Thom Andersen is a filmmaker, film critic, and teacher. He attended Berkeley in the early 1960s and then returned to his hometown of Los Angeles to attend USC School of Cinematic Arts

USC School of Cinematic Arts

The USC School of Cinematic Arts, until 2006 named the School of Cinema-Television , is a film school within the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California. It is the oldest and largest such school in the United States, established in 1929 as a joint venture with the Academy of...

, where he studied with Arthur Knight

Arthur Knight (film critic)

Arthur Knight was a movie critic, film historian, professor and TV host.His book The Liveliest Art, first published in 1957, is a history of the cinema used as a text book at colleges and universities throughout the world.-Early life:...

 and eventually assisted on Knight's project THE HISTORY OF SEX IN CINEMA. While at USC Andersen met long-time friend and collaborator Morgan Fisher

Morgan Fisher

Morgan Fisher is an English keyboard player / composer, and is most known for being a member of Mott the Hoople in the early 1970s. However, his career has covered a wide range of musical activities, and he is still highly active in the music industry...

 who assisted on Andersen's student film MELTING, a portrait of a sundae. He regularly attended local screening series including shows by the Trak Film Group and Movies 'Round Midnight and famously wrote about an unpopular screening of Andy Warhol's SLEEP. After USC, Andersen attended UCLA and completed his experimental documentaries OLIVIA'S PLACE EADWEARD MUYBRIDGE, ZOOPRAXOGRAPHER and --- -------. During the 1970s his films screened at venues including Los Angeles' Theatre Vanguard and San Francisco's Pacific Film Archive.

He currently teaches film theory and history at the California Institute of the Arts

California Institute of the Arts

The California Institute of the Arts, commonly referred to as CalArts, is located in Valencia, in Los Angeles County, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the United States created specifically for students of both the visual and the...

, and has previously taught at the SUNY Buffalo

University at Buffalo, The State University of New York

University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, also commonly known as the University at Buffalo or UB, is a public research university and a "University Center" in the State University of New York system. The university was founded by Millard Fillmore in 1846. UB has multiple campuses...

 and Ohio State University

Ohio State University

The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...

. In the early 60's, He has also been the programmer for LA Filmforum in Los Angeles during the late 90's. His more recent work, including Los Angeles Plays Itself

Los Angeles Plays Itself

Los Angeles Plays Itself is a video essay by Thom Andersen, finished in 2003, exploring the way Los Angeles has been presented in movies. Consisting entirely of clips from other films, it was never released due to rights issues, though can been seen at film festivals and in special presentations...

, has taken its cues from Formalism

Formalist film theory

Formalist film theory is a theory of film study that is focused on the formal, or technical, elements of a film: i.e., the lighting, scoring, sound and set design, use of color, shot composition, and editing...

. Los Angeles Plays Itself won the National Film Board

National Film Board of Canada

The National Film Board of Canada is Canada's twelve-time Academy Award-winning public film producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary, animation, alternative drama and digital media productions...

 Award for Best Documentary at the 2003 Vancouver International Film Festival

Vancouver International Film Festival

The Vancouver International Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada for two weeks in late September and early October...

.The film won the National Film Board Award for Best Documentary at the 2003 Vancouver International Film Festival and was voted best documentary of 2004 by the Village Voice Critic�s Poll. In 2010 he completed GET OUT OF THE CAR, a portrait of signs and abandoned spaces set to Los Angeles music.

Filmography

• Los Angeles Plays Itself
  Los Angeles Plays Itself
  Los Angeles Plays Itself is a video essay by Thom Andersen, finished in 2003, exploring the way Los Angeles has been presented in movies. Consisting entirely of clips from other films, it was never released due to rights issues, though can been seen at film festivals and in special presentations...
  
  (2003)
• Red Hollywood (1996)
• Eadweard Muybridge, Zoopraxographer
  Eadweard Muybridge, Zoopraxographer
  Eadweard Muybridge, Zoopraxographer is a 1975 documentary film directed by Thom Andersen about the English photographer Eadweard Muybridge....
  
  (1974)
• Olivia's Place (1966/74)
• --- ------- (1965–66)
• Melting (1965)

External links

• Andersen's Faculty profile at CalArts
• Interview with Thom Andersen: CalArts faculty profile
• The Reality of Film; Thom Anderson on Los Angeles Plays Itself
• Bringing It Back: An Interview With Thom Andersen
• Urban Renewal:The dreamlife of Angeles: A film professor reclaims his city
• Thom Andersen interview with StopSmiling Magazine
• Interview with Thom Andersen on WNYC Radio
• The '60s Without Compromise:Watching Warhol's Films by Thom Andersen
• Collateral Damage: Los Angeles Continues Playing Itself by Thom Andersen
• List of movies mentioned in Los Angeles Plays Itself (in order of appearance)
• 2007 Interview with Union Docs'