On a nippy Monday night at the Zebulon in Frogtown, a man wearing a Jason Voorhees T-shirt steps onto a purple-lighted stage and stands next to a drum set. Audience members, seated in neat rows and cradling cocktails, enthusiastically applaud. <\/p>\n
Then they look toward a glowing projector screen. Some clutch their pens, ready to take notes. <\/p>\n
\u201cIn cinema, three elements can move: objects, the camera itself and the audience\u2019s point of attention,\u201d Drew McClellan says to the crowd before showing an example on the projector screen. The clip is a memorable scene from Jordan\u2019s Peele\u2019s 2017 film, \u201cGet Out,\u201d when the protagonist (Daniel Kaluuya) goes out for a late-night smoke and sees the groundskeeper sprinting toward him \u2014 in the direction of the camera and the viewer \u2014 before abruptly changing direction at the last second. <\/p>\n
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During his talk, McClellan screened several movie clips to illustrate key points.<\/p>\n
(Emil Ravelo \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone running at you full speed with perfect track form, you can\u2019t tell me that\u2019s not terrifying,\u201d McClellan says laughing with the audience. <\/p>\n
McClellan is an adjunct professor at the USC School of Cinematic Arts and the cinematic arts department chair at the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (LACHSA). He\u2019s presenting on two of the seven core visual components of cinema \u2014 tone and movement \u2014 as part of Lectures on Tap<\/a>, an event series that turns neighborhood bars and venues into makeshift classrooms. Attendees hear thought-provoking talks from experts on wide-ranging topics such as Taylor Swift\u2019s use of storytelling in her music, how AI technology is being used to detect cardiovascular diseases, the psychology of deception and the quest for alien megastructures \u2014 all in a fun, low-stakes environment. And rest assured: No grades are given. It\u2019s a formula that\u2019s been working. <\/p>\n \u201cI hunted for these tickets,\u201d says Noa Kretchmer, 30, who\u2019s attended multiple Lectures on Tap events since it debuted in Los Angeles in August. \u201cThey sell out within less than an hour.\u201d <\/p>\n Wife-and-husband duo Felecia and Ty Freely dreamed up Lectures on Tap last summer after moving to New York City where Ty was studying psychology at Columbia University. Hungry to find a community of people who were just as \u201cnerdy\u201d as they are, they decided to create a laidback space where people could enjoy engaging lectures typically reserved for college lecture halls and conferences. <\/p>\n Founders Felecia and Ty Freely pose for a photo with Drew McClellan (center) after his presentation. <\/p>\n (Emil Ravelo \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n \u201cAt the end of every lecture, people always come up to us and [say] \u201cI hated college when I was in it, but now that I\u2019m not, I would love to come to a lecture and have access to these experts without having to feel pressured to get a good grade,\u2019\u201d says Felecia, who makes \u201cbrainy content\u201d on social media<\/a>, like explaining the phenomenon of closed-eye visualizations<\/a>. <\/p>\n Lectures on Tap, which also hosts events in San Francisco, Boston and Chicago, is the latest iteration of gatherings that pair alcoholic beverages with academic talks. Other similar events include Profs and Pints<\/a>, which launched in 2017 in Washington, D.C., and Nerd Nite,<\/a> which came to L.A. in 2011 and takes place at a brewery in Glendale. At a time when the federal government is moving closer to dismantling the U.S. Department of Education,<\/a> AI is impacting people\u2019s ability to think critically,<\/a> attention spans are shrinking<\/a> and literacy rates are down<\/a>, events like Lectures on Tap are becoming more than just a place to learn about an interesting new topic. <\/p>\n \u201cI think folks are passionate about keeping intellectualism alive especially in this age that is kind of demonizing that,\u201d Felecia says. \u201cWe\u2019re in the age of people not trusting experts so everyone out there who still does wants to be in a room with their people.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd there are a lot of them,\u201d adds Ty. \u201cIt is actually alive and well, just maybe not mainstream.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cIn a weird way, this is kind of counterculture,\u201d Felecia chimes in.<\/p>\n Wensu Ng introduces the speaker for the night. <\/p>\n (Emil Ravelo \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n During his presentation, McClellan broke down key film concepts in layman\u2019s terms for the diverse audience who were mostly composed of film lovers and people who were simply interested in the topic. (Though there were some writers in the crowd as well.) To illustrate his points, he played several movie clips including the 1931 version of \u201cFrankenstein\u201d and Juan Carlos Fresnadillo\u2019s \u201c28 Weeks Later,\u201d both of which made several people in the audience, including myself, jump in fear. <\/p>\n \u201cThis is how you scare the crap out of people,\u201d he said while explaining why seeing a lighted-up character staring into an abyss of darkness is impactful. <\/p>\n Though some patrons like to go to Lectures on Tap events for specific topics they find interesting, others say they would attend regardless of the subject matter. <\/p>\n \u201cI felt really comfortable and I loved the social aspect of it,\u201d says Andrew Guerrero, 26, in between sips of wine. \u201cIt felt more like a communal vibe, but at the same time, I miss learning.\u201d <\/p>\n Attendees mingle at the bar. <\/p>\n (Emil Ravelo \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n He adds, \u201cI can absorb [the information] more because I\u2019m not pressured to really retain it and because of that, I actually do retain it.\u201d <\/p>\n After weeks of trying to secure tickets, which cost $35, Ieva Vizgirdaite took her fianc\u00e9, Drake Garber, to the event to celebrate his birthday. <\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t go to college so I don\u2019t have any prior experience with lecturing,\u201d says Garber, 29, adding that he\u2019s interested in film production and is a \u201cbig horror fan.\u201d But the fact that \u201cI get to sit and learn about something that I love doing with a pint? Like, that\u2019s amazing.\u201d <\/p>\n The relaxed environment allows the speakers to let their guard down as well. <\/p>\n \u201cI can play with certain elements that I maybe haven\u2019t used in the classroom,\u201d says McClellan, who made jokes throughout his presentation. \u201cIt\u2019s definitely looser and getting around people who\u2019ve been drinking, they\u2019ll ask more questions and different types of questions.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s kind of like mushing up the education into your applesauce \u2014 mushing it up in the beer,\u201d says Drew McClellan.<\/p>\n (Emil Ravelo \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n After the talk is over, bar staff quickly remove the rows of chairs and clear the stage for a concert that\u2019s happening next. Several Lectures on Tap attendees, including the founders, transition to the back patio to mingle. McClellan stays after to answer more questions over drinks. <\/p>\n \u201cThis is a nontraditional environment to be enjoying yourself but also learning at the same time,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s kind of like mushing up the education into your applesauce \u2014 mushing it up in the beer.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
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