2:00 P.M. on Sunday, February 23rd, 2014

 

Followed by a Q&A with Russ Alsobrook,
Becky Ann Baker, Victor Hsu, Debra McGuire,
J. Elvis Weinstein, and Brent White

 

Eileen Norris Cinema Theatre/Frank Sinatra Hall

3507 Trousdale Parkway, Los Angeles, CA 90007

 

FREE ADMISSION. OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.


There will be a 30 minute intermission between the Episodes 8 & 9, during which refreshments will be served in Queens Courtyard.

 

The Q&A will directly follow the screening of Episode 9.

About the Guests

RUSS ALSOBROOK, A.S.C. (Director of Photography)

Born in Hollywood, California and raised in San Diego, Russ Alsobrook was only six years old when he saw The African Queen starring Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn. The characters, molded by John Huston and bathed in Technicolor by Jack Cardiff, BSC, were etched in his memory forever. By the time he was in high school, Alsobrook was a classic and new wave movie buff and had started shooting his own 8mm films. Many hours of his high school and college years were spent at the Sign of the Sun bookstore in San Diego where he watched classic movies and European art films on an old 16 mm projector. He credits that projector, running scratchy prints fron the Janus Collection, for setting him on the path to what he considers ‘an amazing journey.’

Alsobrook’s career as a cinematographer began with a chance encounter on a California beach where a small film crew was shooting tests for an upcoming TV movie. Approaching the director, he convinced him of his desire to work in the movies. Two weeks later, the director hired him as a ‘gofer’ on the Disney show Three Without Fear and the next day, he left school and moved to Hollywood. Alsobrook rose in the ranks from gofer to camera assistant, and then to a staff cinematographer for a company that produced industrial films and commercials for Chrysler. He likens that experience as ‘boot camp’ for a cinematographer. He segued into shooting documentaries for PBS, ABC television and private foundations, which took him to some 40 countries, including China, Russia, Thailand, and the ancient ruins of Petra in Jordan.

His first foray into narrative storytelling was when he lensed a low budget feature called The Dark Side of the Moon. His subsequent film credits include: Mona Must Die, Man About Town, Reign Over Me, Superbad, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Role Models, Paul Blart: Mall Cop, You May Not Kiss the Bride, Tammy, and Black and White. Alsobrook’s television film credits include: The Love Bug, Encino Woman, The Barefoot Executive, Freaky Friday, Escape to Witch Mountain, The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes, and The Shaggy Dog.

The cinematographer’s work can also be seen in television series such as: New Girl, Friends with Benefits, Switched at Birth, Big Love, What About Brian, Dragnet, Undeclared, Lizzie McGuire, The Mind of the Married Man, Grosse Pointe, and Freaks and Geeks.

“I’ve always been an observer,” says Alsobrook, “so it was natural for me to gravitate to cinematography. I believe film has a certain magic that will never be replaced or duplicated.  Film is magical because it defies explanation. Perhaps this glorious 19^th century technology endures because no other medium can tell stories that connect so directly to the heart. This is the most amazing art form ever invented.” Alsobrook is a member of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and The American Society of Cinematographers. He lives in Beverly Hills, California.

BECKY ANN BAKER (Actor, "Jean Weir")

Becky has appeared on Broadway in: Good People, All My Sons, Assassins, Titanic, A Streetcar Named Desire, and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. Her Off-Broadway credits include: Suddenly Last Summer for The Roundabout; Comedy of Errors, Othello and Two Gentlemen of Verona for New York Shakespeare Festival; Wonderful Town for City Center Encores; The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told for New York Theatre Workshop; Shanghai Moon and June Moon for Drama Dept.; Durang, Durang for Manhattan Theatre Club; To Whom It May Concern and Laura Dennis at the Signature; The Vagina Monologues at Westside Arts; and more. She has performed regionally at Williamstown Theatre Festival, Old Globe, South Coast Rep, Arena Stage, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, New Jersey Shakespeare Festival, Goodman and more.

Film credits include the upcoming “23 Blast,” as well as “Hope Springs,” “Nights in Rodanthe,” “Spinning into Butter,” “Stay,” “The Night Listener,” “Gretchen,” “War of the Worlds,” “Two Weeks Notice,” “A Simple Plan,” “Celebrity,” “Men In Black,” “In and Out,” “Sabrina,” “Unstrung Heroes,” “White Squall,” “Lorenzo’s Oil,” and “Come See the Paradise.” She received a Critics Choice nomination for her performance as Loreen Horvath (Hannah’s mom) on “Girls.” Other TV appearances include: “Person of Interest,” “Elementary,” “The Good Wife,” “Smash,” “A Gifted Man,” “Kings,” “Nurse Jackie,” “Mercy,” “Storm of the Century,” “Soul Man,” “Ruby Ridge,” “Frasier,” “Star Trek: Voyager,” “Sex and the City,” “Law & Order,” “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” “Oz,” Jean Weir on “Freaks & Geeks,” and the upcoming “Mind Games.” She is a member of the Actor’s Studio, Drama Dept. and Usual Suspects –NYTW. Becky’s best production: Willa, co-produced with actor Dylan Baker.

VICTOR HSU (Producer)

Victor Hsu began his career as a 2nd Assistant Director on a number of Warner Brothers and Paramount Films, and since then has worked as a 1st AD, Unit Production Manager, Director, and Producer on a wide array of both films and television series. In addition to his work as a Producer on FREAKS AND GEEKS, some of the highlights of Victor’s career include his involvement in popular television such as ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT, MEN OF A CERTAIN AGE, and FAMILY MATTERS, to name a few.

Over the years, he has served on the DGA National Board of Directors as a Convention Delegate, and on the AD/UPM/TC Council, in addition to his service to the Guild on the Bi-Council, Futures, Mentor, and Ethnic Minority Committees.

Victor is an original member and former co-chair of the DGA Ethnic Minority Committee, which has branched through time into the AASC, AAC & LC. He was also appointed by Jerry Zeismer to chair the original Mentor Committee in 1992.

For his years of dedication and crucial work in the industry, Victor has received numerous honors and awards, including being a DGA Nominee for MURPHY BROWN (UPM/1stAD – 1988), an Emmy Winner as Producer/UPM for ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT (2004), and a Peabody Award Winner for MEN OF A CERTAIN AGE as Producer (UPM – 2010).

DEBRA MCGUIRE (Costume Designer)

Among Debra McGuire's many accomplishments as a FINE ARTIST, FASHION DESIGNER and COSTUME DESIGNER, she is best known for her 10 year run on the hit show FRIENDS and for designing many of David Mamet's film and theatre projects, including the much talked about PHIL SPECTOR (starring Al Pacino and Helen Mirren), nominated for 11 Emmy's this year and in which she was nominated for Best Costume Design. Debra has also designed many of Judd Apatow's film and television projects. She is currently Designing the 3rd Season of THE NEW GIRL for FOX and 3 films: THE KITCHEN SINK  (Zombie-Vampire film for Sony Pictures), BASIC MATH (formerly SEX TAPE, contemporary comedy starring Cameron Diaz and Jason Segel, Sony Pictures) and BIG STONE GAP, (period film, starring Ashley Judd and Patrick Wilson, based on the best selling novel by Adrianna Trigiani).

Passionate about the THEATRE, she began designing costumes for a dance theatre company in Paris in the early 80's. In 2007 she won the NAACP Award for Best Costume Design for ATLANTA, at the Geffen Playhouse and in 2006 she was nominated for an Ovation Award for Best Costume Design for BOSTON MARRIAGE, at the Geffen Playhouse.
         
Debra is primarily a fine artist with a career that began as a painter, working and teaching in her Bay Area studio. She became an instructor at Colleges and Universities in Northern California, a Jewelry and Accessories Designer in New York, Fashion Designer, Fashion Consultant, Couturier (with a store in Pacific Palisades, Ca. for 10 years) and Costume Designer.  She has been speaking at Galleries and Art Colleges on the East Coast. October 10 she will be speaking in New York City at Pratt Institute;  'The Refinement of Process: Visual Journey of the Artist as Costume Designer'.              
      
Her creativity is rivaled only by her ability to multitask, a skill that has been honed through many years of hard work and dedication. "An artist with passion can create anything…a world 1000 years in the past or the future, an 1800's Western, a contemporary drama or comedy, action film…anything is possible. Creating a visual story that didn't exist a moment ago is about the miraculous Designer-Director relationship…understanding the vision and making it happen. However, without my loyal and dedicated crews, none of this would be possible!"

J. ELVIS WEINSTEIN (Writer, Producer)

J. Elvis Weinstein began his stand-up comedy career in Mpls. at age 15. He was 17 when he became one of the founding writer/performers on Mystery Science Theater 3000 (first 33 eps). He was the original voice of Tom Servo and Gypsy, and played Mad Scientist Dr. Lawrence Erhardt. Since moving to Los Angeles at 20, he has worked as a writer/producer on Freaks and Geeks (NBC), Malcolm and Eddie (UPN), Dead Last (WB), My Guide to Becoming a Rock Star (WB) and Talk Soup (E!). He was also the Head Writer on America's Funniest Home Videos (ABC) and Later with Greg Kinnear (NBC). J. Elvis has also written drama pilots for HBO, UPN, Sony, and co-created and executive produced Fast Food Films for FX. Currently directing a feature-length documentary, he continues to perform as a stand-up comic and as a member of  “Cinematic Titanic” with his former MST3K co-stars in theaters around the country.

BRENT WHITE, ACE (Editor)

Brent White, ACE, most recently edited ANCHORMAN 2: THE LEGEND CONTINUES and the original ANCHORMAN: THE LEGEND OF RON BURGUNDY and WAKE UP RON BURGUNDY: THE LOST MOVIE. He has worked with writer/director/producer Judd Apatow on the films THIS IS 40, FUNNY PEOPLE, KNOCKED UP and  THE 40-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN, as well as on the television productions FREAKS AND GEEKS and UNDECLARED. He edited Adam McKay’s THE OTHER GUYS, starring Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg, and also edited McKay’s films produced by Apatow: ANCHORMAN: THE LEGEND OF RON BURGUNDY, TALLADEGA NIGHTS: THE BALLAD OF RICKY BOBBY and STEP BROTHERS. White also edited Paul Feig's THE HEAT staring Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy.

White began his career as an editor at the Sundance Institute Labs and has assisted on such films as THE MILAGRO BEANFIELD WAR, GLORY, FLUKE and HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS. His other film credits include A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT, MATILDA, ARTHUR, WILDFLOWERS, PANIC and THE SLAUGHTER RULE.

White received an Emmy Award nomination for his work as part of the editing team for the 2002 Academy Awards. His other television editing credits include DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES and long-form projects such as HAVING OUR SAY: THE DELANY SISTERS’ FIRST 100 YEARS, AND THE BAND PLAYED ON, MR. MURDER, THE PATRON SAINT OF LIARS and CRITICAL CHOICES.

About the Moderator

ALESSANDRO AGO is the Director of Programming and Special Projects at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, where he programs film screenings, festivals, guest speakers and special events. In addition to programming the popular undergraduate courses Theatrical Film Symposium, taught by Leonard Maltin, and Television Symposium, taught by Howard Rosenberg, Ago also curates Outside the Box [Office], a screening series dedicated to bringing new international, documentary and independent cinema to USC. During a typical semester, Outside the Box [Office] offers over 50 new pre-release movies to students, faculty and alumni, often followed by conversations with the filmmakers, which Ago moderates. He oversees all Deans Council Visions and Voices programming for the School of Cinematic Arts and has produced festivals celebrating the work of John Wayne, Roger Corman, Costa Gavras, Maurice Jarre, Albert Broccoli and the James Bond franchise, as well as world cinema showcases focusing on Japan, Italy, Bollywood and the Middle East and an ongoing series of Live in HD satellite broadcasts from the Metropolitan Opera in New York. In 2013, Ago produced a complete series retrospective of the landmark 1990 ABC TV drama Twin Peaks, featuring panel discussions with 50 cast & crew members from across the production.

Also in 2013, Ago taught a course called Italian Genre Cinema and Society for the Italian Department at USC, and has taught two undergraduate courses for the SCA Summer Program: Transnational Nightmares and Filmmaking, Italian Style. He co-produced the 2006 & 2007 editions of Los Angeles - Italia: The Film, Fashion and Art Fest at Mann's Chinese 6-plex, as well as the 2006 Capri - Hollywood Film Festival in Capri, Italy. He also worked for the Sundance Institute as a screener in the International Documentary Feature department, helping to select films for competition for the Sundance Film Festival.

Both an Italian and American citizen, he grew up in Washington D.C. and Rome, Italy. He holds a bachelor's and master's degree from the USC School of Cinematic Arts' Critical Studies division.

About the USC Freaks and Geeks Retrospective

Over the course of the Spring 2014 semester, the USC School of Cinematic Arts will host a complete series retrospective of the NBC cult comedy series, Freaks and Geeks, created by SCA Alumnus Paul Feig, and Executive Produced by SCA Alumnus Judd Apatow. Each week, episodes of the series will be followed by in-depth Q&As with key cast & crew from the production.

The complete series will be screened across 4 Sunday afternoons from January through April 2014, with the following order (start times & running times vary):

Sunday, January 26th, 2014: Episodes 1, 2, 3, 4
Sunday, February 23rd, 2014 at 2:00 PM: Episodes 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Sunday, March 30th, 2014 at 2:00 PM: Episodes 10, 11, 12, 13, 14
Sunday, April 6th, 2014 at 3:00 PM: Episodes 15, 16, 17, 18

Check-In & Reservations