Playing Symphony Hall for a sci-fi soundtrack
"I used to watch films and improvise music on the piano," says Lucas Vidal, a 22-year-old from Madrid . His passion back then was to add some drama to the visual mix. He learned piano and flute, studied at the Arturo Soria Conservatory in Madrid, then got a scholarship to Berklee. And that has led to today's exciting event: a live recording at Boston's Symphony Hall of Vidal's own work.
More than 150 musicians from the Boston Conservatory will be at the all-day recording (which is not open to the public). Another 40 Berklee students are involved, from preparation of the scores to engineering and post production.
The recording will be the soundtrack for a seven-minute short called "Chimera" made by 15 students at the DAVE School at Universal Studios, a five-year - old institution in Orlando , Fla., that specializes in animation training. The school's founder and director , Jeff Scheetz , was also the instructor for the group that made the work, which is based on a sci-fi comic by CrossGen Comics. Scheetz plans to be in Boston today.
This is the 10th project that Vidal, a double major in composition and film scoring, has done with Steve Dzialowski, a music business student from Brussels and the recording's project manager. "Few professionals have had the occasion to work in such a prestigious venue," says Vidal, who graduates this spring. "We are trying to leave our mark as best as possible."
CONVERSATIONS WITH: Screenwriter Ruth Sacks Caplin , who adapted the novel "Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont" into the film of the same name, will attend a fund - raiser screening of the movie tomorrow at the Coolidge Corner Theatre. The event is sponsored by the Brookline Community Mental Health Center, and proceeds benefit mental health services for low-income families. There are several tiers of tickets that include a dinner and the 7:30 show. For reservations call 617-277-8107 or e - mail debbiemiller@brooklinecenter.org.
Video and performance artist Coco Fusco has been featured at the Whitney Biennial and London International Theatre Festival, and she'll be in town for two free public talks this week at MIT: tomorrow at 8 p.m. in Kirsch Auditorium in the Stata Center at 32 Vassar St. and Wednesday at 77 Massachusetts Ave. , Room 6-120. Tomorrow's talk is about her work overall, and the Wednesday talk is titled "Gender, Sexuality and the Performance of Interrogation." Information at 617-253-2787 and web.mit.edu.
Thato Rantao Mwosa will present her feature film "Don't Tell Me You Love Me" Thursday at 7 p.m. at the MIT campus, 77 Massachusetts Ave., Room 6-120. The movie is about an African couple living in the United States, the breakdown of their partnership as the husband becomes violent, and how the wife finds strength through poetry. Mwosa is a native of Botswana who graduated from Emerson College in 2001; she was given the Emerging Local Filmmaker award at the 2005 Roxbury Film Festival. The program is sponsored by Women in Film & Video/New England. Information at 781-788-6607 and womeninfilmvideo.org.
CHLOTRUDIS ANNUAL AWARDS: The Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film, based in Jamaica Plain, is having its big bash next Sunday at 5 p.m. at the Brattle Theatre. The black-tie (seriously optional) awards ceremony is designed to bring together indie film fans even if most of the nominees aren't actually present: Last year, for instance, Philip Seymour Hoffman was named actor of the year, and his mom accepted on his behalf -- via cell phone.
This year's leading nominee is "Inland Empire," with five nominations, with other nominations going to "Shortbus," "Caché," and "Half Nelson." A special Body of Work award will be presented to Don McKellar, a Toronto-based actor, director , and writer.
The ceremony will also hand out a "Buried Treasure" award for a film that earned less than $250,000 in the U S box office. Included in the nominees is "Mutual Appreciation " by Jamaica Plain's Andrew Bujalski. Details are at 781-526-5384 and chlotrudis.org.
VOLUNTEER CALL: The Independent Film Festival of Boston is ramping up for April 25-30, and has put out the call for help for its fifth annual event. Volunteers get a movie pass and festival T-shirt . Last year's IFFB had 18,000 attendees, 74 films, five venues, and panel discussions, evening parties, and conversations with actors Chris Cooper and Lili Taylor. Sign-up form s are at iffboston.org.
SCREENINGS OF NOTE: An excellent blast of classical music on the screen this week: On Wednesday at 7 p.m., "In Search of Mozart" will be presented at 7 p.m. at the West Newton Cinema with live music in the lobby before the show. That's sponsored by the Newton Symphony Orchestra, which also brought the film to town last November (617-965-2555 and newtonsymphony.org).
The Institute of Contemporary Art is screening the 2006 Academy Award nominated short films today and next Sunday. On both days at noon it's the live action nominees, and on both days at 3 p.m. it's the nominated and short-listed animation shorts (617-478-3103 and icaboston.org).
Also: "I Live in Fear," Akira Kurosawa's 1955 post-atomic-war film on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Harvard Film Archive (617-495-4700 and hcl.harvard.edu/hfa) . . . "Two or Three Things I Know about Her," the 1967 film by Jean-Luc Godard about a Parisian housewife who turns tricks, at various times Thursday through Sunday at the Museum of Fine Arts ( 617-267-9300 and mfa.org/film) . . . And the films of Hong Kong director Ann Hui at the Harvard Film Archive, including 2006 's "The Postmodern Life of My Aunt" Friday at 7:30 p.m. and 1984 's "Love in a Fallen City" Saturday at 9 p.m. and Sunday at 7 p.m.
Leslie Brokaw can be reached at lbrokaw@globe.com. 
