THE PRODUCTION CENTER FOR DOCUMENTARY & DRAMA
Inquiries: Jack Ofield, Executive Director
The Production Center
(619) 594-6902 / Fax (619) 462-8266
E-Mail: ofield@mail.sdsu.edu
Founded in 1989, The Production Center for Documentary & Drama has
emerged as one of the most innovative media partnerships in the country,
bringing education, art, business and philanthropy together to create high
quality films and television programs in the arts, humanities and sciences.
The Production Center is located in the School of Communication, College
of Professional Studies and Fine Arts, at San Diego State University (SDSU).
The Center is dedicated to:
As a full cost recovery operation, the non profit Production Center conceptualizes, researches and prepares proposals for extramural funding from government, foundations, corporations and individuals. All funds support production and maintain the Center, and are administered by the SDSU Foundation. The Center encourages projects that reflect America's diversity and affirm human dignity.
Production Center facilities and equipment include a full range of film
and broadcast equipment, complete studio and location capability, and film
and digital video editing suites. Services include planning, budgeting,
scripting, world-wide filming and taping, and post-production.
South American films include:
Films are short-listed for the series on the basis of artistic and technical excellence, original storylines, strong performances, and concise editing. There are no deadlines for submission to The Short List and no limits on year of production.
"Good films remain good regardless of when they were made," said Ofield, himself a filmmaker with an award-winning track record. " Too often, outstanding short films languish for lack of a venue once they have toured the festival and campus circuits. The Short List demonstrates that short films are a unique and entertaining art form deserving of their own series." Ofield has been researching and presenting international short films since 1992.
The Short List is produced in association with Cox Communications, Inc., and the Kodak Independent Emerging Filmmakers Program. Kodak will award product grants to selected filmmakers in the series each season to assist them in producing their next films. The Short List is also made possible by the Elizabeth Firestone Graham Foundation, Dr. Seuss Fund of the San Diego Foundation, Las Patronas, and the SDSU College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts.
The production team includes Jack Ofield, producer-director; Terrence
Borden, Robert Schneider and Mark Olesko, post production; Javier Lopez,
graphics; Franz Schubert and Jeff Stone, music; Mickey Lujan, on-line editor;
and Helen-Maria Erawan, associate producer.
1st Frames
Project Status: airing on PBS stations, 1995-1998
Developed by The Production Center as a showcase for the best international
short films and video by new artists. This award-winning, weekly, series
features up to four works per program, including narrative, documentary
and animated works. Co-produced with the Corporation for Public Broadcasting
and KPBS- TV. Supported in part by the Dr. Seuss Foundation and The Production
Center. General audience.
Animal Encounters Project Status: pilot program debuted April '96, Cox Communications Channel 4 13-part series of half-hour programs on animal conservation and care developed and produced in association with Cox Communications. Presents domestic, wild and tame animals in natural and manmade habitats, and in the home. Special focus on the array of species and famous habitats in San Diego County.
Raw Art ("Art Brut")
Project Status: In production for early '98 release
One-hour documentary on the history and contemporary context of creativity
among mentally ill persons; produced in association with the Creative Arts
Consortium.
Postcards from the Fair: Balboa Park in 1935
Project Status: First airdates Dec. 12 & 19, 1996, Cox Communications/Channel
4
The story of San Diego's fabulous 1935 California Pacific International
Exposition that celebrated Balboa Park, helped to revitalize the city in
the Depression and created lasting memories of San Diegans. Supported in
part by the San Diego Community Foundation, Dr. Seuss Foundation, and the
Szekely Family Foundation.
SDSU: A Century of Learning
Project Status: completed; broadcasting regionally through 1997
The stirring story of San Diego State University and its growth from a
tiny normal school in 1897, located over a penny candy store in downtown
San Diego, to California's largest university--an institution with global
influence.
Dancers
Project Status: First Airdate 1/24/96 KPBS
Half-hour program documents the creative process of the Malashock Modern
Dance Company as it develops a new work, "Window Dressers," from
drawing board to opening night. The brevity of dancers' careers, lean salaries,
and the joy of dancing are also explored. Co-produced with KPBS.
Balboa Park: The Magic City
Project Status: completed; broadcast 1994-95, PBS stations
One-hour special on the history and a day in the life of one of the most
beautiful urban spaces ever conceived. Produced in association with the
Balboa Park Endowment Fund/San Diego Community Foundation and KPBS. Narrated
by noted newspaper columnist and former U.S. Congressman Lionel Van Deerlin.
Taking the Reins
Project Status: currently airing on KPBS
Short on the variety of horse-related activities in San Diego County. Co-produced
with KPBS.
Where the Surf Meets the Turf
Project Status: currently airing on KPBS
Short program on the star-studded history of the Del Mar Racetrack and
raising thoroughbred champions. Co- produced with KPBS.
A Safe Place
Project Status: first airdate 10/18/94, KPBS / PBS
Half-hour program reveals the the complex web of reasons for teen homelessness
and looks at successful solutions, especially the program founded by 1994
National Teacher of the Year and SDSU graduate, Sandra McBrayer. Production
generously supported by Joe Dolphin. Multiple award winner, including 1994
Southwestern Emmy, Best Documentary.
That Special Someone
Project Status: broadcast Valentine's Day, '94 and '95, PBS stations
Half-hour program looks at dating services, newspaper personals ads and
other means of finding that special someone in the '90s. How good are often
high-priced services at helping lonely people meet "significant others?"
Co-produced with KPBS.
Tolerance on Trial
Project Status: first airdate 3/31/93; broadcast 1993-94; PBS stations
Documents the furor that swept San Diego County in a landmark civil rights
case involving an outstanding veteran El Cajon police officer, football
coach and Boy Scout Explorer leader. Co-produced with KPBS.
From the Ground Up
Project Status: first airdate 4/23/93; broadcast 1993, PBS stations
Half-hour program seized a rare opportunity to document the rebuilding
of San Diego's aging urban core by leading architects. The city's architectural
rebirth and planning and development processes reflect the challenges confronting
every major American city today. Selected for the Film+Arc Collection at
Graz, Austria.
Memories of Chester and Billy: An Exploration of Theodore Dreiser's
Novel An American Tragedy
Project Status: Symposium, 1996
Symposium Feb. 16 - Mar. 27, 1996, on the cultural history of the famed
1906 murder case that inspired Theodore Dreiser's An American Tragedy which
then inspired plays, songs, poems, essays and films. Developed with the
San Diego Public Library and the Universities of Connecticut and Pennsylvania,
and supported by the California Council for the Humanities and the SDSU
College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts.
Balboa Park Endowment Fund
Project Status: completed Summer, 1996.
Short tape for fundraising use by the Endowment to ensure Balboa Park's
long-term preservation.
Cities of the Future Conference 1996
Project Status: completed December, 1996
Two-day conference in San Diego's Convention Center featured leading urbanists,
futurists, industry leaders and technology experts in a wide-ranging exploration
of the future of world cities.
A Sure Foundation
Project Status: completed 1992
Half-hour videotape for the Education Fund of the San Diego Carpenters
Union deals with on-the-job safety during huge excavations for skyscrapers,
tunnels and other major projects.
Mental Health
Project Status: Completed November, 1995.
Informational tape for San Diego Rotary on mental health programs sponsored
by the organization.
Connected Math Project
Project Status: Completed February, 1995
Demonstration tapes for the National Science Foundation-supported Connected
Math Project in selected schools throughout the U.S., showing master teachers
in pilot math programs with middle school students. Produced for Michigan
State University, which is conducting research into improving American
students' math skills.
San Diego County Grand Jury
Project Status: Completed 1994
Videotape explaining the role, investigative functions and societal benefits
of the Grand Jury in community life.
Camp Able
Project Status: completed 1994
Achievements of the innovative camp designed to provide physically challenged
younsters with independent outdoor camping experiences.
National Multiple Sclerosis Society
Project Status: Completed 1993
Public Service Announcements and "Reasons to Give" promotional
spots for ongoing television use.
Mother Theresa Hospice
Project Status: Completed 1993
Half-hour tape for Rotary International on the work of the late Mother
Theresa and in a Tijuana hospice.
Easter Seal Society of San Diego County
Project Status: Completed 1992
Public Service Announcements and "Reasons to Give" promotional
spots for the 1992 Easter Seal Telethon.
World Blindness Outreach
Project Status: Completed 1992
Documentary for Rotary International on the work of American eye doctors,
who aid cataract patients in India, Kenya, Mexico and other third world
nations.
Habitat For Humanity
Project Status: completed 1990; released to international distribution
Half-hour program with President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Roslyn Carter
working on the "Miracle on the Border" project in San Diego-Tijuana
in which 1,000 volunteers built 100 homes in one week for impoverished
families; a documentary on the innovative, low-cost concrete-wire frame
construction method used in the Habitat homes as a prototype for developing
nations; and an orientation tape for international Habitat volunteers.
Boating Safety Public Service Announcements
Project Status: completed October, 1996 for national release
America's Cup women's team members are featured in three 30-second television
and radio PSAs dealing with man- overboard emergencies, importance of children's
life jackets and need for all boaters to pump (not dump) sewage. Produced
for the California Dept. of Boating & Waterways.
Let's Go Boating
Project Status: released April, 1993 for national distribution
This visually stunning, 11-part series of half-hour programs is the nation's
first comprehensive guide to the joys of recreational boating, both power
and sail, and emphasizes safety, small boat handling techniques, types
of boats, boating rules and technology, and much more. Filmed in San Diego
and Southern California for the California Dept. of Boating & Waterways
in association with the Mission Bay Aquatic Center and the U.S. Coast Guard.
Boating for Beginners Project Status: released January, 1991 for national distribution Two-part series of half-hour tapes for the California Dept. of Boating & Waterways provide an overview for neophyte boaters on proper handling of small, recreational vessels. Produced as comedy-dramas with cast of actors.
Getting the Bugs Out
Project Status: released 1992 for state-wide use.
20-minute videotape for the California Dept. of Food & Agriculture/Pesticide
Safety Division, shows pesticide professionals the correct methods of handling
and using types of pesticides.
Public Defender
Project Status: Research and development
One-hour special on the work of the San Diego County Office of the Public
Defender.
San Diego Bay
Project Status: In Production
A one-hour history of one of the world's finest natural harbors and its
influence in advancing the growth and culture of Southern California (for
California's sesquicentennial, 1998-2000).
Cutting Edge Project Status: Product Acquisition and fundraising
One-hour series showcasing independent documentary work from the U.S. and
around the world. Programs will include two to five documentaries of varying
length and content. Approx. 50% of inaugural season has been acquired.
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