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In this week's Academy Originals we sat down with writer/director Ernest Dickerson who recounts the story about hiring a young (and relatively unknown) Tupac Shakur in the gritty film "Juice"."Tupac at that time was still a background singer and roadie for Digital Underground," Dickerson recalled. "And while we were shooting he was always writing," Dickerson added, suspecting that what he was writing were some of the powerful tunes that people have been listening to for decades now.For another interesting story about how actors were chosen, check out casting director Marci Liroff ("Indiana…

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced its newly elected 2015–16 Board of Governors.  A runoff election is required for the Writers Branch.“I’m excited to welcome our four new governors to the Board and congratulate those who have been reelected,” said Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs.  “Our Board is made up of some of the most experienced and respected professionals in our industry, and we look forward to working with them on our ongoing goals of increasing member engagement and expanding the Academy’s outreach to our global film community.”Those elected to the…

Showcasing America's lasting love of fireworks and hamburgers (and demonstrating the great strides made in food advertising aesthetics), “Come and Get ‘Em” is one of the many vintage snipes in the vaults of the Academy Film Archive. Snipes, or brief promotional films screened ahead of (or in-between) features, provide unique snapshots of the movie-going experience of yesteryear.  Not only tempting audiences with the wondrous delights of the refreshment stand, these culturally significant materials also informed viewers about the many issues of the day such as the miracle of movie theater air-…

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today published its list of upcoming submission deadlines for 88th Academy Awards® consideration.Submissions for individual categories and the General Entry/Official Screen Credits (OSC) form are due by 5 p.m. PT on the following dates:Scientific and Technical Awards  Documentary Short Subject   Documentary Feature    Animated Short Film    Live Action Short Film    Foreign Language Film   Animated Feature Film   Original Score     Original Song     General Entry/OSC Form   Friday, July 10Tuesday, September 1Monday, September 21Thursday, October…

The original Muscle Beach, located south of the Santa Monica Pier, was constructed in 1934 by the Works Progress Administration with the intention of creating a park on a public beach. By the 1940s however, Muscle Beach frequently appeared as a standing joke in trade magazines and was often mentioned with innuendo in Hollywood gossip columns. For filmmaker Joseph Strick, however, the beach scene offered an opportunity to observe and document an emerging subculture of gymnasts, bodybuilders and exhibitionists. His 1948 short Muscle Beach, made with assistance from fellow filmmaker Irving…

With summer upon us, we hark back to a time when the warmer months allowed films to be shown outdoors at airdomes, and theatergoers were familiar with the glass slides that were part of the show. In their earlier days, glass slides, also known romantically as “lantern slides,” were part of an entertainment device called the magic lantern. A precursor to motion pictures, magic lanterns were popular both in the home and in theaters in the 18th and 19th centuries. They projected the images from hand-tinted glass slides onto a screen or wall through the use of candles or lanterns, which grew in…

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced today that the Los Angeles City Council, in a unanimous vote, approved plans for the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. Construction will begin this summer, and ceremonial groundbreaking festivities will occur this fall.“I am thrilled that Los Angeles is gaining another architectural and cultural icon," said Mayor Eric Garcetti. "My office of economic development has worked directly with the museum's development team to ensure that the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures will create jobs, support tourism, and pay homage to the industry…