Daily Bruin – Page 4

Alumni will rewrite traditional LGBTQ narratives in Outfest short films

In 1981, two UCLA students wondered why Los Angeles didn’t have its own LGBTQ film festival like those in San Francisco and New York – so they set out to create their own.

Since then, the festival has grown into Outfest, Los Angeles’ preeminent LGBTQ film festival, and one of the oldest across the country.

The festival, which takes place July 18 through 28, features several short films created by UCLA alumni, including “First Position,” “Origin” and “Framing Agnes.” The films are all set in various time periods and focus on rewriting society’s narratives about the LGBTQ community.

“First Position”

Michael Elias Thomas grew up filming the moving body in conjunction with music and watching his sister dance.

His film “First Position” was a manifestation of his thesis research in the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television’s cinematography MFA program, which explored the ways in which body movement can shape and manipulate camera movement. He blended that technical research with a desire to tell a story about the LGBTQ community.

The film takes place in 1980s San Francisco and follows Zachary, an aspiring dancer whose dreams are put on hold with the onset of HIV/AIDS symptoms. Thomas, the director and cinematographer, shot on film and was inspired by 1980 archival photos, which created a damaged and textured visual aesthetic, but also limited his budget.

“When you’re doing handheld (film), you have the camera right to your ear and you’re just hearing the money just go through the machine,” Thomas said. “I had to know what I wanted when we were shooting, whether it be a certain emotion or a certain movement of the actors.”

Thomas said he wanted to highlight dance in telling his story since he respects how dance is able to reveal meaning through movement. By intercutting dance sequences with scenes such as a character having a breakdown or a romantic scene, Thomas used the choreography to underscore the emotions of the scenes.

“My main goal was to, instead of using dialogue to push the story forward, … use dance and dance movements, different choreography to establish what was happening,” Thomas said. “It’s all through how the bodies interact with each other.”

“Origin”

Simone Lyles set out to explore sexuality in an introspective way, imagining the ways in which an internal discovery could be realized visually on screen.

“Origin,” written, directed and edited by Lyles, plays with the boundary between imagination and reality. Set in 1980s Oakland, the film centers on Cora, a woman in love with her best friend who turns to self-help conversion therapy tapes to try to come to terms with her sexuality.

Lyles sought to convey Cora’s thoughts and subconscious desires visually on screen, but she said the importance of creating personal fantasy extended beyond narrative function. For Lyles, making a queer film about people of color was important for validating underrepresented experiences.

“What’s important for me in the fantasy-reality (relationship) is letting queer people of color a space to be able to fantasize,” Lyles said. “The idea that we can be multi-dimensional people and have thoughts that do manifest visually in our heads, what does that look like as an artist trying to depict that nuance?”

In addition to depicting new fantasy on screen, Lyles said “Origin” debunks fiction, pushing back on a narrative often placed on queer communities – that someone chooses to be gay. The film takes its name from Cora’s conversion tapes, which urge her to revisit her past and find the point when she first chose to be gay.

“I decided to call it ‘Origin’ in a contradiction of the actual process,” Lyles said. “There is no origin, there’s no such thing, but the (tape) was trying to get her to go through that process of finding this moment that truly didn’t exist.”

“Framing Agnes”

Agnes’ story originates at UCLA in multiple ways – it’s where co-directors Chase Joynt and Kristen Schilt met, and it‘s also the starting point for a 1958 case study that defined sociological research on transgender identity.

In 1958, a patient named Agnes approached Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center for sex reassignment surgery and was interviewed by psychiatrist Dr. Robert Stoller and sociologist Harold Garfinkel. Stoller and Garfinkel’s studies were published in the 1960s, and Agnes was considered to be one of the first case studies of an individual who may today identify as transgender.

While working on the Mellon Foundation Fellowship together, Joynt and Schilt were granted access to Garfinkel’s private archive and found additional unpublished case studies Garfinkel had performed with gender non-conforming individuals. Finding the studies inspired “Framing Agnes,” an experimental documentary featuring prominent trans actors, including Angelica Ross of “Pose” and Zackary Drucker of “Transparent,” playing the people from the case studies.

The actors’ jobs extended beyond reading transcripts from the studies and understanding the details of the person’s life story. In addition, they focused on understanding each subject as a full and complete person, finding a connection between themselves and the character they were inhabiting, Joynt said.

“(Telling the story) required opening up the creative space to allow our actors to inhabit these historical subjects in ways that felt resonant for them,” Joynt said. “So yes, they are inspired and pulling from real lives and real transcripts but also, there is this very necessary creative slippage where our actors inhabit the fantasy hauntings of people who they feel very connected to.”

Joynt and Schilt said they focused on the sociological impact of both Agnes’ case and the exclusion of the other cases from publication. Agnes’ story was isolated and used to set medical standards for gender non-conforming people, obscuring the true diversity of the LGBTQ community while also harming individuals who differed from Agnes, Schilt said.

“In the transcripts, many of the people say to the doctors, ‘I’m really glad I’m telling you my story because I think this is going to be useful, many generations are going to be able to benefit from the knowledge I’m giving you,’” Schilt said. “The fact that they don’t really get written about is sad, and I think being able to feature that in the movie was a shift for us that was important.”

UCLA Extension storyteller draws on fairy tales, vocal performance to comfort kids

Storytellers utilize audiobooks to help children escape at bedtime.

UCLA Extension instructor Janet Wilcox has been working with her students since 2016 to voice short fiction audiobooks for young patients and their families at the UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital. Her project is part of a public collection of stories on SoundCloud called “Kid’s Stories That Care,” which features stories ranging from two to 20 minutes long, and are available on iPads in patients’ hospital rooms. Historically, Wilcox said bedside stories have had a calming effect on children, which would benefit the patients.

“Art has the power to transport us to other worlds,” Wilcox said. “It gives us a break and refreshes us. I hope these stories allow the children to take a vacation from their everyday worries and concerns and feel more empowered and liberated.”

The audiobooks tend to follow typical stories for young children, focusing on children and their parents, fairy tales, animals or colors, Wilcox said. The process of creating one of the stories begins as a collaboration between her and the author – mostly writers outside of UCLA – as well as her students voicing the story. Wilcox said she often relies on the authors to help her cast the narrator because they have the most insight into the story.

Wilcox collaborated with author Marc Clark and her students to bring Clark’s print book “The Royal Fables: Stories From the Princes & Princesses of the Texas Children’s Hospital” into the audio project.

In 2014, Clark visited patients in the Texas Children’s Hospital cancer centers and asked the children to come up with a title for a prince or princess story ― he said he then chose five of them and wrote fairy tales such as “The Prince Who Never Cleaned His Room.” Now, the five fairy tales making up the book are separated into different audiobooks – as they follow stories inspired by young patients in a children’s hospital, Clark said his book was a good fit for the project.

“(Fairy tales) have withstood the challenges of our time and they’ve been with us since the beginning of storytelling,” Clark said. “Most people believe that fairy tales aren’t real and I’m of the opposite opinion.”

The audiobooks are voiced with their young audience in mind. When recording a voice-over, one has to imagine that they are telling it to a child they really know to stimulate authentic storytelling, Wilcox said. Acting is at the core of voice-over, she said, so one does not push intonations in their voice – they flow naturally as in real life, because one’s emotional needs influence how they speak and are dictated by the emotional subtext of the story.

However, characters’ voices may be improved by altering a vocal placement, such as by employing a high voice for a fairy princess, she said. In her class, Wilcox said she teaches her students how to make words come alive. When a student is selected to voice a story after auditioning, they receive guidance from both herself and the story’s author, Wilcox said.

“I may ask the student to do broader character vocal traits to distinguish a grandpa from a child,” Wilcox said. “Or I may suggest playing with the dynamic range of sound, so a section may be quieter, intimate and warmer, or more lively to simulate yelling. Every story has its own flavor and I always want to enrich that.”

While most of the tales are written by people outside of UCLA, fourth-year psychology student Ashley Lanuza was the first UCLA undergraduate student to contribute to the project, Wilcox said. Lanuza, who wrote “Brog The Frog’s Fly Catching Day,” said the story follows a frog who does not listen to the directions given by his mother and grandfather and is meant to illustrate the importance of teamwork in achieving one’s goals, she said. While preparing for the project, Lanuza said she would listen to audio samples of Wilcox’s students narrating her story and then select the voice she felt was most natural narrating the story.

For UCLA students interested in writing a story for the audiobook project, Lanuza said a writer must write coming from what they know, because one is more likely to have a personal connection to what they are writing.

“I hope my story imparts that the people in our lives really, really do care about us and even if it’s something that we don’t want to hear, they’re always thinking of the best for us,” Lanuza said.

Editorial: UC African American admissions pale in comparison to national population percentage

A more diverse freshman class doesn’t necessarily mean diversity across the board.

The University of California admitted its largest and most diverse freshman body ever for the upcoming fall quarter, with a total of 108,178 students across nine UCs. Not only are there more students than last year, but there are 991 more who come from underrepresented groups.

Increasing the percentage of marginalized, first-generation or low-income students within higher education is an accomplishment worth celebrating – and one the UC is rightfully touting.

But when only 5% and 0.5% of these newly admitted and widely diverse admits identify as African American and Native American students, respectively, the UC should question whether enough is being done to uplift all ranges of underrepresented students.

On average, universities across the country have first-year acceptance rates that are reflective of the national percentage for that racial or ethnic group. Yet African Americans and Native Americans constitute about 13% and 1.3% of the national population – meaning the dismal number of many minority admits doesn’t come close to doing their populations justice within the UC.

And this isn’t a new issue.

The UC has been reporting low admit rates for some student groups since 1996, when Proposition 209 banned public universities from considering race in the admissions process.

And with systemic barriers such as lack of support, resources, financial aid and representation, students of color have long been isolated from academia.

In fact, a UC study from 2016 found that many African American students who were admitted to UC campuses chose to enroll at other colleges when they considered the lack of diversity, high costs and lack of outreach efforts.

Although the percentage of African American students admitted has actually gone up in recent years, the fact remains – students don’t want to attend a campus where they feel unrepresented.

And higher admit rates are only the beginning.

In order to build and uplift a diverse student body, the UC must lay a foundation where underrepresented students can succeed. African American students at the UC have a lower graduation rate than white students, largely because students don’t engage as much when they feel unwelcome in the classroom, according to the Campaign for College Opportunity.

Yes, the diversity in this year’s freshman class is an improvement. But it holds little indication that those admitted will be thoroughly represented in their undergraduate careers – much less supported.

And that lack of representation permeates the UC on many levels.

With only 3% of tenured faculty in the UC being African American, it is no wonder minority groups do not see their future in the UC – they don’t see themselves reflected in higher education in the first place.

The UC clearly knows that there aren’t enough underrepresented students, why they’re not enrolled and the reasons they might struggle in college. But it has done little to deliver on promises of a diverse campus that reflects the national population as a whole.

From the viral Black Bruins spoken word poem a few years ago to the Afrikan Student Union demand for a black student resource center at UCLA earlier this year, it’s clear that underrepresented students want to be heard.

Surely, small steps in the right direction are better than none.

But it’s not enough to get a foot in the door when there aren’t enough seats at the table inside.

Multifactor authentication ensures security at cost of accessibility

Multifactor authentication. Many of us groan and roll our eyes the second those words are heard, and for good reason.

Multifactor authentication is a security system that asks a user for more than one form of identification for a login into a secure database. The first form of ID essentially refers to a password – something only you would know. Traditionally, this is all that’s been required; but with hacking techniques becoming more prolific and sophisticated, a second measure has been adopted.

And that second measure is probably sitting in your pocket right now: a smartphone.

As excessive as it might seem, multifactor authentication has become increasingly necessary. Over the past few years, UCLA has suffered multiple cyberattacks on its servers: namely UCLA Health’s database and UCLA administration’s server regarding patient and student information. These attacks put our private information at tremendous risk of being stolen.

But the benefits of increased security don’t always outweigh the costs.

UCLA’s multifactor authentication system has proven to be an annoyance at best and a barrier to critical information at worst. A secondary authentication only lasts for a few hours, meaning students must log in multiple times a day, regardless of whether it’s on a personal smartphone or a public computer.

Peter Reiher, an adjunct professor of computer science, said the level of security that UCLA currently employs in terms of multifactor authentication is inconvenient and potentially problematic.

“As a professional, I don’t enjoy it,” Reiher said. “It affects our access to grades, salaries, taxes, histories and medical information, which constantly requires access and authentication.”

Beyond the frequency of accessibility lies the quality of accessibility. Repeated logins on the same device add up to more than just a minor inconvenience over the course of a day – let alone a week or a year. Instead, allowing a trusted device that requires logins less frequently could eliminate some of the existing inconveniences the system causes.

The addition of trusted devices would be a welcome solution. This would maintain security across unfamiliar and personal devices alike, while minimizing the inconvenience on a trusted device.

Unfortunately for students, UCLA seems to have trust issues.

Reimagining the authentication process comes with certain challenges – one of which is finding a balance between security and convenience.

“The difference in security between using the (multifactor) system multiple times a day in comparison to once a week … is significant,” Reiher said.

For a university as big as UCLA with such an expansive digital network, a week may be too long a hiatus between logins.

Fortunately, a happy medium is still in the cards.

As of right now, the intervals between authentication are too short and overly inconvenient to be justified. But lengthening authentication periods is not the only way to approach increased accessibility.

“I wish there were also an email option to authenticate in case we lost our phones,” said Kaushik Donthi, a fourth-year neuroscience student. “Students should have more options to authenticate.”

This is indicative of a serious problem: The accessibility of a smartphone determines whether or not you can log in. If someone loses their phone or runs out of battery, they also lose critical access to their personal information. With time-sensitive issues like submitting transcripts or financial aid documents, students can’t afford to be shut out.

Jason Yang, a fourth-year microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics student, said that expanding on the flexibility of the system can make a bigger difference than the amount of time between verification.

“If my phone is out of battery, I can’t log into MyUCLA at all,” Yang said. “There are definitely ways this process can be improved.”

The financial burden of a smartphone and the accessibility of a data plan could bar some students from easily logging in. Adding options beyond the Duo app or a phone call would give students more freedom, which could alleviate some of the inconvenience caused by frequently required authentication.

Simply put, a phone shouldn’t be the barrier to accessing one’s private and personal information.

“We understand that security controls can add a level of inconvenience to our daily lives, and we strive to weigh that inconvenience against the risk of a compromise,” said UCLA IT Security representative in a statement.

But compared to other universities that have started to utilize multifactor authentication, UCLA falls into the overly stringent category. Other top universities in the country – including Harvard University, Stanford University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology – use the concept of a trusted device, which can keep you logged in for longer than 24 hours. For instance, MIT students have the option to remember a device for 30 days – a far cry from the maximum of 24 hours that UCLA students are allowed. Other universities still have good security habits and make sure their information is safe without sacrificing the convenience and accessibility of students’ information.

It’s understandable that sometimes we have to compromise convenience for security. But UCLA has room to improve the system without undermining online protection.

There are plenty of ways, and reasons, to make a disgruntled face when accessing MyUCLA.

But there are also plenty of ways to fix it.

Album review: Chance the Rapper’s ‘The Big Day’ explores love, merges genres through collaborations

Chance the Rapper dubbed Friday to be his big day, although his recent nuptials were certainly a contender.

Four months after the ceremony, Chance has released his first for-sale album, “The Big Day,” which boasts 22 tracks and various artist features. Although the acid rapper is well-established – earning three Grammys, including Best Rap Album, in 2017 – Chance considers this collection to be his official debut. While his 2016 critically-acclaimed mixtape, “Coloring Book,” relied upon a consistent, gospel-influenced sound which discussed faith and community, “The Big Day” serves as an ode to his romantic journey through an eclectic selection of genre-merging collaborations. Chance dips his toe into an array of genre pools in this release, but the melting pot of musical sounds doesn’t mesh as neatly as it should.

The ubiquitous theme of love is to “The Big Day” as faith was to “Coloring Book.” Album opener, “All Day Long,” immediately calls back to the soulful, upbeat sounds of his last mixtape, with the lyric “And we back (Igh!)” acting as its signature calling card. John Legend lends velvety vocals to the hook and bridge that joyously celebrate Chance and his wife’s road to marriage. While the lyrics of the song clearly lay out the album’s theme, the instrumentation serves as more of a reminder of Chance’s last work than an introduction to the collection to follow.

Although the production style of the songs changes throughout the album, many of the tracks continue to contemplate the ups and downs of romantic relationships. Despite their differing sounds, both the hip-rocking dance number “Found a Good One (Single No More)” and the more sonically minimalistic, yet emotionally expressive “Sun Come Down” examine the rocky road toward love. “The Big Day” is a lover’s album rooted in honest sentimentality, but the highly varied styles of each track prevent the overt focus on romantic love from becoming tired.

Acting as a refreshing departure from the record’s heavy emphasis on romantic relationships, the dreamy, alternative song, “Roo,” touches upon love from a familial perspective by featuring Chance’s brother, Taylor Bennett. With lines such as, “But I’ma send ’em to Jesus (this is me and my bro) / Versus all of you heathens,” and “We on some tag-team WWE shit,” both rappers express their adamant commitment to their brotherhood. Even though Chance is the more seasoned rapper, Bennett makes his mark on the track with a raspy delivery and intimately honest lyrics about troubles he’s faced as a burgeoning artist.

Transition

Chance avoids running the same musically thematic elements throughout the record as he has typically done in previous mixtapes. Carefully curated collaborations with rap, pop and alternative indie artists, skillfully present Chance’s ability to translate his cadence and trademark sound into realms outside rap. A feature from Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon alongside Death Cab for Cutie turn “Do You Remember” into a light, electronic tune that could easily be played over a summer vacation montage – effortlessly capturing the feel-good spirit behind Chance’s childhood nostalgia lyrics.

Taking the album to old school hip-hop, the overtly ’90s R&B feel of “I Got You (Always and Forever),” is created by the addition of drums that allude to Bell Biv Devoe’s “Poison,” and moments of a Kris Kross-type rapping pace. The run-filled vocals from En Vogue and Ari Lennox further embellish the track. Though the overload of ’90s references comes off a bit cheeky at times, the quick beat and textured musical composition make it one of the few songs that can be danced too.

Despite effectively infusing an impressive horde of features into the record, not every venture proves successful or memorable. Catchy, yet shallow lyrics in the trap song, “Hot Shower,” featuring verses from DaBaby and MadeinTYO, plays flat and one-dimensional against more emotionally explorative numbers. Although Chance’s talk-rap flow demonstrates his adaptability to a slower beat, this noteworthy element wasn’t enough to carry the song.

Chance continues to experiment with vocalization on the title track, featuring Francis and the Lights. He juxtaposes futuristic, James Blake-sounding instrumentation with sweet lyrics about his wedding day, while purposefully straining his voice during a repeated line of the chorus to create a sense of eeriness. The track’s abrupt break full of cursing and screaming, though meant to demonstrate the chaos and bustle of his big day, only creates a confusing dissonance in the track.

Aside from the faulty execution of a few of “The Big Day” tracks, Chance’s decision to delve into the music styles outside of his genre on his debut album signals that this is the version of the Chicagoan rapper that the music industry will be seeing more of. Chance told Beats 1 Radio that he wanted this album to feel like a big wedding, and the sheer volume of features and genre-bending tracks certainly accomplishes that. But, the overwhelming diversity of the collection at times hindered the album’s overarching message – proving that there were a few guests too many.

Email Hill at khill@dailybruin.com or tweet @KennedyHillDB

Movie review: Slow pace of ‘Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood’ offset by dramatic end, nostalgia

This post was updated July 27 at 10:25 a.m.

“Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood” is an ode to Los Angeles in 1969, showcasing both glamorous fame and hidden pockets of violence.

But if you’re expecting an overtly provocative film from Quentin Tarantino, you might want to take a cue from 1960s hippie culture and just peace out, ya dig?

For a film about the fast-paced world of Hollywood, “Upon a Time … in Hollywood” demands patience from its audience on the slow-paced ride. Lean back in the theater seat – like the characters lounge in their oversized Cadillacs – and expect idle dialogue rather than characteristic Tarantino-violence. The film, which is billed as his ninth and released Friday, is less aggressive than his past filmography, lacking the racist gore of “Django Unchained” or the animated energy of “Kill Bill.”

The quiet melancholy of “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood” shouldn’t be labelled a failure right off the bat. When taken on its own merit, the film finds success in its character development and 1960s ambiance, shining through disjointed storytelling.

The film follows three characters symbolizing the changing Hollywood landscape, each of whom is performed with depth and care. Leonardo DiCaprio stars as the fictional Rick Dalton, a Western actor struggling to maintain stardom as the genre fades into obscurity. Brad Pitt plays Dalton’s stuntman, Cliff Booth, who is unexpectedly drawn into the hippie counterculture of the notorious Charles Manson family. Tangentially, Margot Robbie inhabits the real and charismatic ’60s actress Sharon Tate — Dalton’s next door neighbor on Cielo Drive in Tarantino’s fairytale.

How do the three narratives intertwine? Herein lies the crux of “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood.” For anyone with the knowledge of the connection between Tate and Manson, the film’s climax seems obvious. Research prior to viewing may be necessary for younger viewers, contextualizing not only Tate’s story but also that of the Manson Family in the summer of 1969. That year, the young actress was famously and brutally murdered, along with four others, in her home by Manson’s followers.

Her name itself evokes the murders, and Tarantino weaves this implication into the fabric of “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood.” Those unfamiliar with the history will miss out on the film’s building tension, escalating early on with a foreboding shot of the real Cielo Drive’s street sign. The film’s build-up, exploration of Tate’s sweet nature and her tragic rising stardom have a strong impact, but only for those tuned into her fate.

However, Tarantino is careful to mask his intentions as “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood” meanders, dream-like, between stories and settings for 161 minutes so the audience forgets their expectations. Tarantino’s indulgence with small character moments – such as Dalton interacting with an 8-year-old method actress on a Western television pilot – pay off, demonstrating the director’s continued ability to craft an epic feature.

The pace jumps lazily from storyline to storyline, more intrigued with atmosphere than a steady plot, as the director sinks his teeth into the Los Angeles setting. We get to know Dalton’s insecurities as an actor intimately, and DiCaprio shines as he portrays a star coming to grips with his own worth. Dalton’s film roles and daily actions act as a lens into that time period, referencing the 1963 classic “The Great Escape,” watching popular shows such as “The F.B.I.” and eating at the famous Musso & Frank Grill.

Fittingly, 1960s media and merchandise oozes from the film – now-obsolete kitchen appliances are emphasized, Neil Diamond tunes blast from car radios and flower-power dresses swirl at a Playboy Mansion party. But for viewers awaiting more than just cultural homages, the film’s indulgence in nostalgia can be hindrance. Cameos of Hollywood icons, such as Mike Moh playing martial artist Bruce Lee, and Damian Lewis playing actor Steve McQueen, elicit smirks, but contribute little to the overall plot. One wishes Tarantino would make better use of the fantastical narrative playground he’s created, bringing these cameos to life for a real purpose.

As for the main protagonists, Dalton, Booth and Tate are mostly well-rounded characters, though Tate suffers from a lack of screen time. Buddy moments between Dalton and Booth, when back together from their individual adventures, flesh out their long-time friendship and allow Pitt and DiCaprio to bounce off each other humorously. Their chemistry is often set against drawn-out sequences of freeway cruising, and the film’s pace does occasionally suffers from long-winded scenes.

“Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood” finds its footing halfway through and thrives during a tense sequence at Spahn’s Ranch – the Manson Family hideout – where plot, characterization and action converge to demonstrate the cult’s misleadingly peaceful nature. The film’s ending arrives with a punch, and audiences snap out their pensive nostalgia to reflect on Hollywood ambition and misguided violence. Reservations about Tarantino’s ability to shock and entertain an audience are lessened by the film’s wild, but satisfying conclusion.

Ultimately, the characters, rich cinematography and production design of “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood” save Tarantino’s haphazard storytelling. Viewers will most likely get sucked into the magic of Los Angeles film, past and present, with cinematic reminders of drive-in movies and even the remaining theaters in Westwood Village.

The city of LA, lit up with neon signs in one scene, serves as a perfect metaphor for the film and its end-of-an-era mentality: whimsical and beautiful, yet temporary.

‘Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood’ production crew restores 1960s Westwood

This post was updated July 27 at 10:25 a.m.

A current UCLA student thrown back in time to 1969 still could’ve enjoyed a snack from Stan’s Donuts.

They might be shocked, however, to find a quaint Italian cafe in place of the beloved neighborhood Starbucks.

Thanks to Quentin Tarantino’s new feature, “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood,” historic Westwood businesses were restored to their previous 1960s appearance. Like other Los Angeles sites, the intersection of Broxton and Weyburn avenues received a makeover for Tarantino’s film released Friday, featuring Leonardo DiCaprio as fictional, soon-to-be-forgotten Western star, Rick Dalton, and Margot Robbie as the real-life actress Sharon Tate. It’s on-location filming transports audiences back five decades to a retro Los Angeles – mini skirts, milk trucks and all.

Retro LA wasn’t too hard to find as members of the art department drew on personal experience and memory to recreate landmarks. Alumnus Richard Johnson, who served as supervising art director for “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood,” said the theaters on Broxton Avenue are symbols of 1960s LA, ones he recalled from adolescence.

“I saw innumerable movies in both of those theaters at that corner, and lived on that side of the city for more than three or four decades,” Johnson said. “I was fairly young at that point in time, but it still left good memories. (The production) was just going back to something I knew.”

Since being built in the 1930s, the Regency Village Theatre and Regency Bruin Theatre have seen countless movie premieres and stars over the decades. Johnson said one of Robbie’s scenes occurs at the Bruin Theatre in the film – her character attends a showing of Tate’s 1969 movie, “The Wrecking Crew.” The scene called for a redesign of both theaters’ marquees, changing the images above the cinema entrances to display black-and-white, back-lit titles.

Luckily, the theaters had mostly maintained their original look, Johnson said, while other parts of Westwood Village required significant facade adjustments. This included the Taco Bell directly next to the Bruin Theatre, which was once a Hamburger Hamlet restaurant.

The Taco Bell location, which appears in the background of several shots in the film, did not allow the production crew to rip out the restaurant’s interior, said Barbara Ling, the film’s production designer. Instead, Ling said her team recreated Hamburger Hamlet’s old school red booths and green-striped awnings by covering up the pre-existing furniture. Those simple touches evoke the now-nearly extinct burger chain at glance, she said.

But returning Stan’s Donuts to its former aesthetic was Ling’s favorite Westwood reconstruction, as she said the production brought back Stan’s original red awnings and signage. Stan Berman, the store’s founder who opened the shop in 1965, became emotional upon seeing the return of its former appearance during filming, Ling said. The fact Stan’s Donuts has remained a constant in Westwood since that time and can be seen in “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood” is a testament to the longevity of the shop itself, Ling said.

Ling, who also grew up near Westwood, said extensive research was required to transform the Village back to its historic state. Photographic evidence from UCLA’s archives, as well as private collections, filled in the holes in her memory, she said.

“The shoe store, the clothing store, Hamburger Hamlet, Stan’s (Donuts) and the movie theaters are all kind of iconic, but it’s all the little places in between,” Ling said. “That’s the best part; the texture of it is really researching to get the places you would never remember.”

This attention to detail was crucial, she said, as the filming of “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood” required changes to Westwood’s streetlamps and newsstands. One major challenge involved Broxton and Weyburn avenues’ intersection, as the scenic department had to repaint the lines on the street for historical accuracy. This task had to be completed quickly, including repainting the modern lines. Ling said this is a relatively new problem, one she hadn’t encountered during her design of Oliver Stone’s 1991 film “The Doors,” also featuring 1960s Los Angeles.

“We (now) do what we call zebra crosswalks, where they are big wide stripes and there are four across. None of that existed in the ’60s, it was just two white lines,” Ling said. “Besides the facades, there is a lot of infrastructure that must be changed to get it back.”

The Westwood Village Improvement Association aided the “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood” production with the smaller street details, such as moving anachronistic trashcans and benches, said Megan Furey, the association’s marketing and communications manager. The association communicated with businesses that would have their storefronts affected, and Furey said the production acquired permits for streets to be shut down so they could park vintage 1960s cars by the curb. Despite the disruption – which shutdown several stores and blocked off roadways – the reality of a major motion picture filming in the area was exciting, Furey said, as this hadn’t happened since “Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2,” released in 2015.

“We chatted with (the production company) about the impact (filming) would have on the businesses, kind of what their scope was, how long they were going to be here. We were very honored to have it be a location,” Furey said. “Westwood back then, and now, is still a prominent place in the film industry.”

Johnson said he hoped students unfamiliar with Westwood’s history would be drawn to see the film to learn more about lost businesses. The recreation of settings for the film did include an element of nostalgia, he said, in addition to the extensive research.

“We did everything we could to suit the story. It’s called ‘Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood’ because it’s not a documentary by any means,” Johnson said. “When somebody starts with the words ‘once upon a time,’ that’s generally a fairy tale or fiction. … When you see the movie, you’ll understand.”