LOS ANGELES - Laszlo Kovacs, ASC, has been named Kodak Cinematographer in Residence at the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Theater, Film and Television.
Kovacs will conduct a series of workshops for students in a residency program focusing on the aesthetic role that cinematographers play in the collaborative process of filmmaking. The annual program is part of the Kodak Student Filmmaker Program and was conceived by UCLA Professor William McDonald. "Laszlo Kovacs is one of the defining artists of contemporary times. He blazed many new trails, and also proved that even impossible dreams can come true if you have talent and determination," says McDonald.
UCLA will begin the mentorship program with a public screening of 1977's "New York, New York," a classic love story that marked an extraordinary collaboration between Kovacs and director Martin Scorsese. "Marty envisioned a homage to the classic MGM musicals with elements of contemporary drama," Kovacs recalls. "He wanted a rich Technicolor look like the MGM classics, but that technology was no longer available, so we had to improvise."
"New York, New York" will be screened at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, April 19 at the James Bridges Theater on the UCLA Westwood campus. Kovacs will recount his memories of making the film and answer questions after the screening. The theater is located on the northeast corner of the campus. Admission is free and open to the public with parking available in Structure 3 for a $7 fee. More information is available by calling the Bridges box office at (310) 206-8365. For more information, visit the UCLA website at www.tft.ucla.edu or the Kodak website at www.kodak.com/go/motion.