphic novel, in collaboration with Jim Ottaviani, Feynman, was a New York Times #1 bestselling graphic novel. His first novel, The Ten, was chosen by Kirkus Reviews as an Indie Book of the Year. He lives in Pasadena, California. http://www.lelandmyrick.com/
WORKSHOP: Graphic Storytelling. Examining the power of story through the words and pictures that fuse to make a graphic novel. Leland Myrick, creator of Missouri Boy, Bright Elegy, and more, and the illustrator of the NY Times #1 bestseller graphic novel Feynman, brings together the power of poetry, science, and ink-on-paper for a hands-on workshop that looks at what makes a great graphic novel and how he and other authors and illustrators go about the process of creation.
MALIKA NDLOVU
BIO: Malika Lueen Ndlovu is a Durban-born performer-word-weaver-story-lover, mother of four children and several multi-media productions. Her words and visions have flown far from the nest, making their appearances on pages and stages in Austria, USA, UK, Holland, Ireland, Germany and the Philippines. She is constantly nourished by collaboration with other artists and motivated by her personal mantra ‘healing through creativity.’ http://www.malika.co.za/
WORKSHOP: Singing over the bones. Conceived by South African and applied arts practitioners /activists Malika Ndlovu, Hilda Gertz and Tina Schouw this is an ongoing multi-layered creative approach to personal storytelling as a means to achieve community healing. By supporting one individual at a time -in valuing, embodying, honouring and accessing the wisdom of their personal stories this dynamic participant –centered workshop is structured around the following 4 basic themes :
1. Re – Membering / Re-Minding
2. Revealing / Revelation
3. Recognising/ Re-Cognition
4. Rebirthing/ Re-Creation
From visualizations, creative writing and body mapping to clay sculpture, visual art installations performance and creative ritual – this workshop is intended to directly engage the immeasurable resource of creativity inherent to all of us as human beings – expressed via the mental, emotional and body intelligences we discover /recover as we play, listen, excavate, reshape the elements of our own life stories to learn from, share, honour and celebrate!
SAM ‘N ASH
BIO: We are a duo of common folk instruments, accordion and mandolin, dedicated to learning and performing old traditional music and using our present-day influences to evolve this tradition by composing our own music. Together and separately, we travel internationally and collaborate with musicians, expanding our repertoire and contributing to the existing body of folk music. https://www.facebook.
WORKSHOP: Folk Tunes. All instruments encouraged. The Sam ’n Ash workshop will begin with an explanation of the concept of folk music as it applies to community and history. The duo will describe and perform a few examples. They will then teach a traditional folk tune and its story to the participants. Finally, the class, individually or in groups, will compose their own tune in the same musical style to commemorate an event or story of their choosing.
DENNIS SHIVES
BIO: Dennis is a lifetime Ojai resident, master artist, woodcarver, painter, sculptor, inventor, and author. He infuses heart and soul into each unique piece that he creates bringing a whimsical playfulness into function. Whether creating art or hiking through the backcountry Dennis has the gift of a seer, the ability to see what we miss, and the skill to make the obscure available to our eyes. His work is in museums, schools, and purchased worldwide by clients in London, Paris, Italy, and Japan. http://dennisshives.com/
WORKSHOP: Nature Tales on a Walk. Experience a hike through the back country of Thacher with local artist and barefoot naturalist, Dennis Shives. He will lead us on a 1 ½ hr hike that he walks every morning, sharing stories along the way about animals that he sees, tracks that he observes, how the trail changes every day … While hiking, we will stop along the way to enjoy the experience, allowing time to journal and draw. Please bring a small notebook and pen or pencil.
KARIN STELLWAGEN & JENA JENKINS
BIO 1: Karin Stellwagen graduated from USC with a Masters in Visual Anthropology and teaches documentary filmmaking at Brooks Institute in Ventura, California. She served as production manager for world-renowned video artist Bill Viola, working on featured installations at major international museums including the National Gallery of England, Guggenheim, LA County Museum of Art, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Getty Museum. She has produced documentaries of all stripes for nationally broadcast series including PBS, Discovery and the History channel. She is ceaselessly interested in the nexus of art, cultural studies and documentary; she actively consults on independent documentaries; and currently serves as a juror for the Ojai Film Festival.
BIO 2: Jena Jenkins is an individual and educational counselor focusing on the power and possibilities of personal growth. She acts as catalyst guiding individuals through creative explorations during times of change to embrace new levels of self-awareness. Jena holds a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology, a Bachelor’s in Social Work and has over 13 years of professional experience guiding both individuals and groups.
WORKSHOP: Get Obscured. ob·scure əbˈskyo͝or/ adjective 1. not discovered or known about; uncertain. 2. keep from being seen; conceal. The camera obscura is an ancient recipe for turning a room or box into a reflection of the world outside. This technique dates far back to the ancient Greek and Chinese philosophers (300-400BCE). We will be using portable camera obscura and pinhole cameras to ponder how the outside reflects on us and how we leave our marks on it. Predominantly, we will be considering the power of self-representation and particularly self-portraits: How do we see ourselves? How do our internal realities manifest externally? How would we like to be seen or hidden? We will provide cameras and questions but you should bring your ideas, a sense of exploration and a willingness to wander. (By all means bring your own cameras/video and see how your gear might interface with ours.)
SARA THACHER (CdeP 2000)
BIO: Sometimes the things I make are called art, sometimes game is a better descriptor, and sometimes they look more like theme parks. The all have a common approach: they are experiences that cross between the physical and digital world. In them, I focus on how a story can surround you — leaping from a blog online to the character calling you on the phone to a low power radio station that can only be heard in a particular city park. This means that you become an active participant in the narratives I like to create. http://thachr.com/ (See also: Panelists)
WORKSHOP: Story Sandboxes. Great stories have long been the domain of a single auteur, but the internet and social media have given rise to collaborative fictions. Stories where the line between audience and author is increasingly blurred. In this workshop we’ll look at examples of these multi-voiced narratives and their potential not only for entertainment, but for social good. We’ll talk about making story ‘sandboxes’ that present an open invitation to participate. And we’ll put our voices together to create our own collaborative fiction.
STACY TITLE & JONATHAN PENNER (P ’14, ’17)
BIO: Stacy Title and Jonathan Penner (parents of Cooper CdeP ’14 and Ava CdeP ’17) are both Academy Award Nominated filmmakers. As producers, directors and writers of feature films and episodic television shows, they have been telling stories, both visually and verbally, for over 20 years. Finding the balance of detail, empathy and imagination in stories is where they think the power lies!
WORKSHOP: Short and Sweet: A genre story in Polaroid. How do films tell a story? Through the language of film — using polaroid cameras — each participant will learn about how visual narratives are created while producing their own, individual story-books. We will take up the tasks: What is the essence of story? What is the difference between horror and comedy visually? How does one boil down ideas to their essentials? How does one best use and fill the frame? And how does one take a thought and translate it visually?
JONATHAN TUCKER (CdeP 2001)
BIO: Before his performance as Tilda Swinton’s son in 2001’s The Deep End, Jonathan Tucker had worked for a decade on such films as Two if By Sea, Sleepers and The Virgin Suicides. Since then, he’s continued to work consistently, shooting amongst others: TheTexas Chainsaw Massacre, Criminal, Hostage, The Ruins, In The Valley of Elah, and The Next Three Days. He stared as Tommy Donnelly for NBC’s critically acclaimed, short-lived series, The Black Donnellys. His work in television includes arcs on HANNIBAL, PARENTHOOD, ROYAL PAINS, David E. Kelley’s THE PRACTICE, and guest starring roles on PERCEPTION, CRIMINAL MINDS, CSI, WHITE COLLAR, LAW & ORDER: SVU, LAW & ORDER: CRIMINAL INTENT, as well as the season opener for SIX FEET UNDER. He recently finished filming SyFy pilot “High Moon” for Bryan Fuller.
WORKSHOP: The Civilian’s Guide to Good Pretending: It’s not about the words. Great acting demands being impolite, not asking permission, taking the big swing, making others feel uncomfortable, or sometimes even unsafe. If it was about memorizing words, many more producer’s children would have meaningful acting careers. We’ll take a critical look at what actors bring to the page, how they do it, and why it’s almost effortless for some while impossible for others.
J.B. WHITE (P ’01, ’03, ’06)
BIO: J.B. WHITE has been a story teller most of his life, as an actor, songwriter, singer and screenwriter. He reveres popular art, believing all great stories that endure–in theater, literature, music, the visual arts–do so because of their power to touch and inspire the most people possible. That’s why he writes and performs pop songs, and writes and produces television entertainment.
WORKSHOP: Screenwriting 101. Most people know there is this thing called a “screenplay,” but many don’t know exactly what it is or what one looks like. The workshop walks participants through the basics of screenwriting form and the primal part the script plays in the making of filmed entertainment. Then we compare the script pages of completed movies/TV episodes to the finished product, to demonstrate not only how the script informs what ends up on screen but also how and why deviations were made.