Academy Museum Of Motion Pictures And Its Collection
The Saban Building , formerly the May Company Building , on Wilshire Boulevard in the Miracle Mile district of Los Angeles , is a celebrated example of Streamline Moderne architecture. The building’s architect Albert C. Martin, Sr. , also designed the Million Dollar Theater and Los Angeles City Hall . The May Company Building is a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument . The building was operated as a May Company department store from 1939 until the store’s closure in 1992, when May merged with J. W. Robinson’s to form Robinsons-May . The building has been the home of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures since 2021. The Los Angeles Conservancy calls it “the grandest example of Streamline Moderne remaining in Los Angeles”. It is especially noted for its gold-tiled cylindrical section that faces the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard at Fairfax Avenue , of which it occupies the northeast corner.
Auralizing The Dolby Family Terrace
The glass-domed sphere structure features the open-air Dolby Family Terrace. The spectacular views including the iconic Hollywood sign create a fantastic atmosphere for events. To understand and develop the acoustic design, the architects asked Arup to auralize the Dolby Family Terrace using our state-of-the-art acoustic simulation tool, Arup SoundLab. Inside the SoundLab, we replicated the experience of standing atop the Sphere during different event types. Through the auralization, Arup provided the architects and the Academy with realistic expectations of the acoustic environment for the future terrace.
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More Than 130 Museum Display Cases
Zone Display Cases is highly devoted to achieving more than 130 custom-made museum display cases in multiples sizes and different forms.
Chaired by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the honorary organization behind the annual Academy Awards ceremony, the mandate included the manufacturing, designing, and installation of a variety of museum display cases that have met the highest conservation standards, including integrated lighting systems and enhanced security mechanisms. These showcases will be used to display loan and museum collection objects.
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What Were The Main Software Applications Used For This Project And How Were They Used
Conducting thorough and dependable analysis was essential, for which we primarily used SAP2000 and ANSYS, and a few others. ANSYS was an especially interesting and challenging application to use. While it was the only software that could effectively analyze the theater structure, ANSYS was not designed specifically to run structural analyses, including seismic, so we had to develop custom scripts and code. Exploring new ways to combine Buro Happolds computational expertise with the power of ANSYS ultimately delivered a truly one-of-a-kind structure, with robust analysis behind it .
Revit was the primary application used for modeling, coordination, and documentation , and Navisworks was also used for coordination during design and preconstruction of the dome. In addition, we created custom parametric model workflows to connect different moving parts and coordinate them. Software used for these more complex aspects of the project included Digital Project, Rhino+Grasshopper, and Dynamo.
The same script then ran the structure generated through live analysis to provide feedback for expected deflections . Exporting the results as a colorized model of the anticipated required structure ensured it aligned as needed with the many supported moving parts while also remaining within deflection limits.
The Academy Museum Of Motion Pictures In Los Angeles Opens To The Public
the academy museum of motion pictures will open its doors to the public on thursday, september 30, 2021. located in los angeles and designed by renzo piano, the new museum is the largest in north america dedicated to exploring films and film culture.
we are living in changing and ever-evolving times, and now more than ever we need to come together to share our stories, learn from one another, and bond over being entertained and delighted. this is what movies do, and we are thrilled to be opening such a dynamic, diverse and welcoming institution devoted to this beloved artform,said bill kramer, director and president of the academy museum.I am so deeply grateful to the entire academy museum team and all of our partners who have worked with such dedication and integrity in building this new institution for los angeles and for the world.
images ©iwan baan unless otherwise noted courtesy of academy museum foundation
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The Best Time To Visit The Academy Museum Of Motion Pictures
Photo: Academy Museum of Motion Pictures courtesy of Photo by Joshua White + JWPictures/Academy Museum Foundation/Facebook
The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is open seven days a week, from 10 AM to 6 PM between Thursday and Sunday and from 10 AM to 8 PM on Friday and Saturday. Theres no bad time to visit, as the museums timed ticketing system ensures the galleries never get overwhelmingly busy. But if you want to feel like you have the place to yourself as much as possible, plan to swing by on a weekday morning.
Films are also screened on-site at various times throughout the week, occasionally even after hours. If youre interested in catching a show at one of the museums theaters, check out the events calendar and schedule your visit around the movie you want to see.
Underrated Exhibitions To Check Out At The Academy Museum Of Motion Pictures
Photo: Academy Museum of Motion Pictures courtesy of Photo by Joshua White + JWPictures/Academy Museum Foundation/Facebook
Its hard to say that any of the exhibitions in the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is underrated. Despite the museums size, there are currently only four ongoing exhibitions and two temporary exhibitions on offer, as well as collections like the Oscars gallery on the second floor, one of Girards personal favorites, which displays 20 real-life Oscars statuettes from the early 20th century to today. Yet one collection visitors would be remiss to overlook is found within The Path to Cinema: Highlights from the Richard Balzer Collection.
Richard Balzer is a name only the most dedicated movie historians are likely to know. Balzer himself was one, in a manner of speaking, having amassed one of the most significant collections of pre-cinema paraphernalia known to man. Now on display at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, the Richard Balzer collection includes artifacts such as praxinoscopes and zoetropes, two 19th-century optical inventions that created the illusion of animation, and sciopticons, or magic lanterns, a precursor to the slide projector. Though Balzer lacks Miyazakis name recognition, the exhibition is a fascinating look into the technologies that gave rise to modern cinema and even includes a live magic lantern show.
Photo: Academy Museum of Motion Pictures/Facebook
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Guided Tours At The Academy Museum Of Motion Pictures
Photo: Academy Museum of Motion Pictures/Facebook
Though they were not offered previously, guided tours have been made available in 2022. Self-guided tours are still an excellent option, however. All you have to do is download the Academy Museum app, grab a pair of headphones, and carve out the recommended two hours to tour the museum according to the audio guide. The audio tours included in the app are available in English, Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Japanese, and Korean.
A Tour Through The Brand New Academy Museum Of Motion Pictures
Before IMDb and Wikipedia, while most people only thought of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences during Oscar season, the Academy provided a small haven for Los Angeles fact-checkers looking for quotes and clips about celebrities. During a summer unpaid internship, I spent a few hours at the Fairbanks Center for Motion Pictures Study to visit the Margaret Herrick Library and the Academy Headquarters Building in Beverly Hills.
The headquarters used to house two galleries which had changing exhibits related to films, filmmaking and film stars. The Grand Lobby Gallery and the Fourth Floor Gallery were free to the public, but these have closed now in preparation for the opening of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. Originally set to open in 2020, the museum finally opened its doors to the public on Thursday, September 30, 2021. Director and president of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures Bill Kramer noted, “The pandemic required us to move our opening twice because museums were not open in Los Angeles. That only allowed for more time to build these beautiful exhibitions in a COVID-safe way.”
The current exhibits at the Academy Museum include:
The exhibits, all of which are temporary, mean to display and discuss the many different branches of the Academythe arts and the sciences. Of course, the Oscars are also addressed. You can see some historic Oscars as well as hear clips from Oscar speeches.
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Flexibility For A Variety Of Cinematic Experiences
Because film formats have evolved over the history of cinema, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is equipped to present a variety of film types at different screen sizes in its theaters. Arup developed an innovative approach to the common screen masking technique, allowing the screen to seamlessly transition between film types as well as be completely covered. The theaters can accommodate film in a variety of formats, including nitrate, 35mm, 70mm, and Dolby laser projection. By quietly moving in four directions, the screen creates an iris effect that crisply focuses in at the perfect proportions for viewing. Arups novel approach to the masking technique elevates the screening experience by integrating the moving parts as part of the show and allows the screen to be completely concealed for live performances.
To achieve the authentic art housefeel envisioned by RPBW, Arup incorporated a house curtain to operate simultaneously with the masking technique. The curtain effortlessly folds into the ceiling as the house lights go down, both achieving the Academys speed and functionality requirements and aesthetically supporting both film and live event presentations. Arup also designed the production lighting system to support live shows, clip shows, premiere director talks, and interviews, as well as the live broadcast of the Oscar nomination announcements.
Where To Start Your Visit At The Academy Museum Of Motion Pictures
Photo: Academy Museum of Motion Pictures/Facebook
The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures describes Stories of Cinema as its central, ongoing exhibition. Spanning three floors, Stories of Cinema explores the diverse, international, and complex stories of moviemakers and the works they create. The exhibition kicks off in the Spielberg Family Gallery in the Sidney Poitier Grand Lobby, which is exactly where Girard suggests visitors begin their tours.
There, visitors will be introduced to the museum through an immersive, multi-channel media installation that weaves together clips from more than 700 films, from the beginning of cinematic history in the late-19th century to instant classics from this decade. The Spielberg Family Gallery is also open to the public, free of charge, meaning even passersby can enjoy the museum for at least 13 minutesthe media installations run time.
From there, visitors can continue on to the second floor of the exhibition, where theyll learn about the films and filmmakers that have had the greatest impact on the world of cinema everything that goes into making a movie, from conception to impact and about the history of the Academy Awards.
The third and final floor of the exhibition shines a spotlight on the future of moviemaking, as well as collaborations with famous directors such as Pedro Almodóvar.
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Honoring History Through Theater Design
Breathing new life into the historic Saban building, which was formerly a 1930s department store, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures celebrates the to the arts, sciences, and artists of moviemaking. Arup strategically balanced paying homage to the history of cinema and integrating the highest standard of technology in both the museums Geffen Theater and Ted Mann Theater. Working directly with the Academy Museum and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences technology group, as well as some of the best cinematographers and projectionists in the country, we crafted a high-quality cinematic experience.
Arup collaborated with RPBW and Gensler to create the Geffen Theater, contributing theatre and specialist lighting consulting to altogether craft an elegant and authentic audience experience. The Ted Mann Theater strikes a different tone, and Arups contributions help to expose the cinema machine and emphasize an atmosphere of cutting-edge technology. The two theaters complement each other: the Geffen embraces the history of film while the Ted Mann pushes cinema into the future. Edward AreniusAssociate Principal
Orcs Vampires And Aliens
Occupying an old Art Deco warehouse built in the 1930s, the museum was designed by award-winning architect Renzo Piano, who added a giant metal dome to the original building, housing the David Geffen Theater, an ultramodern 1000-seat cinema.
The museums galleries are spread over six floors, and take visitors on an epic journey across the history of the silver screen, from its first faltering steps in the late 19th century, all the way through to the present day, special effects included. Youll get to see the other side of the set and the magical techniques used in making movies, thanks to the museums immersive, interactive curation. But the main attraction for most visitors will doubtless be the chance to come face to face with E.T. the Extra Terrestrial Count Dracula the terrifying orc from Lord of the Rings the bloody replica of Arnold Schwarzeneggers head made for Terminator and the life sized amphibian monster from The Shape of Water. True movie buffs will recognise Rosebud, the sled from Citizen Kane, and Judy Garlands famous red slippers from The Wizard of Oz. Theres also the tablets from The Ten Commandments and the dressing gown worn by the riotous Jeff Bridges in The Big Lebowski. So many iconic props that combine to make this museum so unique.
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Academy Museum Of Motion Pictures Finally Set To Open
LOS ANGELES â After much delay, some controversy, and a pandemic, the doors of The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures will open to the public on Sept. 30.
With its new Renzo Piano-designed, state-of-the-art screening facility, and a painstaking restoration of the streamline-moderne May Co. building, which dates back to 1939, the museum is being billed as Los Angeles’ first world-class museum devoted to the art, science and history of the movies.
What You Need To Know
- The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is set to open Sept. 30
- The seven-story, 300,000 square-foot museum features permanent and rotating exhibitions containing artifacts spanning the entire history of cinema
- The temporary exhibition on Hayao Miyazaki is the first North American retrospective of the work of the acclaimed filmmaker
- Besides the exhibition, the museum will feature educational and family programs
Visitors will get to see important artifacts like the “Citizen Kane” Rosebud sled, Dorothy’s ruby red slippers from “The Wizard of Oz” , and Bruce, the shark from Steven Spielbergâs “Jaws” , but wait, thereâs more! Seven stories and 300,000 square feet more, of gallery and event space.
The first movie the museumâs director of education, Amy Homma, remembers seeing was, in fact, “The Wizard of Oz,” and that Technicolor musical extravaganza left a lasting impression on her.
What You Need To Know
Premier Event Venue In Los Angeles
The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures seeks to inspire, entertain, and educate all visitors about the rich history of motion pictures through the lens of those who make it. The 300,000 square-foot museum features two film and performance theaters, an education studio, dynamic public spaces, and 15,000 square-feet of dedicated event space for both intimate and high-profile special events.
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A Legendary Actors Watch On Display At The Museum
Drive carefully Me
These three words are engraved on the back of the Cosmograph Daytona that actress Joanne Woodward gave to her husband, Paul Newman, shortly before he embarked on a career as a racing driver. Equally devoted to his twin passions of acting and racing, Newman competed in his first professional race in 1972, going on to win four Sports Car Club of America championships. In 1979 he finished second at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In 1995, at the age of 70, his team won in the GTS-1 class at the 24 Hours of Daytona. Throughout this brilliant career, his Cosmograph Daytona never left his wrist.
Away from the circuits, Newman wore other Rolex watches, most memorably as Fast Eddie Felson in The Color of Money, a performance that earned him the Oscar® for Best Actor in 1987.
He was a man of many talents and extraordinary celebrity. Alongside being a talented actor and race car driver, he was also a pioneering social entrepreneur.
The watch given to him by Joanne Woodward is on display at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.
Would You Consider This Project To Be An Example Of The Cutting
In many ways yes, but hindsight suggests we could have been even more forward-thinking. We were using the latest and greatest during the design phase: Digital Project early on, followed by Grasshopper+Rhino leveraging recently developed internal and external plugins, and eventually joined by Dynamo as it matured to allow us to build upon our existing Revit API workflows. But by the time the project was completed we had identified some emerging technologies we wished we had been able to use earlier. Examples of this include VR Meetings for coordination, Game Engines for key design and visualization processes, and recent developments in our Open-Source codebase which would have further improved our processes.
This project is a great example of how technology moves faster than the AEC industry. We accept now that each project will start using the cutting-edge, and end using outdated technology with new technologies representing missed opportunities had we had them earlier. The BHoM and our approach to centralizing collaborative code at Buro Happold seeks to address this recurring gap by curating a central, shared, flexible, and constantly evolving codebase.
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