Women In Cinema Workshop Recap

Thanks to everyone who came to the Camera, Lighting, and Sound Workshop this Saturday at Picturebox studio.  We hope you found each session hands on, informative, and fun.  This workshop could not have been successful without our pro session leaders Renée Stairs (Sound), Roshan Murthy (Camera), and Britta Lundin (Lighting)!

Renée giving the low down on lav mics

Audio wiz, Renée Stairs, took us through the basics of production sound.  We learned about XLR cables, different types of cord connectors, the best way to grab audio for a live concert, and the always tough-and-awkward job of correctly wrapping up an XLR cable.  It takes practice y’all, it takes practice.

UT Student Yamel testing out the HMC150

In the camera department, UT RTF graduate student Roshan Murthy covered the basics of a Panasonic HMC150, a camera that UT students can check out on campus.  Although sometimes confusing, we learned how shutter speed and aperture and frames per second all relate to each other.  If there’s one thing to take away from this session, it’s to always white balance the camera yourself.  If you don’t, you will be crushed when looking at your footage in post.  So don’t forget to bring white paper on your shoot, it’s important!

Setting up a Fresnel 650 Light

The lighting session, taught by UT RTF graduate student Britta Lundin, talked through the basic characteristics of lights: Intensity, Temperature, and Hard vs Soft.  Using still shots from The Third Man, When Harry Met Sally, and Mad Men (if you haven’t ever watched this, you seriously must start immediately), we recreated the lighting from each scene.  One important thing to remember: you must pay attention to not only what you are lighting, but the shadows you are creating.

Thank you again to our session leaders and good luck with your future projects & thesis films! Don’t forget to mark your calendars for our next meeting and panel on October 8th.  More details to follow.  Also, if you’re not already part of our facebook group, do it now here.  You should probably also follow us on Twitter at @womenincinema.

Camera, Sound, Lighting Workshop

Tomorrow Women In Cinema will host the fall Camera, Sound, and Lighting Workshop!  This workshop covers all the basics and will provide a great refresher for everyone. If you haven't done so already, be sure to email utwomenincinema@gmail.com to reserve your place at this event. 

DETAILS:
Saturday, September 15th
10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
@ 701 Tillery St., Picturebox Studio
Facebook Event

Workshop costs $5 for Women In Cinema members and $15 for non-members. Email utwomenincinema@gmail.com to reserve your spot at the workshop.  Workshop price includes lunch.

PLEASE BRING:
-Gloves (to handle lights) if you have them
-Something to take notes with
-Do not wear open toed shoes

If you need a ride to Picturebox, just email utwomenincinema@gmail.com and we can work something out.  Hope to see you there!

Casting & Directing Actors Panel

Fall Semester is finally here and Women In Cinema will start off the year with a Casting & Directing Actors Panel.  And who is on this lovely panel, you ask?  Some of Austin's most accomplished and knowledgeable ladies.


Angela Rawna is best known for her role on NBC's Emmy award-winning drama Friday Night Lights.  Angela played Regina Howard, a drug addict mom of East Dillon’s star quarterback Vince Howard (Michael B. Jordan).  Angela prepared for her meaty series recur role by checking herself into Austin Recovery, an alcohol and drug addiction treatment center in Austin, TX where the series was shot. Angela’s compelling performance on Friday Night Lights grabbed the attention of the producers of the hit show Private Practice. Angela also landed a recur role on Parenthood also on NBC as therapist, Dr. Schecter. Angela recently teamed up again with Austin director Richard Linklater to film, Boyhood, a feature film where Angela plays opposite Patricia Arquette as her best friend.  Boyhood is a 12-year project about the actual “growing up” of a child and witnessing the changes of both him and his parents (Arquette and Ethan Hawk) as it is literally filmed each year.  Boyhood will be released in 2015.  Additionally, Angela has co-starred with Keanu Reeves in the Warner Brother’s sci-fi thriller, A Scanner Darkly now on DVD. Angela just completed filming a personal project, All from the Same Dust, a dramatic and suspenseful story that takes an unwavering look at racism at a time in our history when an African American has become the 44th President of the United States. Angela executive produced and co-stars in the film.

Kat Candler's award winning films have screened at Sundance, Los Angeles Film Festival, San Francisco International Film Festival, Austin Film Festival, SXSW, Slamdance, Florida Film Festival, Houston Museum of Modern Art, Chicago International Children's Film Festival, The National Institutes of Health and on PBS. Her teen thriller screenplay Love Me produced by Dolphin Entertainment and Anchor Bay Films will be released in 2013. She's currently in development on two feature films: the IFP Emerging Narrative participant, Nikki is a Punk Rocker and the Sundance Creative Producing Lab participant, Hellion. Candler is a film Lecturer at the University of Texas.

Beth Sepko is an Emmy award-winning casting director with 20 years expertise in the industry, now specializing in the casting of television series and feature films. Based in Texas, Beth has over 50 feature films under her belt and consistently works with local director Robert Rodriguez (Machete, Machete Kills, Predators, Grindhouse, Shorts, Sin City, and all 4 Spy Kids movies), Richard Linklater (Bernie, Fast Food Nation, A Scanner Darkly,his on-going 12 year project Boyhood and new hulu series Up to Speed), Mike Judge (Idiocracy, Office Space) and Tim McCanlies (Secondhand Lions, The Two Bobs, When Angels Sing). In the last few years, Beth has been casting several television series including the continuation of Dallas, The Lying Game, Friday Night Lights, The Good Guys, Chase, Lone Star as well as pilots for GCB and My Generation. In 2007 Ms. Sepko was honored with the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Casting of Drama Series for the first season of Friday Night Lights and received nominations in 2008, 2009, and 2010 for consecutive seasons. Also in 2010, Beth received an additional Emmy nomination for the casting of the HBO film Temple Grandin.

Born and raised in Austin, Texas, Heather Kafka was living above her mom’s hair salon, rollerskating the neighborhood, and acting in local theatre when she booked a job as an extra in a Coca-Cola commercial and earned $200.  She bought an Atari 2600 and began planning an acting career. She was six years old.  After high school, Heather moved to Los Angeles, graduated from The American Academy of Dramatic Arts, and worked odd jobs from waitressing at the Hard Rock Café to cigarette girl at local clubs. But Austin always called her home. She would spend the next 20 years moving back and forth, torn between her love of home and her drive for a career in acting.  Over this time her resume grew.  She played “Chloe” on MTV’s first scripted series Austin Stories, guest starred on CSI, CSI N.Y., E.R., and House.  She played Dr. Emily Dawson on the Emmy awarded Huff and turned in a memorable comedic performance on the Wilson Brothers project, The Wendell Baker Story. But it was her role as demented sister to Leatherface in the 2003 remake of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre that pushed her farther.   In 2008, she found herself staring in fellow Austinite Bryan Poyser’s Lovers of Hate.  Most recently, she has worked on Spencer Parson's Saturday Morning Massacre, the Zellner Brothers Kid Thing, David Lowery's Ain't Them Bodies Saints, Geoff Marslett's Loves Her Gun, Yen Tan's Pit Stop, Bob Byington's Audition and Kat Candler's Black Metal.


The Casting & Directing Actors Panel is set for Monday, September 10th.  The Women In Cinema meeting is scheduled from 7:30-8:00 pm and the Panel will run from 8:00-9:30 pm.  For more panel details click here.