Film

Young Alumni Commissioning Project Announces Recipients of Fourth Round of Funding

Emily Schneider — Tue, 31 May 2022 20:27:39 +0000

Young Alumni Commissioning Project Announces Recipients of Fourth Round of Funding Emily Schneider Tue, 05/31/2022 - 16:27

In This Story

��AV’s College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA) is pleased to announce the recipients of the fourth round of its Young Alumni Commissioning Project Awards. Three alumni were chosen based on the artistic excellence, career impact, and feasibility of their proposals and will receive financial, marketing, and production support to have their projects presented by the College at a Mason venue during the 2022-2023 season. Two additional alumni were awarded an inaugural grant of financial support, designed to assist in the completion of their proposed projects, which were selected because of their timeliness and significance to the Mason community.

“In this fourth round of the Project’s commissions, we received proposals with uniquely personal and emotional perspectives,” said Rick Davis, Dean of Mason’s College of Visual and Performing Arts.

“Knowing the vital role of the arts in strengthening community in challenging times, we are elated that this program continues to support the visions of these young artists.” Davis continued, “In response to the great range of proposals, and in order to ensure that we are providing as much support as possible to our incredible alumni, we established an additional award this year, which provides a grant to help these artists take their project to the next level while removing the time frame for production or exhibition that is otherwise required. As usual, I can't wait to see what these great project ideas turn into once they’re fully developed.”

For consideration, applicants must have graduated from CVPA from the class of 2011 and after. Proposals could include original new work in any art form suitable for performance, exhibition, or screening in a Mason venue. The size, length, duration, magnitude, and content are at the artist’s discretion. Potential venues include Mason’s traditional theater spaces, galleries, and cinemas, but proposals for non-traditional venues, including digital spaces, were also considered.

The Young Alumni Commissioning Project is made possible by a generous bequest from the estate of Linda E. Gramlich for the support of young artists and by donors to Mason’s Giving Day, including Shugoll Research.

2023 Recipient of the Young Alumni Commissioning Project Award Including $5,000 in Commissioning Support
Juan Megna

Juan Megna

Juan Megna (Doctor of Musical Arts, 2021) received the Young Alumni Commissioning Award and $5,000 in commissioning support. In 2015, Juan started a master’s degree at the College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati. In this city, he played with Phil deGreg group, Rusty Burge, Steve Alee, among others, and got the degree in 2017.

In 2017, Juan moved to Fairfax, Virginia to pursue his doctoral degree at ��AV. Juan played with Wade Beach, Wayne Wilentz, and Steve Kirby in the Washington DC musical scene, among others. Also, he formed The Juan Megna Quintet. The repertoire is centered on a mix of Juan’s compositions, blended jazz, Argentinian and Afro-Brazilian rhythms.

At ��AV he leads the Latin-American Ensemble. The DownBeat Magazine has awarded this group with the 42nd (2019), 43rd (2020), and 44th (2021) students awards as an “Outstanding Performance”.

As an active researcher, Juan performed a clinic at the Jazz Education Network, New Orleans 2020, entitled "The Brazilian 16th-note phrasing through Cabula rhythm, Samba, and Bossa Nova", focusing on developing Afro-Brazilian popular genres.

Megna's new project, which this award will fund, is titled Trailblazer, an album of original compositions that will build a dialogue between jazz and Afro-Brazilian genres. The concept for the project is inspired by traditional melodies and rhythmic patterns of Candomblé (a diasporic religion syncretized from traditional religions of West Africa and Roman Catholic Christianity). “It is a real honor to receive this generous award coming from my alma mater institution,” said Megna. “It will help me crystallize a project that I dreamed of for so many years.”

2023 Young Alumni Creative Development Award Winners Including $3,000 in Commissioning Support

Carlehr Swanson

Carlehr Swanson (vocalist, pianist, speaker) is a 1st year Ph.D. student at the University of Virginia. She is a graduate of ��AV and the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami with degrees in Jazz Vocal Performance. Before college, Carlehr accompanied and directed multiple church choirs. She credits this experience as significantly influencing her musicality. Upon entering college, she realized the absence of gospel music in higher education. Consequently, she co-founded and directed the Frost Gospel Ensemble. Her research interests include gospel music, Black studies, women's studies, and civic engagement. Giving back to her community and connecting with others has been an important theme in Carlehr's life, as she brings people together to serve a greater good. She is the founder and director of the organization, "Music is Unity," where she takes music performances to people who may not experience them otherwise. Throughout this year, she has planned and performed more than a dozen virtual events for the community.

Swanson receives the Creative Development Award for Growing Pains, an extended play record of original music, combining the styles of jazz, R&B, and gospel, exploring love, loss, faith, and hope along the transition to adulthood.

Kyle Finnegan

Born in the same place as American cinema (the great state of New Jersey), Kyle Finnegan is a filmmaker living in Alexandria, VA. He graduated in 2017 with a BA in Film and Video Studies. After shooting and editing for several years, he currently works at 522 Productions with a focus on directing branded documentaries. His work won him a DC TIVA Peer award in 2021 and he’s interviewed all four of Time Magazine’s heroes of 2021. He has created short documentaries exploring subjects ranging from car hackers in Seattle to an artsy coal mining town in Utah. Whether it’s a film, a website, or a delicious meal, he aims to create something every day.

Finnegan’s award will support his new documentary film, exploring the complicated role of MSG (monosodium glutamate) in the United States, as influenced by pervasive misinformation and the uniting love of food across cultures. "I'm excited to have received a grant from the institution that has supported so much of my development as an artist," said Finegan. "I'm looking forward to making a mouthwatering film about the complex world of MSG."

2023 Young Alumni Artistic Support Grant Winners Including $2,000 in Unrestricted Support

Mohammed Saffouri

Mohammed Saffouri is an award-winning Palestinian-American filmmaker based in Fairfax, Virginia. Saffouri distinguished himself early on in his film career by earning a Capital Emmy for his debut documentary film, The First. His next film, Touchline, was recently selected to participate in Tribeca Film Festival. Touchline will be the first Jordanian film to be screened at Tribeca, and Saffouri will be the first alumni from ��AV to have a film screened at Tribeca in the festival’s history. Saffouri graduated from ��AV in 2020 with a degree in Film and Video Studies and a concentration in Film Directing. Throughout his eight years in the film and media industry, he has directed three films, produced four films, written three films, and created more than ten promotional videos for companies and non-profits. His work has been screened at such festivals as the Washington DC International Film Festival, the Virginia Film Festival, the Malmo Arab Film Festival, and others. Saffouri is currently developing his first narrative feature film.

Saffouri’s award will support the development of his first narrative feature film, a deeply personal story about the experience and perseverance of a Muslim-American immigrant woman in the United States. "I'm always happy and thankful to see how ��AV is the first to support its alumni and students," said Saffouri. "This is the first grant I get into this project, and I'll make sure to make them proud when this project is done."

Left to Right: Meagan Arnold, Hannah Looney, and Mike Rose

Meagan Arnold (Film, 2018), Mike Rose (Film, 2016), and Hannah Looney (Film, 2018) began collaborating on creative projects together as students in the Film and Video Studies program at Mason. Over the past 6 years and alongside Film at Mason alumnus Jason Cortez (BA, 2015), the group has produced numerous fashion, narrative, and music video projects. Often working under the alias ‘negativs,’ their recent project FLORENCE toured internationally at the Sarajevo and Croatia Fashion Film Festivals.

Arnold, Rose, and Looney receive the award to assist in the creation of Momentum/Memoriam, an experimental music video that explores and contextualizes the group’s grief over the loss of their late collaborator and Mason alum, Jason Cortez (Film, 2015).

"Jason Cortez was an award-winning filmmaker and a 2015 graduate of the Film and Video Studies program at Mason. He lost his life on September 10, 2021, at the age of 29. Momentum//Memoriam is an experimental, fashion music video honoring Jason’s legacy as an artist, as well as the impact he left on his closest artistic collaborators," said Arnold.

"We are at the beginning of a long process in creating art for, and posthumously with, our dear friend. Jason left behind many projects unfinished, and we bear a responsibility to complete his life’s work. We have several projects planned in the coming years to celebrate Jason and to continue his artistic vision. Momentum//Memoriam will be our first venture into creating art as a collective since he passed."

Information about the next round of applications will be announced at a later date. Details on previous year's recipients and criteria for consideration can be viewed on the Young Alumni Commissioning Project website.

Topics

Young Alumni Commissioning Project. alumni support

alumni

College of Visual and Performing Arts

College of Visual and Performing Arts Film and Video Studies

Dewberry School of Music

Student film productions

Film

Film at Mason

latin-american ensemble

Mason Jazz

From YouTube to the Marvel Universe

Emily Schneider — Wed, 02 Feb 2022 22:25:56 +0000

From YouTube to the Marvel Universe Emily Schneider Wed, 02/02/2022 - 17:25

Timing is one of the critical elements that students in the School of Art explore while they’re at Mason. If you wait to see how the light changes, or you make time to dig a little deeper about a subject, what does that change about your work? And when an opportunity presents itself, you learn to seize the moment and make the most of it, which could mean going from shooting your own films to working as an action designer on an international blockbuster with a legendary team.

Joseph Le (BFA in Graphic Design, 2012) knew that when he got the chance to work with one of his biggest idols in the film industry, there was no way he would let this moment go.

Joseph Le, BFA in Graphic Design 2012, stands on set talking through a new sequence.

“I emailed Brad, just explaining that I loved his work, and that I wanted to help him showcase kung fu in a new light, while still respecting and honoring what has come before. And I included links to my three best films in the email, showcasing my camera work, my visual storytelling through action, and my visual effects,” said Le, of the email that would change his life.

Brad Allan, the legendary late 2nd Unit Director, stunt coordinator, martial artist, and veteran member of the Jackie Chan Stunt Team, replied to Joseph’s email saying, “How could I not hire you?!” Allan asked Le to come to Los Angeles to shoot “previs” or previsualization, for two weeks with Allan and the rest of the team who would be working on Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, the latest installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The journey from a graphic designer with a “9 to 5” office job to a film set on the other side of the world wasn’t a fast or an easy one for Le. Growing up in Fairfax, VA and living with his parents during college, Le wanted to major in film, but was worried that he should choose a traditional path that led straight into guaranteed employment after graduation. Knowing the demand for graphic design in the DMV, he thought that this was a surefire way to secure his future and keep his parents happy. He enjoyed his graphic design classes, furthering his understanding of impactful visual experiences and how to organize information.

During his junior year, Le took an animation class with Mason School of Art Professor Gail Scott White and found his passion for creating moving stories rekindled. He threw himself completely into his final project for the class, spending days rendering in the on-campus labs until late into the night.

Le believed it was too late in his college career to change his major, so he graduated in 2012 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design and began working for a local company. Despite having a full-time job and plenty of time to spend with friends, Le was unable to dull the nagging feeling that he was denying himself the path that was in his heart. In order to scratch that itch, Le began helping out his film major friends on some of their own local shoots, learning from them and teaching himself animation on evenings and weekends. A devoted student of kung fu and martial arts since high school, Le wasn’t sure he should focus on those subjects in his filmmaking, but his friends encouraged him, saying that his deep knowledge of the subject would lend authenticity to his work. He used his company vacation time to do re-shoots with friends, and would fund his projects himself or through Kickstarter or GoFundMe campaigns he and his friends shared.

“I would be totally exhausted from my office job, downing Red Bulls at 8 p.m. and firing myself up with YouTube clips of Arnold Schwarzenegger speeches,” laughed Le. The long days and nights spent shooting, editing, and releasing short films of the test fights he was creating, which mixed different forms of martial arts using participants from local dōjōs, meant that Le could start submitting his films to different festivals, both in the D.C. area, like the 48 Hour Film Project, and via YouTube.

As Le’s style developed and his films gained more and more attention and positive accolades in the industry, he became part of the stunt communities in both NYC and LA. He is known for his anime style of action design, melding together hip hop and martial arts, best seen in his film “Afro Samurai Champloo.” Le went back and forth from LA to shoot for that film, working with friends in LA and then back at home in Virginia. It was one of these friendships that led to Le’s name being mentioned to the Shang Chi team, and his return to LA for advance work with them.

Still frame from a pre-vis (Wenwu montage fight) with a placeholder effect for the ring power.
Fight Coordinator: Peng Zhang
Action Design by Joseph Le

Once on set, Le was excited to meet and get to know everyone, but noticed he wasn’t getting as much time behind the camera and shooting as he’d hoped. Rather than sit idle, Le started live storyboarding different ideas for the film’s action sequences on his tablet. Allan noticed and then asked Le to start creating specific storyboards for different fight sequences in the film, beginning with one that took place between Shang-Chi’s mother and father. As the work in LA continued, Le spent most of his time with one of the two teams who were shooting different sequences. Le and the team would film all day, with Le then editing the takes, and storyboarding more ideas for the next day – doing this every night until 2 a.m., then back up again at 6 or 7 a.m. to start all over again, getting 3-4 hours of sleep per night. At the end of the two-week period, Allan and the crew announced to Le “Congratulations, you passed the test” and booked him a flight to Sydney, where they spent the next four months working on the film itself. Le is credited as an action designer on the film, where he worked closely with an extensive team to conceptualize, create, and capture the work of the cast and bring it to the screen.

When asked if he felt unsure of himself to go from indie films to working on such an enormous and well-financed film, Le reflected, “You can’t go in intimidating yourself in that situation; there’s already so much at stake. I felt so lucky and told myself ‘I’m here because I’m valuable to them, yes, I’m learning and meeting everyone, but I’m also helping as I’m learning.” Staying focused helped to keep him grounded on set, where down time included grabbing Korean barbecue with the team and taking on star Simu Liu in games of Super Smash Bros.

Group photo during training with Simu Liu, Martial Club (Andy Le, Brian Le), and DY Sao

Looking back, Le pointed out a moment that overtook his imposter syndrome, something he still struggles with today. When his first short action film went viral in 2015 (now with over 2 million views), comments flooded the page, saying they wished they saw this kind of work in Hollywood blockbusters. Seeing that kind of response from an audience, the connection between viewers and what is portrayed onscreen, fuels him to constantly get better. Even after this kind of success, he still shoots, tests, and edits ideas just for himself, to keep constantly learning. Now, he knows not every project is going to be perfect, and that “It’s ok to make something bad after making something good.”

Hoping to continue his latest streak of making something good, Le returned to the U.S. recently after spending five months working on a new live action anime film “Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac” in Budapest, Hungary. His professional network has only grown and a feature film on a major streaming network is possible in the next year or two.

For current Mason students Le offers this advice, “Know that just because you started out in one field, it doesn’t limit you from exploring others. Make room for the things you are passionate about, and feed your time into them, even if you’re not sure yet where they’ll go.”

Topics

Tech Talent Investment Program (TTIP)

Film

Young Alumni Commissioning Project Announces Recipients of Fourth Round of Funding

In This Story

2023 Recipient of the Young Alumni Commissioning Project Award Including $5,000 in Commissioning Support Juan Megna

2023 Young Alumni Creative Development Award Winners Including $3,000 in Commissioning Support

2023 Young Alumni Artistic Support Grant Winners Including $2,000 in Unrestricted Support

Topics

From YouTube to the Marvel Universe

Topics

2023 Recipient of the Young Alumni Commissioning Project Award Including $5,000 in Commissioning Support
Juan Megna