David Boyd, a member of the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) and his wife, film producer, actress, and theatre and dance alum Lisa Rhoden Boyd, will visit campus for masterclass workshops on Thursday, Nov. 3, 2011 and a screening of works on Friday, Nov. 4. All events are free and open to the public, and will be held in the Plaster Student Union theatre. David Boyd’s workshop is from 2:00 to 3:45 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 3, and Lisa Rhoden Boyd’s workshop is from 4:00 to 5:45 p.m. The Nov. 4 screening and talkback session is from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. and will consist of two works for which David Boyd has done cinematography: “Two Soldiers,” an award-winning short film, and “The Trial of Jack McCall,” an episode from season one of HBO’s hit series “Deadwood.” (The “Deadwood” episode is rated “TV-MA” for adult language.) After the screening, David and Lisa will participate in a talkback session about making films in and out of Hollywood.
“Two Soldiers,” which won an Academy Award in 2004 for Best Live Action Short Film, stars Ron Perlman and is based on a story by William Faulkner. When ten-year-old Willie Grier’s older brother enlists in the Army after Pearl Harbor, Willie sets out to track him down, determined to follow his brother and best friend off to war. “Deadwood” ran on HBO from 2004 to 2006 and followed characters living in Deadwood, South Dakota, a crime-ridden mining camp, following the massacre of Custer’s forces. “The Trial of Jack McCall” is episode 5 of the show’s first season. Al Swearengen (Ian McShane) transforms his bar, The Gem, into a courtroom to try a murderer.
David Boyd was nominated for an ASC award in 2004 for his work on “Deadwood.” Other television credits include cinematography, camera, and direction work on “Firefly,” “Without a Trace,” “Friday Night Lights,” “Sons of Anarchy” and “The Walking Dead.” He has also worked on feature films, including “Kit Kittredge: An American Girl” (2008), “12 Rounds” (2009), “Get Low” (2009; Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek, Bill Murray) and the upcoming feature “Joyful Noise” (2012; Dolly Parton, Queen Latifah).
Lisa Rhoden Boyd is a Springfield native, film producer, actress, and graduate from the University’s theatre and dance department. She has worked extensively with Cuban-American director Leon Ichaso, producing his 2009 film “Paraiso” and serving as associate producer on his 2001 film “Pinero.”
The University Film Series is made possible by a grant from the Office of the Provost and support from the College of Arts and Letters. All students and interested members of the public are encouraged to attend the Thursday workshops and Friday night screening and meet these master filmmakers. You may contact Mark Biggs, department head of media, journalism and film, at (417) 836-5218 or MarkBiggs@missouristate.edu for more information.