April 12, 2004

Dedication of newly remodeled Communications Building set for April 17

Film and Digital Media Department to celebrate new home with Open House and Film Screening

By Scott Rappaport

The spotlight will shine on the UCSC Film and Digital Media Department on April 17 when the campus dedicates its newly renovated Communications Building.

The festivities will begin at 3 p.m. with a welcome reception in front of the building, accompanied by a sound mix of film scores provided by a student D.J.

UCSC’s Acting Chancellor Martin M. Chemers and Dean of the Arts Edward F. Houghton will host a brief formal dedication ceremony at 4:15 p.m. before inviting guests into the remodeled building for a program by faculty, students, and alumni.

A film profile of the department’s faculty, recently put together by Assistant Professor Gustavo Vazquez, will be presented after an introduction by department chair Chip Lord. Current students and alums will also speak about why they chose UCSC to study film, and how their education has made a difference in their career.

From 5 to 6 p.m., student and faculty work will be showcased at an open house. This will include the screening of student works in an ongoing loop, a screening of a 3-D film by student Larry Cuba, and a room devoted to the discussion and exhibit of the critical studies program in film, which will include published works and film loops of faculty research. Tours of the building will also be available with student docents on hand to answer any questions.

At 8 p.m., the Film and Digital Media Department will present a screening of More Than Famous, a film produced and directed by UCSC alum Graham Rich. The movie is a documentary love story about International Boxing Federation super featherweight champion Carlos “Famoso” Hernandez, as he struggles against tremendous odds to pursue his dream of becoming a champion. The film has been shown at numerous film festivals and was broadcast by the HBO Latin channel last year.

Department chair Chip Lord noted that the remodeled Communications Building now provides the Film and Digital Media Department with a new centralized location on campus that will be more accessible to the public. The department office and faculty offices were previously located at Porter College.

“The new building gives us a ‘home’ and a strong sense of community as almost all of our faculty--as well as both administrative offices and technical staff--are here,” Lord observed.

Improvements in the renovated Communications Building include:

• A new production classroom
• A 90-seat media theater/classroom
• Two new seminar rooms and a small screening room
• A general-purpose studio restored to its original function
• A computer lab with space for 25 workstations
• Additional space for checkout and storage of equipment
• Eleven faculty offices
• An expanded department office with improved public access.

All dedication events are free and open to the public. Parking is available in the Core West Parking Structure. For more information, contact Jenny Brown in the Film and Digital Media Department at (831) 459-3204 or jenbrown@ucsc.edu.

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