Hollywood classics, actors showcased at Carpenter Center

Big-name gurus enlighten students with entertainment industry inside information

By Jimmy Chai, On-Line Forty-Niner

Thursday, October 22, 1998

Hollywood comes to Cal State Long Beach at "The Fourth Annual Widescreen Film Festival."

The Carpenter Performing Arts Center will turn into a celebrity hot spot as John Carpenter (Halloween) and Robert Wise (West Side Story) inaugurate the six-day event on Friday with a behind the scenes discussion on creating their timeless films.

The festival, which was designed by Gary J. Prebula and Steve Hubbert to celebrate past widescreen works of art, will screen John Carpenter's "Vampire" on opening night, one week before its national opening.

Spanning over two weekends, from Oct.23-Oct.25 and Oct. 30-Nov.1, the festival is scheduled to show 16 classic movies.

It will also host panel discussions with Hollywood insiders such as Academy Award-winning cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond and production designer John Muto. The discussion will be held in different areas on campus.

This festival is meant to acknowledge the workers of the movies as well as their finished product, said Gary J. Prebula, a CSULB teacher since 1974.

Students can attend discussions on special effects,

screen writing, and costume design, said Rachel Christian, the first ever student producer for the festival.

The purpose of the festival is to celebrate the widescreen, preserve 70-millimeter movies and create recognition of the CSULB film department, said Prebula.

With a festival committee created last year, this event has taken a life of its own, Prebula said.

Since the eye sees in a rectangle, widescreen, which is two time wider than its height, gives a panoramic view, said Prebula.

Kodak has volunteered a film library to begin preserving and restoring classic widescreen movies, Prebula said.

For more information and tickets, one may call (562) 985-7000.