Lectures on Tap-Crafting Horror: Shadows, Contrast & Cinematic Storytelling

Join us for an engaging evening where professors, experts, and storytellers bring their thought-provoking lectures to your favorite bar in Atwater, Los Angeles!

Hosted by the Lectures on Tap team.

🗓️ Date: October 20th, 2025

🕖 Time: Doors open at 7:00 PM

📍 Location: Atwater, Los Angeles (exact address given in confirmation email)

📚 Lecture: "Crafting Horror: Shadows, Contrast & Cinematic Storytelling"

🎤 Speaker: Professor Drew McClellan

In celebration of Halloween, Professor McClellan will delve into both classic and contemporary horror cinema, examining how filmmakers wield the grayscale to conjure mood, craft chilling atmospheres and manipulate fear and tension within audiences.

From ominous, enveloping shadows to spectral, overexposed highlights, this lecture will reveal how visual elements are meticulously designed to heighten suspense and amplify unease, while simultaneously underscoring the unsettling psychological and emotional themes that define the cinematic visual tone of the horror genre.

Drew McClellan is a visionary executive and strategic leader in the fields of media, education, and innovation. As Chair of the Cinematic Arts Department at the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (LACHSA) and an adjunct professor at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, he has transformed cinematic arts education, forging nationally recognized programs that blend creative excellence with industry relevance.

Don’t miss this opportunity to deepen your understanding of cinematic storytelling through the lens!

Get a drink, connect, and learn at Lectures on Tap! 🙌

Agenda

7:00 PM – Doors open: find a seat (open seating!), order food & drinks, and expect a bar line—arriving early is key.

7:25 PM – Host introduction

7:30 PM – Lecture begins

8:15 PM – Audience Q&A

8:30 PM – mingle with fellow guests, and order another round

9:00 PM – Wrap up.

Also check out other Arts events in Atwater.