The GMU Studio A series of videos

Maryland screenwriter Jamie Nash being interviewed at Studio A.

George Mason University has a excellent series of 30 minute videos called Studio A hosted by GMU professor Rick Davis. Here is a listing and short description. Most subjects are people in the film or TV business who live in the VA-DC-MD area, but some are from NY or CA.

Rick Davis and Ann Hornaday on the Studio A set

1. Studio A: Kathryn O'Sullivan and Paul Awad
   
   Husband and wife team of director and screenwriter for the western web series, Thurston.
   Good discussion of webseries development.
   
   
2. Studio A: Shanti Thakur
   
   Shanti teaches at Film Hunter College in NYC. Writes and directs high-concept shorts. Good general discussion of filmmaking in general.
   
   
   
3. Studio A: Jean-Paul Chreky
   
   Excellent discussion of a script supervisor's role
   
   
4. Studio A: Melissa Bisagni
   
   Melissa Bisagni is the Smithsonian Film & Video Center Program Manager. Good discussion of the Native American Indian in film.
   
   
5. Studio A: Lance Kramer
   
   Lance Kramer co-founded Meridian Hill Pictures, a production company, with his brother. They specialize in documentaries and education. Good discussion of production issues and documentary filmmaking.
   
   
6. Studio A: Erin Essenmacher
   
   Erin Essenmacher is an award-winning writer, director and producer of docuemhtary films. She serves on the board of directors of Gandhi Brigade and is President of the board of Women in Film and Video, Washington, DC. Excellent discussion of documentary filmmmaking, women in film, indie film.
   
   
7. Studio A: Jamie Nash
   
   Scriptwriter for "Adventures of a Teenage Dragonslayer", "Altered", and others. Good discussion of nuts and bolts of being a fulltime screenplaywriter. Jamie has partnered a number of projects with Eduardo Sánchez (The Blair Witch Project) and other co-writers. He talks about the co-writing process, the production process form the writers' perspective and about Amazon Studios' model.
   
   
8. Studio A: Tai Burkholder
   
   Excellent discussion of an executive producers' role, a producers' role, line producer's (also a production supervisor's) role, and a production manager's role.
   
   
9. Studio A: Mark Ruppert
   
   Ruppert created the 48 Hour Film Project. He got the idea from the already popular 24 hour playwright project. Excellent discussion of creating short films in a short amount of time.
   
   
10. Studio A: Otessa Ghadar
    
    Otessa Ghadar is the founder and president of new media production company 20/20 Productions. Otessa is most known for her long-running webisode "Orange Juice in Bishop's Garden", which is all about teens growing up/getting down/coming out in the 90s. Great discussion of the production side of making a web-series and connection with social media.
    
    
11. Studio A: Thomas Kaufman
    
    Tom Kaufman is a award-winning DP, with a lot of documentary and TV experience. (He is also a mystery novel writer.) Excellent discussion of the work of a director of photography.
    
    
12. Studio A: Marc Lieberman
    
    Marc is a producer and partner with Cavalier Film, and produces for the Onion News Network. Cavelier Films is one of the few production companies with an open submission process. Excellent discussion of indie film business.
    (The audio is way out of sync in this video.)
    
    
13. Studio A: Megan Holley
    
    Megan is a screenwriter and film editor. Excellent discussion of being an indie screenwriter.
    She has also directed films and discussed aspects of the production pipeline.
    (The audio is out of sync in this video as well.)
    
    
14. Studio A: Estel Dillon
    
    Videographer, editor, photographer for NBC News for 25+ years. Discusses his experiences as a TV news cameraman.
    (The audio is out of sync in this video as well.)
    
    
15. Studio A: Eric Weissmann
    
    Eric is an entertainment lawyer in southern California, a so-called "super lawyer." Discusses his experiences as an entertainment lawyer. Lots of funny anecdotes.
    
    
    
16. Studio A: Peggy Pridemore
    
    Location manager for many productions, such as Argo, and many of the major films which have a portion of the film shot in DC. Excellent discussion
    of the duties of a location manager in the DC area.
    
    
17. Studio A: Marshall Herskowitz
    
    Herskovitz was a creator and executive producer of the television shows Thirtysomething, My So-Called Life, and Once and Again, and also wrote and directed several episodes of all three series. He frequently collaborates with Zwick, with whom he runs the film and television production company The Bedford Falls Company. Excellent discussion of TV series writing and production.
    
    
18. Studio A: Angel Sepulveda
    
    He is a filmmaker who has a lot of experience with music videos. Good discussion of low-budget filmmaking.
    
    
19. Studio A: Michael Gabel
    
    Michael Gabel is a DC actor with lots of experience in theater, TV and feature film. He describes his experiences as a character actor who works mostly in the DC area.
    
    
20. Studio A: Craig Maniglia
    
    Craig owns a post-production company. Good discussion of his experiences in running the day-to-day operations.
    
    
21. Studio A: Rob Newcomb
    
    Rob is a producer, actor, cameraman, filmmaker and GMU alum. He discusses his life and experiences, as well as details of the production side of the business.
    
    
22. Studio A: Dionne Audain
    
    Dionne is an African-American actor in the DC area, active in theater, TV, and film. Great discussion of her experiences as a DC area actor.
    
    
23. Studio A: Roshini Thinakaran
    
    Roshini is a journalist and filmmaker, and a GMU graduate. Her documentaries focus on women in war zones.
    
    
    
24. Studio A: Jon Gann
    
    Jon is a film festival coordinator, the founder of the DC Film Alliance, and DC Shorts Film Festival, Gann created theGannAgency (marketing and design services) and GannFilms (video and film production) - continuously run commercial enterprises since 1989. Excellent discussion of filmmaking and the film festival in DC.
    
    
25. Studio A: Eric Espejo & Tanner Cooley
    
    Eric is a film writer/director who is also VP of 19th & Wilson, Inc. a production company in northern Virginia.
    
    
    
26. Studio A: Jeffrey Cooper
    
    Jeffrey Cooper is the founder and president of Cut Entertainment Group, an international media sales and film distribution agency. Excellent discussion of the film distribution (sales) agency business (who connect film producers to theatrical distribution company).
    
    
    
27. Studio A: Eduardo Sanchez
    
    The co-writer, co-director, producer of The Blair Witch Project talks about his career and ground breaking films. Made for $20K, Blair Witch eventually made $240M. After Blair Witch, Eduardo Sanchez frequently partnered with Jamie Nash (also interviewed by GMU). Excellent discussion of the film business by a Maryland filmmaker.
    
    
28. Studio A: Mark Peterson
    
    Co-writer of At the Top of the Pyramid (2011)
    
    
    
    
29. Studio A: Aaron Peters
    
    Aaron is a TV writer. Excellent discussion of TV comedy. He has the opinion that breaking into comedy now is easier than before. He suggests if you can make a funny low-budget webseries, which enables you to build a large audience, you will get noticed. Nothing like that was possible years ago.
    
    
    
30. Studio A: Mimi Machado-Luces
    
    Mimi is Producer, Writer, Director and president of TVA productions. Excellent discussion of TV production, director and writer, primarily of non-fiction and documentaries programs.
    
    
    
31. Studio A: Tim Gordon
    
    Tim Gordon is a DC area film critic and WAFCA chairman. Excellent discussion of films and film criticism.
    
    
    
32. Studio A: Catherine Wyler
    
    Film producer (and daughter of William Wyler). Fascinating discussion of life as daughter of a Hollywood legend and as a film producer.
    
    
    
33. Studio A: Joseph G. Hall
    
    John is a local area director and producer of short films.
    
    
34. Studio A: Diane Raver
    
    Diane Raver was the first woman in New York City to own a film production company. Raver is a well-known film producer and the festival director for The Garden State Film Festival. She recently won the 2011 Alice Guy Blache Award. Excellent discussion of the life of a producer, even of commercials.
    
    
35. Studio A: Dennis Boni
    
    Dennis Boni is an award winning cinematographer working on such projects as the PBS series Journey to Planet Earth. A Steadicam operator for more than 20 years, Boni was one of the few cinematographers handpicked to be trained by Garret Brown, inventor of the Steadicam. Excellent discussion of the life of a DP focusing in the documentary/non-fiction world.
    
    
36. Studio A: Michael Pack
    
    Michael Pack is a Writer, Producer, and Director for such documentary films as Rediscovering George Washington and Rediscovering Alexander
    Hamilton. Pack is President of Manifold Productions, Inc., an independent film and television production company, founded in 1977. From 2003-2006, he served as Senior Vice President for Television Programming at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
    
    
    
37. Studio A: Kevin McCarthy
    
    Kevin "BDK" McCarthy is a film critic in the Washington D.C. metro area. He began his movie reviewing career on "The Junkies Morning Show", heard on 106.7 WJFK-FM. He also hosts his own movie show on WJFK. In the summer of 2007, Kevin was hired as the movie reviewer for the Fox affiliate in Washington D.C.
    
    
    
38. Studio A: Kathleen Jones
    
    Kathleen Jones has served as Unit Coordinator for Special Units, Field Producer and Associate producer for various programs at National Geographic TV. She is also writer and co-founder of Doc&aDrink, a blog for those hooked on documentaries.
    
    
    
39. Studio A: Christian D'Andrea
    
    Christian D’Andrea is credited with co-developing a widely used energy bar for soldiers and civilians alike called SoldierFuel, an idea he came up with while working on HALO: Freefall Warriors, a documentary he created and executive produced for Discovery Communication, LLC networks. D’Andrea is currently producing Searching for God in Iraq, a six-part documentary series examining the presence of religion and the role of chaplains in the U.S. war in Iraq. Please visit storyfoundry.org for more information on upcoming projects.
    
    
    
40. Studio A: Ron Maxwell
    
    As an actor, writer, producer, and director, Ron F. Maxwell has a wealth of filmmaking experience. His titles include Little Darlings, Gettysburg, Gods and Generals, and Emmy award- winning Verna: USO Girl. For more information, visit: ronmaxwell.com.
    
    
    
41. Studio A: Aviva Kempner
    
    Aviva Kempner is a long time filmmaker whose works have covered a broad range of issues, both domestic and international. The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg is one of her most noted works. She served as the documentary’s writer, director, and producer. Kempner is also the founder of the Washington Jewish Film Festival and the Ciesla Foundation that is dedicated to producing and distributing films to educate the public on social issues of the past and present.
    
    
42. Studio A: Ted Leonsis
    
    
    Ted is a very successful and wealthy businessman who has funded some films,
    in particular the documentary film Nanking.
    
    
43. Studio A: Robert Henninger
    
    Robert L. Henninger is President & CEO of the Arlington, Virginia based Henninger Media Services, Inc. Following a stint as a freelance editor, he founded what was then known as Henninger Video in 1983. In the last twenty-five years, Henninger Media Services, Inc. has grown to become one of the foremost full-service production facilities in the Washington Metropolitan area, having won multiple awards. Please visit henninger.com for more information.
    
    
44. Studio A: Craig MacGowan
    
    Craig MacGowan is a producer and director with over 35 years of experience in film, television, digital video and audio technology. MacGowan’s most recent documentary, The Face: Jesus in Art, won an Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in Single Camera Photography. He has also lent his talents to the PBS special The Body of Christ in the Art of Europe and New Spain 1150-1800. Please visit: voyagerproductions.com for information.
    
    
45. Studio A: Barry Sisson
    
    Barry R. Sisson is a businessman turned filmmaker and President of Virginia based independent Cavalier Films. His aim is to merge his business principles with independent film production. His first film project, The Station Agent, went on to win the coveted Audience award at the Sundance Film Festival and was picked up by Miramax Films. Sisson’s second film is Familiar Strangers.
    
    
    
46. Studio A: Richard Squires
    
    Richard Squires is an up and coming filmmaker whose recent credits include writer/director of Crazy Like a Fox, a story of a Virginia farmer’s struggles with betrayal and how he chooses to deal with it. The film's stars include Emmy award-winning actor Roger Rees and Academy award nominee Mary McDonnell.
    
    
    
47. Studio A: Caren Cross
    
    Caren Cross is a writer/director of documentary films. She wrote and directed the documentary Lost and Found in Mexico.
    
    
    
48. Studio A: Holly and Paul Fine
    
    Holly and Paul Fine are a husband and wife team of documentary producer/directors. With over 38 years of experience in the industry, their works have garnered ten National Emmy and 75 Local Emmy awards, as well as three Peabody awards. The couple has had a long association with the CBS news program 60 Minutes and has also produced a number of other television specials including In the Killing Fields of America. After leaving CBS, the Fines signed on with ABC to produce specials for hit series: 20/20, Turning Point, and Primetime Live.
    
    
49. Studio A: Rita McClenny
    
    Rita D. McClenny is a steadfast advocate of the entertainment industry operating in Virginia. She is the Vice President of Industry Relations
    and Film for the Virginia Film office.
    
    
50. Studio A: Sarah Stein
    
    Sarah Stein has established her career as an editor and director of documentary films and television. She lent her talents to both Academy
    and Emmy award-winning projects such as The Bolero, Princeton: A Search for Answers, and Chimps: So Like Us, among other critically acclaimed projects.
    
    
51. Studio A: Cuong LeNguyen
    
    Cuong LeNguyen was a Producer/Director for Arlington Public School in Virginia for which he co-produced and edited the series, Claro! English for Parents, a program geared toward parents for whom English is a second language. He was also the Senior Motion Graphics Designer at Home Front Communications in Washington, DC where he created commercials, PSAs and high-end videos for a wide range of commercial, non-profit, and government organizations. Cuong currently is an independent producer and motion graphics designer developing video content for clients that include Animal Planet, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
    
    
    
52. Studio A: Mark Stoeckinger
    
    Mark Stoeckinger is the sound editor for such films as The Italian Job, Last Samurai, Mission Impossible, and Star Trek.
    
    
53. Studio A: Michael Kang
    
    Michael Kang is a NY-based writer and director, best known for his films, The Motel and Knots aka Four Wedding Planners.
    
    
    
54. Studio A: Michael Walter
    
    Michael Walter is a broadcast journalist turned filmmaker. His documentary film, "Breaking News, Breaking Down" reveals for the first time, how traumatic news events affects those who report them. "Breaking News, Breaking Down" won the 2010 Cannes Best Short Documentary Award.
    
    
55. Studio A: Patricia Hess
    
    Patricia Doherty Hess has film crew credits for a number of films with her most recent being production manager for Philomena, Night at the Museum:
    Battle of the Smithsonian, Eagle Eye, Get Smart; as well as award winning TV mini-series Angels in America.
    
    
56. Studio A: Ann Hornaday
    
    Ann Hornaday is a Washington Post film critic.
    
    
57. Studio A: John Kelly
    
    John Kelly has worked as a freelance Production and Office Assistant for such shows as Law and Order, Gossip Girl, and A Legal Mind. Having
    only been in the field of film and television since graduation from New York University in 2007, John’s views on the industry and how to
    break into the field, offers students a glimpse of what they will face upon their own graduation.
    
    
58. Studio A: Andrew Simpson
    
    A look into the career of music composer and silent film accompanist, Andrew Simpson.
    
    
    

Rafael Alvarez on Chaim Potok

In his keynote address to the 2014 Maryland Writers Association Conference, Rafael Alvarez spoke about the "Wisdom of Chaim Potok." Mr Alvarez (and the MWA) kindly allowed his talk to be videoed:


Some brief notes (what I note below is as much the wisdom of Rafael Alvarez and Chaim Potok):
Potok taught writing at JHU in 1996 and allowed Rafael Alvarez, a Baltimore Sun reporter who had not yet published his first book, to sit in. Knowing Potok commuted in my train from Philadelphia, Rafael volunteered to pick him up at the station and drive him to JHU. In this way, he collected the wisdom of Chaim Potok on writing, with the intention of writing an essay on Potok for the Sun. While the essay was never written, this talk is the essay he would have written.

Potok wrote The Chosen, which is a work of literary fiction that sold 3.5 million copies. It was also made into a movie starring Rod Steiger. He wrote about a dozen other books, both fiction and non-fiction, and is highly regarded as a writer of Jewish culture, history and philosophy.

As a teacher at JHU, Potok looks for a students "voice". He also stressed the carpentry, the hard work and the the craft, of writing. Writing is not "won" by the smartest, the most talented, the swiftest. It requires courage and hard work and diligence. Voice can be learned. Keep having new experiences. Don't repeat yourself. Always strive to improve and do better. For a short story, say 10 pages, Potok would write at least a dozen drafts of the overall content and 20 drafts of individual portions. For Potok, the writer is not that different from the sculptor. Both create their works from their imagination - the writer is using the English language and the sculptor a block of marble. However, the writer, Potok says, must first create his marble before he or she can start on crafting the story. It is through the heart and human imagination that we document our stories. We tell ourselves stories in order to live.

For more details of this great lecture, see the video above.