We will have informational workshops on campus and at WRC for students who will be taking the Regents’ Test this semester. Please pass this schedule along to your students and encourage them to attend:
Macon – Wednesday, June 30th – LS-201 – Reading, 9:00-10:30, Writing, 10:30-12:00
WRC – Wednesday, June 30th – 110 Thomas Hall – Reading, 1:00-2:00, Writing 2:00-3:00
Dr. Patrick Brennan will be giving a talk March 23rd at 12:30 in Room H/SS 124 on “Film Analysis for the Humanities Classroom.” Please come join us. As more and more of us are using more and more film in our classes, this will be a great opportunity to query on of our resident experts about his modes and methods for analysis, selection of films, selection criteria, and all of those good questions we ask when we prepare to use films in the classroom.
The Macon Film Festival offers six filmmaking workshops that are FREE and open to the public, thanks to a grant from the Knight Neighborhood Challenge. They can rsvp to jcindyhill@gmail.com or join the Macon Film Festival group on Facebook and RSVP to the events there.
Friday, February 19, 10 – 11:30 a.m.
Topic: Branded Entertainment & New Media with Illeana Douglas and Dominik Rausch
Location: TBA at Mercer University (we’re in the process of moving it to a larger room)
Illeana Douglas is an actress familiar to film buffs with numerous memorable roles in films including Message in a Bottle, Cape Fear, Goodfellas, To Die For, Grace of My Heart, Stir of Echoes, The Perfect Woman, and Happy, Texas; and recurring roles on television series including Ugly Betty, Law & Order: SVU, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Action, and Six Feet Under, for which she was nominated for an Emmy Award. In addition to acting, she has written, directed and produced for film. Ms. Douglas and producer Dominik Rausch will screen their innovative web-based series, Easy to Assemble, at the 2009 Macon Film Festival. Ms. Douglas stars in, writes, and produces the comedy about an actress who “quits Hollywood” and goes to work at Ikea. The series co-stars Justine Bateman and a list of special guests that reads like a who’s who in Hollywood independent film, including Jane Lynch, Jeff Goldblum and Robert Patrick. In addition to being a MaGa Special Guest in her own right, Ms. Douglas will represent her family as we dedicate the award given for Best In Show to her grandfather, actor and Macon native Melvyn Douglas.
Dominik Rausch was born and raised in Stuttgart, Germany. He began to write and produce short films in 1999. He began as a documentary filmmaker but discovered a passion for narrative and commercial filmmaking that inspired him to move to Los Angeles, where he earned a BA in Film/TV Production from Columbia College and began to work professionally. An internship as assistant to the producers of the critically acclaimed indie feature April Showers led to many more assistant directing jobs on film, TV, and commercial sets, including Comedy Central. Taking on all positions of assistant directing, Rausch refined his knowledge about film and TV production and decided to set his main focus on becoming a producer. Dominik met actress/writer Illeana Douglas on the set of April Showers, and they formed a friendship and work partnership on her innovative and successful web series Easy to Assemble. Coordinating production and relations with IKEA, he came on as a producer to season 2. He also composes for feature and short films and his work includes Junction, an award winning feature film that has played several domestic and international film festivals. His work on April Showers won Best Score at the California Independent Film Festival.
Friday, February 19, 1:30 – 2:45 p.m.
Topic: Documenting Disasters with Tom McPhee (following the Noon screening of his documentary)
Location: Cox Capitol Theatre
Prior to founding The World Animal Awareness Society (WA2S), Tom McPhee has been an award-winning producer & director of film, TV, and multi-language interactive media, as well as a specialty film/media distributor, all within the last twenty years. Tom began in 1984 working as a marketing specialist in Delaware politics. Following a few highly successful years in mid-range computer hardware and software sales for a Fortune 100 service company, 1991 saw the advent of Tom’s cutting edge digital interactive software company MultiDynamics, Inc., with a focus on the development and production of multi-language interactive software. He sold MultiDynamics, Inc. and produced his first independent feature film with indie cult film icon Bruce Campbell. In 1998 Tom was called an Innovator by Movie Maker Magazine for his creation of flixtour, a new film distribution model – ‘the premiere indie film tour of the 90’s”. Tom is the owner of 2 media companies, Cave Studio (HD cameras, HD production and post-production tools and services) & Man Smiling Moving Pictures (film and TV production company). Over the last 4 years, buoyed by his documentary An American Opera: The Greatest Pet Rescue Ever! (a popular selection of 26 film festivals on 4 continents winning 5 awards), Tom has organically navigated toward developing filmed content with a focus on animal/pet-centric themes. Tom served as producer and host/character on two animal-centric TV shows in 2009 for Canada’s The Pet Network: they were Tom McPhee’s Rescue Journal, a continuation of his work on An American Opera; and Rock N’ Roll Dogs, a new type of animal show aimed squarely at the funny bone of teen boys.
Saturday, February 20, 10 – 11:30 a.m.
Topic: Filmmaking 101 with Michael Buchanan and Jason Winn
Location: 110 McCorkle Music Building @ Mercer
Michael Buchanan’s latest co-authored novel, The Fat Boy Chronicles, was adapted into a screenplay by Buchanan in 2008/2009. The movie began filming this past July and is scheduled for release in 2010. The novel is being used by schools around the nation to address current teen issues. His screenplay, Treasure of the Four Lions, is in pre-production with Riverwood Studios and Tin Roof Films. Other screenplays by Buchanan include Bait and Tackle along with Ryan’s Heart. His short film, Last Bullet (premiered at MAGA 2009) won several awards during its film festival tour in 2009. Novels by Buchanan include Micah’s Child (2006) and Cry of the Quetzal, an epic tale set in the deep South that examines the saga of Anna and Jacob, two Quakers caught between the Korean War and their religious convictions. Michael and fellow special guest Jason Winn are partners in Tin Roof Films.
Jason Winn is the director of The Fat Boy Chronicles, a movie adapted from a teen novel now in bookstores. The story is a heartwarming, funny, and sometimes heartbreaking realistic view of high school life as told through the eyes of an overweight and bullied 9th grader named Jimmy Winterpock. Other recent credits for Winn as a director include Last Bullet, a narrative short depicting two Vietnam soldiers caught in a life or death situation where an anguished decision decides which friend will live. Accepted into many festivals (Atlanta, Macon, Washington D.C., and others), Winn’s efforts won accolades for the movie and for himself (Finalist awards, Winner of Best Short, and Best Director). After release of The Fat Boy Chronicles, Winn looks forward to moving into pre-production for The Treasure of the Four Lions, the story of three kids helped by Civil War ghosts to find the lost Confederate Gold. Winn and fellow special guest Michael Buchanan are partners in Tin Roof Films.
Saturday, February 20, Noon – 1:30 p.m.
Topic: Acting for Stage & Screen with Illeana Douglas
Location: 110 McCorkle Music Building @ Mercer
Illeana Douglas is an actress familiar to film buffs with numerous memorable roles in films including Message in a Bottle, Cape Fear, Goodfellas, To Die For, Grace of My Heart, Stir of Echoes, The Perfect Woman, and Happy, Texas; and recurring roles on television series including Ugly Betty, Law & Order: SVU, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Action, and Six Feet Under, for which she was nominated for an Emmy Award. In addition to acting, she has written, directed and produced for film. Ms. Douglas and producer Dominik Rausch will screen their innovative web-based series, Easy to Assemble, at the 2009 Macon Film Festival. Ms. Douglas stars in, writes, and produces the comedy about an actress who “quits Hollywood” and goes to work at Ikea. The series co-stars Justine Bateman and a list of special guests that reads like a who’s who in Hollywood independent film, including Jane Lynch, Jeff Goldblum and Robert Patrick. In addition to being a MaGa Special Guest in her own right, Ms. Douglas will represent her family as we dedicate the award given for Best In Show to her grandfather, actor and Macon native Melvyn Douglas.
Saturday, February 20, 2 – 3:30 p.m.
Topic: TV Comedy Writing with R.J. Fried
Location: 110 McCorkle Music Building @ Mercer
R.J. Fried co-created, executive produced, and wrote for the sketch show POPZILLA (MTV), executive produced and wrote for BOB & DOUG (Fox pilot, Global TV), and was a creative consultant for ROB & BIG (MTV). Along with his lovely wife Rachael, R.J. resides in New York City where he is a contributing writer for the Huffington Post and teaches writing at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. Before becoming a TV writer, he was a professional hockey player and NHL Draft pick of the Florida Panthers. He is a 2004 cum laude graduate of Harvard University with a degree in Government. His parents, Jeffrey and Linda, and sister, Susie, resides in Macon.
Sunday, February 21, Noon – 1:30 p.m.
Topic: Renegade Filmmaking (Small Budget, Big Film) with Steve Balderson
Location: 110 McCorkle Music Building @ Mercer
Filmmaker Steve Balderson presents the Georgia debut of his latest independent film, “Stuck!” at the 5th Macon Film Festival. “Stuck!” was shot primarily in Macon in the spring of 2009. Steve discovered Macon when he attended the 2009 Macon Film Festival as a guest director screening “Firecracker,” with actress Karen Black. While here, he was inspired and returned later that spring to shoot “Stuck!” bringing with him an excellent cast including Ms. Black, Starina Johnson, Jane Wiedlin, Pleasant Gehman, Susan Traylor, Stacy Cunningham, and John Waters’ staple, Mink Stole. The supporting and extra roles star dozens of Central Georgia actors familiar to theatre-goers, including actress September Carter as the mother of the main character.
“Stuck!” premiered in October, 2009, at the Raindance Film Festival in London. It then screened as an official selection at Skeive Filmer in Norway, the Seattle LGBT Film Festival, the Southwest LGBT Film Festival, Reeling – Chicago’s LGBT Film Festival, and others. In a review, critic MJ Simpson writes, “Steve Balderson is the best-kept secret in American independent cinema.” Roger Ebert gave Balderson’s second film, the surrealist crime drama FIRECRACKER (starring Karen Black and Mike Patton) a special jury award on his list of 2005′s Best Films. Balderson’s other work includes the critically-acclaimed PHONE SEX (featuring Margaret Cho, Ron Jeremy, Penn Jillette and Lloyd Kaufman), PEP SQUAD (the satire that predicted American school violence), UNDERBELLY (a year in the life of dancer Princess Farhana) and the award-winning WAMEGO documentary series about DIY Filmmaking.
Macon State College is hosting a Flu Clinic for the campus community for seasonal flu vaccines, as well as H1N1 vaccines in mist form to members of the campus and surrounding community who are members of priority groups. The Flu Clinic will be held from 2 to 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 30, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 1, in the lobby of the Charles H. Jones Building. Seasonal flu vaccines are $30 each, payable through the following methods: check, Aetna, or Medicare part B. H1N1 vaccines are $15 each, payable through the following methods: check, BCBS of GA, UHC, and Aetna. Priority groups for H1N1 vaccines include pregnant women; caregivers of children under six months of age; healthcare workers and emergency medical service personnel; and those between the ages of 25 and 64 with one or more health conditions associated with higher risks of medical complications from influenza. Attached is a consent form for the H1N1 vaccine to complete and bring to the Flu Clinic. For more information, call the School of Nursing and Health Sciences at (478) 471-2783.
The Black History Month Committee is sponsoring a poetry reading by Affrilachian Poets as part of Black History Month. This year’s theme is Finding, Loving and Respecting Self. Poets Ricardo Nazario-Colon, Bianca Spriggs-Floyd and Keith Wilson will be reading Feb. 16, 2010, in the Arts Complex Theatre at the 11 a.m.
The Black History Month committee is also sponsoring a student poetry contest to be judged by the Affrilachian Poets, who will announce the winners Feb. 16, 2010. The student poetry contest is open to all current Macon State students. Poems should address some part of the theme: Finding, Loving and Respecting Self. Any poetic form is acceptable and the poem must be less than two single-spaced pages including the title.
Poems should be sent in the body of an e-mail (no attachments will be accepted) from a campus e-mail account to sharon.colley@maconstate.edu. No identification should be attached to the submission as judges will not see the names of authors until after the judging. All participants must comply with ELIGIBILITY FOR PARTICIPATION IN STUDENT LIFE ACTIVITIES POLICY, from Student Handbook.
The deadline for submissions, limit one per student, is Dec. 18. Winners will be notified through campus e-mail in late January. First prize is $100, with two runners-up getting $50 each. Prizes are provided by Redbone Chapbooks.
The Macon State College’s Women’s Studies Association is having a “Does Your Closet Scare You?” donation drive for the Crisis Line and Safe House and the Macon Rescue Mission. Bring us any of your unwanted clothing, bedding, household appliances, children’s toys or videos. Both agencies always need toiletries and personal items: toothbrushes, hairbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, deodorant, etc. If you’ve hit a sale and bought too much, we can always find a home for it. Please bring any donations to Dr. Monica Young-Zook, Room 141, 478-471-5735.
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