Some context: Carl Franklin was raised outside of San Francisco, in Richmond, California. He never had the opportunity to know his biological father, who had died before Carl was born. Franklin was raised by his mother and stepfather. While Franklin speaks highly of his stepfather and has called him "very loving," he has spoken out about his stepfather's abusive tendencies, linking his outbursts to alcohol use.
Franklin supports the portrayal of African-American history in films, and has been quoted as saying "I am interested in the universal values of the black experience." However, just because Franklin is a filmmaker who is African American does not mean that all of his films are racially motivated. Not all of his films revolve around a central theme of culture: some of his films cover racial issues, while others do not. Franklin maintains a wide subject range in his films, choosing not to focus solely on his heritage. As a prominent African-American filmmaker, Franklin stands apart from the rest in his careful selection of projects. While many of his most notable films touch on the subject of racial climates and the struggles that ensue, Franklin does not hide behind his race. Explaining to The L.A Times, "My ethnicity is a plus, a tool. It gives me ammunition in terms of the way I view the world. There are certain stories in the black community that inform us all." Combining his humanitarian instincts and personal experiences, Franklin stands out as a visionary for community improvement through his films. However, a large part of Franklin's remarkable journey revolves around the fact that he is black. Discussing the realities for African Americans in the television and film industry, Franklin said: "When I came up, the only legitimate dramatic actor was Sidney Poitier, the bankable star was Richard Pryor and the other choice roles were action parts that went to Jim Brown. Even someone as good as Billy Dee Williams had a couple of great moments and then couldn't get a decent part." With a very small window of opportunity for African Americans at the time that Franklin was getting his start, his skills and educational background contributed to his success. Franklin is a standout filmmaker regardless of his race, yet he is often praised for his ability to overcome adversity, and is recognized for his highly regarded opinion as well as his relevant contributions. In February 2000, Franklin was featured as a Black History Month guest speaker at Indiana University's ''Black Film Center/Archive''. The group hosted an event called A Night with Filmmaker Carl Franklin, which gave Franklin the opportunity to talk about his experience in the movie industry as well as show a preview of his film Devil in a Blue Dress. Franklin's appearance was highly regarded by many students who were honored to meet him in person.
What kind of genre did he study for his M.F.A.
A:
Some context: Daft Punk is a French electronic music duo from Paris formed in 1993 by Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter. The duo achieved significant popularity in the late 1990s as part of the French house movement and had continuous success in the years following, combining elements of house music with funk, techno, disco, rock and synthpop influences. They are also known for their visual stylization and disguises associated with their music; the duo have worn ornate helmets and gloves to assume robot personas in most of their public appearances since 2001 and rarely grant interviews or appear on television. The duo were managed from 1996 to 2008 by Pedro Winter (also known as Busy P), the head of Ed Banger Records.
In September 1993, Daft Punk attended a rave at EuroDisney, where they met Stuart Macmillan of Slam, co-founder of the label Soma Quality Recordings. The demo tape given to Macmillan at the rave formed the basis for Daft Punk's debut single, "The New Wave", a limited release in 1994. The single also contained the final mix of "The New Wave" called "Alive", which was to be featured on Daft Punk's first album. Daft Punk returned to the studio in May 1995 to record "Da Funk". It became the duo's first commercially successful single the same year. After the success of "Da Funk", Daft Punk looked to find a manager. The duo eventually settled on Pedro Winter, who regularly promoted them and other artists at his Hype night clubs. The band signed with Virgin Records in September 1996 and made a deal through which the duo licensed its tracks to the major label through its production company, Daft Trax. Bangalter stated that while the duo received numerous offers from record labels, they wanted to wait and ensure that Daft Punk did not lose creative control. He ultimately considered the deal with Virgin to be more akin to a partnership. In the mid-to-late nineties, Daft Punk performed live without costumes in many places including the United States. In 1996, the duo were featured at an Even Furthur event in Wisconsin, their first public performance in the U.S. In addition to live original performances, they performed a number of times in various clubs using vinyl records from their collection. They were known for incorporating various styles of music into their DJ sets at that time. "Da Funk" and "Alive" were later included on Daft Punk's 1997 debut album Homework. In February of that year, the UK dance magazine Muzik published a Daft Punk cover feature and described Homework as "one of the most hyped debut albums in a long long time." According to The Village Voice, the album revived house music and departed from the Eurodance formula. As noted by critic Alex Rayner, Homework brought together established club styles and the "burgeoning eclecticism" of big beat. In 1997 Daft Punk also launched their Daftendirektour to promote Homework in several cities throughout the world. For this tour the duo opted to utilize their home studio equipment for the live stage. As Bangalter stated, "Everything was synched up--the drum machines, the bass lines. The sequencer was just sending out the tempos and controlling the beats and bars. On top of this structure we built all these layers of samples and various parts that we could bring in whenever we wanted to." 25 May 1997 saw them perform at the Tribal Gathering festival at Luton Hoo, England, headlining with Orbital and Kraftwerk. The most successful single from Homework was "Around the World", which is known for the repeating chant of the song's title. "Da Funk" was also included on The Saint film soundtrack. Daft Punk produced a series of music videos for Homework directed by Spike Jonze, Michel Gondry, Roman Coppola and Seb Janiak. The collection of videos was released in 1999 and titled D.A.F.T.: A Story About Dogs, Androids, Firemen and Tomatoes.
What else was the band doing in the 90s?
A:
collection of videos was released in 1999 and titled D.A.F.T.: A Story About Dogs, Androids, Firemen and Tomatoes.