Department of Media and Cultural Studies

Department of Theatre, Film, and Digital Production

In Conversation: John Jennings

kelvin — Fri, 16 Aug 2019 00:33:15 +0000

In Conversation: John Jennings kelvin Thu, 08/15/2019 - 17:33 More Press Releases Lilian Tran, Student Writer/CHASS Marketing & Communications September 26, 2018

John Jennings is an illustrator and professor in UCR’s Media and Cultural Studies department. Jennings won an Eisner Award for best medium adaptation for another medium for Octavia E. Butler’s classic "Kindred" at the San Diego Comic-con in collaboration with Damian Duffy. The Eisner Award is considered the equivalent of an Academy Award for comics.

Jennings is currently working on artistic sketches for the adaptation of Octavia E. Butler's “Parable of the Sower” with Damian Duffy, and will be co-curating a show at the Auburn Research Library in Atlanta with artist Kevin Sipp. UCR Arts will also be showcasing Jennings' project, “UNCAGED: HERO FOR HIGHER, The Luke Cage Illustrated Syllabus.” on Nov. 17.

We recently had the opportunity to interview John Jennings via email.

How was your experience at Comic-Con and what was it like to host various panels?

Comic-Con is always hectic. It’s an honor to be at the event but, since I have become more of a professional producer and editor of comics, the Con has become a lot more business oriented for me. So, this year I helped to arrange a panel, put together an off-site event, and participate on five panels. It’s very different when you move from being there for the fandom aspect and move into the professional arena. I was only on the convention floor on Sunday as a “fan.”

How did you feel when you were announced the winner for the Eisner Award?

I spent most of the summer trying not to be obsessed with the nomination. I wasn’t really ready for the amount of energy and will it takes to not think about something! The Eisner Award is as big as an Oscar in the medium of comics, and we were up against some amazingly well-done books. Our award was announced third from the last of the evening, and so Damian and myself had to wait for almost the entire ceremony to hear the results. Mind you, the event was running about 90 minutes over time so we were in the space from 7pm until about 11:30pm. My stomach was in knots. The crowd cheered for us in the moments before the announcement when the nominees were called. The crowd erupted in joy when we won. It was a great feeling. It means very much to us that we can help people understand how special Octavia E. Butler’s work is and how much of an honor it is to be a part of helping to protect and push her legacy forward. It’s something we take very seriously, and we will continue to try and do her honor as long as we are connected to adapting her works into comics.

Kindred graphic photo courtesy of UCR Today

What was the most difficult process while creating your adaptation of Octavia Butler’s novel, "Kindred"?

For me, the pure physical and emotional aspect was the hardest thing. It’s a massive undertaking, and the effect of dealing with slavery was something that I really hadn’t prepared for.

What was the most rewarding thing that came out of writing your adaptation?

When her estate agent and good friend Merrilee emailed us that we had debuted at number one on the New York Times Best Sellers list, that was worth all the pain and trouble of adapting this momentous book.

You assisted in organizing the post-Comic Con offsite event, Afrofuturism Lounge. What is the Afroguturisim Lounge and what was it like to plan the event?

The Afrofuturism Lounge was an offsite event that was put together by Qamar Allen Bradford, LaWanna Richmond, Keithan Jones and myself. It was a space where Black speculative independent artists and publishers could gather together and sell their work, discuss issues around representation in comics, and fellowship outside of the hectic energy of San Diego Comic Con. It was a lot of fun, although I really couldn’t even attend my own event due to the amount of other professional events I had going on.

What are some new projects you are currently working on?

Currently, I am working on sketches for the adaptation of Octavia E. Butler’s "Parable of the Sower" for ABRAMS ComicArts with Damian Duffy. I am also finishing up edits and colors on my horror series, “Box of Bones,” with collaborator Ayize Jama Everett. I am also co-curating a show at the Auburn Research Library in Atlanta, with artist Kevin Sipp. Another project that I have underway is called "UNCAGED: HERO FOR HIGHER, The Luke Cage Illustrated Syllabus." It’s a project that is opening at UCR Arts on November 17. It will look at the character Luke Cage and how he has become a signifier for Black masculinity in the Marvel Comics publishing universe.

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New CHASS collaboration will expand student resources for film making

kelvin — Fri, 16 Aug 2019 00:18:11 +0000

New CHASS collaboration will expand student resources for film making kelvin Thu, 08/15/2019 - 17:18 More Press Releases Hannah Croft, Student Writer/CHASS Marketing and Communications December 10, 2018

The department of Media and Cultural Studies (MCS) has partnered with the Theatre, Film and Digital Production (TFDP) department to create a multi-use space for undergraduate and graduate students.

Located in INTS 2117, the room will double as both a laboratory and classroom, providing computers, editing software and other equipment for students while simultaneously allowing instructors to critique, teach and edit alongside students. The room will also have access to the Center for Bibliographic Studies and Research, which focuses on cultural heritage preservation and allows students access to large amounts of digitized texts.

“Students still needed a teaching space and also a film editing bay, both for undergraduates and graduate students who are already working with faculty on film making,” said Milagros Peña, UC Riverside’s Dean of the College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences. “This area is an opportunity for students to develop real skillsets around making film. Hopefully by doubling the classrooms of this sort, we’ll be able to double the amount of courses in these fields that are being offered...and further the potential with digital humanities.”

The interdisciplinary classroom is going to contain a big space for classes to teach film and media, according to Dr. Erith Jaffe-Berg, professor of TFDP. Each student’s seat will have a computer, software and materials that allows students to work on film projects. There will also be a main console for instructors of the course, and a way for instructor to interface with students at their various consoles.

“The idea is for a real multimedia classroom that is actually also a laboratory,” said Jaffe-Berg, “that allows for working on filming and editing the material on their computer while their instructor is able to oversee and guide them in their process... not only by walking around but by seeing their progress and being able to interface from his or her own computer as well.”

Students are also excited about the new space. “A lot of the big software is expensive, and I can’t always have access to it, so being able to have somewhere on campus to be able to use is going to be really beneficial,” said student JD Figone, a film major. “To have a class where I can have my own computer and I can have direct help from the professor with the work that I’m doing is the perfect learning environment. With more classes and more opportunities for students to be exposed to it, I think it will really help grow the image of the department.”

CHASS discovered a partnership between departments was ideal for serving UCR’s growing student population. Since MCS and TFDP are growing at such a rapid rate, the interdisciplinary classroom will be more equipped to handle the long-term growth and help further the careers of our students. The room is not yet available to students, however, Dean Peña is hopeful to having the room available to students as quickly as possible. There is the possibility that the creation of this shared space will also lead to future cross departmental collaborations within CHASS.

“We’re hoping to create programs that are unique in what they offer students,” said Jaffe-Berg, “and then create material that really speaks about the diversity of our population, and some of these diverse life perspectives that our students bring to our campus and beyond.”

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Department of Theatre, Film, and Digital Production

A Princess Comes to UCR

kelvin — Thu, 15 Aug 2019 23:32:25 +0000

A Princess Comes to UCR kelvin Thu, 08/15/2019 - 16:32 More Press Releases Hannah Croft, Student Writer/CHASS Marketing and Communications April 09, 2019

To many children, stories of magic, princesses and faraway lands are an important part of childhood. Thanks to an interdepartmental collaboration between three UC Riverside CHASS Departments, the Gluck Fellows Program and the Esther Hays Family Concerts, these stories of magic, princesses and faraway lands will be brought to the stage in a one-hour special production of the original story Princess Ten Ten and the Dark Skies.

“It’s a family concert, so that is very important,” said Christine Leapman, Assistant Director of the Gluck Fellows Program of the Arts. “We’re hoping that families will enjoy coming out for a bit of culture, and Princess Ten Ten is a gender nonconforming princess who is bullied for being herself, so we’re hoping that will be able to add towards affirming the variety of people that we have here. It also informs children about air pollution, and how everybody can play a part in improving it, even in a small way, even a child.”

Princess Ten Ten and the Dark Skies is the fourth installment of the Guardian Princess book series created by Media and Cultural Studies Professor Setsu Shigematsu. The story brings real-life issues to children in a comprehensive musical performance, and centers around genderfluid Princess Ten Ten and her struggles with air pollution, acceptance/rejection and family. The story teaches children about race, gender, ethnicity, family and environmental impact, and has an equally diverse cast and orchestral arrangement.

"It demonstrates the goodwill of those on the creative team and those who spend hours and hours laboring to collaborate to share these stories," Shigematsu said. “With magnificent music and art, it uplifts all and brings us together across differences to protect people and the planet for future generations, rather than be motivated by profit or individualist opportunism.”

In collaboration with the University Orchestra and University Theatre, Shigematsu’s story will be brought to life with the crucial help of Music Lecturer Dr. Ruth Charloff, Professor Tim Labor of the Media and Cultural Studies and Music departments, Music graduate student Christiaan Clark, Creative Development Director Chari Arespacochaga, and student director Winter Lawson. Winter understands firsthand the experiences of the trans community, and has been a part of the staff at the LGBTQ Resource center. Other important contributions include the assistance of the Gluck Fellows Program and the Esther Hays Family Concerts, arrangements by Lee Huff, and music and lyrics by former Hunger Games actress and composer Jacqueline Emerson.

“The story itself is already sweeping,” Labor said. “Adding the orchestra, which is something that implies sweeping, it’s a very natural thing. I think the script is very good, and the revision of the script is excellent. Hopefully when you hear the combination of the orchestra and this magical story that requires an imagination, it’s a very natural combination.”

The show has been performed on-campus three times before and has been touring local schools, but the upcoming performance will be the first show with a live orchestra. Graduate student Christiaan Clark and Labor undertook the momentous task of transcribing the previously entirely digital soundtrack into orchestral pieces to be performed by the UCR Orchestra, and Labor composed two original orchestral numbers for the performance, including a new overture.

“As arranger and orchestral transcriber for the upcoming performance of Princess Ten Ten, I explored the preexisting compositions and orchestrations done by Jackie Emerson and Lee Huff,” said Clark. “I primarily spent time working with Ruth Charloff and Tim Labor, making sure that my arrangements and transcriptions did not differ too greatly from the original source material while still allowing the orchestra to be highlighted at key moments.”

Charloff will conduct the UCR Orchestra and is a positive role model for aspiring young female musicians. Women orchestral conductors number much fewer than their male counterparts. Charloff hopes to bring to life the diverse performance, and highlight the grandeur of the musical’s inclusive message through an equally grand musical score.

“Because of the presence of the orchestra, there are places for orchestral splendor that were added to the show,” Charloff said. “The whole scope of things has become much grander, and more epic.”

The production has taken most of the academic year to prepare and will be performed Sunday, April 14, at 3 pm in the University Theater. The hour-long performance will be free and open to the public, with free parking in Lot 6. Tickets will be first-come, first-served, and are required for entrance.

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Department of Theatre, Film, and Digital Production