
Mellon grant supports a close-up on close-ups
A Rochester research team is part of an inter-institutional project to document the history of the close-up, one of film and television’s most powerful techniques.

What to stream: Add some Rochester to your queue
You’ll find University of Rochester connections in some of your favorite movies, musicals, and television series, all ready for binge watching.

Online trolls keep largely mum for latest Star Wars movie
With a fast-paced plot and more conservative themes, The Rise of Skywalker avoided the online trolling that greeted its predecessor, argues associate professor of political science Bethany Lacina in the Washington Post.

Horror films offer a psychological thrill ride
Jason Middleton, director of the Film and Media Studies Program and a student of horror films, talks about the paradox of horror—why people seek to be scared as entertainment.

Thinking about ‘visual privilege’ and the 2018 Oscars
Sharon Willis, a member of Rochester’s Film and Media Studies program faculty, says this year’s nominations show that change may be afoot in Hollywood—but that how much movies will be transformed remains to be seen.

Film festival showcases contemporary French cinema
This fall’s theme reflects a combination of contemporary films and genres that have been selected by students in French classes, focusing on action, biopic, comedy, documentary & drama.

Great Scott! It’s Back to the Future Day
In the movie Back to the Future Part II, “Doc” Emmett Brown convinces Marty McFly to travel 30 years into the future from 1985, arriving on October 21, 2015. We take a look at some of the movie’s technological and cultural predictions for 2015 and see how they stack up with the present day, and find out what the University is doing to help make the future a reality.

Annual Gollin Film Festival showcases student films
Aches, a stop-motion animation film by film and media studies major Brynn Wilkins, ’15 took the top prize in the 10th annual Gollin Film Festival, sponsored by the Film and Media Studies Program.

The Poitier Effect: New book by film scholar examines ‘change without change’
Sir Sidney Poitier became a cultural icon in the 1950s as the first black actor to break racial barriers in film. But as art and art history professor Sharon Willis argues in her new book, his image on screen creates a false sense of equality that continues to appear in the popular media and remains damaging to race relations today.

Digital Humanities Project turns a lens on prewar Japan
For the last 15 years, professor Joanne Bernardi has collected more than 1,100 postcards, film prints, brochures and other visual representations of early 20th century Japan. But how can this collection continue to grow while allowing other scholars to register and contribute content? Enter the Digital Humanities Center.