Theatre and Performance Studies Commons^™

“Untitled” Aka “Unhinged”, Chloe Huber, Steven Enfield

Journal of Undergraduate Research

I worked as the production designer on the senior film project “Unhinged.” The story follows Phillip who paints in the bathroom. He is a man of few words and enjoys the isolation. With a closed door at his back, Mary waits with an ultimatum. She’ll return the key to his apartment if he doesn’t open up the door and talk about their relationship. But Phillip has a deadline. In a matter of mere hours, he will face his toughest critics during perhaps the most difficult night of his artistic career. Yet Mary can’t wait for him any longer, she would …

Horror-Comedy: The Chaotic Spectrum And Cinematic Synthesis, Marisa Manuel

Oglethorpe Journal of Undergraduate Research

No abstract provided.

Abandoned In Space: Producing A 3-D Student Short Film, Aaron Stevens, Dr. Darl Larsen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

When two other film students and I received an ORCA grant to research stereoscopic 3-D and make a film using the information gained, we were not prepared for the full scope of this project. My original goal as a producer with this production was to research production models that were best suited for low budget and student short films in 3-D. However, I soon found that there was very little, if any, precedent to go off of. Therefore, I decided to move forward using the education and training in producing I’ve received at BYU, my own experience as a producer, …

Breaking Down Iron Walls: The Use Of Applied Theatre In Romanian Schools, Miriam Rasmussen, Julia Ashworth

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Through many studies and programs it has been discovered that a lack of self-worth is one of the main contributing factors to poor morale and work ethic in Romania. It has been found, that, for the majority of the country, poor expectations have led to poor performance in the workplace, hostile environments within communities and a mass migration to other countries within the European Union (Heintz 178). Under that same umbrella of lack of self-worth, there is also a special category of need found in Romanian children who have been placed in orphanages. While research has been done to recognize/identify …

‘Whe’Re Ya Gunna Go?’ Script Development And Distribution, Kyle Fackrell, Zach Kempf, Dr. Rodger Rosensen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

‘Whe’re Ya Gunna Go?’ is a student written script that we have been developing since 2006 which, at the outset of this ORCA funding process, was in the script development and workshopping stage and was being prepped for submission for various festivals and consideration by regional theatre literary staff. It was for the purpose of financing these efforts and the attendant expenses involved in developing and distributing the script (and, naturally, for the personal and professional growth that could result from these professional connections) that the ORCA grant was sought and received, and for it’s reception we are surely grateful.

Fit For The Kingdom : Two French Documentaries, John Forbyn, Dr. Dean Duncan

Journal of Undergraduate Research

While spending May/June/July 2009 in Paris, France, to conduct an Individual Field Study and complete my Honors Thesis, I worked to produce two short (4-8 minute) films examining the lives of immigrant students and refugees in France who have recently converted to the LDS church. My intent has been to contribute my films to the corpus of BYU’s Fit for the Kingdom documentary project where they would be featured in the website’s streaming video collection. Fit for the Kingdom films tend to focus on one individual at a time, so my intentions as to the subject/ characters I’m seeking were …

Shaving: A Short Film, James Alexander, Thomas Russell

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The short film Shaving is an adaptation of a simple yet powerful short story of the same name by the Welsh author Leslie Norris. Upon first reading it, this story resonated with me; its beautiful message about preparing for and coping with loss is important and can be helpful to the human experience. The visual nature of Norris’ writing inspired me. I wanted to bring this story to a wider audience. Adapting the story to short film made this possible; it also provided me and several other film students with an opportunity to apply knowledge gained in the classroom and …

A Theatrical Exploration Of Immigration In The United States, Matthew Greene, Dr. Wade Hollingshaus

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The purpose of my ORCA project was to create a piece of theatre centering on the issue of immigration in the United States. I wrote in my proposal: “Illegal immigration is a significant issue in the current political, economic, and social arenas. In exploring this issue through theatre we can help bring the immediacy of the border situation closer to our audience.” The project ultimately did accomplish this goal but did so in a manner somewhat unexpected.

Post-Production Techniques For Anaglyphic 3d Video, Nathan Grout, Dr. Darl Larsen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In the past year, there has been a wave of 3D films in theaters. These films utilize the latest digital technologies for production and distribution to provide a superior 3D experience. Similar quality levels, however, can be achieved on an independent/student production level. The resurrection of what is often considered an antiquated technique, anaglyphic 3D, levels the playing fields and provides low budget filmmakers a viable option for creating 3D films.

River Of Victory Life In A Cambodian Garbage Dump, Trevor Wright, Ben Unguren

Journal of Undergraduate Research

As I set out to create a documentary about the lives of the residents of the Stueng Mean Chey landfill outside of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, I thought I knew what to expect. I had lived and worked with the people of the dump during my time as a volunteer at the Cambodian Children’s Fund the previous summer, and I was familiar with the culture, language, and area. After two years of preparation and planning, my crew and I arrived in Phnom Penh and set off to work. Only three days passed before all of our ideas and plans for the …

Roak-Aradun And Other Stories, Michael Mercer, Kelly Loosli

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Brigham Young University’s Animation program is well on its way to becoming legendary. With the combined heroism of the faculty, the students, the administration, and others, there has risen a collegiate experience that rivals that of private art institutions. Yet no university program has room enough for all the knowledge and skills needed for specialty occupations, and so perhaps the greatest success of any education is the transmission of the skills and desire to learn and discover. This has most assuredly been the case with the Animation program. My goal with this research and production project was to obtain for …

Fantasy And Reality In The Films Of Terry Gilliam, Andrew J. Myers, Dr. Darl Larsen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

My ORCA project was a study of the films of director Terry Gilliam. I found that the most accessible angle to begin to understand his body of work was by looking through a lens of Peter Wollen’s structuralist auteur criticism. This approach entails looking at the binaries common to many of Gilliam’s films—such as fantasy vs. reality, birth vs. death, individual vs. society, organic vs. machine—and carefully examining how these binaries shift alignment from film to film. The complex interweave of these binaries throughout the structure of a director’s films is, according to Wollen, what establishes a filmmaker as something …

Western Short Film, Vanessa Barney, Dr. Darl Larsen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The goal of this project was to produce a short film on 35mm while providing practical field research opportunities for many students in the Media Arts program, including myself. I was initially responsible for writing and directing the film, but also ended up producing the film as well. There were many expectations that were fulfilled and there were also many expectations that changed during pre-production along with unexpected challenges that occurred during production.

Unleashing The Potential Of Film, Allan R. Staker, Stanley Ferguson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

When I applied for the ORCA Grant last year, I wanted to distribute a film project outside the boundaries of BYU and the University’s “FINAL CUT Student Film Festival.” In order to do so, I began to adapt the ideas pre-selling feature films to major studios that Professor John Lee taught in “TMA 389: Producer’s Practicum” to my own hypothetical process of selling a documentary series to a national cable network.

Little Women: My Vision Of Alcott’S Great Literature On Stage Commences, Alisha Watts Christiansen, Dr. Robert Nelson, Dr. Tim Slover

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In October of 1995 I approached Robert Nelson and asked him to be my faculty mentor as I applied for this ORCA (Office of Research and Creative Activities) grant. I proposed to him that for my creative project I would like to adapt Louisa May Alcott’s novel, Little Women, into a stage play. As we discussed it further and I shared with him my ideas of how this project would be accomplished, he said he would happily support me if I would take Tim Slover’s playwrighting class (TH & F 378R). I wasn’t sure I had time to take the …

Center For Art & Theater News, Georgia Southern University

Center for Art & Theater (Archived)

• ‘Rena Leinberger: Zero Panorama’
• ‘Elisabeth Condon: The Seven Seas’

The Book Of Esther As A Theatrical Text, Wendy Simmerman, Dr. Eric Samuelsen, April Chabries Haws

Journal of Undergraduate Research

This project was divided into two areas of emphasis: first, a research project examining the possibilities that the Book of Esther was written and included in the Bible as a dramatic performance text, and second, the development of a script based on the Book of Esther. Each of these two areas offered unique challenges and problems, but each part also became a fascinating undertaking.

Summary Of Research And Writing The Screenplay “Cora Chattering” Based On Terrie Petree’S Award-Winning Short Story “Eating The Old Thoughts”, Ethan L. Vincent, Stan Ferguson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Research and writing “Cora Chattering” was an interesting process. Terrie Petree’s seven page short story “Eating the Old Thoughts” offered enough material for a 21 page script, translating into approximately 20 minutes screen time – the ideal length for a student short film. Although the script diverts somewhat from Terrie Petree’s original story, these necessary changes made the characters and their relationships to each other more animated and accessible. As a result, I learned a great deal about the compromises of short story adaptations.

Tma Historic Clothing Collection: Present And Future, Mary Ann Perkins, Cathie Mcclellan

Journal of Undergraduate Research

When I submitted the proposal to catalogue the Theater and Media Arts Department collection of historic clothing, I had no idea what was ahead of me. Of course, I didn’t know the size of the collection, the content, or the relative value of the pieces included. Additionally, I wasn’t sure how to set up the organization. I knew I wanted to create an organization system that would be easy to access and add to. Over the intervening 8 months since my proposals acceptance, many ideas, solutions, and goals have been put before me by my mentor and other faculty regarding …

Of Separation: Beginning The Journey Of Making A Film, Lance Kammer, Stan Ferguson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The goal of my project, funded by the ORCA grant, was to produce a short motion picture film entitled Of Separation. In the beginning I had only a script written, that I submitted to ORCA, from which I was to make the film. I also had a Theater and Media Arts Capstone class in which to workshop this script. Now, at the end of the eight months during which I have workshopped and researched this project, the original goal has changed and I have had a successful and worthwhile ORCA experience.