Don’t miss two new films gracing The Screen on Oct. 14. Girl Asleep and When Two Worlds Collide are two drastically different films that will join The Screen family.

SFUAD alumni and former Jackalope writer Charlotte Martinez graduated last May with a double major in Film and Creative Writing. After working at The Screen for several years, Martinez has recently taken over as general manager. Martinez sat down with Jackalope magazine this week to talk about her new job, her experience in Jackalope and writing after graduation.

Jackalope Magazine: How exactly did you end up in this position, as General Manager?

Charlotte Martinez: I’ve been working at The Screen since I was, I think a sophomore. And Peter Grendel, who used to be the general manager here, he hired me when I came in to write, I’ll never forget this, I came in to write a review about one of the movies he played here. It was the first time I’d watched a movie here. Obviously I knew of The Screen, being a student here, but I had never actually gone in and watched a movie. So I went in and said, ‘I’m going to write this review,’ and he said, ‘hey, we need people to work here! Would you like to work here?’ (Laughs). So that was what, four years ago? I’ve worked here every year since, and me being the oldest employee, I guess it just made sense for him to ask me to take over management when he went to the Violet Crown, which is what happened. He took over general management.

JM: Will you describe your experience so far, managing The Screen?
CM: I mean, it’s one screen, so unlike let’s say Regal or even Violet Crown that have multiple screens to manage, it’s not terribly difficult. But it’s also not easy because it’s running a business and I’ve never done that before, you know? I mean, I just graduated in May but I knew The Screen really well and I knew how to work it so I think it made sense for me to step in as manager and do what I had been doing essentially. Except, with an office.

JM: How do you think SFUAD and your education here prepared you for this type of position?
Charlotte Martinez stands in front of Main doors of the The Screen. Photo by Jason Stilgebouer.
Charlotte Martinez stands in front of Main doors of the The Screen. Photo by Jason Stilgebouer.
CM: Hmm. I thought out of all the classes I took here, Jackalope was actually the most integrative. I mean, you’re forced to talk to people. Just going to do an interview is huge, and I mean socializing and everything. But I don’t know anything about running a business. Essentially, I’ve been learning all of this as I go, but I think being able to talk to people and being able to write something? I mean, it’s amazing, especially in New Mexico, just to write something really well and really professionally is a huge deal. So now that I know how to do that, I can communicate with everybody or anybody in this industry and make it sound like I know exactly what I’m talking about.

JM: Would you say then that being in Jackalope, and by extension Creative Writing, gives students skills they will use in a career?
CM: Definitely! And film too, don’t get me wrong. I mean this is a movie theater. I know about production, I know how distribution works now. I didn’t know anything about distribution, because I mean, we don’t learn that here. It’s all about making a movie, this is all about showing movies.

JM: What sort of crowd does The Screen attract, and what kinds of films are shown here?
CM: That’s a good question! Ever since I’ve worked here, it’s so funny because our patrons are the senior citizens of Santa Fe. I wouldn’t have guessed that when I first started working here. I’m like, ‘Oh cool, foreign, independent, it’s all very exotic.’ And what I found was the older crowd crowd coming in. I thought, ‘maybe that’s just this year.’ But no, that’s exactly who loves these sort of movies! They’re so fed up with blockbuster stuff. They are, they’re just like, ‘we won’t go to Regal to see another explosion, to see another Marvel movie,’ you know, it’s so predictable. And it makes sense, because that’s sort of our generation’s thing. They need a real quote-unquote ‘movie,’ and they think that’s independent and foreign cinema. Which it is, because they are essentially looking at the basics of film making still, where as blockbuster is more, you know, young person based.

The Screen empty hours before a movie starts. Photo by Jason Stilgebouer.
The Screen’s empty hours before a movie starts. Photo by Jason Stilgebouer.
JM: Modern blockbuster does seem to have a formula to it.

CM: It does! And this is the formula for the seniors. And it works out, because they really like it here.

JM: Do you think they are drawn to it also because it is so small, and the crowds aren’t as big?
CM: Oh, heck yeah. I mean that’s the first thing they say when they come in, they say they love this environment. It’s very homey, it’s very comforting. We know most of the patrons’ names when they come in and they know ours. It feels very small-town.

JM: Do you have a favorite genre out of the films which are shown here?
CM: Good question. I have to confess, I didn’t even realize this until last year. I really like war stories, and actually like reading war stories too. We played a movie called Phoenix here a while ago. German produced and it didn’t take place during a war, it was post-war, but it was still so well-done and I watched it three times just to analyze it. I find myself analyzing more war movies than anything else. I’m not sure that’s a genre, but if you tell me that it’s a war movie, or if it’s under that category, then I’ll watch it.

JM: I would assume you work closely with the film professors. How is the experience of helping them organize classes?
CM: Yeah, that’s true. That’s great too because I get to see my professors! And then if I ever have questions for them, you know. They’re really nice about coming into my office and giving me the answers still. It’s still that student-teacher relationship except it’s not because I’m technically faculty. But I still get to see them every day!

JM: You get to keep learning from them, even though you are no longer a student?
CM: Exactly. I wish I could have some sort of setup like that with Creative Writing as well.

JM: Is there anything in particular you missed about Creative Writing? Tell me about your time in the program.
SFUAD’s on campus movie theatre. Photo by Jason Stilgebouer.
SFUAD’s on campus movie theatre. Photo by Jason Stilgebouer.
CM: I always loved it. I think the staff was really consistent while I was there. I had Dana [Levin] a couple times and Matt [Donovan] I had a couple times, Julia [Goldberg] I had almost every year. I think that connection and the fact that this is such a small school made the writing department amazing. The professors got to know your work so they were really pressing down on it, where as any other university, they would probably be like, who are you again?

JM: You had a double major in Creative Writing and Film. Why both? Did you lean more toward one or the other while you were in school here?
CM: I went here first when it was the College of Santa Fe. I was always interested in the arts but I liked creative writing a lot more at that point. But then creative writing was this thing where you probably didn’t have a career afterwards and that scared me and it scared my family, so we said, ‘OK, what can we do to make sure you have an income?’ I said, ‘oh, I’ve always been interested in visual. In film making.’ So when the school re-opened I asked, ‘would it be impossible to do a double major?’ And they said ‘well, no. We’ve only had one other person and they didn’t finish, but give it a try.’ So I signed up right away my freshman year, taking both the creative writing and then the film classes. Both of which I really enjoyed by the way, but creative writing was my first love.

JM: You were mostly writing fiction, correct?
CM: I was only writing fiction until Julia Goldberg was like, ‘come join Jackalope!’ I miss it.

JM: Did you do screen writing as well?
CM: Well the curriculum here is that you try it all first, then maybe your junior or senior year you start to narrow in on what you’re interested in. I started off learning production, pre-production, post-production. You do the camera, you do script writing, you do everything, but I did enjoy screen writing more than anything. So yeah, it worked out pretty nicely!

JM: I enjoyed your piece that won for Glyph last year. Is the rest of your work similar?
CM: Yeah, I guess so. During my senior year, I really started exploring the story of my roots. The southwest and being Hispanic or being Native. It’s funny that you bring that up because my last year was really cultural-based, and I didn’t mean for it to be but it sort of turned out that way.

JM: Are you still writing?
CM: The last thing I wrote was a feature for The Reporter on small businesses and that was really fun, but I can’t be working for the Reporter if this is a daily job. But you know, I’m still writing for myself. I say, ‘one of these days this novel will be published. Obviously this short story will go somewhere.’

JM: I would imagine it’s nice to still be in a place of creativity, even if you don’t have as much time for your work.
CM: Totally! I thought it would be weird to stick around the university, because I was here for five years. It took five years to complete two degrees. So, it seems like I’ve been here forever but being just in The Screen and being stressed out about things happening in the film industry, it doesn’t feel like the same school to me. There’s just so many different tasks now, and I’m talking to grown-ups, which is weird and I’m being treated as a grown up rather than a student, not that that’s bad or anything. It’s just different.

JM: How is the experience of being here as a faculty member different from that of being a student?
CM: I think both are very stressful. Both have kept me very busy thus far, but working a business and being the only person in charge here? I mean, I have people that I report to, but there’s nobody overlooking The Screen besides me and I just graduated. I think anybody else would be like, ‘what are they thinking?’ But it’s not. I mean it’s a lot of responsibility and a lot of pressure at some point, but so far I’ve just been able to talk to anybody and everybody about it. They’ll help me. Or, they’ll have someone to send me to to answer questions. It is kind of like being a student in that way. You’re not alone no matter what, you know? Whether you’re a student, if you’re a teacher, if you’re running a business, people are willing to help. I think that’s a Santa Fe thing. I’m convinced that’s a Santa Fe thing.

Warren Couvillion and Omar Hilario don’t need to warm up the crowd for the Tuesday night movie club, Club-Along. At least 50 people fill the seats of The Screen for the club’s showing of Sweeney Todd, the 2007 Tim Burton film starring Johnny Depp. Theater rows fill up with cliques of varying sizes. Shouted conversations assault the ears before the emcees even begin their introduction. Couvillion and Hilario look like they could be brothers, both sporting trendy black hipster glasses. They stand in front of the audience and run through the standard list of “don’ts” at The Screen: don’t have sex; don’t drink alcohol; don’t do drugs. Ironic groans spill forth from the crowd. At the last moment, Couvillion adds, “Oh, and no masturbation.” “But it’s Johnny Depp!” someone screams, earning approving laughter. The club runners head to the projector booth to start the film. The houselights fade and the DreamWorks logo appears on screen, menacing organ music blasting out of The Screen’s speakers. Conversations continue at full volume, scattered throughout the theater. Though the voices die out as the opening credits roll, it is clear that Club-Along is unlike any other film club at SFUAD. The original concept for the Club-Along centered on quoting favorite lines along with the movie, but it dawned on Couvillion that sing-alongs might be more popular. Every other film club prohibits audience members from singing along, so that everyone can hear the movie. “I jokingly say I started the club to spite the other club runners,” Couvillion says. “The first club I ever went to here showed The Lion King and I wasn’t allowed to sing ‘Hakuna Matata.’” When the WTF Film Club played Mulan at the beginning of the school year, students received the standard warning against singing along with the movie. Some students sang anyway. “That was the moment I realized our club might actually be popular,” Hilario says. Film clubs typically stick around SFUAD until the club runners graduate. Couvillion and Hilario say the arrival of Film School almuna Charlotte Martinez as The Screen’s new manager opened up new possibilities. They approached Martinez at the beginning of the school year with their idea. Along with Simple Film Necessities, Club-Along is the second new film club established this year. Is it annoying to sit in a crowd of strangers and hear them singing and quoting along with every line of the film? That may depend on one’s temperament. Studio Art major Hannah Gardner came to the Club-Along to see Sweeney Todd for the first time. “My friends laughed at me when I got here, because I didn’t know it was a sing-along,” Gardner says. “I’m pretty serious when it comes to watching movies. I normally don’t like people talking, but it could’ve been worse. There were no horrible singers.” Yellow subtitles scroll at the bottom of the screen in case anyone forgets the words. As Johnny Depp and Jamie Campbell Bower sing the opening lines of “No Place Like London,” at least half the audience backs them up. The voices are remarkably in tune. More than a few Musical Theatre majors attend the Club-Along. It’s like sitting in the midst of a choir. Those singing have obviously listened to the motion picture soundtrack ad infinitum as they speak in unison with the dialogue that precedes the songs. They gasp along with Helena Bonham Carter just before belting out the lyrics to “The Worst Pies in London.” When Johnny Depp extends his arm, his razor blade shining, the audience shouts out with him, “At last, my arm is complete again!” The voices are a scattered mess. Some have memorized the film dialogue, and others have committed the slight variations of the movie soundtrack to memory. Everyone giggles. “It’s no secret that this club is the most lenient,” Hilario says. “We do make sure that everyone respects each other and don’t just yell out,...

The 2015 graduates of Jackalope Magazine express their gratitude for Jackalope faculty advisors Julia Goldberg and Tony O’Brien. Tony has pushed me more in my documentary photography than anyone has in these last two years at SFUAD. I don’t think I would have progressed as much as I have and found my voice without him. He has been an inspiration and a great guidance to me. —Ashley Costello Julia is my mentor. I would not have had the success I’ve had at this college without her help. Tony is a wonderful man too. He buys me b[everages]. —Nick Martinez I remember the first time I came to Jackalope looking for Julia’s help with an article to submit for a local internship. I was so nervous because Julia seemed like such a cool and confident teacher and person and I so badly wanted to impress her. Looking back on it, the article I wrote was kind of shit, but she helped me believe in my abilities as a journalist and writer. She recommended I apply to Jackalope [Magazine] and it turned into one of the most rewarding, fun and fulfilling experiences of my college career. Julia has been such a influential part of my last year and a half in college, I’m honored to have had her as a teacher and I’m so grateful for the time I’ve gotten to know her and work with her. Plus we both like “Orphan Black” so that’s awesome! Thank you for everything Julia! And Tony too!! —Zoe Baillargeon I am very grateful for being a part of Jackalope. Not only have I been able to meet many people, but Tony and Julia have helped me be better. Tony is the perfect head of the photography department. He is a compassionate man who cares about his students as individuals. I feel I can come to his office no matter what I got on my mind, and Tony will listen. He has given me opportunities within photography that I will take with me after graduation. He has pushed me to do more than I thought I was able to and has, without doubt, helped me become a better version of myself. All in all, he is more of a friend than a professor. Thanks! First time I had to write for Julia’s class (Sexuality and Literature) I cried out of frustration and lack of sleep. But when I received my grade I understood that she is not as intimidating as she might seem at first. She have opened me up to books that I would not have read otherwise and has helped with writing for Jackalope. And have I mentioned that she would bring cookies for every class? Julia tells things as they are, but also respects other’s points of view. She is kind of a badass.  – Rene Koala One time I interviewed Tony for a documentary (which completely fell through in the end) and we ended up talking about artistic processes and motivations. “You’ve just got to go out and do it,” he said. The only other person I’d heard say those words so frankly and with such confidence was my dad and that really stuck with me. Aside from that, Tony can always keep a conversation and he’s able to match your enthusiasm when just “shootin’ the shit.”  I took Julia’s Social Movements class my first semester at SFUAD and was kind of intimidated by her. Even though I ended up dropping that class (because 8 a.m. is a ridiculous time for learning). I have been enrolled in one of her classes every semester since. She keeps Jackalope entertaining and definitely isn’t afraid to crack the whip and as I write this it’s starting to sound more and more like an obituary so I suppose it’s time to stop. Thanks for the love and support, I don’t know how I’d deal with my angst otherwise.  —Nick Beckman...