A generation ago PG films like Ghostbusters, Back to the Future and Top Gun dominated at the box office, but more than half of what Hollywood serves up these days is rated R. That's what got BYU economics students Jared Shores and Craig Palsson interested in whether a movie's rating affects its revenue. The students conducted a statistical analysis of budget and box office figures of major American films from 1995 to the present. Additionally, the data set included the level of foul language, sex and violence in each movie (courtesy of ratings services ScreenIt and Kids-in-Mind). The number-crunching reveals a few things that do connect ratings to profitability: - PG and PG-13 movies bring a similar return; both make more money than R films - Movies on the edge of PG and PG-13 make more money if they get a PG rating - Movies on the edge of PG-13 and R make more money if they get the PG-13 rating While interesting, these findings don't yet explain the scarcity of family films. Craig notes that the Motion Picture Association of America is not terribly consistent, making it tough for directors and studios to 'game the system.' Jared notes that in some cases investors ought to push for a film to be re-cut and resubmitted to get the more profitable MPAA rating. Under the mentorship of economics professor Joe Price, Jared and Craig are preparing their research for publication. A native of Montrose, Colorado, Jared aims for a career in the business side of Hollywood as an entertainment consultant. He names The Goonies as his all-time favorite movie. 'It encapsulates what I wanted to be as a kid, and the kinds of films I want to help develop someday,' Jared said. Jared will complete his bachelor's degree this December. Craig plans to graduate in April 2012. ORCA grants: What they are and how to get one Every year BYU awards several hundred undergraduates $1,500 for a research or creative project of their own choosing. While the projects span a wide range of fields, they all involve mentored learning outside the classroom. The skills and experience gained along the way open doors to grad schools, employers and entrepreneurship. Mentored learning is part of why BYU ranks in the Top 10 nationally in terms of where new Ph.D.s received their undergraduate degrees — and why BYU is a top feeder school for law, medicine and dentistry. ORCA is accepting applications through October 29. Click here to find out more about ORCA grants. __________________________________________ Follow BYU News on Twitter: twitter.com/byu Source: BYU News

The Symphonic Band at Brigham Young University, conducted by Kirt Saville, will be performing in the de Jong Concert Hall Wednesday, Oct. 27, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for the event at $6 are available at byuarts.com or through the Fine Arts Ticket Office, (801) 422-4322.

Principal keyboard artist for the Utah Symphony Jason Hardink will be performing at Brigham Young University's Madsen Recital Hall Wednesday, Oct. 27, at 7:30 p.m. The event is free.

'Carl Bloch: The Master's Hand' available Nov. 12, 2010-May 7, 2011 Although they may not recognize him by name, many Christians around the world know and love the religious paintings of Lutheran Danish artist Carl Heinrich Bloch. Beginning this fall, those who have admired reproductions of Bloch's work will be able to see many of his original paintings at the Brigham Young University Museum of Art. 'Carl Bloch: The Master's Hand' will feature five large altar paintings from churches in Denmark and Sweden. Four of these paintings will be taken out of their altar settings for the first time since they were originally installed in the late 1800s. The other altar painting, 'Christ Healing the Sick at Bethesda,' has become the museum's signature piece since it was acquired in September 2001. Additional religious paintings and etchings along with genre, history, portrait and landscape paintings from Danish museums also will be included in the exhibition. The exhibition will be on view in the Marian Adelaide Morris Cannon Gallery on the museum's main level from Friday, Nov. 12, 2010 through Saturday, May 7, 2011. The museum will extend its operating hours for this exhibition. For the run of the show, the museum will be open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Admission to the exhibition is free; however, visitors must register for tickets online before their visit. Free tickets will be available at CarlBloch.byu.edu. Carl Heinrich Bloch (1834—1890) was one of ten children raised in a devoutly religious merchant family in Copenhagen, Denmark. Even as a young boy, Bloch's artistic prowess was evident. Despite his parent's concerns about their son's career choice, they allowed him to enter Copenhagen's Royal Academy of Art. In 1859 Bloch was awarded a travel scholarship from the Academy to work in Rome. During his stay in Italy, his works began to reflect deeper concern for human emotion and spirituality, reflected in his highly acclaimed paintings of religious and historical scenes. In 1864 he was elected a member of the Royal Academy of Art. In 1865, near the end of his Italian studies, he received a commission to create 23 paintings on the life of Christ for Frederiksborg Castle, which took him 14 years to complete. Later in his career, he painted eight large altarpieces for churches in Denmark and Sweden, including the beloved 'Christ Healing the Sick at Bethesda.' Bloch amassed numerous awards and honors during his lifetime, but fell out of favor in his own country as Modernism engulfed the art world by the end of his life. In the middle of the 20th century, nearly half a world away, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints introduced Bloch's paintings on the life of Christ to its members in the 'Improvement Era' magazine. Since then images of his paintings have been used in the LDS Church's 'Ensign' magazine and numerous church manuals. Reproductions of his paintings are seen in LDS meetinghouses, temples and visitors' centers throughout the world. Members of the LDS Church are hardly the only ones who have found value in Bloch's images of the life of Christ. Bloch-related prints and gift items are found on numerous Web sites; and his images have been used for a wide variety of publications, including a Japanese illustrated Bible, rosary meditations, teaching illustrations in Catholic Sunday schools, note cards and stationery, jigsaw puzzles, calendars, cross-stitch and embroidery kits, mugs, mouse pads, and tote bags, just to name a few. Now, after several years of negotiations with the churches and museums of Denmark and Sweden, nearly 30 of Bloch's original paintings will travel to the Museum of Art to be seen together for the first time. What is it about the religious paintings of this Danish artist that is so appealing to Christians around the world? Dawn Pheysey, curator of religious art at the BYU Museum of Art, explained that a thoughtful study of Bloch's works suggests several distinctive qualities that make his images so captivating. 'Certainly his academic training at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and his studies in Italy were pivotal in his development as a significant painter of religious and historical paintings. His careful observation and attention to detail provided the qualities necessary to make him a great genre and portrait painter,' Pheysey said. 'But it was his tender and sensitive soul that defined his ability to portray the plights of others with kind consideration, and his deep-seated faith that enabled him to render compelling images of the Savior with devotion and love.' According to Campbell Gray, director of the Museum of Art, Bloch's religious works have the capacity to illuminate the life and mission of the Savior with extraordinary power and insight. 'Instead of simple storytelling, he employs visual devices to engage the viewer in a direct moral conversation about the personal choices proposed by a painting's story,' Gray said. 'His paintings affirm Christ's mission of salvation and, at the same time, challenge the viewer to make the tough choices that bespeak a living faith.' Although Bloch produced more than 250 paintings and 75 etchings during his lifetime, he considered his religious paintings to be his most important contributions. His artwork continues to touch sensitive viewers today as they contemplate the life of Christ. The Museum of Art has produced an iPad application to enhance the gallery experience for this exhibition. iPads pre-loaded with this app can be checked out before entering the gallery for a rental fee of $3. The in-gallery iPad experience has been designed to enhance viewers' understanding and appreciation of the work of Carl Bloch. It has multiple segments that contextualize the paintings by showing their original locations in Denmark, explain the nuances of each work within its Biblical setting, and educate viewers about specific artistic techniques and their significance. For more information about this exhibition, call the BYU Museum of Art at (801) 422-8287, send e-mails to moa@byu.edu, or visit CarlBloch.byu.edu. Source: BYU News

Orpheus Winds, a faculty quintet from the Brigham Young University School of Music, will be performing Tuesday, Oct. 26, at 7:30 p.m. in the Madsen Recital Hall. The event is free. The group consists of April Clayton, flute; Geralyn Giovannetti, oboe; Jaren Hinckley, clarinet; Christian Smith, bassoon; and Laurence Lowe, French horn. This performance will also feature Jed Moss on the piano. During their performance, they will be playing works from Edward Grieg, 'Suite from China West' by Chen Yi, 'Chorinho' by Gary Schocker and 'Sextuor' by Francis Poulenc. The group has a 40-year history of performing on campus and throughout Utah. They have also performed at national and international venues, including venues in Chicago, New York andBeijing and Shanghai, China. Recently, the group performed in Puebla, Mexico, and Salvador, Brazil. For more information, contact Ken Crossley at (801) 422-9348 or ken_crossley@byu.edu. Source: BYU News

'Jigu! Thunder Drums of China' will be at Brigham Young University for a one-night performance Tuesday, Oct. 26, at 7:30 p.m. in the de Jong Concert Hall.

Brigham Young University's OcTUBAfest 2010 will take place Wednesday through Saturday, Oct. 20-23, in the Madsen Recital Hall. Shows will feature tuba ensembles with faculty and students, along with guest artist Oystein Baadsvik, one of the few tuba virtuosos in the world. Admission is free.

The Brigham Young University Motion Picture Archive Film Series will be showing the 1946 Technicolor film 'Smoky' in the Harold B. Lee Library Auditorium Friday, Oct. 8, at 7 p.m. Admission is free.

Acclaimed tenor Brian Stucki will be performing a guest recital Tuesday, Nov. 16, at 7:30 p.m. in the Madsen Recital Hall at Brigham Young University. The concert is free.

Alexander G. Woods, newly appointed visiting assistant professor of music at Brigham Young University, will be making his debut at BYU in a violin recital Wednesday, Oct. 13, at 7:30 p.m. in the Madsen Recital Hall. The event is free. Woods will begin the concert by performing Ludwig van Beethoven's Sonata No. 5 followed by Eugene Ysaye's Sonata No. 3. He will then perform the suite from 'Much Ado About Nothing' by Erich Korngold and the Sonata in D major by Sergei Prokofiev. He will be accompanied on the piano by his father, Rex Woods, who is a BYU graduate and vice director of the School of Music at the University of Arizona. Alexander Woods is a graduate of the Manhattan School of Music and Yale University where he received a master's degree in violin performance. He has had a substantial career as a chamber musician, soloist and orchestral player in some of the most renowned venues in the world, including Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the National Arts Center in Canada. For more information, contact Alexander Woods at agwoods@gmail.com. Source: BYU News

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's fantastical opera 'The Magic Flute' will be performed by the Brigham Young University School of Music Oct. 16-23 in the de Jong Concert Hall at 7:30 p.m. As a special feature, an Oct. 16 matinee will be a condensed version for children.

Pianist Jonathan Bowman will present a guest recital Tuesday, Oct. 12, at 7:30 p.m. in the Madsen Recital Hall at Brigham Young University. Admission is free. Bowman will perform works by Alexander Scriabin, Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig van Beethoven and Frederic Chopin. A BYU graduate, Bowman has been playing the piano since he was 8. He has performed at multiple international competitions, winning two first-place finishes at the International Piano Competition for Five Piano Ensembles in 1996 and 2005. He has also won the solo and concerto competitions at the Young Artists' International Piano Competition at the Eastman School of Music. He has given solo recitals around the United States as well as in Italy, Japan and Germany. Most recently he has performed with the Southwest Symphony, as guest artist at Washington State University's celebration of George Gershwin and on the radio playing new music by John Liberatore and Victoria Bond. Source: BYU News