John Bailey Named Kodak Cinematographer in Residence at UCLA

[Sue Smith]

Affirming their commitment to the next generation of filmmakers and to the future of the film industry, Kodak and UCLA have named John Bailey, ASC the 2010 Kodak Cinematographer-in-Residence for the spring quarter at UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television (TFT). The unparalleled residency course, now in its 11th consecutive year, was inaugurated by Professor William McDonald with the support of Kodak to enhance the learning experiences of students with insight from renowned cinematographers.

 

UCLA TFT is the only film school that offers a cinematography program such as this, where students can receive direct guidance from award-wining cinematographers including one-on-one sessions over the course of 10 weeks.

 

The mentorship program will begin with a free screening of one of Bailey’s past works, Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters, at the James Bridges Theater in Melnitz Hall on Monday, April 19 at 8:00 p.m. The screening is free and open to the public, students, staff and faculty members. A Q&A discussion with Bailey, moderated by McDonald, will take place following the screening.

 

“I’m thrilled John Bailey will be our 2010 Kodak Cinematographer-in-Residence,” says Teri Schwartz, dean, UCLA TFT. “I’ve had the great privilege of working with John on several films. He is enormously talented and is a splendid colleague. John will be a great inspiration not only to our TFT students, but to the entire UCLA community.”

 

“John Bailey joins an extraordinary group of cinematographers who have shared their experiences and advice with the next generation of filmmakers who follow in their footsteps,” said McDonald.

 

The revered program’s past mentors include Allen Daviau, ASC; Conrad L. Hall, ASC; Owen Roizman, ASC; Dean Cundey, ASC; Roger Deakins, ASC, BSC; Laszlo Kovacs, ASC; Joan Churchill, ASC; Stephen Burum, ASC; Victor J. Kemper, ASC; and Vilmos Zsigmond, ASC.

 

“Cinematographers tend to fly under the radar, but they are the heart and soul of the collaborative art and craft of filmmaking,” notes Michael Zakula, regional sales and marketing manager, origination products, for Kodak’s Entertainment Imaging Division. “We are privileged to have this opportunity to help nurture emerging talent through this program.”

 

Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters is based on an original screenplay written by Paul and Leonard Schrader, adapted to Japanese by Chieko Schrader. Bailey and director Paul Schrader, who is a UCLA alumnus, collaborated on the production of the film in Tokyo in 1984. For his contribution on the film, Bailey received a Best Artistic Contribution Award at the 1985 Cannes Film Festival, an award he shared with composer Philip Glass and production designer Eiko Ishioka.

 

Bailey earned his first long-form narrative credit in the mid-1970s, and recently completed his 70th feature film, Love Don’t Let me Down. A short list of Bailey’s memorable film credits includes American Gigolo, Ordinary People, The Big Chill, Silverado, The Accidental Tourist, Groundhog Day, In The Line of Fire, As Good As It Gets, Incident at Loch Ness, Brief Interviews with Hideous Men, and The Greatest.

 

For more information on John Bailey, ASC visit his blog: www.theasc.com/blog.

 

For additional information about the April 19 screening of Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters, visit www.tft.ucla.edu or call 310-206-8365. Admission is free. There is a $10 parking fee. A limited number of pay-by-the-hour parking spaces are available in Lot 3 on campus.