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PCAH New releases
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PCAH and Los Angeles’ Creative Communities Join in a Symposium on Film, Television, Digital Media, and Popular Culture Chairman
Adair Margo opened the Symposium on Film, Television and Digital Media, saying “popular culture can help bring us together—here and across the globe.” The President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities led by Chairman Adair Margo held an unprecedented Symposium on Film, Television, Digital Media, and Popular Culture at the University of Southern California School of Cinema-Television in late May. The President’s Committee took the opportunity on this occasion to honor the Los Angeles creative sector as world leaders in film, television and digital media, focusing on their role in making popular culture a world vernacular.  Current National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)
Chairman Dana Gioia makes his point during the Telling America’s
and other Stories panel. He was joined by former NEA Chairs Bill Ivey
and Frank Hodsoll
Leading off the Symposium, American Film Institute (AFI) CEO Jean Picker
Firstenberg provided a context for the Symposium participants on the excellence
of American film and its preeminence around the world. Both AFI and USC’s
School of Cinema-Television have been leaders in training generations
of filmmakers, actors, directors, technicians and others that comprise
this creative industry. It is an industry that faces both great opportunities
and challenges, according to the first panel of current and past chairs
of the National Endowment for the Arts. On the one hand, there is a sense
of crisis felt by other nations who perceive their languages and traditions
to be threatened by American entertainment and the concentration of U.S.intellectual
artistic property—films, music, literary works, etc.—in a
few corporate hands limits the public domain. On the other hand, the great
work of film, television, and digital media provides some of the greatest
stories ever told, known throughout the globe, and the growth of the Internet
is opening doors for creative expression and dialogue everywhere.  PCAH committee member Lionel Chetwynd (far
right), Filmographer Penelope Spheeris (center) and California Institute
of the Arts President Dr. Stephen Lavine (near left) discuss the
creative process of filmmaking. Not shown are panelists Writer/Director
Joel Surnow and Executive/Producer Suzanne de Passe
Yet the heart of the creative process, as the next panel demonstrated, remains relatively unchanged from first days of film. It is still driven by human imagination and talent that now has a wealth of technological tools that can help create new work and provide access to new audiences. As one panelist observed, “creativity is messy and sloppy and does not adhere to the rules of business,” and this underscores the inherent risk in this industry. The ever present tension between filmmakers and the gatekeepers who finance new films remains a challenge even for established artists.  Actor
and director Andy Garcia was interviewed during the Symposium, and he
spoke about the challenges facing filmmakers in getting their work produced.
Actor Andy Garcia’s expanded on this tension using his new film Lost City as an example. This story of pre-Castro Cuba took more than a decade to line up enough financing to produce. Although celebrity may not always be enough to leverage financing, fellow actor Gary Sinise shared another side of the power of celebrity. In an interview with NEA Chairman Dana Gioia, Sinise spoke of how he has used celebrity to assist in humanitarian efforts, specifically his efforts on behalf of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan through Operation Iraqi children and the USO. Both the panels and these first person accounts from these artists and others illustrated some of the dynamics and contributions of the Los Angeles creative community to the national experience.  Dr Janet Murray, Georgia Institute of Technology,
presents a new digital version of Casablanca that allows viewers
access to archival material from script changes to director’s
notes. The project is supported with a grant for the National Endowment
for the Humanities.
American film, television and digital media influence the
ways we see ourselves and others, and the ways others see us. They are
often the face of this country to the world. Probably no medium is as
universally recognized as are American cartoons and animation features
such as those made famous by Walt Disney. A pioneer in this area is PCAH
Committee member Phil Roman, who began his career with Disney studios
and went on to numerous honors for his work including six Emmy awards.
The President’s Committee honored Roman with a resolution that recognized
his contributions spanning 50 years to “American and world culture”.  U.S. Ambassador to UNESCO Louise Oliver addresses
a Symposium panelist about the effect of American film on international
audiences and diplomats. She expanded on her response as a panelist
addressing international collaboration and exchange.
Symposium organizer and former NEA Chairman Frank Hodsoll led the last panel on the opportunities for playing to the strengths of the American film, television and digital media in international collaboration and exchange. The panel suggested that the very powerful images of film, television, and digital media could foster common interests and contribute a sense of our shared humanity. PCAH and AFI are now exploring a partnership that would increase opportunities for international exchange and collaboration here and abroad,, as one of the outcomes of the Symposium. All of the Symposium presentations made it clear how Los Angeles is a gathering place for artists and entrepreneurs from all over the world and that technology is accelerating a creative process and marketplace that knows no geography. Learn more…
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