Sports

8Los Angeles Collegian - Wednesday, February 23, 2022

SPORTS

Fight Night Bashes onto Vermont

Independent Wrestling brings its high-flying moves to East Hollywood and lands across the street from Los Angeles City College where they bring on the pain.

BY CHRISTIAN CHAVEZ

Lewd language, beer on the floor, and chicken tenders fill the auditorium of The Vermont Hollywood across the street from Los Angeles City College on Feb. 17th. While this is not a family event, people still bring their kids to watch the spectacular theatrics of wrestling, the deranged grandchild of gladiator matches. However, these performers are far more concerned with showing their skills than telling a story, and that is their advantage.

New Japan Strong is an independent wrestling company far removed from the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment), a niche company that is more concerned with providing a hardcore experience than their juggernaut counterpart.

These performers are more concerned with showing blood, sweat, and tears than the storytelling aspect of wrestling. It’s still fake obviously. At certain angles you could tell when a punch or kick is executed to look like it is causing an impact.

To their credit, they trust each other in achieving these impacts. They constantly slap each other in the chest, a signature move is telling the audience to quiet down so the sound of the backhanded slap can reach the outside of the auditorium.

Former WWE star Buddy Matthews has become a part of the New Japan Pro Wrestling team, a sign that even professional wrestlers see the small company as a worthy rival.

Inside the Vermont Hollywood is a small room with approximately less than one hundred plastic chairs. More than half of the audience is standing and cheering in the brightly lit auditorium. Lights would come down as soon as Wrestlers would do their introductory walks.

Jake Palacio is a second-grade schoolteacher from San Diego. He traveled 3 hours to Los Angeles with the hope of checking out the wrestlers in East Hollywood for seventy dollars a seat. He learned about the event from friends who had introduced him into the world of wrestling.

“When I first started, I thought probably what a lot of people think ‘oh it’s just fake’ but the outcomes might be fake, but the physicality is real.” Palacio said.

“There’s a lot of theater aspect to it, public speaking, talking to a crowd, selling the story is something kids could learn from.”

PHOTOS BY CHRISTIAN CHAVEZ New Japan Pro Wrestler Jonah jumps off the turnbuckle to slam on top of Brogan Finlay at the Vermont Hollywood on Feb. 17.

When I first started, I thought probably what a lot of people think ‘oh it’s just fake’ but the outcomes might be fake, but the physicality is real.

Jake Palacio, Feb. 17,2022 New Japan Pro Wrestling

Kratos steps into the ring for Team Filthy at New Japan Pro Wrestling at the Vermont Hollywood on Feb. 17.

Kevin Knight (left) in mid air after jumping off the turnbuckle to land a blow onto Hikuleo (Right) at New Japan Pro Wreslting on Feb. 17 at the Vermont Hollywood.

VAMA Exhibit Celebrates Art of Storyboarding

Da Vinci Hall hosted the celebration to enchant students with the art behind their favorite pieces of entertainment on Feb. 17.

BY CHRISTIAN CHAVEZ

Spider-Man roams the gallery alongside the “Men in Black” and the “Martian.” The smell of pizza lingers in the air while students and faculty mingle. President Mary Gallagher joins in on the fun to celebrate the works of art provided by veterans of the entertainment industry. All of this happens in person and not through Zoom.

The Visual and Media Arts Department (VAMA) hosted the “Bringing Imagination into View” gallery exhibition to the delight of many art students at Los Angeles City College. The event celebrated the wonder of storyboarding art for emerging young artists.

Storyboarding is a phase in movies, television shows or even video games that details how a scene will look before production begins. For a massive blockbuster like “Spider-Man No Way Home” or a television show like “The Mandalorian,” storyboarding is a key part of its lifecycle.

Without it, animators or production teams could get lost in communication about how this piece of visual media would exist.

The event started small but gained momentum as students wandering the campus came by to see what the commotion was all about. Even professors stopped by to check out the work and have a rare moment to connect with students one-on-one.

Los Angeles City College president Mary Gallagher came by to speak on behalf of the exhibition.

“It’s a testament of what two dynamic organizations can accomplish for the good of students and our community,” she said. “This is professional work that is exhibited to give our students the opportunity to visualize what is possible.”

The president praised the partnership with the art director’s guild as a unique opportunity that is real and inspiring to students.

Adrian Landa is a field representative for California State Assembly member Anthony Rendon who attended the program.

“I always like when teachers, administrators and students come together to build opportunities and communities and expand on their mission to empower students to reach their full potential,” Landa said. “After seeing the exhibit, the whole idea that more students could [do] that excites me.” Speaking for IATSE and the Art Directors Guild is dooner, a well-dressed mononymous artist who enthusiastically spoke to everyone who came within walking distance. He spent ample time explaining his love and craft of storyboarding in sharp detail.

As the Associate National Executive Director of the Art Directors Guild IATSE Local 800, dooner represents art directors, production designers, storyboard artists, illustrators, set designers, graphic designers, matte artists and scenic artists. It includes everyone who is positioned on the design stages of movie and television shows.

“You get to see the process in the design, the expression and creation of it,” dooner said. “To us it is important to provide that background knowledge and hope we can create a spark in people. To seek out the training effort here at LACC, to give them the skills necessary to pursue good middle-class careers doing this work.”

As the pandemic keeps many students in online classes, few have been able to come to campus.

Students like Bella Cordero, currently undeclared in her major, learned of the event through the VAMA Instagram.

“It’s an advantage to be able to connect through social media,” Cordero said. “I would love to see more events like these, I think it’s cool to get together with other artists to see and talk about each other’s work.”