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Lightyear composer Michael Giancchino sits down with Nerdist’s Hector Navarro to discuss his iconic movie scores, the emotional impact of music, and directing for Marvel on today’s episode of Nerdist Now!
The post LIGHTYEAR: Composer Michael Giancchino Talks the Emotion of Music, Directing for Marvel, & More appeared first on Nerdist.
Graduations are an exciting time culminating in a journey of hard work and determination. It’s a festive time for families and friends to honor and congratulate the graduate on their achievements. I always enjoy this time of year, scrolling through my social media feeds and seeing the pictures of big smiles and promises. Once the dust has settled — then what?
In 2020, about 4 million of all college students graduated with degrees from associate to doctorate. But too many also walked across the stage worried about the future and mountains of debt. There’s that one thing called employment that can be stressful to obtain, especially during a global pandemic.
Now, reality sets in. Graduates are worried about obtaining viable employment and what they will do for the rest of their lives. Student loan bills will become due in about six months and can be a nightmare, especially when you’re still trying to get established.
Even as the workforce expands, Black graduates still feel the brunt of discrimination and are therefore more vulnerable. Black graduates continue to be almost twice as likely as white graduates to be unemployed.
The truth is that for many Black graduates, the benefits of a college education may not have lived up to the promise. A friend of mine’s son graduated last year with a degree in business administration. He aspired to work in marketing and applied to major companies like Apple, Amazon, and Google. When those didn’t come through, he had to pick up work as a cashier for $10 an hour. It was a similar situation with many of his fellow classmates.
The unemployment gap between Black and white college graduates narrows as people get older. Last year, it was 3.5 percent for whites versus nearly 6 percent for Black people. But the delay in finding a job can resonate years down the road — reducing wages over a lifetime.
The concept of “getting a good job” is different for everyone. Many of our parents drilled that into us from an early age because it was the most practical advice they could give. Yet, in a COVID-19 world, college graduates must remain open and be able to adjust expectations. If the pandemic has made anything clear, it’s that perfect plans can go left at any time. Now, it’s important to prioritize health, safety, and living a life you actually enjoy.
Society puts tremendous pressure on young people – and young people put on themselves – to have their lives figured out by the time they walk across the stage. The truth is, figuring it out is a long game. We are constantly evolving and creating new chapters in our story.
When I started college, my parents advised me to use the time to prepare. Classes and school will be the easy part because it’s structured. In the real world, there will be changes every day — and there’s no syllabus telling you what comes next. Build relationships through networking, and go after professional, personal, and creative opportunities that bring you happiness. Making connections is key even outside of the office. These days, social media makes it easy to insert yourself into existing conversations and build relationships with people.
Graduating from college without a job or prospects for a job can be scary. So, now is the time to define what risk means to you and what you’ve cared about up to this point. It might be risky to go against your parent’s wishes. For someone else, the risk might be quitting the safe, stable job they hate for a lower-paying job they’ll love and gives them peace of mind. Either way, you only perceive these things as risks because they don’t live up to the opinions of other people. The truth is, they may not live up to the expectations you had for yourself. You don’t want to disappoint, but guess what? The threat is mostly — or completely — in your head.
The discomfort you feel is not because you’re doing anything wrong, it’s because you’re thinking and doing something different – something you actually want to do. If you can get past that fear, and realize that risks come with rewards, you’ll be great.
My friend’s son that I mentioned earlier? While working as a cashier, he continued to send out resumes every week and have some interviews. In the meantime, he decided to step out on faith. He began using social media to market his skills to small businesses, offering them everything from building websites to creating marketing plans. After he worked with his first client, he gained a referral and then another referral. Once he began to think differently about his situation, things began to change. Eventually, a company reached out to him via LinkedIn, and he secured the marketing job he always wanted. He’s also still investing energy into his side-hustle that has grown beyond what he imagined.
Many people advocate for not even attending college – that it’s a waste of time and money. While it’s true that college is not for everybody, I would disagree that it’s a waste. I believe everyone has their own path, and believe it or not, there are still many careers that require a college education. What’s also true is that everyone does not desire to be an entrepreneur.
What I know for sure is that graduating from college is a first step outside of the preverbal “box” that everyone preaches about. Graduating is no small feat. Even better, you can literally do anything you put your mind to. Try different jobs, industries, and your own passions to get a sense of how they make you feel. If you ever feel pressured to do one thing, or fit perfectly into a box, just remember that there is no box. Don’t be discouraged if you have to move back home with your parents for a while, or even take a job as a cashier. Never stop with your goals. This season of life doesn’t have to be scary and stressful. Know that you have time to figure it out. You can truly determine what happens next.
The highly anticipated documentary Butterfly in the Sky opens on a shot of present day LeVar Burton, sitting in a chair looking through a children’s book. The book is Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman, and it features a young Black girl on the cover, hair in pigtails, missing her two front teeth, and wearing a smile full of joy and glee.
Instantly I’m transported back to my childhood. I’m sitting on the floor in front of the TV, far too close, eating a bowl of cereal and waiting for that ubiquitous song to come on. “Butterfly in the sky, I can fly twice as high. Take a look, it’s in a book, A Reading Rainbow.” Children’s programming at the time was a special thing. Everyone watched Reading Rainbow, and every child knew exactly who host LeVar Burton was.
When you get to the age where you realize that the people in the TV are actual people doing their jobs, it can be pretty jarring. But for a show that was on for more than 23 years, a show that was passed down to younger siblings, nieces, nephews, maybe even our own children, Burton became more than just a host. He became family. He would go on to influence other parts of our childhood. Whether it was the requisite watching of Roots in fifth grade or enjoying him as Geordi La Forge on Star Trek: The Next Generation, Burton was and still remains a comforting presence. He even has LeVar Burton Reads, which is touted as Reading Rainbow for adults.
There’s something that is equal parts cathartic and arresting as Burton reads from Amazing Grace and then the doc shows Burton reading it on the show nearly 40 years ago. If you’re familiar with the show, there was always a section where a kid would review a book. As kids, my friends and I wanted so badly to be one of those kids. To have someone our age recommend a book to read that was for us? It was out of this world!
Butterfly in the Sky catches up with many of the reviewers as they recall their time on the show. It’s a diverse group. One reviewer notes that Reading Rainbow was a show that everyone wanted to be on because it was so easy to see yourself. The show gave you a chance to define yourself within a piece of literature — to search for yourself on the page and maybe even create the pages yourself.
“Reading Rainbow was not about learning to read. Reading Rainbow was about loving to read,” Ed Wiseman, Reading Rainbow director, says wisely in the documentary. The show was not just inspiration to read but incentivised what reading could do. If you needed courage, there was a book for that. If you needed to understand what was happening with your parents, there was a book for that. If you wanted to know about the ramifications of eating fried worms, there was a book for that.
Butterfly in the Sky has a bevy of producers and directors, including big names like Whoopi Goldberg. There’s so much love and nostalgia and passion put into the doc that serves as overflow from time worked on the show. Created by former teacher, Tyla Liggett, the show was produced and hosted by LeVar Burton from 1983–2006.
Watching the documentary is a dream for anyone who was even slightly touched by Reading Rainbow. Children’s author Jason Reynolds — a large Black man with dreads — put into perspective what it was about Reading Rainbow and LeVar Burton in particular. “For all of us watching it, it was the show saying you matter, your stories matter, your voice matters, your opinion matters. Which means I get to watch the show and say, huh, maybe I have a voice? Maybe I have an opinion, a story.”
Butterfly in the Sky takes a long look at the history of Reading Rainbow: the risks, the pitfalls and the successes. The best of the successes are the impact the show had on children. Books sales rose over 800% since the show’s debut. Generations of children have been positively affected by Reading Rainbow, a show that wasn’t afraid to educate and empower children.
If there are any faults to be had with the doc, it comes in a lack of knowing exactly who or what the doc’s main subject is. This may be entirely by design. Reading Rainbow is LeVar Burton and LeVar Burton is Reading Rainbow. The show is a young man with dreams who searches for help and understanding to make those dreams come true. Burton’s journey is just as important to the show’s development as the show is itself. This is not completely unexpected when you’ve not only hosted a show for 20+ years but also carried on a career around it, doing whatever it took to make sure the helm was well maintained. It remains his most cherished credit even as he takes on new roles.
Butterfly in the Sky truly is a beautifully done documentary full of truth and the kind of direct-to-camera soul soothing that Burton is known for. Make sure to have your tissues ready. Sections showing the former kids who are now adults are very special. And hearing what the production crew has been up to recently is inspiring. The impact of Reading Rainbow is remembered and celebrated. But you don’t have to take my word for it!
Butterfly in the Sky had its premiere at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival.