A
Note Regarding
The Cinema and Television Arts Department
Norma
Desmond, the silent movie star in Sunset Boulevard,
says that she hates the word comeback. “It’s return—a
return to the millions of people who’ve never forgiven
me for deserting the screen.”
The newly revitalized Cinema and Television Arts Department
will never forgive its alumni and friends—if they do
not return to us. There is plenty to see and to hear about,
as the department takes up residence in the acclaimed new
$16.8-million building, Manzanita Hall, designed by internationally
recognized architect Robert A.M. Stern, dean of Yale University’s
School of Architecture (and architect of the Disney Animation
Building). Mr. Stern described the new building—already
the winner of the 2002 Athenaeum Award for innovative architecture—as
“a unifier and a catalyst for creative change.”
Some of these creative changes include:
-
the opening of the CSUN Cinematheque—at the Alan
and Elaine Armer Theater, a state-of-the-art 130-seat
screening facility—which will be the only year-round
film exhibition program of its kind in the San Fernando
Valley;
-
the
establishment of a Gallery of Film Poster Art, currently
featuring the celebrated Mike Kaplan Collection of vintage
motion picture posters and movie art, the only permanent
university gallery in the United States devoted to the
movie poster;
-
the
installation of modern, richly equipped television and
film studios and a multimedia laboratory;
-
the
movement toward initiating an MFA in Screenwriting. This
program seeks to advance the social, intellectual, and
psychological perspectives of its students—to develop
writers who not only can structure a screenplay, but who
are also able to communicate a message about the complexities
of the human condition.
These
are only a few of the initial ideas. So, please—like
Norma Desmond—return to us by contacting CTVA.csun.edu
and keep current on all the activities and programs of the
CTVA Department that you find interesting.
Unlike Norma Desmond, you don’t have to be insane to
accomplish this.
Sincerely,
Dr. John Schultheiss
Chair, Cinema and Television Arts
|
|
|
