Magic is in the mistakes we make, said Dan Mindel. The recently announced 2019-2020 cinematographer-in-residence at UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television has worked on a number of films, including “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and “Star Trek Into Darkness.” Mindel will return to the “Star Wars” franchise in December with “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.” In working on the film, Mindel said he focused his efforts on retaining the parables and legacy left by the filmmakers of the original franchise. Read more...

Photo: Dan Mindel, UCLA’s cinematographer-in-residence, returns to the Star Wars franchise in December with “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.” The key to franchise films is in finding a balance between keeping the tone set by the creators of the previous trilogies while finding a way to give audiences a fresh film, Mindel said. (Courtesy of Simon England)

Watching sex scenes in films can be uncomfortable. Yet Jordan Barger and Anali Cabrera want to highlight all the awkward and cringeworthy aspects of intimacy. First-year film students Barger and Cabrera wrote and directed their film “Let’s Talk About ‘It'” for the UCLA Film and Photography Society. Read more...

Photo: Actress Lauren Renee plays Yesenia in “Let’s Talk About ‘It’” alongside Ali Graba, who plays Aurora. The film navigates sexual encounters in college, and includes representation of the Latinx community. (Courtesy of Anali Cabrera)

This post was updated April 14 at 10:52 p.m. When Lulu Wang first pitched a film about the real-life story of her Chinese family, no one would finance it, she said. Read more...

Photo: Lulu Wang spoke during a screening and Q&A of her film, “The Farewell.” The writer and director said she incorporated her family members into the A24 film, which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival. (Courtesy of Adam Karp)

There’s no time for a refill during these short films, but at least the popcorn will stay hot. Studio 22 will present 16 short films during its annual First Take Film Festival on Tuesday in the Northwest Campus Auditorium. Read more...

Photo: Second-year communications student Jasdy Perillo stars in “CHILL,” a short thriller inspired by the fears women often experience when using convenience apps, which will be featured in Studio 22’s First Take Film Festival. (Courtesy of Alan Luong)