The higher-education industrial complex is under siege from both within and outside, and film schools are experiencing collateral damage. Two former executives of the Los Angeles Film School have filed a civil lawsuit that recently surfaced claiming the for-profit entity misstated the employment success rate for its graduates. Those insiders allege this was done to keep … [Read more...] about Film Schools, Universities Besieged
education
Hollywood’s Go-to Video Blogger at TikTok
TikTok video blogger Reece Feldman, whose handle is @guywithamoviecamera, is the go-to influencer for films marketed to the youth demographic via social media. In just three years after leaving college, Feldman has created a cottage industry of his journalism-style v-logger posts and commentaries on movies and TV programs. The 25-year-old marketing promotional wiz is on paid … [Read more...] about Hollywood’s Go-to Video Blogger at TikTok
Docu Review: ‘Back to the Drive-In’
Full-length documentary "Back to the Drive-In” shines the spotlight on owners of drive-in cinemas, who are mostly hardscrabble mom-and-pop locals, in stark contrast to “hardtop” theaters dominated by international chains. “Back to the Drive-In,” which premiered via video-on-demand earlier this year, takes a loving look at outdoor cinemas and their idiosyncratic operators; … [Read more...] about Docu Review: ‘Back to the Drive-In’
Recalling War Stories From Test Screenings
After film “Cocktail” starring Tom Cruise test screened before release, studio executives and talent were puzzled that audience felt it saw two films … and didn’t like the second one. The initial two-thirds of the 1998 movie were well-received as a light-hearted, young-adult romantic romp. Cruise is an appealing, fun-loving bartender starring in his next film after his “Top … [Read more...] about Recalling War Stories From Test Screenings
A Hollywood Life ‘Flirting With Fame’
After decades as a Hollywood press agent, Dan Harary finds publicity an unpredictable art and he also observes a changing nature of “celebrity.” In his memoir book “Flirting With Fame,” Harary recounts doing publicity for a behind-the-scenes special effects craft worker Bob Short connected to a strange horror/comedy film with uncertain prospects. Surprisingly, Short generate … [Read more...] about A Hollywood Life ‘Flirting With Fame’
NYU, AFI, USC Top Film School Ranks
NYU, The American Film Institute and USC top the Hollywood Reporter rankings of 25 best film schools in the United States, in a four-article package that is mostly predictable but has a few surprises. One of Hollywood’s longstanding trade newspapers, THR cites as tops New York University (close to the Gotham scene with Spike Lee among resources), AFI (a Los Angeles-area … [Read more...] about NYU, AFI, USC Top Film School Ranks
College Debate: Artsy vs. Practical
Advanced arts degrees even from the top Ivy League don’t pay off after graduation because of meager job-earnings later, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis. The result is many arts/film school graduates are saddled with a lifetime of burdensome student loans that they can’t cover from their career earnings, and this reignites the debate over arty versus practical in … [Read more...] about College Debate: Artsy vs. Practical
Coronavirus: We’ve Seen This Movie Before
The torrent of predictions of the quick demise of movie cinema strikes me as tunnel-vision bordering on dishonesty -- and provably by simply looking at past history and ingrained human behavior patterns. Hey, if movie theaters are dead, then so are legitimate theater (Broadway), music concerts, theme parks, cruise ships and audience attendance at sports events. But the … [Read more...] about Coronavirus: We’ve Seen This Movie Before
Colleges Plant Media Studies in Hollywood
More than a dozen out-of-state colleges and universities set up study-in-Los Angeles programs to plug their students directly into the Hollywood eco-system, says an article in the Los Angeles Business Journal. “These satellite campuses are expanding in size and in the scope of their studies,” says the weekly newspaper's article by Robert Marich, author of the book "Marketing … [Read more...] about Colleges Plant Media Studies in Hollywood
AFI Controversy Exposes Divide About Cinema Studies
A debate about leadership at the famed AFI Conservatory cinema and TV school brings out student comments complaining bitterly about the worth of degrees in film schools and what students should expect -- and not expect. In this post, I’m looking at those tangential issues in the controversy surrounding AFI Film school dean Jan Schuette, who some faculty want fired (AFI is the … [Read more...] about AFI Controversy Exposes Divide About Cinema Studies