Category Archives: Winter 2021

Road Trip Nation

“You kinda need to be ready for whatever comes your way.”

Rex Grignon, head of character animation at DreamWorks.

Initially set on engineering, he decided instead to go to study film and animation before finally learning computer animation. He got a job at a studio named PDI, which would later be renamed DreamWorks, before briefly joining Pixar to work on Toy Story. After Toy Story, he returned to DreamWorks and has been there over 10 years, working on films such as Antz, Shrek, and Madagascar.

by: Jennifer Howard

P3 RTN- By Shawn Zousel

From Memphis to Zamunda, Craig Brewer talks about 'Coming 2 America,' new  film with Eddie Murphy

Craig Brewer- Film Director/ Screenwriter

Craig Brewer’s career took off after he made his film “The Poor and Hungry” which made it’s way into a film festival and he was noticed by some bigger names that took him up. He’s credited with ‘reviving’ Eddie Murphy after some more recent films that were released and started with nothing but a camera, a boom pole, and some cheap lights. His story is one of the greatest examples of from rags to riches that I’ve ever heard making him quite the admirable director.

Road Trip Nation by Jabre Reyes

Danielle Feinberg is a woman who works for Pixar Animation Studios. She studied computer science at Harvard University, and found interest in computer animation. After this realization, she decided to pursue her new interest, and landed an entry-level technical position working on A Bug’s Life. As she got deeper and deeper into the studio’s works, and found that lighting was where all the magic was for her. She fought for a specific scene in Finding Nemo involving a cluster of jellyfish, wanting to work with the lighting of the sea creatures, and amazed her peers with her work. She encourages young women to use STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) to change social issues they care about.

Quote: “You can get a lot of things by working hard…You don’t have to have some sort of genius; you just have to work hard.”

Roadtrip Nation

“As long as you have a vision, a goal, you know, and you have the will to persist, and really make it happen, you’ll make it happen.

• When he was 12, he saw a skateboarding demo at the park, and gained interest in skateboarding

• Skateboarding turned into snowboarding, which became a big turning point in his career later on.

• High school drop out and ran away from home at the age of 17 to discover his passions.

• Got a job in the mountains as a lift operator. Things went south along the way and lost the job, and lived in a tent in the snowy mountains for a while.

• His hard work was recognized and was offered job at Volcom, and was paid to snowboard and build snowboards, and took on painting as a hobby when he was out due to injury. Was offered to do some painting designs for snowboards by Volcom.

• He decided to no longer do painting for other people and do it for himself as a personal hobby, and traveled to Europe to expand his studies.

– By Kristin Frost

RTN – Elaine Del Valle

Quotations

“Give respect to your struggles and mistakes. Use those experiences to learn and grow”.

“Go to college. It doesn’t matter what you study, but it is such an important part of being a well-rounded person”.

Biography:

Born and raised in Brownsville, NY. She caught the acting bug after being cast as Sandy in a high school production of “Grease”. She studied acting with Wynn Handman, a legend in the theater world. Her autobiographical one-woman play, “Brownsville Bread,” has sold out shows, won multiple festival prizes, and had a very successful run at the prestigious off-Broadway Theatre. She is now an award-winning producer, actress, casting director, writer, and director with the mission of increasing diversity in the entertainment industry. Her work combines: acting and theater, Entrepreneurship, communicating/sharing stories. 

by: Maria Pedraza

RTN – Walter Murch

Quotes:

Film editing is now something almost everyone can do at a simple level and enjoy it, but to take it to a higher level requires the same dedication and persistence that any art form does.”

“You always have to keep your antenna open to receive the message, evaluate it, and then do what’s right. Don’t get stuck in a rut.”

Biography:

Walter Murch is a film editor/sound designer and editor who has had a very esteemed career spanning over 50 years. He studied film and media at USC in the same class as George Lucas and other prominent people in the film industry. He has worked on a number of iconic films such as, “The Godfather” films, “Apocalypse Now” and various other films. He has won an Academy Award for best sound editing for his work on “Apocalypse Now” and has also been nominated for numerous other awards in film editing. He has introduced many practices into the entertainment industry that were not previously practiced including producing sound through multiple sound channels in speakers. Walter Murch has been a very influential figure in film and is even considered a pioneer in sound design.

P2 Riddles of riddles

By : Hannah Freudenthaler

One sheet, two-sheet, three sheets or four…some use less and some use more. What am I?

Paper towels

What has arms and legs, but no head?

But a chair!

What can’t be burned in a fire nor drowned in water?

Nice ice

I have a big mouth and I’m quite a load. I’m not gossip, but I get involved in everyone’s dirty business. What am I?

The thing I should use more often than I do, the washer.

Stepping out? Wear me first! I’ll protect your feet from the worst.

Sound shoes to protect the freaky feet.

Tall and strong, I stay outside. The sun, the rain, they’re by my side. I give birds homes and help you breathe. I even give you fruit to eat.

How about a hand made tree?

Here I come and there I go. I move really fast, anywhere I go. That’s why you take me when you’re in a hurry. When I zoom by, I might look blurry.

My dream car… ?

Kick up your feet, if you will. I’ll keep you company through Netflix and chill. Though you might not notice, I’m always here, to hold your zines, your snacks, and beer.

The best seat in the house!

You say we’re pals, that we’re best friends. But only until the morning ends. You say I give you fuel for the day. And when we’re done, you’re gone away.

Nothing can replace a good mug of tea.

Don’t frown at me, I made it clear. Won’t make a difference if you’re near. Just stand in front and I’ll show you exactly how the world will know you.

High five! We did it!

P1 About Me

This is me at the coast this last summer

Hello there! My name is Hannah Freudenthaler and I will tell you a little about me. My pronouns are she/they, I’m extremely introverted and still learning how to adult. I’ve decided to come back to school after this cursed year off because honestly, I don’t want to be stuck with the job I have and I want to do things that I actually enjoy. As a grocery store deli worker throughout this entire pandemic, I have seen people at their worst over not being able to get roast beef sliced and co-workers at their best when we were short-handed and overwhelmed. It’s rather surprising to me that sometimes customers can forget that the people serving them are actual people, with feelings, and we can’t control when we get more ham in stock or the fact that something was discontinued or we don’t do custom made sandwiches any more – go to Subway if it’s that upsetting. I will say that some people have been super understanding in the fact that we were and still are understaffed; I had a really nice lady waiting about ten minutes for me to be able to help her get some salads, and she and the customer next to her gave me a round of applause for running back and forth across the department helping people all by myself since I couldn’t accept her money.

I spent a week and a half in Hawaii over the summer and it was super fun! I will say that if you ever get the chance to visit Kauai, Backcountry Adventures rafting is a must! They take you on a drive over private property which offers up wonderful views, and to the river you will be rafting on that is the water supply for the neighboring town of Kapa’a. You will then take a splash in some refreshing water and go through five tunnels that were hand dug by sugar cane plantation workers back when that was Hawaii’s main source of income. Fun fact about Kauai, it is home to hundreds of thousands of feral chickens. Apparently, there were hurricanes in the ’80s and ’90s that set loose domesticated fowl into the forest with the wildfowl. Now you can’t go more than a few minutes without seeing one of these feathered creatures walking down the road since they have no natural predators on the island besides people and cars. Kauai is called the Garden Island because it has a much denser forest than any other island, but I think a name change may be in its future.