Farah Shaer’s undergraduate thesis film was banned in her home country of Lebanon. The MFA student recently acted in and produced “Heaven Without People,” which also faced censorship. Read more...
Photo: MFA student Farah Shaer worked as an actress and co-producer on the feature film “Heaven Without People.” Filmed in her home country of Lebanon, Shaer said the film follows a family reuniting for the first time in many years. (Courtesy of Marco Ribali)
Alumna Rebecca Guzzi spends her days aging T-shirts, dyeing costumes and searching for vintage Victorian-looking attire. Guzzi’s ventures are part of her role as assistant costume designer for “American Horror Story: Apocalypse,” which premiered Sept. Read more...
Photo: Alumna Rebecca Guzzi works as an assistant costume designer for “American Horror Story: Apocalypse.” To emphasize the apocalyptic and horrific nature of the current season, Guzzi alters Victorian and vintage clothing to be specific to each character. (Courtesy of Rebecca Carr)
The lead actor in Kris Wilson’s film wanted to know more about the backstory of his character. Wilson explained that his character Prince’s life was difficult in part because his father was in jail. Read more...
Photo: Kris Wilson returned to his hometown in Pennsylvania to create his film “Smell of Summer,” which follows young African-American boys who witness a shooting. Wilson aimed to recreate his happy memories alongside the realities of prejudice. (Ken Shin/Daily Bruin staff)
Arem Kim’s interest in animated films was sparked after she watched Disney Pixar’s “The Incredibles” and “Ratatouille.” The UCLA alumna said she was particularly inspired by the different camera perspectives in “Ratatouille,” enabling her to travel with Remy around the kitchen floor, sewer and streets of Paris, seeing the world through the rat’s eyes. Read more...
Photo: UCLA alumna Arem Kim brings her cinematography background to her work as an animation layout designer. She places the camera to best highlight one aspect of a scene, such as a character’s emotions or a particular relationship. (Courtesy of Olivier Dubard)
Sharp-eyed fans of “The Good Place” might notice the name of UCLA philosophy professor Pamela Hieronymi listed as “further reading” on a whiteboard in the episode “The Trolley Problem.” It’s not just a coincidence or a reference to her academic work – Hieronymi consulted on the show. Read more...
Photo: UCLA professor Pamela Hieronymi worked with Michael Schur, creator of NBC’s “The Good Place,” to integrate philosophy into his show. Her name is listed under “further reading” in “The Trolley Problem” episode. (Photo courtesy of Gerard Vong)
“American Vandal” combines poop jokes with hard-hitting social commentary in an evolution of the phallic joke legacy that is consistent throughout season one. The second season of the Netflix original series follows amateur detectives Peter (Tyler Alvarez) and Sam (Griffin Gluck) as they leave the mostly wrapped up mystery of Hanover High and travel to St. Read more...
Photo: (Photo courtesy of Scott Patrick Green/Netflix)
Classic John Hughes films are marked by nostalgic high school romance. “Sierra Burgess is a Loser” enters the genre with a technological twist. The film, released on Netflix on Sept. Read more...
Photo: Former UCLA Extension student Lindsey Beer, who wrote the screenplay for “Sierra Burgess is a Loser,” said she wanted to give the classic romantic comedy form a twist. (Courtesy of Netflix)
