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| | The 7th day of the filmmaker guests of the Academy began with a visit to the design studio for lighting tools and equipment. |
The 7th day of the filmmaker guests of the Academy began with a visit to the design studio for lighting tools and equipment. After passing through several streets for 20 minutes they reached a complex of wider streets – very much like the metal hall of a factory. An energetic, middle-aged man greets the group at the door. Inside the hall the group is faced with the interior of an American home of the 70s – cloth-covered furniture, a mantle-piece, several framed pictures and paintings, an old model typewriter, a china statue of a cock, and farther on a wooden staircase leading to the upper floor. Opposite this reconstructed set there several chairs arranged in a semi-circle. In front of the chairs and with its back to the set is a director’s seat on the back of which was inscribed the name Larry Parker.
Larry Parker, the head of the studio, explains to the Iranian filmmakers that the studio has been a subsidiary of the major company M.G. M. since 1920. “Presently, however, the studio has been acquired by a major British company, and we manufacture all lighting equipment and rent them to filmmakers,” Parker points out.
Parker adds that he trains between 2000 to 3000 students every year here in the company (the lighting studio and warehouse) and that because of good relations that he has with filmmakers he has been able to find jobs for some of his students. He explains that his training includes two parts – the use of light and lighting equipment and the safety considerations during work with electrical tools.
He adds that he conducts his classes here and that he uses the set that has been constructed here for practical training. He first introduces several models of lighting apparatus constructed by his grandfather be projecting beams of light on the set. He then uses a variety of apparatus that he ahs designed himself for the purpose of regulating different kinds of lights – soft light, lighting profiles and the direct light which divides the whole space in two parts and practices with his trainees. He explains that the shadow areas decrease as we bring the light source nearer to the actor or the object. Mrs. Rakhshan Bani-Etemad mentions two lighting equipment from the company which are greatly needed in the Iranian film production. He explains that during the shooting of Jurassic Park 3 he had designed an apparatus that could project parallel beams of light to produce the effect of light coming through forest foliage which was used for a repeat shooting of an exterior scene that had already been shot and had to be shot again in the studio. The visitors then handled the variety of the projectors with explanations offered by Larry. The visit to Mole Richardson Company ends with an inspection of the warehouse of equipment and supplies which had been arranged with the care and discipline of an army barrack.
The next program was the visit to the exhibition of film posters from the private collection of Paul Crifo which had been mounted in a hall in the central building of the Academy of Motion Picture Sciences and Arts. The collection includes 85 posters related to films produced between 1942 and 1986. They have been done in a variety of techniques – black and white drawings, photos collage and painting - all executed with the main purpose of providing information on the films. They are quite different from the type of poster that have been made for the Iranian films in recent years and offer nothing but large portraits of the principle actors.
The Iranian filmmakers are led to the 7th floor of Academy’s central building for an official session with the Academy managers. The walls in the corridors are covered with attractive photos of Oscar presentations or group images of the happy winners. Portraits of the 31 directors of the Academy are posted on the wall, with dates of the tenure of each director beneath each portrait. The meeting starts with a simple, self-service type of lunch. Annette Benning (actress and head of the actors guild of the Academy) Bruce Davis (deputy executive of the Academy), Cid Gannis (former Academy director who had traveled to Iran two days after the Oscar presentation ceremony in February), Allan Harrington (manager of the special affairs and the coordinator of the Iranian group’s trip), William Hoover burg (independent producer and member of the American group that had traveled to Iran), Rick Roberson (manager of the administrative affairs), Kim Rouche (manager of the Academy members) Tom Sherak (Academy director), Thorne Svitil (manager of the awards), Mae Sally Younger (Head of public relations), Alfrey Woodward (actor and member of the Academy) are all present in the official session. Allan Harrington begins the session by present an uptodate report on the visit of the Iranian group. Then the participants offer short introductions of themselves and express the hope for the continuation of such relations and activities. Then Cid Gannis, Asgarpour and Tom Sherak present their views on practical measures that could lead to the continuation of such relations. Two new points on the repair and restoration of films from the Iranian cinema and the formation of a committee to study ways of cooperation are added to the draft agreement that had already been drawn up. The participants pose for a group picture, and at the end of the session two pieces of rugs with Iranian designs are presented to the current and the former directors of the Academy as a gesture of the group’s gratitude for the hospitality extended to them.
The Academy comprises 15 categories such as film direction, acting, set and costume design, public relations, film advertisement, documentary, etc. The Academy’s affairs are handled by an administrative office comprising 22 sections – film archive, cinematic research and studies center, members affairs center, marketing, finance, Academy staff affairs, executive officers, organizing the nominees and Oscar awards, public relations and information service, board of directors secretariat, section for receipt and return of the films, etc. which are all taken care of a 220-member staff. The Academy’s sources of income are the royalties received for the sale of the exhibitions rights of the Oscar awards ceremonies and donations received from sponsors of this cinematic feast.
The visit to the Company for Talent Audition (UTA) ends the programs of the 7th day. Two managers of the company are Iranians of the third generation who could just manage to communicate in Persian, mixing words with gestures. The company functions as an agent for locating screenwriters, directors and actors for film production companies and studios. They also engage in raising financial sources for scripts or film projects that have been accepted by producers. Kianian asks them, “How could young people like you decide whether a film project should be accepted?” Ashley, one of the Iranian managers replies: “Actually, the job requires continued and fulltime research, and that means a lot of work over a long period. Also, the previous records of the customers are important factors in the deciding whether or not their projects could be acceptable. Ten percent of the amount of the contract money goes to the company, but for marketing the company takes three percent of the investment.”
At the end of the day the film “Mother” directed by the late Ali Hatami is screened in Dan Peter screening hall. After the screening Amin Tarokh asks for a minute of silence as a gesture of respect for Hatami, and then he answers questions posed by Allan Harrington. Then the film “The Havana Case” by Alireza Raisian is presented.
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