 Growing up in the 1990s, the first Star Trek series I saw on television was The Next Generation, but I was so young, it really didn’t appeal to me. I liked the colorful effects but the stories were a little beyond me. By the time I started kindergarten, a local television station was showing reruns of the original series. I could tell that it was older than The Next Generation, but at that time, I was not concerned with what century each series took place or how one series led into another. My biggest interest was the characters and the stories. I honestly was not inspired by the diversity shown on the screen until I was much older. For a young child, anything less than infinite diversity did not make sense to me. It was later that I learned how incredible it was for the bridge crew to include a Russian navigator (during the cold war), a first officer that wasn’t even completely human, an Asian helmsman (only a couple of decades after WWII) and a Black, female officer on the bridge. The idea of a society without money that had a space fleet with the goal of exploration is still incredible. It is possible that I saw every episode of the original series by the time the local station stopped showing it. The next step was to go to the local video rental store (when they still existed) and rent VHS tapes of the Star Trek movies (I don’t think the store even had a single DVD at this time). Often, the tapes would have to be rewound before I could watch (anyone remember the “Be kind, please rewind” saying?)  My Mom was a great guide through the Star Trek universe. She knew that The Motion Picture (the first movie) would not have held my interest, so she started me with The Voyage Home (Star Trek IV), which is still my favorite Star Trek movie. I love the blend of humor and adventure. The original cast was so good in comic situations and this film really revels in that. Our heroes become the outsiders when they are thrust into (then) present day earth. Everything we see as “normal” was completely bizarre to the Star Trek crew, and it allows us to critique our own society. On my first viewing, the special effect that blew me away the most was how William Shatner’s toupee managed to stay on his head as he swam underwater to save the whales! There was something about the Star Trek movies that make them so familiar and yet so very different from the shows. If you think about the original 6 movies, Wrath of Khan (II), Search for Spock (III), and The Voyage Home (IV) form a continuous trilogy. I’m not sure if this was an intentional plan after the success of the Star Wars trilogy, or if it just happened that way. For The Motion Picture (I), The Final Frontier (V), and The Undiscovered Country (VI), the viewer does not need to have seen the other films to follow the story. However, one does need to be familiar with the characters to follow character relations. I believe this detail may contribute to how Star Trek movies seem to under-perform with a wide audience compared to the movies of other franchises. How much research does one need to do before watching a 2 hour movie? I know hardcore Trek fans would argue that people need a high enough intellect to appreciate a Star Trek movie, and that the 2009 reboot did well because it was “dumbed down” for the average person. When in fact I would argue that it did well because it introduced each character one at a time. In every other Star Trek film, it is assumed that the viewer is already intimately familiar with each character and because of that, if a viewer does not already know the characters, it is like 2 hours of an inside joke and the viewer is alienated from the start.  After The Voyage Home (IV), the next Star Trek movie we rented was The Wrath of Khan (II). I had already seen Star Wars at this point, so my expectations were probably similar to original viewers when Wrath of Khan premiered in 1982. It definitely met my expectations. It didn’t have as frequent action as Star Wars, but unlike Star Wars, you saw the destruction inside the ships and how that affected the characters. I also like that Wrath of Khan was more a sequel to the television episode Space Seed than it was to the first movie. The writers did a great job giving the viewer enough information about Khan’s backstory without needing clips or a play by play of the episode. Of course, I missed all the Moby Dick references until I was much older and could appreciate that. Unlike the Motion Picture, Wrath of Khan actually acknowledged that the characters (and therefore, the actors) had aged since the television series. So much of Kirk’s identity in Wrath of Khan has to do with his reluctance to acknowledge a significant birthday (implied to be 50).  I believe the next movie I saw was The Undiscovered Country (VI). Notice how my parents guided me to the even numbered movies before the odd numbered movies. The general consensus goes that the even numbered Star Trek movies are better than the odd numbered. Even film critics Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel admitted this trend. This was true until Nemesis (Star Trek 10) was bad and the 2009 movie (Star Trek 11) was good. I remember noticing how much darker the Undiscovered Country was compared to the previous films. I don’t just mean tone, I mean the absence of lighting on the sets. There was literally less light in the image. Apparently, the cinematographer used a lot of source lighting, meaning that the control panels themselves were lighting the actors’ faces instead of traditional film lighting. I remembered getting totally freaked out during the zero gravity assassination scene. I remember reading somewhere that the film would have been PG13 if the Klingons had red blood instead of pink. That would have been helpful for my parents to know because I believe I was about 8 when I saw it. The shot where the Klingon gets his arm shot off was too much for little Mike. Years later, I’ve come to appreciate the Undiscovered Country as one of my favorite Star Trek movies, even if the Klingon villain quoted Shakespeare too much. From the first second of the Undiscovered Country, it is clear that the style is different from the rest of the series. Instead of a grand fanfare, the music begins with low bass and cello notes, influenced by Stravinsky’s The Firebird. The music score even includes a choir, which was a first for the Star Trek series. The film itself is more of a political thriller than an adventure movie. The only real space battle is saved until the very end, but it is quite an epic one. So many elements come together to make a great sequence--the Enterprise battles a Klingon bird of prey that can fire when cloaked, Sulu and his ship the Excelsior race to assist the Enterprise, and there is a time limit because all of them know that someone on the planet is going to try to assassinate the President of the Federation. The entire plot of the film centers around the idea that it is an end to an era, the Klingons and the Federation are signing a peace agreement, ending many decades of aggression. At the same time the Enterprise and its crew are being retired. What a fitting end to the original series.  After the Undiscovered Country, I watched my favorite of the odd numbered original movies, The Search for Spock (III). I saw an interview with Leonard Nimoy, who directed the film as well as starring as Spock, in which he described how he viewed the film as an opera. In that sense, the emotions of the film work well--feelings of loss and friendship are experienced in big amounts. This film fits the spirit of the original series much better than The Motion Picture. The crew were willing to sacrifice their careers and their ship because there was a chance that Spock was still alive. I think many people group Search for Spock with The Motion Picture (I) and The Final Frontier (V) because it is not as exciting as the previous film, Wrath of Khan and not as funny as the following film Voyage Home. But there are many humorous character moments and some great action setpieces. The way Kirk tricks the Klingon crew to board the Enterprise just as it is about to self-destruct is brilliant and the fight between Kirk and the Klingon captain is directly from the television series with the added big budget elements of the entire planet falling apart around them.  So far, I have mentioned The Motion Picture (I) many times. I believe this was the next movie I watched. I say believe, because I don’t remember much of my first viewing besides that I kept waiting for something to happen. It was very difficult for young Mike to get through. It is still difficult for older Mike to get through. When I rewatch it, I appreciate the production design and effects efforts. Compared to all the other movies, you probably see more sets of the inside of the Enterprise in this movie. Also, the number of different ships seen--3 Klingon ships, the newly-renovated Enterprise in all its glory, the spacedock, 2 different space stations, shuttles, the Vulcan shuttle, etc. The shots of the Enterprise from this film were reused in many of the later films. However, the story could have used more time to develop before production started and it could have used a tighter edit. I have read that the studio was so desperate to release the movie on a certain date that Jerry Goldsmith had to compose much of the music before seeing the scenes it was written for and that the premiere was the first time most of the people in the production had seen any of it. But many years later, the practical and miniature effects still hold up really well. The scene flying to the newly refit Enterprise is long but thrilling when the Enterprise is seen and it really does look like a beautiful, massive starship. Consider too that Jerry Goldsmith’s theme had not yet become the often heard theme to the Next Generation. Of all the original movies, The Motion Picture is probably the one I watch the least. It’s not poorly made; it’s just really boring. I have to be in the right mood, or convinced to have a marathon of all the original movies. Sadly, when I have tried to do a marathon in order, my friends and I get through the Motion Picture and often don’t have the energy for Wrath of Khan.  The last of the original movies I saw was The Final Frontier (V). I actually didn’t see it until years after I saw the rest of the series because friends and family recommended I avoid it. I actually saw it on TV (probably the Sci Fi channel at the time). Even though I was probably about 12, I could still see where corners had been cut in the effects budget. Industrial Light and Magic had already taken on too many projects in 1989, so they were not available for the production (‘89 was a big effects year with Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Batman, and Ghostbusters II).
Instead, the company that handled the effects for The Final Frontier (V) did not have the experience or the budget to do a job comparable to the other films in the series. Many of the effects do not hold up when compared to the television effects 20 years earlier. There is one shot where a Klingon bird of prey fires a torpedo at the Enterprise, and the Enterprise narrowly escapes. The shot is so poorly done, someone could literally have pulled a still image of the Enterprise with fishing wire and it would have been more effective (and cheaper!) However, I still believe that The Final Frontier could be saved with redone effects. Yes, the concept is silly, but the movie does move from point A to point B swiftly and there are many great character moments. Just like The Motion Picture, the music from Jerry Goldsmith is incredible. There are some great action cues, but the best themes (in my opinion) are the grand moments. The Star Trek fanfare at the opening transitions into a majestic cue of Kirk (at least they want us to believe it) climbing in Yosemite National Park. The music gives the feeling of American Classical music with harmonies reminiscent of Aaron Copland and Leonard Bernstein. Near the end of the film, Goldsmith combines electronic and acoustic instruments to produce an uplifting and equally unsettling sound for the Eden-like planet that the characters believe they have found. Unfortunately, the film ends with Kirk, Spock, and McCoy singing Row Your Boat off-key, but that’s another story. Everyone has their favorite Star Trek television series. Next Generation is probably my favorite of the television series, but I will always enjoy the original film series best. Their balance of action, humor, and character relations give me a great feeling for the series that has been a part of my life since I was very young.
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9/21/2020 1 Comment Film- How To Host A Movie Premiere Clearly, this post is not an exhaustive guide on movie premieres, but based on my personal experience hosting a premiere. A premiere is often a one time event (unless a big movie has premieres all over the world), but when it goes successfully, it can be the memory of a lifetime. I will go through the steps chronologically to hopefully avoid confusion. Obviously, the first step in planning a premiere is to complete your film or have a very good idea of when it will be complete. You do not want to book a venue and invite everyone, only to have a rough draft to present. Note--your premiere is not a test audience. Any test audience should happen before the film premieres. If you are applying to film festivals, be really sure to read the fine print. Some festivals will not consider your submission if your film has already premiered somewhere else. Festivals have details of their own, so that is a story for another day. For the purpose of this article, we are assuming that you have already presented at festivals or are deciding to not do the festival route. I live in a small area, so there are only 4 local cinemas. I simply sent out an email inquiry to each explaining that I was a local, independent filmmaker that had completed a film and wanted to rent a screen to premiere my film. Be sure that the cinema knows you only want to rent a screen and not the entire facility. Within a couple of days I had heard back from each company. I was surprised at how each already had a policy for rentals. In my area, each cinema is either locally owned or locally managed, so the situation would be different in a larger area with national chain theaters like AMC. I decided to go with the locally-owned theater that was very willing to work with me to be sure that the finished product met my expectations. I believe the price might have been a little higher than the other options, but the fact that the service included that personal touch attracted me. At that point, I was introduced to the behind the scenes operations of the cinema multiplex. In terms of the world, this cinema was small, with only 8 screens. The entire facility could be operated with simply one employee if necessary. A computer or phone could check on the status of each projector. I think the part that blew me away was the business arrangement from the film studios or distributors. What happens is that the distributor, or the movie studio (sometimes the same company, but sometimes not) leases the screen and they decide what will be shown on that screen for the duration of the lease. For example, if Warner Brothers leases Screen 1, the cinema owner cannot show anything else on Screen 1 without Warner Brothers’ permission. Because I wanted to show my movie at a specific time, I not only had to pay for the use of the facility, but also for the amount that the movie distributor might have made for the movie I was replacing at that time. It is a very strict system and the massive studios hold all the power. If the owner of the cinema did something to tick off Disney, they may lose the contract and not be able to show any future movies from Disney. This arrangement is another reason why small independent movies have such a hard time getting distribution in theaters, unless several small distributors can get together to lease one screen. This also explains why so many smaller movies are released only in “select theaters”. Once the date and time was all set and we knew which screen to use, we had to check all the specifications for that particular screen. At this particular cinema, all the screens had similar specifications, but that is not always the case. Some screens may project in 4K, others in 2K (about the same as 1080p television), while others are 6K or higher. Another specification to check is the sound. No matter how many speakers are hooked into the room, the system itself may only broadcast one channel or split the signal into 2 channels (stereo) or more. 6 speakers in the room does not mean that the signal is split into 6 separate channels. The same channel may be going through each speaker. I based my timeline of invitations on the big premieres of the 1950s like Around The World In 80 Days, The Ten Commandments, and Ben-Hur. These were called “roadshow” presentations, which meant that once they were released in theaters, there would be few showings in a day and the details would be very precise. My movie also included an intermission, just to add a bit of class (and a bathroom break). I sent out a “save the date” invitation about 6 months before the premiere and then another reminder 3 months before.  One detail I forgot to mention was that all of the projectors in this cinema are digital projectors. The majority of cinemas today use digital projectors. The reason for this returns to the distributors leasing the screens. It is more cost effective for a distributor to send a hard drive with a file (or several movies) on it to plug into a digital projector than reels of film. Remember how I said that one employee could run the whole facility? That means there is not a projectionist for each screen that knows how to operate film projectors. Even though all the projectors were digital, it didn’t mean I could just have a Quicktime or MP4 file on a hard drive and hope that it went well. Digital projectors require a DCP, or Digital Cinema Package. This package contains all the video and audio files needed to show the movie as well as all the information that the system requires, including the dimensions of the image, how many channels of sound and which speakers to send that sound, etc. The cinema owner showed me a free program called DCP-o-Matic, which did the trick. Of course, before the big premiere, we tested it out to be sure that the video and audio were exactly what they needed to be. Don’t just assume it will work because all the specifications line up. For the big night, I hired a photographer. That way I could concentrate on interacting with people and not worry about capturing the event. Not to mention, the pictures came out much better than if I had done them myself. Since the system is completely controlled by computer, the film would start at 6PM whether I was ready or not. I made sure to tell guests to arrive before 5:45. In a situation like this, you cannot plan the start time based on when the last people arrive. If you say it starts at 5:45, that is when you start. Around 5PM, I greeted guests in the lobby of the cinema, so that they could know which screen to go to. Of course, I was wearing a tuxedo, just to show how special the event was for me. At 5:30, I was greeting guests at the entrance to the screen itself. At 5:45, I began a presentation before the film began. Since everything was connected and automated, the lights went down when the film began and went up at the end. This was a life saver and a real important idea. By the time of your premiere, you want all the technical details to be handled by someone else or set to run automatically. You don’t want to be greeting guests and then run out to press play at the right time. This is another reason why I hired a venue instead of just renting a screen for my backyard. After the film was over, I had a Q and A session with the audience. This was a great opportunity to interact with people, some that had been involved with the production and others learning about it for the first time recently. Since I had planned ahead, I had DVD copies of the film and CDs of the soundtrack available for sale, which helped to offset some of the cost to rent the screen. Similar to performing live for an audience, there is nothing like being in the moment to encourage people to buy a product that they might not think to do if it is only online. My biggest takeaway from the experience of hosting a premiere is the necessity of planning. If I had not planned out every detail before the event, it would have been overwhelming and probably not an enjoyable experience for me. Once you are finished with the product, let the presentation be a celebration and not just more work.   There seems to be a lot of misunderstanding in terms of how breathing works when we need it in order to sing. I am not a doctor, but I can share the knowledge I have gained over time as a singer and working with other singers. The biggest misconception that many singers seem to have is that they can get a louder or more powerful sound by squeezing their abdominal muscles and pushing harder. Breathing is an automatic process and we really don’t have as much control over it as we think. Singing longer notes is really about the amount of air we inhale and nothing about pushing from our gut. One important thing to remember is that when we sing, we want as little tension as possible in every part of our body. Tension can actually be heard in your sound. One thing I always tell my singers is if a vocal sounds like it hurts, most likely it does. When you, as the singer, feel pain, you need to stop singing right away and rethink how you are creating your sound. Tightness in your throat leads to fatigue from overusing muscles that are not actually needed. It is very difficult to only tense your abdominal muscles and not react in other places in your body.  The process of breathing, as you know, has two parts--inhalation and exhalation. The major muscle at play is the diaphragm. Unlike many muscles that seem to get larger (think biceps) when contracted, the diaphragm actually collapses when active. By collapsing, it creates a vacuum in the lungs. In a sense, your body is not working hard to pull air in, the vacuum in your lungs is filled by nature. Think of scenes in a movie when a character is sucked out into the vacuum of space, except the vacuum is now your lungs. Other active muscles during inhalation are the intercostal muscles. These lift the rib cage, which gives the lungs space to expand. If you hear wheezing or a groaning sound when you inhale, it means that your throat is not as open as it should be. A moan or a groan means that the vocal cords are causing resistance against the air. For inhalation, the vocal cords should not be working at all. When it is time to exhale, the diaphragm then moves back up to its larger position. As you can see, pushing with your abdominal muscles will not make nonexistent air suddenly appear. All it will really do is make you uncomfortable. If you want to be able to sing a note longer, it really does you more good to focus on the full inhale and keeping an open chest and abdomen so that your lungs can fully expand. Instead of squeezing your abdomen, your stomach will actually appear to pop out when you inhale completely. Society tells us to always “suck in your gut” so you do not appear chubby, but proper, healthy singing requires us to pop out our belly. Besides, people will be too amazed by your incredible voice to watch your stomach move when you breathe. If you only notice your shoulders moving when you inhale, it means you are filling the top portion of your lungs. If you breathe like this normally, it is in your best interests for singing, exercise, and general health to retrain your body to breathe to the bottom of your lungs. If it’s easier for you to remember “breathe from your stomach” that is fine, as long as you remember that no air is entering your stomach. Hopefully this brief explanation has provided some clarity and useful things for you to focus on when singing.   Teachers today have so many responsibilities. Not only are we responsible for educating students in their subjects, but also we are responsible for teaching the students how to be part of a class, how to manage their time, etc. In one 35 minute music class, outside of music concepts, we may be incorporating concepts such as procedures for entering the room, how to speak to classmates, how to listen when it is time, taking out instruments, putting instruments away carefully, personal space, using manners, and more. Those in training to become teachers have a long road of preparation. I believe that by the time I completed my undergraduate program, I had somewhere around 160-180 credit hours. My program involved: music courses- history, performance, theory, ear training, orchestration; music education courses- vocal and instrumental pedagogies, elementary methods, secondary methods; education courses- special education, multicultural education, curriculum and design; honors college courses- many of these replaced general education courses, but were 4 credits each instead of the regular 3; and I had a film and video minor which was about 15 credits. I honestly do not know how I completed the degree in the time that I did. I did my student teaching (12 credit hours) as a 9th semester, so I technically received my degree in December, even though I marched in May. The amount of preparation could be overwhelming at times, and while an undergraduate student in the midst of preparation, the end goal can sometimes get blurred. I had a very difficult time, personally, understanding how I would apply everything that I was learning. It wasn’t that I didn’t find the material important, the biggest issue for me was that future students were just a figment of the imagination, they had not materialized yet for me. Long story short, there are so many things that college curriculums determine that someone must know before becoming a teacher.  However you must learn through experience the most important requirement of a teacher--you have to care about your students. It sounds so simple, yet I didn’t learn it until I started teaching. All of the theoretical knowledge meant nothing until I actually started building relationships with learners. The catalog of performance experience, music theory knowledge, historical practice, and more all served to build connections with my students. Why do I arrive at school early to be sure everything is set up? Because I care how the lessons will go for my students. Why do I follow up with a student that seemed to be confused with a concept? Because I care about that student’s growth and understanding. Why do I question a student’s actions when they make an unhelpful choice? Because I care about that student and how it affects everyone else in the room. Why do I modify assignments for students that need it? Because I care about that student. Why do I pull a 13 hour shift on concert days? Because I want my students to have a positive experience in a performance setting. What you learn in undergraduate music education programs may not reveal the full picture until you are in your own classroom. In college, you may laugh at learning 4 different ways to teach the same concept but then you are in the moment and have 4 different students that need their own way to learn each concept. I don’t think anyone actually familiar with education can claim that the pay is high, but measured in the number of relationships you build and countless lives you change through your work, teaching is the most rewarding career I have ever known.  |
