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THURSDAY, AUGUST 18, 2011
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
COMMENTARY
Film school dean doubles as 'Smurfs' director
PATRICK GOLDSTEIN
MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNE
LOS ANGELES — Veteran movie producer Jordan Kerner spent nearly 10 years finding a way to make "The Smurfs", which earned $35.6 million in its opening weekend in the U.S. But it's not his long track record in Hollywood, which includes producing everything from "Less Than Zero"
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Kerner has recruited a host of faculty members who still have their day jobs, which helps give students a grounding in the kind of problem-solving necessary to survive on a film set. Through a shadowing program, students get
UNCSA are getting an education not just in theory and production but in the often less-than-glamorous aspects of life in the trenches of Hollywood.
"Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chip Wrecked," which will hit theaters this Christmas. He also has his students listen in on his conversations with his agent so they can develop an understanding of the demands of the marketplace.
up to talk to an actor, our kids would be right there with him. They also got to spend time with our editors, visual effects supervisor, sound designers and other crew members. Sometimes the discussions were difficult, but that was the whole point — it's a way to learn the whys and why nots of filmmaking." (With it being 2011, students had to sign release forms promising not to blog about what
Kerner never imagined himself being a film school dean — in fact, he never went to film school himself. But after surviving a freak staph infection and enduring the
their experiences. But Kerner felt the school needed more outside professionals on the faculty, so he recruited a host of industry pros, including producer Bob Gosse and Peter Bogdanovich, who teaches a freshman film class.
My biggest concern with today's film schools is that they tend to offer students far more instruction in technique than in actual ideas.
But the student films I watched
"Thethey can't take cameras or recording devices — just a pad and pen," he says. "The whole idea is to go out and get to know people, hear their stories and get under
Immersion project, where students gain a deeper understanding of character and story by spending several weeks at places like the Veterans Artificial Limb Hospital in Philadelphia and Habitat for Humanity in New Orleans.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 18, 2011
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
PAGE 22
SOCIAL
Put these on your campus bucket list
Dan Stork, a Leawood freshman, and Katie Dilworth, an Overland Park freshman, sled down Daisy Hill Thursday afternoon. Lawrence had over six inches of snow Wednesday night, which many student took advantage of by sliding on the hill.
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
MONISHA BRUNER editor@kansan.com
Many come to campus with eye wide open, excited about the newfound freedom they have just embraced. So many people to meet, so many places to go, but where do you start? The University of Kansas and the Lawrence community have several hot spots you should definitely visit before you graduate. Let's call this your campus bucket list.
LIVE ON CAMPUS
Kate Duffey, a junior from Kansas City, Mo., said, "Living on campus gave me a great opportunity to meet a bunch of new people and even more opportunities to torture my RA." Security is a priority. Residents must scan their identification card to enter the building. Student who live on campus also receive better grades and are more likely to graduate in four years, according to housing.ku.edu.
EAT AT MRS. E'S
Ekdahl Dining Commons is located atop Daisy Hill. Mrs. E's is set
up as a buffet. According to ku.edu.
Mrs. E's offers, "Specialized items
such as pasta, salads, sandwiches,
a pizzeria, and a grill.
CAMP OUT
Getting in to basketball games is tough, but it is easier when you have a camping group. Camping starts at 6 a.m. after each game, said J.D. Loudabarger, assistant athletics director, event services. Camping is from six a.m. to 10 p.m. and you always need someone in attendance. Anyone at any time can do role call and drop you off the list if no one is in attendance. Three hours before the game is the final role call and there can be a total of 15 people in the group and they can save spots for 15 others. "I camped out a couple of times a week before game day. It's a great time to have fun and meet people," said Ashleigh Merritt a junior from Goddard.
PUT A DOLLAR ON JEFFERSON'S WALL
The legend is that when the original Jefferson's opened in Jacksonville, Ala. a dear friend to the owners signed a dollar and placed it on the wall behind the bat. Then another friend wanted to leave the first tip, so he signed the dollar with a magic marker and placed it beside the other. From there it took off and continues to grow everyday. People from all over the world have left their mark. Jefferson's estimates about six to seven thousand dollars on the wall, but no one has every counted said Brooke Pearce, Jefferson's manager. The Lawrence Jefferson's restaurant is located at 743 Massachusetts St.
GO SLEDDING ON CAMPUS
Campus has several hills to sled on. There is a steep hill behind Ellsworth Hall, behind Joseph R. Pearson, and the hills around the Campanile.
JOIN CLUBS/ OR GREEK LIFE
ATTEND ALL ATHLETIC EVENTS
An all sports combo for a KU student is $150. This is a steal. You can go to all the sporting events for this price. Basketball games are played at Allen Fieldhouse, named in honor for the late Dr. F.C. "Phog" Allen,
the Jayhawks' head coach for 39 years. "I would tell people to go to a football game, it's fun. Just make sure to wear a lot of sunscreen." Andrew Genova, a junior from St. Louis, said.
dents should get involved for leadership, self-awareness, connections, problem solving, diversity, and civic engagement. Sushu Wang, a senior from Manhattan, is a member of Student Union Activities.
"Getting and staying involved is important, since it's hands on experience of low to cooperate within a diverse group," Wang said.
FUN
Hit the road to see some unique Kansas attractions
HANNAH DAVIS editor@kansan.com
Kansas: as big as you think. Take a weekend or day trip to these Kansas destinations.
THE GARDEN OF EDEN
Distance from Lawrence: 198 miles Estimated time of drive: 3 hours 16 minutes
Visitors may think they are witnessing a mirage in the fields of
North- Central Kansas when they stumble upon the Garden of Eden. The Garden of Eden was originally the home of Samuel Perry Dinsmoor, a school teacher and civil war veteran. Dinsmoor was deeply affected and troubled by his experiences during the war. To express himself Dinsmoor began sculpting cement art on and around his Lucas, Kansas home. Twenty-two years and 113 tons of cement later Dinmoor passed away and left his Garden of Eden as his legacy.
ONE ROOM SCHOOL HOUSE TOUR
Take a trip back in time and see where students of yesteryear went to receive an education. One room school houses pepper the Kansas landscape. Art Davis runs the blog Kansas One Room Schools. Davis said some of the best school houses are less than an hour drive from
Distance and travel times vary.
Lawrence. For more information on the locations of these historic sites of education visit Davis' blog at kansasoneroomschools.blogspot.com
HUTCHINSON
Distance from Lawrence: 186 miles Estimated time of drive: 3 hours 19 minutes
Hutchinson is home to many road-trip worthy sites. The nationally known Cosmosphere, the Kansas State Fair and a thriving Mennonite community all reside in Hutchinson. The Cosmosphere is an interactive museum and state of the art IMAX venue dedicated to space exploration. The Kansas State fair takes place every year in September. This year the fair runs from September 9 to the 18th. While you are in Hutchinson be sure to take a trip back in time to the regional Mennonite community. One of the Mennonite's hidden talents is their ability to fry some
of the world's best chicken. Be sure to stop at Carriage Crossing for a down home lunch, you may have to take a nap before driving back to Lawrence.
STULL:
THE GATEWAY TO HELL
Distance from Lawrence: 12 miles Estimated time of drive: 27 min
We started our journey in the Garden of Eden in Lucas, KS. So it is fitting to end the tour of Kansas at the Gates of Hell. Stull, KS is famous amongst the occult, conspiracy theorists and ghost hunters across the world. Stull's community church has been the subject of folklore for decades. It is believed that a set of stair located outside the church which go down to seemingly nothing are in fact one of the seven gateways to hell. The church was demolished more than 10 years ago to dissuade the curious from visiting the site.
Over $5,000 in Prizes!
Step 1
Challenge Rules -
o to pg 6 in news or pg 7 in sports,to fill out tickets from each sponsor
Step 2
Drop off tickets at business location (map on pg.35) or scan here:
Step 3
Celebrate Back-to School with the UDK at our all-day blowout at the Legends Place and Abe & Jake's.
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