The Hollywood by the Horns program hosted a special screening of the film “One Battle After Another” on Apr. 21, featuring a panel discussion with some of the award-winning crew.
The film, which won a total of six Oscars at this year’s Academy Awards—including Best Picture and Best Film Editing—is an action thriller that tells the story of a former far-left revolutionary trying to find his daughter while evading capture by corrupt authorities.
The screening in the Laser Recital Hall drew a near-capacity crowd. Toddy Eames, FTVM professor and director of Hollywood by the Horns; a program for FTVM students to make connections and learn about the industry , told The Bulletin the event marked another way the program attempts to support aspiring filmmakers at CSUDH.
“We are a less-resourced campus than some of the bigger film schools,” said Eames, who launched the program in 2014. “This is one of the ways we compensate, and we get a lot of wonderful support from the Golden Globe Foundation, so we are able to provide great opportunities for our students.”
Eames lauded producer and frequent collaborator Emily Ziff Griffin for helping to organize the post-screening panel, which featured editor Andy Jurgensen, producer Sara Murphy, and cinematographer Michael Bauman.
“It’s a big deal, we do cool things. We bring professionals to campus who are working on high levels,” Eames said. “I think this one has the most accolades and most timely since they came off of this win, but it’s totally not without precedent.”
The trio of panelists spoke about their respective careers and roles in making the film, which was directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, who won the Oscar for Best Director.
Bauman described the production as “crazy,” saying every aspect of making the film was done “to the ‘nth’ degree.” For example, Anderson insisted on using VistaVision—a format from the 1950s—to create the film’s visual aesthetic, rather than standard special effects. This method gave a grittier feel, but came with its share of challenges—including jammed cameras and considerable patience for temperamental weather conditions.
“Plans change—they always change, and it doesn’t matter what size of a movie you’re making…you never have enough resources, things always go wrong,” Bauman said. “You need to have the ability to see what the core things are to tell this story…have an open mind and always come up with solutions.”
Murphy told the audience she originally attended the University of Washington to study engineering but dropped out to work for Cooper’s Town Productions, which Griffin co-founded with the late Oscar-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman. Although Murphy was entirely unfamiliar with the process of movie-making, she jumped into the industry with both feet.
“It was mostly learning how to work with an artist, the vulnerability of being an artist and…understanding the politics and sensitivities of wanting to take care of a vision,” Murphy explained. “At that point, I felt I wanted to support that artistry.”
Jurgensen offered the last word, emphasizing the importance of community and patience as a filmmaker. He said he stays connected to his friends from college, and they sometimes work together on projects. Jurgensen encouraged Toros to find and build their own communities as they navigate the industry, which requires consistent effort and determination to succeed.
“It doesn’t happen overnight,” Jurgensen said. “Slowly work your way up, meet more people—keep at it, don’t give up.”
Luis Cabrales, a senior film and production student, had already watched the film but said he found it just as “captivating” the second time around. “There were just so many good moments—the comedic sense while shining a light on what’s going on in our time. It’s a very modern film.”