High-budget, action-adventure movies that are heavy on special effects tend not to be educational. While that is true for the recent summer blockbuster “Wrath of the Titans,” its Blu-ray release does provide a mini history lesson on the movie's use of Greek mythology given by California State University, Dominguez Hills history professor James Jeffers, who was invited to take part in the “Maximum Movie Mode” special feature on the disc. In Maximum Movie Mode, viewers can choose either the "Path of Man,” where they get a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the movie and what went into the special effects scenes or how various creatures took shape, or the “Path of the Gods” and ... Read More
Digital Media Arts
Digital Media Arts Grads Look to Crash Super Bowl with their Doritios Ad
It took 13 30 oz. bags, but with the director's clapboard on the final take sounding like the crunch of a Doritos Nacho Cheese chip, James Karroum and Calvin Ko called it a wrap on their entry into the Doritos “Crash the Super Bowl” ad contest. The recent Digital Media Arts graduates (Karroum in 2012, Ko in 2010) are among thousands of people across the country who are seeking to have their original ad for the popular snack food chosen and shown on millions of televisions around the world during Super Bowl XLVII. The contest includes $25,000 and a trip to the big game for five finalists, with two winners ultimately being selected for airtime, one of whom will get a chance to work for a ... Read More
Students Showcase Talent at 2012 CSU Media Arts Festival
Only after the urging of her professor, Kimberley Esslinger entered her short mixed-media video into the 22nd Annual California State University Media Arts Festival (MAF). She earned fourth place in the experimental category. “I wasn't even going to enter this project because it really didn't fit in any category. I thought it was just a throw away,” Esslinger said of her 1:16 minute video “Noble Truth 2,” which she did on the Buddhist second noble truth–desire, for a digital graphics class (ART 346) taught by assistant professor, art and design Elli Zenhari last spring. “I was so surprised when I saw that I was a finalist. I felt really super honored because it wasn't just for our class, ... Read More
Guitar Studies Students: Playing to an International Audience
As Graceland is sacred ground for Elvis fans, Shea Stadium was for baseball fans, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art is for art lovers, Guitar Salon International(GSI) in Santa Monica may well be mecca for classical guitarists. California State University, Dominguez Hills guitar studies students Erick Barrientos, Ivan Chavarria, Jose Gutierrez, and Jan Pequeño did more than visit the renowned center; they performed there. As invited artists to GSI, the students played guitar as part of an ongoing GSI guitar video series posted on YouTube. GSI is the world's largest dealer of high-end classical and flamenco guitars, and having the students featured on their website is a major coup in ... Read More
Memorial Festival of Arts Concert Honors Beloved Professor Rod Butler — March 8
The California State University, Dominguez Hills Division of Performing, Visual and Digital Media Arts, and the Department of Music will host the Fifth Annual Rod Butler Memorial Festival of the Arts and scholarship fundraiser on Thursday, March 8, at 7:30 p.m. in the University Theatre. A blending of music, dance, and digital media arts will offer guests an evening of eclectic artistic entertainment and an opportunity to contribute to the Rod Butler Memorial Scholarship Fund, benefiting CSU Dominguez Hills music students, in honor of the late Rodney H. Butler, who had a distinguished career as a professor of music at the university from 1991 up to his sudden death in 2007. Remembering ... Read More
