Cañada College Student Invited to Debut Short Film at Cannes

A chance meeting and a simple sneeze led a Cañada College multimedia student to produce a five-minute film that will be featured at the Cannes Film Festival in May.

Sir Wade Neistadt was notified by email last week that his short film, KERFLOOEY, is one of 26 student-produced films that will be featured in the Short Film Corner, one of three main sections of the famous French film festival. In addition, Neistadt’s film will be featured at Universal Studios in Hollywood in June as part of a three-day red carpet event where industry professionals host workshops and network with student filmmakers from around the country.

The idea for KERFLOOEY came from Neistadt and Cañada College classmate Melissa Loi, an aspiring writer. They met in a psychology course section. “When I met Wade he was trying to add the psychology class I was already registered for. He came into class and sneezed, I said ‘bless you,’ and we ended up doing ice breaker work in class. We paired up and became friends,” Loi said.

Neistadt, who grew up in Apple Valley and attended Granite Hills High School, transferred to Cañada from CSU San Marcos because he wanted to be in Silicon Valley to pursue his dream of making films. “I researched community colleges in the area and Cañada was the only school with both a good computer science program and multimedia program. When I visited the school last spring, I met Paul Naas, program coordinator for the Multimedia Art & Technology Program, and he convinced me Cañada was the right place for me.”

Neistadt began refining his video editing and special effects skills under the tutelage of Cañada faculty, many who have worked at major studios such as Disney, Pixar and Wildbrain. “The storytelling the faculty has done over the years for those studios is experience that a motivated student can draw from,” Naas said. “It’s pretty unique among community college animation and multimedia programs. Wade’s the kind of student who digs deeper into a subject – asking questions, incorporating feedback, and leveraging the knowledge and experience of faculty to make his projects better.”

What Neistadt couldn’t foresee was the simple sneeze that led him to meet Loi would be the catalyst for the creation of Manly Man, the protagonist in KERFLOOEY.

When Neistadt learned last November that Campus MovieFest, the world’s largest student film festival and a premier outlet for the next generation of filmmakers, would be at Cañada to host a competition, he was determined to enter. He ran into Loi, a graduate of Carlmont High School, at the Cañada College Learning Center and they talked about the competition and began reviewing five-minute films on YouTube created by their favorite stars. That’s when Loi had an idea.

“I thought it would be cool to make a movie about a superhero, since everyone seems obsessed with comic book characters…but maybe a superhero that can’t quite save the world at the moment.”

Manly Man, Sub City’s local superhero, was born but, unlike most superheroes, he wasn’t invincible. He was fighting a cold at the same time he was saving Sub City from the fearsome Madame Mayhem. As the story unfolds, every Manly Man sneeze brings Madame Mayhem closer to defeat while giving Neistadt an opportunity to display the special effects skills he refined in his Cañada classes. “I remembered that sneeze from our first meeting,” Loi said. “I began thinking about how people love comic books and they love to laugh. Comedy is a popular genre because it makes people happy and sometimes making people happy means purposefully falling on top of a garbage can several times.”

“Melissa wrote the story and it was brilliant,” Neistadt said. “I couldn’t have made this movie without her.”

They entered their film in the Campus MovieFest competition at Cañada and received a Silver Tripod Award for “Best Special Effects,” a Best Actor Award for Neistadt’s portrayal of Manly Man, and, to their amazement, the Best Picture Award.

“At the campus awards ceremony, we were told that Campus MovieFest has the opportunity to send about 30 student films to the Cannes Film Festival,” Neistadt said. “I was shocked to find out our film was chosen.”

Naas said having a film at Cannes is a major accomplishment for any filmmaker. “For a student filmmaker to achieve this is spectacular. I’m thrilled Wade’s hard work is being acknowledged. He has a very cinematic eye and several of the shots in the film are quite innovative.”

Loi said the movie’s success has surprised her. “I honestly didn’t expect this much attention to come out of our little movie, but I guess because I’m one of the film’s creators, all I see are the little things that went wrong.”

Manly Man’s sneezes will lead Neistadt to the Villa Maupassant Hotel in the south of France May 12-26 where KERFLOOEY will be featured at the film festival.

“While I’m there, I will be walking the red carpet with actors, directors, producers, and all sorts of celebrities,” he said. “I’ll be watching the world premiers of the Cannes Official Selection, going to workshops and Q&A sessions and making connections with a bunch of amazing and talented people. I still can’t believe this is happening.”

KERFLOOEY can be viewed at http://youtu.be/M2Osdbg1Vt0

Learn How to Become a Music Entrepreneur

SF Artist Garrick Davis Will Discuss His Experience in the Music Industry

What does it take to become a music entrepreneur? San Francisco artist Garrick Davis will discuss his experience in the music industry as part of an ongoing series of workshops sponsored by the Cañada College Center for Entrepreneurial Opportunities designed to help budding entrepreneurs.

The workshop will be held from 2 to 3:15 p.m., Thursday, May 15 in the Grove. It is free and open to the public.

"Rock, Blues, Funk and Passion" describe both the musical influences and the dynamic performance style of the San Francisco guitarist/singer/songwriter.

Davis has toured the past 10 years on the West Coast. Davis performs regularly as a soloist, particularly at The Union Room at Biscuits and Blues in downtown San Francisco where for the last three years he has taken full advantage of the opportunity to hone his performing skills and command the stage in front of international audiences who readily purchase merchandise and stay in touch beyond the initial encounter. He takes particular delight performing with his band with whom he shares an insatiable love and respect for but is happiest with any configuration that includes his son Zach on piano and supporting vocals.

Davis teaches guitar privately in the San Francisco Peninsula area with a roster that includes both children and adults, some of which can be seen on his YouTube Channel. Garrick has conducted public group classes for the City of San Mateo, Oakland Feather River Camp and Oracle Corporation. Davis is a cheerleader, respecting his student's pursuit at whatever level they may be.

Davis recently released his fourth album, the pure acoustic “The Good Road”.



An Interview With Redwood Symphony's Eric Kujawsky

(The following is an interview conducted by David Meckler, Professor of Music at Cañada College and Redwood Symphony Board Member, with Dr. Eric Kujawsky, Founder and Music Director of the Redwood Symphony. It previews this Saturday's performance at Cañada College).

The Redwood Symphony

David Meckler: Hello, Maestro Eric! This interview is being posted on the Cañada College website for all staff and students, as well as the other San Mateo Community College District campuses. I bet they'd be pleasantly surprised to know that one of the Bay Area’s most notable symphony orchestras is not only based at Canada College, but is free for all SMCCD campus staff and students. Here's your chance: What can you say about Redwood Symphony that would make them want to come to one of your concerts, such as the one coming up on April 13 in the Canada College Main Theatre? 

 

Eric Kujawsky: Having taught at all grade levels, from kindergarten to college, I have seen firsthand that so many people grow up with the absolutely false idea that classical music is boring, and too "upperclass."  I do absolutely agree that the way it has been traditionally marketed has been counterproductive! Redwood Symphony concerts are meant to be a reenergized approach to a very old art form, one which happens to have a huge library of wonderful works written by men and women still writing today.

When I founded Redwood Symphony in 1985, it was my intention that we would be a very non-traditional kind of orchestra.  We've tried to innovate in every possible area, from programming to how we dress to concert format.  In addition to standard repertoire, we feature music written by living composers, and we also do music that is generally considered too risky or ambitious for an all-volunteer group, especially Mahler symphonies, Stravinsky, Bartok, Adams, etc.   Our concerts aren’t stuffy, but they are really engaging, informative and eye-opening—so to speak—and our audiences are trending younger and more casual than you’ll see at most orchestra concerts.  We're attracting a healthy combination of both experienced and non-experienced listeners, all ages, who share an appetite for a range of music.  Check out redwoodsymphony.org to find out what we've accomplished (mostly at Canada College; thank you, CC!), sometimes with very little financial resources.  There are free downloadable tracks from our six CDs (available at iTunes and amazon.com) and a complete listing of what we've performed in the past, including many premieres and big projects.  Also, please check out Redwood Symphony's Facebook page and "friend" the orchestra!  It's a good way to get the latest classical music news and information on upcoming concerts and to see a bust of Beethoven in various disguises.

We made our second appearance at Davies Symphony Hall last summer, to great reviews.  In our future is this Saturday's concert at Canada’s theatre, and then two concert performances of Sondheim's Sweeney Todd on June 1 and 2, and free outdoor concert in Redwood City on June 29 and an all-Beatles appearance at Redwood City's Fox Theatre on August 10 with the White Album Ensemble:  all original Beatles arrangements with additional symphonic orchestrations.
 
David Meckler: The program this Saturday, April 13 at 8 p.m., brings together arrangements of Persian music, a new symphony by American composer Christopher Theofanidis, and a practically unknown major early work of impressionist composer Claude Debussy. How did this combination happen?

Eric Kujawsky: I found the Theofanidis through a review in the San Francisco Chronicle by Joshua Kosman. He liked the piece, so I listened to excerpts on iTunes, bought it, and loved it enough to put it in front of a long line of pieces that have been waiting many years to get played! It is such a brilliant work. Its originality comes mainly from its wonderfully alive, shimmering kind of sound, not quite as much as its musical content, which is very accessible without seeming to be derivative. I believe that Theofanidis' first symphony is a potentially popular work, especially for its delightful second movement, a graceful dance done up in an enchanting, faux-Mantovani orchestration that I love because it sounds retro and new at the same time.

I know Raeeka Shehabi-Yaghmai from when she sang in our recent concert production of Mozart's great opera Don Giovanni ("Don Juan"). She brings an emotionally complete involvement into whatever she sings and I always enjoy working with her. David Garner is the wonderful composer who is bringing this music to life with a symphony orchestra. I always love to perform works in this ethnic, or folk category, as evidenced by many inclusions of Bartok, Kodaly, Lutoslawski, Lou Harrison, etc. Great stuff! These Persian songs, which we're doing with English supertitles, are dynamite in Raeeka's performance. Every rehearsal with her is a revelation.

I can't leave out the opening Petite Suite, by Claude Debussy. He wrote it very early in his career, for piano four hands. A colleague of his orchestrated it years later, and it is one of the most beautiful works by Debussy I know of, a real find. Considered together, the three pieces - Persian, Theofanidis, Debussy - are a great example of the kind of unusual programming that we're known for doing. What we have is really quite a fresh program, music that is uniformly delightful for any concert - goer.

Did I mention that almost all of Redwood Symphony's concerts are free for everyone 18 and under?

Hell's Angels & Charivari by the Redwood Symphony

The Redwood Symphony presents "Hell's Angels & Charivari" on Saturday, Nov. 17 at 8 p.m. in the Main Theater. Maestro Eric Kujawsky will offer a pre-concert lecture at 7 p.m.

The cost is $25 for adults at the door and $10 for students. Adult tickets can be ordered online at www.redwoodsymphony.org for $20.

 

The concert begins with Charivari, from the demented mind of H. K. Gruber. Spoiler alert! The first surprise comes at the onset: the work begins with a complete performance of Johann Strauss Jr.'s Perpetuum Mobile, but then morphs into a somewhat sinister, nightmarish version of that piece.

Next comes Hell's Angels, a concerto for four bassoonists who are ready to rumble. Conceived as part theatrical experience, the work will delight you with its catchy tunes and make you laugh as well! Of special note is the percussion section, augmented by siren, thunder sheet and Hammerblow of Death!  

Rounding off the concert, a perennial favorite with a new twist: Beethoven's Symphony No. 7, as "retouched" by Gustav Mahler.

Visit CSU Monterey Bay on Oct. 13

If you are considering transferring to CSU Monterey Bay the Transfer Success Tours will be visiting the campus on Saturday, Oct. 13.

Transfer Success Tours is a free program to give all Cañada College students an opportunity to explore their transfer options by visiting local universities. Free transportation and lunches are provided.

The tour to CSU Monterey Bay is open to all Cañada student in good academic standing. First-generation students are highly encouraged to attend. Only 40 sports are available. To sign-up, go to the Welcome Center desk located on the ground floor of Building 9.

For more information, contact Loretta Davis at davisl@smccd.edu or call 650-306-3452.

Jessica Kaven Joins Beta Zeta Nu as Faculty Advisor

Jessica Kaven, Associate Professor of Communication Studies at Cañada, has joined the board of faculty advisors for the Beta Zeta Nu chapter of Cañada College.

The Redwood City resident is a former volleyball player at the University of Hawaii. She received her master’s degree from San Jose State University and is currently pursuing her doctorate at CSU, Stanislaus. Jessica attended high school in Esperanza near Anaheim where she was recruited to play volleyball at Hawaii.

Prior to coming to Cañada, Kaven served as an adjunct faculty member at Foothill, De Anza, Cabrillo, San Jose State and Ohlone.

A New Book Details a Debt-Free Spending Plan

Mike and JoAnneh Nagler understand the spiraling problems of debt. "We were in a situation where it felt like we would never get out from underneath our debt," he said. "Something would always happen and an unexpected expense would hit us."

Now, JoAnneh has written a new book titled "The Debt-Free Spending Plan" that will be released this month by AMACOM, a division of the American Management Association.

JoAnneh is a former fundraiser and grantwriter who, along with Mike, developed their own system to get out from under debt. It's an easy five-minute-day approach that she now teaches other individuals and couples to help them revolutionize their relationship with money.

The Debt-Free Spending Plan is billed as a system created for people who hate math, rarely balance their checkbooks, and need help now. The plan keeps things simple. It doesn't matter whether you make $14,000 or $14 million, this practical, straightforward system will show you how to:

• Live on your cash income, and live well
• Use your creativity instead of your credit cards for needs and wants
• Pay back debts without gouging your living expenses

"I worked with JoAnneh to edit and proofread the book and I'm helping her market the book," said Mike, an instructor in the Humanities Department. "Our goal is to help other people by sharing our experience."

Former Cañada Student Wins Literary Prize

Former Cañada College student Gerardo Pacheco has been named the 2012 Joseph Henry Jackson Award winner, a literary award offered annually to promising young California writers. The award is sponsored by the San Francisco Foundation and administered by Intersection for the Arts. Recipients receive $2,000.

Pacheco will be honored on Wednesday, Nov. 28 at 6:30 p.m. at the Mechanics' Institute Library and Chess Room, City Lights Bookstore, 57 Post Street, in San Francisco. As part of the event, he will be reading his poetry. The reading is free and open to the public but space is limited.

Pacheco, who has been an active poet in the group "Poets Responding to SB 1070," is a candidate for the Master of Fine Arts - Poetry at San Francisco State University, where he is an apprentice of the craft of creative writing. He has published poems at Cipactli Magazine and Transfer Magazine, El Tecolote Newspaper, LA BLOGA Online Magazine, the Amistad Howard University Journal and Spillway Magazine. He received the Smart Cookie Scholarship in 2006.

Pacheco was born in Huhi, Yucatan, Mexico. He is a Mayan and migrated to the United States when he was 15 years old. He is the first in his family to graduate from high school and college.

Pacheco's writing is influenced by his Mayan, Mexican heritage, and his experience in the United States. He uses their magic and history to bridge worlds that have been in conflict not only linguistically but culturally and politically as well. Pacheco's writing also deals with the social and cultural hardships immigrant face in this nation.

In addition, Pacheco is passionate about studying and using Western, traditional forms of poetry such as villanelles, sestinas and sonnets in order to understand his role as a Latino, immigrant writer in the Creative Writing community.

The Deadline to Submit a Petition for Degrees and Certificates Has Been Extended

The deadline to petition for degrees and certificates has been extended to October 31, 2012.  We encourage you to petition for the Associate Degree and/or Certificate!  Please contact the Counseling Center at 650-306-3452 if you have any questions and to schedule a counseling appointment. 

 

Students MUST meet with a counselor prior to submitting their petition. Select the appropriate form at this site http://canadacollege.edu/commencement/degreepetitions.php, print it out and submit it to Admissions and Records.

 

Novelist Victoria Zackheim to Lecture on Oct. 11

Freelance writer, editor, and novelist Victoria Zackheim will speak in the Main Theater on Thursday, Oct. 11 from 11 a.m. to noon.

Zackheim is author of the Bone Weaver, a novel, and the editor of five anthologies including The Other Woman, which was on the national bestseller list in Canada for several weeks. 

Her presentation at Cañada is based on her latest novel,  Exit Laughing: How Humor Takes the Sting Out of Death. This is more than a collection of 24 personal stories, written by some of our country’s finest authors, on the subject of death and humor. It’s a reminder that all of us approach “the end” in very different ways.

Faculty are encouraged to bring their students to this event. Sample essays are available from the book on Google Books.

 

Some simple advice for the start of school

So, you are preparing for your first day of the new semester and you want it to go as smooth as possible. We're here to help. If you take a few simple steps and do a little planning you'll have no problem. Let's get started.

·         Arrive Early - If you pull onto campus 10 minutes before class starts you're off to a bad start. Parking on a college campus is never easy. Give yourself at least 20 minutes. Remember, you're not going to have Rock Star parking next to your class. Be sure to review the parking map and have a contingency plan if the lot that is your first choice is full. Student Lots are Lot 1, Lot 7, Lot 8, Lot 10 and Lot 6. You'll eventually need to buy a parking permit but campus security will not issue tickets the first week of school.

·         Know Where You Are Going - Because you planned ahead, you have a great parking spot. But how do you get to your classes? Luckily, the Cañada campus is not that big. Review the campus map and your schedule of classes. Buildings at Cañada are numbered and each room in the building has its own number. On your schedule the class location will look like this - 3-113. The first number (3) is the building number and the second number (113) is the classroom within the building. If you can't find a class, ask one of the Campus Ambassadors. You can find them in the Information Booths on the quad or at the entrance to the Library off Parking Lot 1. You can also find help at the Welcome Center on the first floor of Building 9.

·         Get to Know Building 9 - All essential student services are located in this three-story building. On the first floor you'll find Admissions/Records, Counseling, Financial Aid, Student Activities, Public Safety/Parking, EOPS/CARE/CalWorks, and more. The Learning Center is on the second floor. Here you can use the computers, work with academic tutors, and study in groups. The Library is located on the top floor. Make a point to visit this building on your first day of class.

·         The Bookstore - It's college, so you're going to need books. Because you are a college student, you'll also need a soda, bag of chips and candy bar. You can get them all at the bookstore. It's located across from the Main Theater and Gymnasium. The first couple of weeks, the lines are long because everyone is buying books. If you can go in the mid-afternoon, the lines are shorter.

·         The Pony Espresso - Ok, it's not essential to know where the coffee shop is located, but you never know when you'll need a cup. The coffee kiosk is located in the Upper Quad near the entrance of Building 13. It's a favorite hangout for students and if you stand around long enough you'll probably find somebody you know.

·          The Grove – This is the new Student Center at Cañada. It’s a great place to meet friends, study, and grab a bite to eat.

·         Smoke-Free Campus - If you want to smoke you'll have to do it in designated parking lots because Cañada is a smoke-free campus. Feel free to light up in Lots 1, 7, 6, 8, 10 & 5.

·         Go to Class - This seems like a no-brainer, right? Well, every semester, there are students that don't show up for class. Because classes are crowded, if you don't show up, you could be dropped from the class. If you are on a wait list to get into a full class, it's even more important to show up on the first day to talk to the professor and see if you can add the class.

Hopefully this guide can help you survive your first day of the new semester. Remember, if you have any questions ask somebody. You'll be surprised at how helpful the staff, faculty and your fellow students

Cañada to host Convocation Ceremony Aug. 29

A new tradition will start at Cañada College on Wednesday, Aug. 29 when the college hosts a Convocation Ceremony to welcome students to school.

"The Cañada Convocation is a gathering of faculty, staff, students and community members to celebrate and prepare for the academic year," said David Johnson, Dean of the Humanities and Social Sciences Division. "This event underscores our commitment to academic excellence and highlights the opportunities and resources Cañada affords to every student."

Convocation will be held at 12:30 p.m. in the Main Theater.

Johnson said bringing together students, staff, faculty and the community at one event to kick-off the new academic year helps formally welcome students to the company of scholars.

"It affirms the responsibility we have to educate and prepare our students and makes clear the expectations we have of them," he said.

Interim President Jim Keller said the ceremony will give the public a chance to interact with the college and learn more about Cañada's rich academic history and educational offerings.

"We want people to understand that Cañada is their college," he said.

The ceremony is open to everyone. For more information or to RSVP, please contact Maggie Souza at souza@smccd.edu or call (650) 306-3238.

A Moveable Feast - Honors Courses Are for Everyone!

Honors courses at Cañada College are for everyone! One of the most popular courses is the Honors Seminar - A Moveable Feast.


Art, theater and music set a four-course banquet for students interested in an interdisciplinary taste of intriguing, challenging arts experiences. In this seminar class, attendance, led by faculty, at art exhibitions, theatrical and musical performances is preceded by a preparatory lecture/demonstration, and is followed by reflection and discussion.

Events are chosen from the Bay Area's rich buffet of art museums, theater, opera and music. Students have the opportunity to do research (and perform, if they wish) in the field of art that stimulates their intellect and inspires their creative palate. Honors credit will also be earned for both ART 680CB and the approved, concurrently enrolled course, upon completion with a grade of A or B.

Here are some of the benefits students receive for enrolling in this class:

• Take advantage of the great art experiences in the Bay Area
• You don't need any arts background.  Two professors, one in Art History, one in Music  will thoroughly prepare you for your arts experiences
• Get out of the classroom!  Visits to museums and the opera, led by professors, provide a richer, more meaningful arts experience
• Tickets to the museums and opera are free!
• Honors courses enhance your resume and improve your chances of getting into the college of your choice
• Students in this course have a high success rate of being chosen to present their work at the Bay Area Honors Consortium at Stanford and UC Berkeley
• Interdisciplinary integrative courses have a greater degree of student success
• You do not have to be part of the Honors Program to enroll in this class

International Concert Pianist Richard Glazier to Perform at Cañada College

International concert pianist Richard Glazier will give a "concert and conversation" on the music of George Gershwin on Thursday, May 10, at 12:30 pm in the Cañada College Main Theater. The event is free and open to students, faculty, staff, administration, and the public.

Glazier is a favorite performer on KQED-TV and PBS stations throughout the United States and his television special "From Gershwin to Garland" has become a programming classic winning multiple awards including four Telly Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Entertainment, Documentary and Cultural Programming. He has performed in every state of the union, at the United Nations, the Smithsonian Institute, Carnegie Hall and was awarded the Alumni Achievement Award from his alma mater the Cleveland Institute of Music for his contributions to the American Popular Song. He also won several major international piano competitions including the Pro Musics International Award and the National Federation of Music Clubs' Grand Prize.

Glazier's greatest passion is his collection of memorabilia related to the Gershwins, their contemporaries and the Golden Era. He has spent a lifetime collecting autographed sheet music, concert programs, photographs, books, records and letters, as well as an extensive collection of original vintage movie posters. Richard Glazier has the distinction of being selected as a Steinway Artist and his appearance is made possible thanks to the support of Sherman Clay Pianos in Santa Clara. Sherman Clay Pianos is providing a new 7-foot Steinway for this concert; come hear the glories of a 9-foot grand at the Grand Piano Benefit Concert given by Richard Glazier and the Redwood Symphony, June 30, 2012 at 8 pm featuring the Gershwin Concerto in F for Piano and Orchestra.

For further information, contact Dave Meckler at mecklerd@smccd.edu or 650 306-3439.