In his Best Picture Oscar-winning Annie Hall, Woody Allen as the character Alvy Singer discussed New York City’s plight to his friend Rob.
Singer observed, “Don’t you see? The rest of the country looks upon New York like we’re left-wing, communist, Jewish, homosexual pornographers. I think of us that way, sometimes, and I live here.”
I was prompted to hearken back to a 30-year-old film upon receiving a press release relating to the famed Venice, California. Virtually a lifetime Southern Californian, I too have out-of-touch, absurd notions of cities in my own backyard like Venice–Muscle beach, zanies on the boardwalk, cult “wheat germ” killers as Woody Allen once quipped about Los Angeles.
But jarring me back to reality and away from the postcard stereotypical is the good work of the Venice Media District (VMD), the subject of that alluded to press release. The VMD brings the creative, artistic companies and people of Venice together to do much good, among the latest examples being the VMD serving as a vehicle for the Venice Arts program by providing internship opportunities for at-risk youth at VMD member companies in the area.
“Our joint partnership with Venice Arts provides a way for students to garner real-world experience in the media industry,” said Robert Feist, VMD chair and owner of audio post house RavensWork. “We make sure our students receive hands-on experience in a real working environment.”
This past summer, the intern was Kristen Ramirez and the company was editorial house Final Cut (which also has offices in New York and London). At Final Cut/L.A. Ramirez was afforded the opportunity to gain behind-the-scenes knowledge from industry experts in the field of editing software and hardware, as well as experience in completing music videos and commercials.
“Venice Arts’ programs are so inspiring. Their students, who would otherwise not have access to a digital lab and intense long-art mentoring, are a pleasure to have as interns,” related Peter O’Donovan, Ramirez’s mentor at Final Cut. “Kristen came to us extremely knowledgeable in the many technologies that we use, and it was a pleasure having her with us. I hope her experience here and the relationships she developed better situate her for her dream editing job after she completes her schooling.”
Venice Arts runs innovative programs in documentary photography, filmmaking, and digital media/arts, primarily targeting low-income youth in the Los Angeles area. Since 1993, the program includes regional national, and international participant photo documentary projects with adults and children. For more information about Venice Arts, visit www.venice-arts.org.
As for the VMD, it was created in response to the changing business landscape in the beachside community, and has very defined goals:
• Create networking opportunities and business-to-business awareness.
• Raise awareness of VMD through city designation and promotion
• Attract business and entrepreneurs to the area.
• And create a vehicle for non-profits to access the assets of the VMD.(www.venicemediadistrict.org)
“Se7en” Turns 30, Gets A Special Restoration From David Fincher For Its Re-Release
For David Fincher, seeing “Se7en” in 4K was an experience he can only describe as harrowing. That or a high school reunion.
“There are definitely moments that you go, ‘What was I thinking?’ Or ‘Why did I let this person have that hairdo’?” Fincher said in a recent interview with The Associated Press.
He’s OK with the film being a product of its time in most respects. But some things just could not stand in high-definition resolution.
“It was a little decrepit, to be honest,” said Fincher. “We needed to resuscitate it. There are things you can see in 4K HDR that you cannot see on a film print.”
Ever the perfectionist, he and a team got to work on a new restoration of the film for its 30th anniversary re-release. This weekend the restored “Se7en” will play on IMAX screens for the first time in the U.S. and Canada, and on Jan. 7, the 4K UHD home video version will be available as well.
The dark crime thriller written by Andrew Kevin Walker and starring Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman as a pair of detectives looking for a serial killer was somewhat of a career-reviver for Fincher, whose directorial debut “Alien 3” had not gone well. “Se7en” was not a sure thing: It was made for only $34 million (and only got that when Fincher managed to persuade studio execs to give up $3 million more). But it went on to earn more than $327 million, not accounting for inflation, and continues to influence the genre.
Fincher has over the years overseen several restorations of the film (including one for laser disc) but decided this needed to be the last. It’s why he insisted on an 8K scan that they could derive the 4K from. He wanted to ensure that it wouldn’t have to be repeated when screens get more... Read More