Wed, Dec 19, 2018
In this Q&A conversation Debra Granik, director and co-writer of Leave No Trace (2018), is joined by moderator and Pollock Theater Director Matt Ryan. The event is part of the Carsey-Wolf Centers Script to Screen series and covers the development of the film and its adaptation from Mindy Mejias novel of the same name. Granik discusses how characters and story were reworked for the film, the research that she did in preparation, and the ways the film seeks to represent family relationships and post-traumatic stress disorder. The conversation also covers the production process, the significance of the films setting in Oregon, and the actors preparations for their roles. Granik is also the director of Winters Bone (2010) and this Q&A draws comparisons between her work on these two films.
Tue, Jan 1, 2019
Academy Award-winning screenwriter Josh Singer (Spotlight, The Post) discusses First Man (2018) with Matt Ryan as part of the Carsey-Wolf Center's Script to Screen series. Singer talks about the depth of research necessary to write the screenplay for First Man, including the creative challenges involved in portraying Neil Armstrong who was known for being a man of few words in a film that also has long stretches of minimalistic dialogue, much of which was taken directly from Apollo 11 mission transcripts. Singer comments on his shared desire with director Damien Chazelle for maximum historical accuracy, and the challenges this presented when accounts and recollections of the events sometimes differed in detail. Singer mentions his extensive work consulting with those who were actually present during the mission and depicted in the film, including astronaut Buzz Aldrin, the family of Neil Armstrong, and other members of NASA.
Wed, Mar 6, 2019
Visual storytelling and genre blending are central topics in this wide-ranging discussion between Quiet Place screenwriters Scott Beck and Bryan Woods and Pollock Theater director Matt Ryan. Beck and Woods reflect on and explain their desire to build a monster/sci-fi/horror/silent film that paid homage to classic television and cinema creators like Rod Serling, Alfred Hitchcock, and Charlie Chaplin while fashioning a new experience for contemporary viewers.
Tue, Mar 19, 2019
UCSB Script to Screen, hosted by Pollock Theater Director Matt Ryan, was invited to the 2019 Writers Guild Awards and 2019 WGA Beyond Words. On the red carpet, directors and screenwriters alike were able to reflect and shed light on the creative process of writing their vision on a page and then translating it to the screen.
Mon, Apr 15, 2019
Director Jeremy Podeswa joins Pollock Theater Director Matt Ryan for a Script to Screen discussion." Podeswa recalls his admiration for the cast, the challenges of creating a show that transcends length and production values of typical television programming, and his creative influences. The talk focuses in particular on shooting a complicated ensemble showdown where many main cast members finally share a scene simultaneously and what was involved in bringing that moment to the screen.
Sat, Jul 13, 2019
Editor Maryann Brandon joins Pollock Theater Director Matt Ryan for a conversation about the process of editing Star Trek (2009). The Star Trek franchise has captured the imagination of audiences for over fifty years using a blend of spacefaring high-adventure and futuristic, utopian themes. In 2009, J.J. Abrams refreshed and extended the series with the series' eleventh film. Brandon explains what is was like to edit a film that was part of such a beloved franchise, as well as how she maintained her own editing style while staying true to the original series. She discusses the process of manipulating footage and cutting on set, as well as how she shapes each scene around an actor's performance while maintaining a delicate balance between exposition and effects. She also discusses her professional relationship with Abrams, sharing anecdotes from the sets of both Star Trek and Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker, which she is currently editing under his direction.
Wed, Oct 2, 2019
UCSB Script to Screen interviewed this year's Emmy-nominated writers before the 2019 Sublime Primetime panel discussion at the Writers Guild Theater in Los Angeles. Script to Screen is hosted by the Pollock Theater Director, Matt Ryan, and co-produced by the Pollock Theater student staff.