A Handy Guide to TRFT

Hello from the Department of Television, Radio, Film and Theatre,

Welcome to Spring 2008. We have just been notified that three of our screenwriting students placed First, Second, and Third in the BEA, Broadcast Education Association, competition. This is a national competition, and we competed against hundreds of universities. And in that same competition, Professor Babak Sarrafan won the faculty production competition and "Best of Show," a truly Big Deal. This for his music video, "The Long Road" featuring Nuthouse and Kid. Are we good or what?

Here is some of what we have been up to in the past year:

Film Successes: The most significant film event of 2007 is the acceptance of the TRFT student production "Glory Boy Days" into the 2008 Slamdance Film Festival, the indie companion to Sundance. This is the highest festival honor ever received for one of our films. Meanwhile, our summer 2005 feature film, "Drifting Elegant" is complete and in distribution, and while complete last summers feature " Generic Thriller," we are into final post with our animated feature, "We Bombed in Baghdad," and our summer 2007 feature, "All About Dad." Dozens of our student films and screenplays have been selected for film festivals, Cinequest, CSU Media Arts. These films were completed by students receiving credit under RTVF 185.

In April 2008 we are going to produce a film with students from the Shanghai Theatre Academy School of Television Arts. As a major in our department you can get involved. Internationally. And in the past year our graduates have been featured in acting roles in major films and on network television in shows like "Grey's Anatomy" and "Friday Night Lights.".

Scholarship: We have a very interesting and eclectic MA program . This is where you go after you graduate but want a more academic and research focus, possibly leading to a doctorate and a teaching career. Our MA students have won several recent writing and research awards.

Live Theatre: We have an ambitious schedule of plays for the 2008 season. There are many more opportunities for performance been busy with summer film making students to get involved. If you want to make films, if you want a career as an actor or as a technical specialist, we are the department that can help make it happen.

Radio Too: The world's oldest electronic mass media began in 1909 in San Jose at a tiny wireless school on the corner of San Fernando and First. It was called the Herrold College and its students were the first radio broadcasters. Nearly a century later, KSJS 90.5 FM continues the tradition of students broadcasting ideas and music from Hugh Gillis Hall to all of the Bay Area. It is one of the best things about the department. This year will be the 45th year of broadcasting to the Bay Area by KSJS.

Do you want to spend a semester in China? We have an exchange program with the Shanghai Theatre Academy School of Television Arts. In order to take advantage of this once in a lifetime opportunity you will have to have an intermediate knowledge of Mandarin. You can take classes there, in RTVF or Theatre Arts, and they will count as part of your SJSU major or minor. We are also planning a film project to be done in both countries, and for this you will not have to know the language. Please see me or Barnaby Dallas if you are interested.

As always, the best way to get up to date information about TRFT is this Website.

Mike

Mike Adams, Chair
Department of TV-Radio-Film-Theatre
San Jose State University
http://www.TVRadioFilmTheatre.com