FILMS, TAKE THREE: From the pitch to...

FILMS, TAKE THREE: From the pitch to post-production, filmmaking is the San Fernando Valley’s top industry (B2). . . . The special effects for “Star Wars,” for example, were created at Industrial Light & Magic in Van Nuys. . . . In the last of a three-part series on the entertainment industry, Valley Briefing outlines the anatomy of a film.

JOY: Their church was rendered unsafe by the Northridge quake and its temporary replacement--a plain, tent-like dome--seemed unworthy of Christmas Mass. But for members of St. John Eudes Catholic Church in Chatsworth, there may be no better metaphor for the humble manger where their faith began (B1). . . . As volunteers spent Saturday decorating their makeshift quarters, they rediscovered the meaning of church.

GREAT EXPECTATIONS: Christmas wish lists can place pressure on parents and children alike, many of whom remember disappointments for years to come (B1). . . . But giving shouldn’t be governed by guilt, say experts. “Kids have to understand what’s realistic,” says psychologist Deborah Stipek.

A NEW COURSE: Scholl Canyon Golf Course in Glendale is new--and not so new. It rests on top of a city dump, and the first version was known for horrible smells and the occasional methane-induced fire (C12). . . . But the new course, which opened last month and is built on top of the old one, sports hills, scenery, nine more holes--and no risk of combustion.

NO SLOWDOWN: Karen Norris of Van Nuys, the nation’s top female disabled swimmer, has won a gold medal at the Paralympic Games and recently struck gold at the World Amputee Games. Now, at 29, she has her eye on the 1996 Paralympics in Atlanta (C12). . . . “I’m not aggressive and competitive because I need to prove something,” she said. “I happen to really enjoy being active.”

* The Top of Today’s News is on A2