Why "TrouserFilm"?
Dorothy Arzner was one of the only women directors to have had a successful Hollywood career during the 1920's, '30s and '40s. Cutting her hair boyishly short and wearing trousers, Arzner never spoke about her sexual orientation, but for most of her life lived quietly with choreographer Marion Morgan. The story goes that on the set of one of Paramount’s first talking films, The Wild Party, she tied a microphone to a fishing pole to put nervous silent film star Clara Bow at ease and get better audio — in effect inventing the first boom microphone. Katharine Hepburn, Joan Crawford and Lucille Ball were among the many other stars who appeared in Arzner's twenty-some films. She became the first female member of the Director’s Guild Association, though her films were sometimes disparaged by male directors as "trouser films".
About Lauretta
Lauretta Molitor works primarily as a location sound recordist for film and video. She first discovered her love of documentary in high school as an assistant editor and production assistant for her local Public Broadcasting Station, KPBS in San Diego, CA. After stints at San Francisco State University and at a local professional film equipment rental house she settled into a career in sound as a freelance recordist. and three decades later, she has gathered experience in all types of production including commercials, industrials, television, and day playing on narrative features ranging from Pacific Heights to Milk.
Documentary remains her main vocation and passion. Amongst other kudos, many of her projects have been nominated for and/or won Academy Awards. Lauretta was personally nominated for an Emmy for Best Sound in Documentary for The Celluloid Closet. She has been fortunate to work with the most talented crew members and filmmakers in the rich film community of the Bay Area. In recent years she has also enjoyed mentoring younger directors and crew members.
She has been invited as a guest speaker in several educational settings including the UCSC Social Documentary program and the Graduate Documentary program at Stanford University. She also consults for academic advisory committees. In 2016, Lauretta made her directorial debut with Zeitgeist 1977: The First Festival, a short which premiered at the Frameline International Film Festival as a tribute to its 40th anniversary. Its several screenings were all well received, and it has since been invited to several shorts festivals in the United Kingdom as well as opening night (2017) of Cinema Diverse: The Palm Springs LGBTQ Film Festival.
Recent & selected sound credits:
Ahead of the Curve (work in progress). Jen Rainin, director
Crip Camp: Not Overcoming. Becoming. (work in progress). Jim LeBrecht and Nicole Newnham, directors.
No Straight Lines (Work in Progress). Vivian Kleiman, director.
Dolores (2017) Peter Bratt, director.
And Then They Came For Us (2017) Abby Ginzberg, director.
The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin (2017) Jennifer Kroot, director.
The F Word (2017) Nicole Opper, director.
Unrest (2017) Jennifer Brea, director.
The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution (2015) Stanley Nelson, director.
The Royal Road (2015) Jenni Olson, director.
She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry (2014) Mary Dore, director.
Fixed: The Science/Fiction of Human Enhancement (2013) Reagan Brashear, director.
Alice Walker: Beauty in Truth (2013) Pratibha Parmar, director.
We Were Here (2011) David Weissman and Bill Weber, directors.
The Celluloid Closet (1995) Rob Epstein & Jeffrey Friedman, directors.
Zeitgeist 1977: The First Festival (2017) Lauretta Molitor, director.
Impresario (2022) Lauretta Molitor, director.
Dorothy Arzner was one of the only women directors to have had a successful Hollywood career during the 1920's, '30s and '40s. Cutting her hair boyishly short and wearing trousers, Arzner never spoke about her sexual orientation, but for most of her life lived quietly with choreographer Marion Morgan. The story goes that on the set of one of Paramount’s first talking films, The Wild Party, she tied a microphone to a fishing pole to put nervous silent film star Clara Bow at ease and get better audio — in effect inventing the first boom microphone. Katharine Hepburn, Joan Crawford and Lucille Ball were among the many other stars who appeared in Arzner's twenty-some films. She became the first female member of the Director’s Guild Association, though her films were sometimes disparaged by male directors as "trouser films".
About Lauretta
Lauretta Molitor works primarily as a location sound recordist for film and video. She first discovered her love of documentary in high school as an assistant editor and production assistant for her local Public Broadcasting Station, KPBS in San Diego, CA. After stints at San Francisco State University and at a local professional film equipment rental house she settled into a career in sound as a freelance recordist. and three decades later, she has gathered experience in all types of production including commercials, industrials, television, and day playing on narrative features ranging from Pacific Heights to Milk.
Documentary remains her main vocation and passion. Amongst other kudos, many of her projects have been nominated for and/or won Academy Awards. Lauretta was personally nominated for an Emmy for Best Sound in Documentary for The Celluloid Closet. She has been fortunate to work with the most talented crew members and filmmakers in the rich film community of the Bay Area. In recent years she has also enjoyed mentoring younger directors and crew members.
She has been invited as a guest speaker in several educational settings including the UCSC Social Documentary program and the Graduate Documentary program at Stanford University. She also consults for academic advisory committees. In 2016, Lauretta made her directorial debut with Zeitgeist 1977: The First Festival, a short which premiered at the Frameline International Film Festival as a tribute to its 40th anniversary. Its several screenings were all well received, and it has since been invited to several shorts festivals in the United Kingdom as well as opening night (2017) of Cinema Diverse: The Palm Springs LGBTQ Film Festival.
Recent & selected sound credits:
Ahead of the Curve (work in progress). Jen Rainin, director
Crip Camp: Not Overcoming. Becoming. (work in progress). Jim LeBrecht and Nicole Newnham, directors.
No Straight Lines (Work in Progress). Vivian Kleiman, director.
Dolores (2017) Peter Bratt, director.
And Then They Came For Us (2017) Abby Ginzberg, director.
The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin (2017) Jennifer Kroot, director.
The F Word (2017) Nicole Opper, director.
Unrest (2017) Jennifer Brea, director.
The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution (2015) Stanley Nelson, director.
The Royal Road (2015) Jenni Olson, director.
She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry (2014) Mary Dore, director.
Fixed: The Science/Fiction of Human Enhancement (2013) Reagan Brashear, director.
Alice Walker: Beauty in Truth (2013) Pratibha Parmar, director.
We Were Here (2011) David Weissman and Bill Weber, directors.
The Celluloid Closet (1995) Rob Epstein & Jeffrey Friedman, directors.
Zeitgeist 1977: The First Festival (2017) Lauretta Molitor, director.
Impresario (2022) Lauretta Molitor, director.