Forty-three UCLA staff members and alumni were involved in projects nominated for the 2016 Emmy awards in 16 different categories. Over the course of four weeks, the A&E staff will feature some of these UCLA-affiliated nominees and their projects. Read more...

Photo: Casting director Victoria Thomas, who attended UCLA, searched around the world to cast the lead character Kunta Kinte in the television miniseries “Roots.” The show was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Casting for a Limited Series, Movie or Special in 2016. (Courtesy of Tribeca Film Festival)

Listening to the iconic film scores of John Williams and other greats struck passion into 7-year-old Justin Freer. He knew he wanted to conduct the sounds accompanying the screen. Read more...

Photo: UCLA alumnus Justin Freer is the conductor and founder of CineConcerts, a live orchestral performance, which accompanies film showings at Segerstrom Center for the Arts. The orchestra performed alongside “The Godfather” on Saturday. (Courtesy of Segerstrom Center for the Arts)

More than 50 men stood at street level with their heads raised and eyes trained on the sky. For a brief moment it was empty, until a flock of pigeons swarmed into sight, falling and twirling in somersaulting free falls. Read more...

Photo: UCLA alumna Milena Pastreich spent five years filming her first documentary “Pigeon Kings” about pigeon fanatics in South Central Los Angeles. (Courtesy of Milena Pastreich)