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The Accidental Turitz: Why the AMPTP’s Attitude Toward AI May Prove to Be Hollywood’s Version of Skynet

Lee Marvin was one who stood up for the crew:
Marvin took a lead actress aside once on set and said: "We’re the stars of this movie. If we allow them to work us so many hours, we’re not the ones that get hurt. It’s the crew. We have to stand up for the workers, for the crew, and we have to refuse to work these long hours. We have to stand up for the crew.’ And that had never occurred to the actress. Which was a huge lesson from Lee Marvin.

Cool post from Turner Classic Movies on FB

Jay Leno just came to Disney to hand out donuts to us writers. Thank you @jayleno for the solidarity!! #WGAStrong pic.twitter.com/4pq8kpWTSk

— Caroline “WGA Captain on Strike” Renard (@carolinerenard_) May 2, 2023

Sunset Glenoaks Studios - Construction Update

The stages at Sunset Glenoaks Studios are really taking shape! Check out the construction footage in the video below and reach out to Sales@sunsetstudios.com to schedule a tour!

Jack's Joke 1913 Edison Studio Directed by Allen Ramsey
Restored by The Library of Congress.

Jack's Joke is a short theatrical scene, put to film to demonstrate Edison's Kinetophone sound system. And given that it's 1913, and talkies wouldn't really catch on for another fourteen years, it's quite the impressive achievement.

Though the kinetophone was developed in West Orange and some experimental filming was done there, the films were shot at Edison's Bronx studio.

Plus all those they missed: https://aframe.oscars.org/news/in-memoriam

Even I didn't know this!

Gotta love this even if it's not 100% on subject:

Today, February 20, 2023, marks nine years since Sarah Jones lost her life while working on the movie ‘Midnight Rider’.
A fellow crewmate and friend of Sarah’s, Karen, wrote a letter a few months after Sarah’s death in 2014. It is powerful and expresses who Sarah was.

Karen closes her letter with:
““People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Well… Sarah Jones made me feel good; and for that, I am FOREVER grateful.”
I hope you will take a few moments to read it.
Richard Jones, father of Sarah Jones
Present day introduction from Karen -
Nine years ago, on February 20, I thought I was going to die. When the train came to a stop, I realized I was alive. Unfortunately, the person I hugged moments before stepping on the trestle, was not.
Never Forget, Never Again.
In Solidarity,
Karen

Original letter follows:
August 1, 2014

Dear Family and Friends, Your care, concern, kind words and meaningful messages have been soothing to my soul. So Thank You for your thoughts and prayers. I sincerely appreciate your patience and apologize for taking so long to write, but hope you sympathize with my pain. The accident has been hard to bear and healing has not come easy; as I’ve yet to be released to return to work.

Though time has passed my heart is still heavy and thoughts remain with the families affected. Thinking particularly of my friend, it goes without saying, I miss Sarah Jones.
Sarah’s aura was pleasant and peaceful, her energy so kind. She was an absolute joy to be around. Keva and I rooted for her since meeting on her first television series in Charleston, where as an intern Sarah stood out. Impressed, Keva and I said, “That little girl needs to get paid!” ☺

Sarah hustled with a smile and worked with confidence and respect for the Camera Department that was full of professionals committed to teaching her the craft she would one day excel at. Excel she did. I’m glad I got to witness her evolution and celebrate her success by giving her a high five the day she told me she was finally getting paid!
Back in the day Sarah helped my sister and I fulfill a dream of ours. She volunteered to make our first short film “Letters From Home.” What a wonderful crew! Keva and I hold the utmost level of appreciation and gratitude for each person who helped too.

As this day finds us, I consider myself the last person on earth to receive a hug from Sarah. I believe God had me wait, and wait and wait to get that hug before stepping on the trestle. Most of the crew had gone on to set up. We reunited when she stepped off to get something.

Sarah’s energy matched the beauty of the day. Radiant, as defined by Merriam-Webster. She was Super happy to see me, as was I to see her! With arms stretched wide Sarah ran down the slope on the side of the tracks and right into my arms! We hugged so tight we spun around… It was pure joy!!!
To have that juxtaposed with what was to happen less than 30 minutes later was pure pain.

On a film set TIME is the most valuable commodity. I wish the First AD had spent the time to call a “flag on the play” and investigate when she found out before stepping on the trestle, that there was a possibility of a 3rd train. I wish something would have been done with the new information, something to find out just how close the impending possibility was.

On May 28th Dr. Maya Angelou went home to be with the Lord. As millions mourn her passing and celebrate her legacy, I’m comforted by her words and life wisdom that are now brought to light in my heart. She said, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Well… Sarah Jones made me feel good; and for that, I am FOREVER grateful.
Most sincerely,
Karen

Compelling documentary about the story behind the production of "High Noon"

So great to see that Sarah Jones did not die for no good reason. Please honor her by maintaining safe sets. And remember, "if you see something, say something."

Legendary Star Trek production designer Herman Zimmerman shows off a framed drawing by illustrator Jim Martin. Jim started out as a production assistant on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, but Herman recognized his considerable talent. It took a while, but Jim was patient, and when the opportunity presented itself, Herman was able to secure for Jim a coveted promotion to junior illustrator. Herman gave a lot of us our start in the film industry. Jim designed a lot of cool props and spaceships for Trek and he's gone on to an impressive career in motion pictures, but not many know that he's also a talented caricature artist. Jim did this drawing as a holiday greeting during the first season of DS9. Herman saved it, all these years.

Respecting the passing of David Crosby, Gaffer Jim Plannette posted this on Facebook

From Jim Plannette on FB - Wonderful!

I just saw It’s a Wonderful Life at the AMC Century City. It was a Fathom Event. I can’t remember the last time I saw it on the big screen. The audience loved it.

My Dad, Homer was the Gaffer on the movie in 1946. When the movie was finished, they had a Wrap Picnic. You brought your whole family. There were row boats and foot races. I’ve never been very athletic, but I ran in a race and came in third. Jimmy Stewart presented me with a dollar and said, “And you ran in your bare feet.”

At the end, we gathered for a group photo. The camera was on a tripod about 10’ high. The photographer climbed a ladder and started turning a handle. It was the first Wide-Lux. As the lens moved across the crowd, Jimmy Stewart and Frank Capra, who were on the left side, ran around the back to the right side, so they are on both sides of the photograph.

My Mom is wearing sun glasses and on her left is my Dad. I’m right in front of him.
Seventy-six years ago, but unforgettable.

Love this!
Happy Birthday to Stunts Unlimited member Charlie Picerni! Here's a compilation of bar fights from the best bar fight movie ever, Road House (1989). Charlie says the fights were complicated because a lot actors were involved, but Patrick Swayze was great to work with and it was a lot of fun, they just don't make them like that anymore!
Stunt Coordinator: Charlie Picerni
Actors: Patrick Swayze, Kelly Lynch, Sam Elliott, Wade Garrett, Ben Gazzara, Brad Wesley, Michael Teague, Julie Michaels, Laura Albert.
Stunt Team: Pete Antico, Bruce Paul Barbour, Michael Barnett, Simone Boisseree, Janet Brady (SU), Bob Bralver, Geoff Brewer, Thomas Bruggemann, Danny Castle, Robert B. Chandler, Gary Combs (SU), Jeff Dashnaw, Gary Davis (SU), Leon Delaney, David R. Ellis, Danny Epper (SU), Gary Epper, Jeannie Epper , Tony Epper, Donna Evans , Donna Garrett, Allan Graf, Randy Hall, James M. Halty (SU), Buddy Joe Hooker (SU), Chris Howell, Norman Howell (SU), Tommy J. Huff (SU), Jeff Imada (SU), Matt Johnston, Henry Kingi (SU), Jim Kramer, Jeff Langton, Eric Mansker, Gary McLarty (SU), Myke Michaels, Bob Orrison (SU), Frank Orsatti (SU), Chuck Picerni Jr, Charlie Picerni (SU), Steve Picerni (SU), Rex Pierson, Branscombe Richmond, Mic Rodgers, Danny Rogers (SU), R.A. Rondell, Andrew Sebok, Georgiana Steele, Ron Stein (SU), Michael Tamburro, Marshall Teague (pool stick fighter), R.L. Tolbert, Benny Urquidez, Michael Sinclair Walter, Ric Roman Waugh, Ted White, Glenn R. Wilder (SU), Anthony De Longis, Philip Romano, Benny Urquidez
FILM CREDIT: MGM - From Stunts Unlimited: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100041727505371

Today (Nov 26) marks the 36th anniversary of the release of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. That's me in Starfleet Command with executive producer Ralph Winter, who took a chance on an inexperienced kid from Hawaii, and in the process, changed my life. In front of me is a keyboard, which was the first graphic I designed for Star Trek at Paramount. I'd already designed a lot of stuff while working from home in Honolulu, but that was the first thing I actually designed at the studio, at the request of production designer Jack Collis and associate producer Kirk Thatcher. Thanks again, Ralph! Photo by Bruce Birmelin.

Unsung hero: Richard Chronister was an electronic special effects genius. He worked on KITT the car's scanning red light on Knight Rider, and he masterminded the moving red "turbolift" lights on the big ship cutaway at the back of the Starship Voyager bridge. When we were running behind schedule on control panels during preproduction of Star Trek VI, I asked him if he'd come in for a couple of weeks to help out, which he did, to my great relief. Toward the end of his stint, I found out that he had not turned in any timecards. I asked him about this, and found out that he had just retired, which meant that he was not allowed to do any work in the industry for a certain amount of time. Seems Mr. Chronister didn't want to let Star Trek down, so he came in and helped out anyway. I tried to find a way to pay him the money he deserved, and I felt terrible that it was simply not possible. But still very grateful for his expertise and hard work.

EDIT: It seems that I may have mis-remembered the film title. It may have been Star Trek: First Contact, not Star Trek VI.

Well deserved acknowledgement to the crew from actress/friend Judith Hoag (far left)

Because I spent a season with him and have spent time in his home, and couldnt agree more, I wanted share this post from Actor & Producer Nicole Watson

Just for some laughs:

In the original Star Trek series, stardates in the captain’s log were simply made up, not quite randomly. They gradually increased with the production of each episode, but the episodes weren’t necessarily aired in production order, so sometimes stardates went “backwards.” So many viewers pointed out the apparent errors that Gene Roddenberry came up with an explanation that stardates are calculated against the ship’s position in the galaxy, its warp speed, and relativistic time dilation. When Star Trek: The Next Generation came around, the show had a new, more consistent framework for estimating stardates. The first digit was always a “4.” The second digit indicated the season number, so the first season of ST:TNG was a “1.” The remaining 3 digits increased gradually from 000 to 999 over the course of the season, which presumably represented a calendar year.
When it came time to design the dedication plaque, I realized that this gave me the opportunity to establish the date on which the then-new Enterprise-D had been commissioned. But what date to use? My first thought was to use July 20th, the anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. I also considered December 17th, the anniversary of the Wright brothers’ first powered flight at Kitty Hawk. Then I started to think about one of the most remarkable aspects of the new show: The fact that we had Worf, a Klingon officer, on the bridge of the Starship Enterprise was a powerful reminder that even our most implacable opponents can someday become friends. As President Kennedy once reminded us, “there are no permanent enemies.” With this in mind, I settled on October 4th, the anniversary of the launch of Sputnik I. Although that event was a political defeat for the United States, many regard it as the dawn of the space age, and it seemed keeping in the spirit of Gene’s new show.
Thus, the dedication plaque on the Enterprise-D bridge proclaims that the ship was commissioned on stardate 40759.5, which corresponds to the 406th anniversary of the October 4, 1957 launch of the first artificial Earth satellite. Happy Sputnik Day!
(ADDENDUM: There were actually two different dedication plaques on the bridge over the course of the series. The first was made by Jeff Clark of the Paramount Sign Department. The second was made by the good people at the Franklin Mint. The plaques had different designs, but both indicated the same stardate for the ship’s launch. The photo below shows the second version of the plaque, which features the names of numerous Starfleet personnel who presumably built the ship, but are actually production personnel responsible for Star Trek: The Next Generation, including series creator Gene Roddenberry and legendary modelmaker Gregory Jein.)

2022 Emmy Awards "In memorium"