John W. Comerford, who discovered the power of film at 欧美口爆视频 Boulder, arranges major gift to the Brakhage Center for Media Arts
A gust of 欧美口爆视频 night air washed over John W. Comerford (鈥�90 Psych & Film) like a tidal wave.
The 欧美口爆视频 Boulder alumnus recalls stepping out for a breath of fresh air after viewing the hard-hitting Leni Riefenstahl Nazi propaganda piece Triumph of Will for a film-studies class.
Looking for a sign of where to take his career, that gust of wind led to an epiphany.
Film can change the world.
Under the wing of legendary experimental filmmaker Stan Brakhage, Comerford would go on to pursue a career in film and push the boundaries of what it means to tell stories on the big screen.
鈥淚 learned that the impact of film is a lot bigger than I had ever imagined,鈥� Comerford says, reflecting on his time at 欧美口爆视频 Boulder.
At the top of the page: As principal at Paradigm Studio, John Comerford has helped produce and write a wide array of films. Above: Comerford hopes the gift he arranged to 欧美口爆视频 Boulder will help inspire young filmmakers to pursue a career in the industry.
He also reflected on a propaganda film from the Spanish Civil War period that Brakhage chose to show in class. The piece depicted scenes of seemingly normal life while the narrator spoke of sickness and suffering among the people. By all appearances, the people were healthy.
鈥淭his film demonstrated the power of narrative voice,鈥� Comerford says.
He also pinpoints this as a pivotal moment in his career. He learned early on that film can be powerfully suggestive and that such power could be used to illuminate rather than manipulate.
Now, 30 years later, Comerford works as principal at , a production company. Comerford lends his visionary eye for the meaning of film to a wide array of projects and experimental pieces.
One of which, , co-written and produced with longtime friend and fellow 欧美口爆视频 Boulder alum Tommy Rosen (鈥�90), is slated for its 25th-anniversary re-release this year. The award-winning coming-of-age drama explores topics like adolescence, drug use and the importance of music culture.
Comerford attributes much of his success to 欧美口爆视频 Boulder鈥檚 spirit of discovery.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 get a lot of direction from my parents growing up as far as what sort of career to pursue,鈥� he says. 鈥淲hen my acceptance letter from 欧美口爆视频 Boulder arrived, it was actually dated on my birthday, Jan. 18. I thought, well, that鈥檚 a sign.鈥�
Comerford鈥檚 first on-campus experience is committed to memory.
He reflects, 鈥淐oming down 36 and seeing the Flatirons for the first time, I thought, 鈥榃ell this is going to be amazing.鈥欌€�
Indeed, it was the start of something special for Comerford.
He has helped produce and write a number of critically acclaimed documentary and narrative films via Paradigm Studio, exploring topics from jazz music to gun violence. Themes of late include the environment and media literacy.
Lynch: A History made a splash as an experimental piece. It stitches together more than 700 internet video clips of former NFL running back Marshawn Lynch to form a narrative on race, media and the world of professional sports.
Comerford notes the piece has received praise from athletes at all levels, including from Lynch himself. He says it has also sparked discussions about the media鈥檚 impact among players and coaches throughout the sports industry.
Currently, Comerford has several projects in the works. He is producing a narrative feature film based on a true story of the fight to preserve California鈥檚 native redwood trees, authored by David Harris.
He鈥檚 also working with fellow Boulderite, filmmaker and musician Charles Hambleton on . It highlights the search for a Japanese hospital ship laden with gold scuttled in the Philippines during WWII.
None of our productions happen without persistence. ... That persistence, and most importantly the persistence inspired by collaboration, is really essential.鈥�
The story is about more than treasure, though. It is a tale of justice and defeating personal demons.
In recent years, Comerford has been thinking about how to give back. 鈥淭he first thing that popped into my head was Stan,鈥� he says.
鈥淚 did some research, and I thought of the Brakhage Center and the University of 欧美口爆视频. I just thought, 鈥榃ow, that is the perfect place to return to the world, if you will, the energy and spirit of that gift given to me by Stan.鈥欌€�
Comerford helped arrange a gift of $30,000 to the Brakhage Center for Media Arts at 欧美口爆视频 Boulder. To be rolled out over three years, the gift is one of the largest ever received by the Brakhage Center.
He hopes the gift will help inspire young filmmakers to pursue a career in the industry. Comerford also hopes that students studying at 欧美口爆视频 Boulder will be able to gain a higher understanding of media literacy and its impact on consciousness.
Hanna Rose Shell, assicuarte professor and faculty director of the Brakhage Center for Media Arts, says the gift will do just that: 鈥淲e at the Brakhage Center are thrilled to have the support and deep engagement from John Comerford, which will help enable students to enrich their horizons in the multiple realms of experimental film and beyond.鈥�
When asked to share a bit of wisdom with those interested in pursuing a film career, Comerford offered two words:
鈥淐ollaboration and persistence.鈥�
鈥淣one of our productions happen without persistence,鈥� he adds. 鈥淧articularly as a producer, where you have the longest relationship with the motion picture of anyone involved. That persistence, and most importantly the persistence inspired by collaboration, is really essential.鈥�
John W. Comerford, who discovered the power of film at 欧美口爆视频 Boulder, arranges major gift to its Brakhage Center for Media Arts.欧美口爆视频 Boulder alumnus Sean Bailey talks about his uncommon path from the ground floor to the heights of the entertainment field
Sean Bailey and his dad saw Rocky in Texas in 1976. He remembers the long lines outside, the audience cheering inside and walking away feeling profoundly moved.
Rocky and Star Wars left indelible memories, but they didn鈥檛 make him dream about a career in movies, he says. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 really understand that people made those things.鈥�
Now, he is president of Walt Disney Motion Picture Production, and he makes those things.
Sean Bailey
Bailey, a University of 欧美口爆视频 Boulder alumnus, has headed Disney production since 2010 and serves on the board of the Sundance Institute. In a recent interview with this magazine and in a speech to May 2021 欧美口爆视频 Boulder graduates of cinema studies and moving image arts, Bailey talked about his rise from his first job in the entertainment field鈥攊n a product-placement company鈥攖o a titan of film.
Bailey noted that he left the university knowing that he wanted to be in the entertainment industry but not knowing 鈥渟pecifically what that meant.鈥�
鈥淚 knew I was interested in storytelling. I love music. I love film.鈥�
His first job was in a product-placement company, which worked to put consumer products in shows. 鈥淲e鈥檇 try to get Diet Coke into George Costanza鈥檚 fridge on Seinfeld,鈥� Bailey said.
After dropping off the Cokes, fruit juice or product du jour, he鈥檇 hang around and watch. Over time, he learned the key production roles: assistant director, director of photography, unit production manager.
He once asked another crew member, 鈥淲ho is that person sitting in the chair doing nothing?鈥� Answer: 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the producer.鈥�
鈥淚 said, 鈥榃ell, maybe that鈥檚 a job that I could do.鈥欌€�
Joking aside, Bailey recognized that 鈥渋f you made something, you were a producer. There was nothing holding me back from doing it.鈥�
He teamed up with 鈥渋nspiring and creative鈥� young people, raised some money and created a half-hour show. Meanwhile, he pored over screenplays and learned as much as he could.
An intellectual omnivore, he tried his hand at screenwriting. He wanted to understand the craft and figured that, regardless of what role he played in the film industry, writing would give him a deeper understanding of the challenges that other writers and creators face.
鈥淲riting has never come easily to me, but I do love it. I love going in, closing the door, turning on music and being alone with your characters for five, six, seven, eight hours. It's a wonderful experience.鈥�
Success was no fait accompli. 鈥淭here were a couple of years for me of real hardship: living off of my credit card, not having any money in my bank account, living off of tuna sandwiches. But we kept going.鈥�
Who is that person sitting in the chair doing nothing?鈥� he asked. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the producer,鈥� someone replied. 鈥淚 said, 鈥榃ell, maybe that鈥檚 a job that I could do.鈥欌€�
鈥淎nd I failed a lot.鈥�
Just when he thought he鈥檇 have to seek other employment, 20th Century Fox tapped him and his colleagues to produce Best Laid Plans, starring Reese Witherspoon.
Thus buoyed, Bailey and the actors Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, along with producer Chris Moore, launched the company LivePlanet in 2000, which focused in part on mixed-media, cross-platform storytelling.
鈥淭hat wasn鈥檛 part of my career plan,鈥� Bailey said. 鈥淏ut this interesting opportunity happened because something interesting happened in the world, and I went through that open door.鈥�
LivePlanet made movies like Project Greenlight and American Pie 2 for Disney and TV shows like The Runner for 专C, which Disney owns.
鈥淚 was very fortunate in that they let me work on bigger and bigger things,鈥� Bailey said, adding that he was 鈥渞eally content and fulfilled as a writer and producer.鈥�
But in 2009, then-CEO Bob Iger began wooing Bailey to head production at Disney. 鈥淎gain, that wasn鈥檛 part of my plan. 鈥� An opportunity came, and I considered it, and I changed the path that I thought I would be on.鈥�
Left to right, Dwayne Johnson, Sean Bailey, president of Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Production, Jaume Collet-Serra, Emily Blunt and Alan Bergman, content chairman at The Walt Disney Company, arrive at the world premiere for Jungle Cruise, at Disneyland in Anaheim, California in July 2021. Photo Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios
Bailey, who played in a band while in school and is a Metallica fan, noted the similarities between music and film.
Like favorite songs, great movies soak into your memory, prompting years of reflection about lines, sequences or images that become 鈥渋mprinted upon you,鈥� he said.
When he thinks about his life, 鈥淚 think very often about the music I was listening to and the movies I was seeing in that chapter of my life.鈥�
It鈥檚 no accident, Bailey notes, that he associates Rocky with his father, who is no longer living. 鈥淚t becomes a primitive, imprinted memory, like a great concert, or like the first time you heard one of your favorite songs.鈥�
But could a movie today have the same cultural significance as Rocky?
鈥淭hat鈥檚 the question on everyone鈥檚 lips today,鈥� Bailey replied.
I often say these stories only make sense when you look back on them,鈥� he said, noting that young people often ask him to reveal 鈥渢he path鈥� to success.
鈥淚, for one, happen to believe in the communal movie experience,鈥� Bailey said, noting that hits such as Game of Thrones and The White Lotus on HBO are also cultural touchstones. But for the right movies, 鈥減eople will still want to go see those in a communal setting.鈥�
Meanwhile, to better reflect the whole community, Bailey champions efforts to diversify film.
鈥淭he entertainment industry has a lot of work to do on diversity, equity and inclusion,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut I believe we are starting to make significant moves. There鈥檚 a long way to go.鈥�
The fact that he鈥檚 now in a position to make such moves would have surprised him three decades ago.
鈥淚 often say these stories only make sense when you look back on them,鈥� he said, noting that young people often ask him to reveal 鈥渢he path鈥� to success.
鈥淭he only commonalities are that the stories are uncommon,鈥� he said, mentioning colleagues who started out as artists, accountants, athletes and more.
Such multiplicity in viewpoints helps the industry adapt to a rapidly changing world, he suggests. He still loves the big theatrical experience and appreciates the stories that can be told in half-hour sitcoms or one-hour dramas.
But a world altered by streaming video has wider horizons: 鈥淪torytelling鈥檚 been upended,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 think that enabling of different people telling different kinds of stories, unrestricted by format, is going to lead to a lot of really exciting stuff.鈥�
欧美口爆视频 Boulder alumnus Sean Bailey talks about his uncommon path from the ground floor to the heights of the entertainment field.This legendary plane was used by the Air Force, Navy and Coast Guard on search and rescue missions
Working at an independent movie rental store was the perfect job for young Dirk Braun (Film鈥�11), growing up in Connecticut.
鈥淚 loved working there; it was a highlight of my youth,鈥� Braun said. 鈥淢y mother is a cineaste and loves foreign and independent films. She was always encouraging us to watch those types of films.鈥�
This was during the VHS era, so Braun would rewind the cassettes, restock them and even watch a few movies while on shift, adding, 鈥淚 watched as many movies as I could.鈥�
[video:https://vimeo.com/553573016]
That little snapshot of his youth underscores the long path to where Braun has arrived today, a professional filmmaker who is debuting his film鈥攁 documentary called 鈥溾€濃€攖his summer.
It鈥檚 a 77-minute piece on the legendary Grumman Albatross, a seaplane the Air Force, Navy and Coast Guard used in search and rescue missions during the latter half of the 20th century. Braun resurrects the plane鈥檚 story and history through 10 passionate mechanics and pilots who restore, fly and maintain the few remaining planes.
Dirk Braun (Film鈥�11)
After more than five years of production, Braun will unveil the film on July 25 for one of the aviation industry鈥檚 most prominent weeks, the 68th annual Experimental Aviation Association meeting in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, where more than 600,000 people are expected attend. Additionally, the plane featured in the film will do a special appearance on July 24.
The first time Braun saw an image of the plane was during his freshman year at the University of 欧美口爆视频 Boulder. A friend had started a men鈥檚 accessories business and chose the plane as his company鈥檚 logo. It left an indelible mark.
鈥淭he image never left me,鈥� Braun said. 鈥淚 deemed the albatross the greatest adventure machine and was fascinated by its capability and design, and all of that transferred to my making this film. As a person interested in film, I pictured flying the albatross to iconic and exotic places and could envision that being something very spectacular.鈥�
Braun also credits his 欧美口爆视频 Boulder film classes where he dissected and analyzed movies.
鈥淭he way we did it was something that has greatly helped in the film鈥檚 development,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he screenwriting class was also a highlight 鈥� hearing other people鈥檚 work and discussing the stories as a class.鈥�
He said the film started out 鈥渧ery small, but my ambitions were big, and the ideas grew, especially after meeting the potential characters of the film who speak with a sincere appreciation of this great machine.鈥�
Braun describes the work behind the film as, 鈥渁 huge rollercoaster ride鈥� of efforts and emotions.
鈥淭here are so many years of effort of not knowing where the film would go and whether or not I actually had a worthy enough story and whether or not I could finish it,鈥� he said.
鈥淲e were well into postproduction, and I continued to go back and film new scenes or had ideas for different ones. It was a very long process, but after each shoot was accomplished, it was extremely satisfying.鈥�
After the showing in Oshkosh, Braun anticipates a larger theatrical run by making the movie available via streaming and on DVD.
In celebration of the movie, Braun donated sales from 100 signed and framed limited edition fine art 鈥淔lying Boat鈥� film posters to the Pan Am Museum Foundation, the Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh and the Aspen Flight Academy.
Braun has plans for more filmmaking on aviation and surfing.
鈥淚 also welcome other projects and love to explore and investigate them in as much capacity as I can,鈥� he said.
More information on the film is available on the .
This legendary plane was used by the Air Force, Navy and Coast Guard on search and rescue missions.
Ernesto R. Acevedo-Mu帽oz, professor and chair of Cinema Studies and Moving Image Arts
Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim鈥檚 classic musical West Side Story has played a pivotal role in the life of Ernesto R. Acevedo-Mu帽oz, professor and chair of Cinema Studies and Moving Image Arts at the University of 欧美口爆视频 Boulder, ever since his father introduced it to his children.
鈥淢y brother and I played (the album) over and over, and by the time we finally saw the movie on a pan-and-scan Betamax videotape sometime in the early 1980s, we were both sold on it,鈥� Acevedo-Mu帽oz writes in his 2013 book, West Side Story as Cinema: The Making and Impact of an American Masterpiece.
鈥淔irst, I was intrigued by the words, 鈥楶uerto Rico 鈥� my heart鈥檚 devotion鈥� on the album, for I had rarely heard the name of my homeland mentioned in any movie. Later, I was overwhelmed and giddily proud to see 鈥楶uerto Ricans鈥� represented onscreen, however inaccurate or stylized the portrayal.鈥�
Acevedo-Mu帽oz even says the Oscar-winning 1961 film version of 鈥淲est Side Story鈥濃€攁 retelling of Shakespeare鈥檚 tragedy, Romeo and Juliet, set in 1950s New York and replacing Capulets and Montagues with Jets and Sharks鈥攊s the reason he went into film study.
Ernesto R. Acevedo-Mu帽oz book "West Side Story as Cinema"
鈥淵ears ahead of its time, unlike any other musical film, West Side Story continues to explore ethnic, sexual and social anxieties and to underscore dystopian polyrhythms within a fantastically utopian genre,鈥� he writes.
These days, many of Acevedo-Mu帽oz鈥� introductory students have never seen the film, though many know it through the television show Glee, which featured the musical in 2011.
Which isn鈥檛 to say that West Side Story has become a relic. The show has been revived on Broadway several times, most recently in 2009. Perhaps more significant, says Acevedo-Mu帽oz, 鈥渋t has been produced thousands and thousands of times by regional, high-school and amateur companies. West Side Story has never disappeared.鈥�
This year, the beloved鈥攁nd to some, controversial鈥攃lassic is set for two major revivals, with a new and radically different stage version now in previews on Broadway and a Steven Spielberg-helmed remake of the film set for release in December.
鈥淭his is not quite the same as the little summer-stock theater company doing it out in Horseballs, Nebraska,鈥� says Acevedo-Mu帽oz, who is widely considered one of the nation鈥檚 experts on the film and has recently been on public radio about the coming revival and remake.
That new versions arrive at this particular point in American history is no accident, he says.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 a direct consequence of current political tensions having to do specifically with immigrants,鈥� Acevedo-Mu帽oz says (though he鈥檚 quick to point out that technically, Puerto Ricans are not immigrants, since they had citizenship鈥攂ut crucially, neither voting rights or representation鈥攊mposed upon them in 1917).
He also notes that just two years ago Hurricane Maria鈥攊ronically, the name of the female lead in West Side Story鈥攄evastated Puerto Rico, highlighting the second-class status of the island鈥檚 residents. The federal government was slow to respond to the disaster鈥攖wo weeks after the storm hit, 89 percent of the island still had no power鈥攁nd the Trump administration cut promised relief funds.
鈥淥n top of all that was the public humiliation of Donald Trump throwing rolls of paper towels鈥� in a photo-op, Acevedo-Mu帽oz says, 鈥渁s if that鈥檚 what was needed or useful.鈥�
Though widely acknowledged as a Hollywood classic, West Side Story has long drawn fire from critics who say it presents negative stereotypes of Puerto Ricans, offers a retrograde view of relations between the sexes and committed 鈥渂rown-face鈥� by using white actors to portray Puerto Ricans.
Dutch director Ivo van Hove鈥檚 Broadway revival reportedly seeks to redress some of those issues, jettisoning Maria鈥檚 鈥淚 Feel Pretty鈥� and using Puerto Rican actors to play Sharks, among other changes.
Spielberg鈥檚 version鈥攕et, like the original, in the 1950s鈥攚ill feature Rita Moreno, who won an Oscar for best supporting actress in the original, both as an executive producer and playing Doc, the wise counselor to the Anglo Jets gang who is based on Friar Laurence in Romeo and Juliet.
鈥淎nd they are making the effort to get the casting to be more accurate and reflective of reality, using real Latinx Puerto Rican actors to play the Sharks,鈥� Acevedo-Mu帽oz notes.
He applauds efforts to find new ways to address troublesome aspects of the musical and film but notes that remakes and revivals often disappoint fans and critics alike.
鈥淭he 2009 Broadway revival directed by Arthur Laurents included some lyrics adapted and translated to Spanish by Lin Manuel Miranda (Hamilton) in an effort to make the play more inclusive for contemporary audiences,鈥� he says. 鈥淏ut theatergoers responded negatively to this change, and eventually dialogue and lyrics were changed back to the original English.鈥�
Years ahead of its time, unlike any other musical film, West Side Story continues to explore ethnic, sexual and social anxieties and to underscore dystopian polyrhythms within a fantastically utopian genre,鈥�"
Regarding the Spielberg remake, Acevedo-Mu帽oz says he is 鈥渃autiously optimistic, given what we know about the casting and location work, but the recent track record of musical and other remakes suggests it could be a risky enterprise.鈥�
Then again, he has little patience for remakes in general, and wonders why Hollywood continues to greenlight them when nearly all bomb at the box office and are savaged by critics and fans alike.
鈥淲ho asked to see a remake of Dirty Dancing? Who asked to see a remake of Fame? Who asked to see a remake of West Side Story?鈥� he asks. 鈥淣obody.鈥�
Acevedo-Mu帽oz praises West Side Story for its 鈥渞evisionist approach, political commentary and social satire鈥� and 鈥渧isual and aural elements,鈥� calling it 鈥渢he musical film equivalent of the great American novel.鈥� But he鈥檚 not blind to its faults.
鈥淭he plot is really silly. Tony and Maria know each other for all of 24 hours!鈥� he says. He even likes to open lectures about the film with a classic joke by Robert Wuhl that puts the spotlight on just one of the story鈥檚 implausibilities: 鈥淭ony runs through the Puerto Rican neighborhood yelling 鈥楳aria!鈥� and only one girl comes to the window.鈥� Ba-dum-tsss.
Even so, Acevedo-Mu帽oz has little patience with the contemporary propensity to judge art out of context.
鈥淚t appears that Maria doesn鈥檛 start existing until Tony notices her,鈥� he says about 鈥淚 Feel Pretty.鈥� 鈥淭hat鈥檚 problematic. But it鈥檚 also perfectly in tune with the 1950s context of the play.鈥�
In general, he鈥檚 no fan of hindsight sensitivity.
鈥淟et鈥檚 not burn West Side Story because it doesn鈥檛 get a lot of things perfect; there鈥檚 no such thing as perfect,鈥� he says. 鈥淣o work of art deserving of attention is not controversial. 鈥� It鈥檚 dangerous to pretend we can protect anyone from anything because ultimately, this is what helps us erase racial, social and class conflicts that have permeated this country since its founding.鈥�
With revivals on horizon, 欧美口爆视频 Boulder鈥檚 Acevedo-Mu帽oz reflects on West Side Story, saying 鈥榣et鈥檚 not burn it because it doesn鈥檛 get a lot of things perfect.鈥�The 欧美口爆视频 Boulder Department of Cinema Studies & Moving Image Arts has made The Hollywood Reporter鈥檚 list of the in the nation.
The department, formerly the Film Studies Program at the University of 欧美口爆视频 Boulder, hailed the recognition by the top trade journal in the movie industry.
鈥淔or an academic unit like ours, this is comparable to a mention in the US News & World Report鈥攁t least for minor bragging rights,鈥� said Ernesto Acevedo-Mu帽oz, professor and chair of the department.
He continued: 鈥淭his humble feather in our cap joins the list of honors such as the Film Society of Lincoln Center naming in 2010 five of our faculty among most important experimental filmmakers of the last decade, and our naming as 鈥楤est in the West in Cinematography鈥� by MovieMaker magazine in 2017.鈥�
Mu帽oz added, 鈥淵es, we came in at #25 among the 鈥楾op 25,鈥� but we鈥檒l take it.鈥�
In June, the 欧美口爆视频 Board of Regents voted to rename the Film Studies Program and to grant it the status of a department.
Acevedo-Mu帽oz said the move made de jurewhat is already the de factoplace of the unit in the College of Arts and Sciences.
At the time of the vote, he added, 鈥淥ur students are better served graduating from a department rather than a program, which might be erroneously perceived as having somewhat lesser standards or rigor.鈥�
The 欧美口爆视频 Boulder Department of Cinema Studies & Moving Image Arts has made The Hollywood Reporter鈥檚 list of the top 25 film programsin the nation.