FROM THE PRESIDENT Yes, but what about the next generation of Oscar winners? DEAR ACADEMY MEMBERS, We all know that the honoring and encouraging of excellence in filmmaking is at the heart of the Academy's mission. In pursuit of that goal, each year we seek out our art form 's finest achievements from around the world and recognize them with nominations and 0 cars. But we're also thinking ahead. The recognition and encouragement of developing film artists over the last several decades has grown into one of the Academy's more important activities. The recognition The annual Student Academy A wards competition is perhaps the most obvious and well-known example of the Academy's encouragement toward new filmmakers at the collegiate level. This June and encouragement marked the 35th year of the Student Academy Awards, and a wonderfully diverse group of talented of developing film young men and women joined the roster of winners that over the years has included John Lasseter, Spike artists over the Lee, Pete Docter, Ken Kwapis, Robert Zemeckis and many others now working at the highest levels in film and television. last several But there is much more. Our highly prestigious Nicholl Fellowships in Screen writing have decades has channeled dozens of new writers into the fIlm profession, and they have written several of the movies widely released in recent years. This year's competition is the 23rd, and 5,224 entries - representing all grown into one 50 states and 35 other countries - are now vying for one of five prizes of $30,000 each. Yes, the money of the Academy's is important, but ask any of the past winners or even finalists in this competition and they will tell you more important that it was the recognition - the encouragement - that meant the most to them as they worked to enter the industry. activities. In another area, the Academy has authored and distributed a teacher's guide series. Each of the nine editions has focused on different aspects of filmmaking as represented by our branches. In addition to inspiring high school students to become the next group of documentarians, or animators, or film editors, the information and activities enhance the understanding and appreciation of what goes into the making of the movies they see. Many of the financial grants presented through the Institutional Grants and Film Festival Grants committees are directed toward programs that specifically target young people, whether by providing fund s for internships or allowing school-age children the opportunity to attend fi lm screenings and events, which again might inspire a career path or simply a new passion. The Academy is actively nurturing the next generation of movie artists, craftspeople, and movie lovers. We should be proud of our commitment to the future. - SmGANlS ACADEMY REPORT APRIL - JUNE 2008 Published by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences 8949 Wilshire Boulevard, Beverly Hills, California 90211 -1972 (310) 247-3000 www.oscars.org PRESIDENT . ................. • .....•. ...• . ....•.... •......... Sid Ganis ON THE COVER: FIRST VICE PRESIDENT . .. • . ....•... • . .. .• .... .•... .... .. Robert Rehme The Gold Medal in the Alternative category of VICE PRESIDENT ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... .... ... ... .. .. Tom Hanks the 35th Annual Student Academy Awards went VICE PRESIDENT .. .... ....... .•. ... • . .. ... ...... Charles Bernstein to Shih-Ting Hung ofthe TREASURER ........ ... .. .. •. ... • . .•. .. •..... Hawk Koch University of Southern California for VIOLA: SECRETARy . .. .. ... ....... ...•. •• • .. .•.. .••.... .• . .•• . Jon Bloom THE TRAVELING ROOMS OF A LITTLE GIANT. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR . .. •.....• .. ...• . ... • . .. ... .. .. .. .. Bruce Davis For more about this year's talented student Photos: unless otherwise identified. by Image Group LA; Design: Lisa Carlsson, Carlsson & Company, Inc. winners, see page 18. Oscar, Oscars', Academy Awards , Academy Award', AM.PAS. and Oscar Night are the trademarks, and the Oscar statuette is the registered design mark and copyrighted property, of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Z ACADEMY REPORT· VOLUME 21 19,500 high schools. 93,600 teachers. 2,398,500 students. What do these numbers represent? A significant portion of the Academy's outreach to America's teenagers. SINCE 2000, THE ACADEMY, WITH their crafts, their inspirations and their career paths. curriculum specialists Young Minds Inspired, has This year's DVD includes highlights from produced a series of teacher's guides that explore HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE, the art and science of motion pictures. Each guide WALK THE LINE, DREAMGIRLS and MARIE focuses on a specific aspect of fi lmmaking, such as ANTOINETTE for costume design, and AN animation, art direction, cinematography, documen­ AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON, DICK taries, film editing, screenwriting, sound and music, TRACY, BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA and PAN'S and visual effects. The guides are targeted toward LABYRINTH for makeup. students in English, language arts, visual arts, In Julian Weber's journalism class at Kenmore science, and communication classes. West Senior High School in Buffalo, New York, the High schools throughout the U.S. - from guides are used to teach film analysis and to Portland, Oregon, to Portland, Maine, and from examine the relationship between journalism and Missoula, Montana, to Mobile, Alabama - utilize the documentary filmmaking. guides as teaching tools to help students discover In Lanore Pearlman's senior English class at and experience the moviemaking process. Glen A. Wilson High School in Hacienda Heights, In February the Academy made its latest guide California, students are asked to analyze a film from available: "Costumes and Makeup: Character by a year prior to when they were born. The assign­ Design." Each of the participating high schools ment requires an examination of the movie-making received a 20-page study guide, activity worksheets in process, not just plotline summaries. The gu ides are English and Spanish, resource lists and take-home a primary resource. activities. It also included a DVD supplement (a For Melissa McMiliian-Cunningham's theater component added to the kits starting three years ago arts class at Central Heights High School in with assistance from Acme Filmworks). It features Nacogdoches, Texas, the filmmakers' comments on movie clips, production footage and interviews with the DVD help create a connection between student Academy Award nominees and winners talking about and filmmaker. continued on page 4 ACADEMY REPORT ' SECOND QUARTER 2008 3 STUDENT OUTREACH continued from page 3 For example, Oscar-winning makeup artist Matthew "The guides are such an eye-opener for students," says Mungle (BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA) describes an McMillian-Cunningham. inspiration he had early on. Students discover how a film editor "Being ra ised in Atoka, Oklahoma, affects a cinematographer's work; how a population 4,000, I remember production designer he lps create the going to the theater and seeing 7 "look" of a movie; and how dialogue in an FACES OF DR. LAO." His first animated feature might be recorded thought? "How did they crea te before any characters have been draw n. the makeup on Tony Ra ndal l?" "They begin to realize that movies The video is personal and are not just about directors and actors, direct. "For students to hear 'when but a process that involves hundreds of I was a kid living in a sma ll town' people working as a team," adds Rand y brings the story home for some­ Haberkamp, the Academy' s director of one growing up in a small town," educational programs. says McMillia n-Cunningham. "The kids discuss the sets, cos­ "Kids begin to rea lize, 'I can real ly tumes, makeup, music and scripts used do this.'" in the movie," says Pearlman, "which A lso on t he DVD: six-time leads to wonderful class discussions." Oscar-winning makeup artist Those discussions include exploring why Rick Baker (THE NUTTY PRO­ the cinematographer chose to shoot a FESSOR, M EN IN BLACK) ta lks scene on a dimly lit set; why a costume about the first plaster mask he designer chose a particular textured made for a junior high science fabric; and whether or not the visual fair; he came in fifth. And Oscar­ tone of the movie is appropriate. nominated costume designer Haberkamp notes that the guides Judianna Makovsky ( HARRY are not primarily designed to turn POTTER AND THE SORC ERER'S students into filmmakers, but rather to STONE) describes her fear of help students understand filmmaking. disappointing every child in the "They're intended to encourage critical world if she didn't achieve the right look when designing for thinking, expand know ledge of filmmaking, and increase Dumbledore, Hagrid and McGonagal1. overall interest in film and its cultural influence." 4 ACADEMY REPORT ' VOLUME 2 Of course, in the case of some students, career inspiration question-and-answer session with several of the filmmakers, results, too. including Oscar-winning screenwriter Diablo Cody, Oscar­ As part of another outreach effort, each year the Academy nominated director Jason Reitman, nominated producer Russell invites more than 800 Los Angeles Unified School District high Smith, and actors Jason Bateman and Allison Janney. They school students to attend a tackled the controversial story­ three-day sem inar, the Media line and discussed choices made Literacy Program, at its Beverly by the writer, director, producers Hills headquarters. and, ultimately, the actors. Students - like adu lts - To make this kind of media encounter thousands and literacy experience available to thousands of messages high schools across the country, through movies, television and DEAR EDUCATOR: the Academy is developing the the Internet on a daily basis. c=::.=:::,v~~~~~ program into what will be its proudlD~dIII_~toour~duudy pde$tNlb:u$on~~oldle~ "'dill These can present conflicting, pde..studenGwllMam;about~""'andrnlbo.op. The tenth teacher's guide, available Iuthubeen~for.lUd«!tsIrt~schooIEnpstt. ..... misleading and stereotypical owu,mual.-u.andconwnunkat:ioolcbues. Asfonner~ . in earl y 2009. _ know chat dIeM crItIc:II tHtt6cIn& actMQes.