Theatre and Media Arts

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Congratulations to our CFAC Theatre and Media Arts Alumnus, Christian Jensen, for the Oscar nomination of his film White Earth in the Short Documentary category. Jensen was also awarded the Jury Special Mention for Cinematography in a Documentary Short for White Earth, screened at the 2014 SlamDance Film Festival. White Earth also received the Full Frame Jury Award for Best Short at the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival in Durham, North Carolina. About White Earth Thousands of desperate souls flock to America’s Northern Plains seeking work in the oil fields. White Earth is the tale of an oil boom seen through unexpected eyes. Three children and an immigrant mother brave a cruel winter and explore themes of innocence, home and the American Dream. About the filmmaker J. Christian Jensen graduated from Brigham Young University in 2009 with a degree in Media Arts Studies. Jensen began working in media as a journalist — a passion that evolved into more creative work as a documentary and hybrid filmmaker. Between 2002 and 2006, he filled a variety of production roles on several short and feature-length fiction films including Together Again for the First Time and The Flyboys. In 2006, while pursuing a degree in Media Arts Studies at Brigham Young University, Jensen was awarded an Oscarson Discovery Grant which enabled him to relocate to Washington D.C. where he interned for National Geographic Television & Film. He also worked on PBS FRONTLINE and American Experience, and with the co-production of The Mormons. Between 2006 and 2010, Jensen continued to work in non-fiction helping to create The Soul of Kalaupapa, a documentary about the remote Kalaupapa leprosy (Hansen's Disease) colony on Molokai, Hawaii. He also worked as an editor and camera person at BYU Television International and was an editor on Messiah: Behold the Lamb of God, and Storytellers, which were both produced for BYUtv by Kaleidoscope Pictures. In 2008, Jensen received funds from ORCA, The Laycock Center for Creative Collaboration in the Arts, and the Kennedy Center for International Studies, to write and direct a broadcast-length documentary called Sou da Bahia (I’m from Bahia) about art and Afro-Brazilian identity in Northeastern Brazil. He also co-curated a multiple medium art exhibit by the same name to accompany the film’s television premier throughout the U.S. and Latin America. In 2011, after a year living abroad in China, Jensen was accepted to Stanford University's MFA Program in Documentary Film & Video where he received the Carmen Christensen Fine Arts Fellowship. He also received graduate fellowships to attend The Robert Flaherty Film Seminar (2012), the Telluride Student Symposium (2013), and the annual University Film & Video Association (UFVA) Conference (2013). Within Stanford's program, he produced and directed the following documentary and experimental short films: Out of Body (2011), Between Land and Sea (2012), ALPHA & OMEGA (2012), and White Earth (2013). The films have since played at major festivals throughout the United States including Napa Valley, DOC NYC, Palm Springs ShortFest, Mill Valley, and NextFrame. ALPHA & OMEGA was also a finalist in the Student Academy Awards. White Earth was a national recipient of the Carole Fielding Student Grant and was screened at the 2014 Slamdance film festival. Jensen received his Master of Fine Arts from Stanford University in 2013. After graduating, Jensen was a finalist for the International Documentary Association, David L. Wolper's Student Documentary Award, with his film, Between Land and Sea. In 2014, Jensen was awarded the Jury Special Mention for Cinematography in a Documentary Short for White Earth, screened at the 2014 SlamDance Film Festival. White Earth also received the Full Frame Jury Award for Best Short at the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival in Durham, North Carolina. Jensen also won second place in the Student Academy Awards in 2014 in the documentary category for White Earth.

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A YouTube series created by a BYU Theatre and Media Arts professor and alumnus is receiving recognition in festivals in Utah and throughout the country. “Pretty Darn Funny,” created by Jeff Parkin and Jared Cardon, is a web series sponsored by Deseret Book. The comedy has led the charge as the first Church-sponsored entry into scripted entertainment that has since yielded shows like “Studio C” and “Granite Flats.” It recently was nominated for 10 awards at the 3rd Annual Filmed in Utah Awards, where it won three: Best YouTube Channel, Best Ensemble Cast and Best Director. Parkin, the series’ director, said that he and many other colleagues wanted to create a show that anyone could watch and enjoy. “We hear from a lot of people that they watch it as a family, which is something that makes us really happy–families watching entertainment together,” Parkin said. The show recently finished its second season. The first season centers on Gracie Moore, played by Lisa Clark, a mother who forms a comedy troupe with local women to provide a clean venue for families to be entertained. The second season focuses more on Moore’s relationship with her family–ups and downs, and typical confrontations as well as successes. “I think we and Deseret Book are interested in telling stories about normal people and the fact that we makes mistakes–that it’s normal and it can be funny–instead of getting caught up in perfectionism,” Cardon said. “Laughing at your mistakes is good, and it’s healthy,” Parkin added. For the first season, BYU offered students an opportunity to work the series in exchange for university credit, and around 75 TMA students participated. For season two, about 95 percent of the current cast and crew are either BYU alumni or BYU students. The series has also produced three parody music videos. “Downton Abbey Rap,” “The Hunger Games: Moms vs. Kids!” and “Mom Footloose” have over 341,000 YouTube views combined. Though the series is targeted at an audience of LDS moms, the series gets exceptional engagement with nearly 700,000 views on its channel. Parkin and Cardon both agree that comedy can be family friendly and still be hilarious. “Even though the show is made in Utah and is sponsored by an LDS company, we continue to get lots of positive feedback from fans of divers backgrounds and faiths,” Cardon said. “It’s a great representation of who we are at BYU and as members of the Church.” Watch Pretty Darn Funny for free at www.youtube.com/user/prettydrnfunny Awards & Nominations (Wins are in Bold) Filmed in Utah Awards: 10 Nominations, 3 Wins

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Will run Jan. 31 through Feb. 8 in Margetts Theatre Brigham Young University’s Department of Theatre and Media Arts will present a lighthearted adaptation of William Shakespeare’s “Cymbeline” in the Margetts Theatre Friday, Jan. 31 through Saturday, Feb. 8, with matinee performances on Saturdays. Tickets are $6, with $2 discounts available to children ages 2-11. For tickets, visit the Fine Arts Ticket Office, (801) 422-2981 or byuarts.com/tickets. Shakespeare’s adventurous romance gets the double treatment – and a happy ending – in two special adaptations: as a fairy tale suited for young people and as a noir mystery perfect for the young-at-heart. The performance schedule for the fairy tale adaptation includes Friday, Jan. 31; Tuesday, Feb. 4; Thursday, Feb. 6; Friday, Feb 7 at 7 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 1 at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.; and Saturday, Feb. 8 at 2 p.m. The Thursday, Feb. 6 performance will be ASL interpreted. The performance schedule for the noir mystery adaptation includes Friday, Jan. 31 and Feb. 7 at 9 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 1 at 2 p.m.; Wednesday, Feb. 5 at 7 p.m.; and Saturday Feb. 8 at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. There will be no performances Sundays or Mondays. Directed and adapted by Teresa Dayley Love, “Cymbeline” tells the story of a princess in a pickle, her banished husband, a villainous queen and lots of mayhem in Britain, all while exploring Shakespeare’s themes of mistaken identity, innocence wronged and jealousy. “I knew young audiences would like the twisty story as long as we told it clearly,” said Love. “After all, detail-heavy Pokémon, Harry Potter and Doctor Who have plenty of devoted young fans. And the humor would help, too. But which style to choose? Fairy tale or film noir? I liked them both!” After working with the text, her team made a welcome discovery: “We didn’t have to choose! With the talent of two fearless casts and our imaginative design team, we were able do both. If you come see both versions, you’ll see that the plot, stage movement and language are almost identical. But costumes, scenery, props, lighting, music, sound effects and the way characters are portrayed are very different,” she said. The film noir cast features Michael Comp as Phyllis; Charles Beckh as Chimo, Tony and Pa; Danny Brown as Leo; Jasmine Fullmer as the Queen and Big Luca; and Averill Corkin as Imogene. The fairy tale cast features Mary Beth Bosen as Philaria; Clyde Northrup as Iachimo, Pisanio and Papa; Bryson Alley as Leonatus; Amberly Plourde as the Queen and Lucius; and Lisa Moncur as Imogene. The design and technical crew features Julia Ashworth as the artistic director of Young Company, Michael Kraczek as design advisor, Jennifer Reed as production manager, Spencer Johnson and Heather Richardson as production stage managers, Ward Wright as technical director, Mckenzie Ottley as scenic designer, Amelia Dunlap as lighting designer, Julie Adams as costume designer, James Lyon as prop designer, Chelsi Hunsaker as makeup designer, Nicholas E. Sheets as dramaturg, Janine Sobeck as dramaturg advisor and Rebecca Wallin as theatre outreach coordinator. For more information, contact Ken Crossley at (801) 422-9348 or ken_crossley@byu.edu. Source: BYU News

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Few universities enjoy the international name recognition of BYU, as proven by the recent triumph in the Hyundai Lens of Loyalty film contest in December 2013. This fall, Hyundai Motor Company challenged 25 universities ranging from the west to east coast including heavy hitters such as Oregon, Michigan and Florida to the film contest. After submitting a one-page treatment for a film, seven finalists were chosen to produce the final product, and were funded $10,000. Of the finalists, BYU was awarded the additional $10,000 prize by a panel of judges for its recent five-minute film highlighting BYU football fans around the world. The film was then created, produced, and edited by an innovative student team at The Laycock Center for Creative Collaboration. The team included students from all disciplines, including advertising, film and music. Students Dustin Locke headed the effort as advertising director, with Layne Russell as film director. The aim was for students to showcase football-related traditions unique to their school, according to a press release by Hyundai Motors. “We thought about it and unfortunately BYU can’t compete with tailgating,” explained Locke, advertising major. “But the one thing that sets us apart is reach and the fact that we bring a lot of people to away games.” The idea then developed to let the fans speak for themselves about their passion for BYU. “We have a uniquely true world-wide following here at BYU,” said Jeff Sheets, director of The Laycock Center. “We then cross-sourced and looked for the most unique and insightful fans to be featured.” Fans from as far away as Hawaii, London and South Africa were featured in the short film. One man, a foot cancer amputee living in Barcelona, Spain, proudly wears his BYU emblazoned prosthetic to show he bleeds blue. Another couple in Hawaii installed one of the first satellite dishes on the island in order to see the BYU football games. They then proceeded to invite their neighborhood to watch the Cougars fight their way to victory over the years. “It was a cool experience for us to go across the world and talk to BYU fans. I don’t get to play on the BYU football field, so it is cool to do something for the team,” commented Locke with a wry grin. Incredibly, the team put together the entire production, from recruitment of fans to editing in only two and a half weeks. Students worked night and day to put together the film, while scrambling to get homework done between traveling around the world. The dedication in these un-paid students embodies the mission of the Laycock Center to facilitate a collaborative environment for creative ideas and stunning talent. As Vanessa Mckenna, advertising major, excitedly exclaimed, “It’s all about collaboration!” and a literal love of the game on and off the field.

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