Latest News

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  June 17, 2013 iMAP Student Earns Intel Ph.D. Fellowship The fellowship will support Ph.D. candidate’s dissertation
  When you go to a concert, the audience reacts to the music; however, iMAP Ph.D. candidate Joshua McVeigh-Schultz’ dissertation reverses this process and demonstrates the ways in which technology itself can respond and adapt to the audience. McVeigh-Schultz’ innovation was recently recognized by technology tycoon Intel, which awarded him with a highly competitive Intel Ph.D. Fellowship to support his work.
  
  
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  June 13, 2013 Industry Giants “Interact” within SCA’s New Building The Interactive Media Building Officially Opens its Doors
  Imagine the entertainment landscape of the future. What does it look like?  On June 12, three of the most influential thinkers in entertainment media, filmmakers George Lucas and Steven Spielberg and Don Mattrick, the President of Microsoft’s Interactive Entertainment Business, tackled this question at an event hosted by the USC School of Cinematic Arts (SCA).
  
  
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  June 11, 2013 VIDEO: Brooks & Moss @ SCA Legendary Directors Hold Master Class at USC
  On April 11^th, directors James L. Brooks and Larry Moss were invited to teach a master class. The sold-out event was hosted by Comedy@SCA, the School of Cinematic Arts’ academic pathway for the study of comedy in theory and practice.
  
  
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  June 5, 2013 When Big Leaguers go DIY CTCS Alum and Co-Producer/Editor of Whedon’s Newest Film Discusses Micro and Big Budget Filmmaking
  With credits to his name like Marvel’s The Avengers, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Toy Story, Writer/Director Joss Whedon has earned his keep as one of Hollywood’s most sought after talent. However, the filmmaking process for Whedon’s newest film, Much Ado About Nothing, doesn’t seem too different from that of School of Cinematic Arts students’ approach. Whedon took on the adaptation of the Shakespeare play like a DIY passion project, employing money-saving techniques that students are known for.
  
  
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  June 4, 2013 Redefining Animation @ SCA SCA’s Hench-DADA to Host the 25th Annual Society of Animation Studies Conference
  The USC School of Cinematic Arts’ John C. Hench Division of Animation & Digital Arts (Hench-DADA) will host the 25^thAnnual Conference for the Society of Animation Studies (SAS) titled Redefining Animation. The event invites scholars, researchers and artists to present, address and critique the expanding art form across disparate media and to contribute their papers, ideas and observations to engage a variety of topics in the ever-evolving field of animation and digital arts. Redefining Animation will take place at USC from June 23-27.
  
  
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  May 31, 2013 Trojans Get “The Spirit of the Marathon” New Documentary has SCA Alumni in Key Roles
  Running culture has become an international phenomenon, with people from around the globe gathering at various locations for scenic, challenging short races and marathons.  Seven years ago, SCA alum Jon Dunham changed the face of documentary distribution by creating a one-day event screening for the running community to showcase his documentary Spirit of the Marathon. On June 12th, the sequel The Spirit of the Marathon II will once again be the feature at a one-day screening event. Through Fathom Events, the new film will screen on over 600 movie theatres across the United States.
  
  
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  May 22, 2013 SCA Welcomes New Division Media Arts + Practice Becomes the School's Seventh Division
  The USC School of Cinematic Arts is adding a division designed to study cutting-edge digital technology. The new Media Arts + Practice Division (MAP) will focus on emerging forms of storytelling and use of the moving image in diverse vocations and academic spheres. The Media Arts + Practice Division will offer Bachelor of Arts and Ph.D. degrees.
  
  
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  May 21, 2013 SCA Family Stories: Tadious Odissu Alum Discusses Newest Film
  The School of Cinematic Arts houses a diverse body of students, each offering a unique background and point of view that they in turn bring to their work. For Ethiopian Tadious Odissu, his international upbringing would play a significant role in the stories he wanted to tell as a filmmaker.
  
  Recently, MFA Production graduate Tadious Odissu sat down with SCA to discuss his film, What to Bring to America, his experiences as a refugee from Ethiopia to his journey to SCA and how passion is the driving force behind getting a filmmaker’s story told.
  
  
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  May 20, 2013 Alum in Jeopardy Hannah Spector Wins Big with Film Topics
  Hannah Spector had been trying to get on Jeopardy! for 10 years. Here she was with a slim lead heading into the final round, and host Alex Trebek reveals the deciding subject to be “70s Blockbusters.” It's a movie category and she got her graduate degree from the USC School of Cinematic Arts in 2003.
  
  
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  May 16, 2013 IMGD Announces New Minors Four New Minors Added to Available Degree Programs
  As the marketplace for videogames continues to expand, the demands put on game developers continue to grow and change. Today’s video game professionals need to be skilled in areas as diverse as audio design, animation and entrepreneurship. Fortunately for students at USC’s Interactive Media and Games Division (IMGD), four new minors in Game Animation, Game Audio, Game Design and Game Entrepreneurism are now available to give students a key advantage before entering the industry.
  
  
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  May 13, 2013 Alumni with a “Cannes-do” Attitude Two alumni films to compete at Cannes
  School of Cinematic Arts alumni have two films in competition at this year’s Cannes. Fruitvale (renamed Fruitvale Station) and The Immigrant will be competing in the 66^thFestival de Cannes, running from May 15-26. Longtime SCA ally Steven Spielberg will serve as this year’s President of the Jury.
  
  
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  May 10, 2013 USC Games Presents: Demo Day
  USC Games, a joint venture between the USC School of Cinematic Arts’ (SCA) Interactive Media & Games Division and the Viterbi School of Engineering’s Department of Computer Science will host Demo Day on May 14, it was announced today by Tracy Fullerton, Chair of SCA’s Interactive Media & Games Division and Michael Zyda, Professor in the Viterbi School of Engineering.  Demo Day will take place on the USC campus at the Eileen Norris Theatre. In its ninth year, Demo Day is an annual industry exhibition that showcases student-developed video games ranging from traditional video games to mobile, iPad games, as well as immersive game experiences. Visit USC Games: games.usc.edu
  
  
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  May 7, 2013 In Memoriam: Ray Harryhausen Visual Effects Pioneer was a Lecturer and Alum
  Ray Harryhausen, an alum and former lecturer at the USC School of Cinematic Arts (SCA), died on May 7th in London. Harryhausen is known for pioneering visual effects work on films that include Mighty Joe Young (1949), Jason and the Argonauts (1963), the original Clash of the Titans (1981) and on several Sinbad films. His breakthrough effects featured in the film The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953), inspired the monster movie genre.
  
  
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  May 6, 2013 Student Stories: Jorge Molina BFA, Writing for Screen and Television
  The USC School of Cinematic Arts profiles students through the year so that aspiring SCA students can know what to expect from their time here. Student Stories recently profiled Writing Division BFA Jorge Molina. Below is that profile.
  
  
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  May 6, 2013 Tracy Fullerton Named a Technology Innovator Nominee Chair of IMGD Honored for Work on Mission: Admission
  Chair of the USC School of Cinematic Arts’ Interactive Media and Games Division was named a nominee of the Chronicle of Higher Education’s 2013 Technology Innovator list. Fullerton’s work on Mission: Admission, a video game that teaches kids the ins and outs of applying for college, was featured as an example of Fullerton’s work.
  
  
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  May 3, 2013 The Iron Men of Marvel President of Marvel Studios and Writer/Director of Iron Man 3 Visit SCA
  Last night, students of Leonard Maltin’s Theatrical Film Symposium (CTCS 466) had a special treat for their last class of the semester with an advanced 3D screening of Iron Man 3. Following the film, Writer/Director Shane Black and Producer/President of Marvel Studios Kevin Feige visited the School of Cinematic Arts to discuss why “geek is good” and how superhero films are making huge strides today. Filling in for Maltin, Writing Professor Howard Rodman moderated the Q&A.
  
  
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  May 1, 2013 Crystal @ SCA Actor Discusses His Latest Film, Monsters University
  On April 26th, the Cinematic Arts students attending the screening of Disney/Pixar’s Monsters University knew that a special guest was coming after the film but didn’t know who. Director of Programming at the USC School of Cinematic Arts Alex Ago told them that their guest was someone who worked at Pixar by the name of Mike Wazowski. When Billy Crystal (who voices the character Mike Wazowski) took the stage, there was a full standing ovation.
  
  
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  April 29, 2013 USC Launches Industry Summit in Beijing Dean Daley Discusses the Relationship Between China and Hollywood
  
  
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  April 26, 2013 Hench-DADA Chair Kathy Smith Honored Smith Honored with Award in Faculty Mentoring
  One of the USC School of Cinematic Arts’ primary missions is to provide a world-class faculty for its students. Kathy Smith, the chair of the John C. Hench Division of Animation and Digital Arts exemplifies this tradition and was honored with the 2013 USC Mellon Mentoring Award for Graduate Mentoring by Faculty on April 25th at a ceremony at the USC University Club.
  
  
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  April 25, 2013 SCA Family Stories: Susie Yankou Student Talks About Her DIY Web Series
  High school can be a tough time for many teenagers, but it helps when someone else can relate. This is precisely what Susie Yankou ’15 wanted to accomplish when she started a DIY web series called 101 Ways to Get Rejected to chronicle the not-so glamorous blunders of an average high school student.
   
  Writing student Yankou recently sat down with SCA to discuss the making of her web series, how her time at SCA has helped her build a collaborative team and advice for students looking to follow the DIY web series path.
  
  
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  April 23, 2013 The Simpsons @ SCA Writers/Producers of TV’s Longest-Running Animated Series Discuss the World of Comedy
  In the 20th century, the standard way of getting hired as a television writer involved writing a spec script and hoping an executive would like your work. Now, writers and comedians are using previously unconventional outlets like YouTube and Twitter to get their work out to a major audience. On April 17th, Simpsons writers/producers Tim Long and Matt Selman and writing/producing comedy team Tom Gammill and Max Pross (Seinfeld, Futurama) visited SCA to discuss their careers and how anyone who wants to work in comedy can thrive in the digital age.
  
  
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  April 22, 2013 Bachus-Summers Fund for Innovation in Interactive Entertainment Established USC Alumni Giving Back
  Video game industry pioneers and USC alumni Kevin Bachus and Chanel Summers have made a donation to the USC School of Cinematic Arts Interactive Media & Games Division (IMGD) to establish The Bachus-Summers Fund for Innovation in Interactive Entertainment. The gift was announced today by School of Cinematic Arts’ (SCA) Dean Elizabeth M. Daley and will establish a fund for student support to be awarded to students showing initiative in the emerging fields of interactive and immersive media.
  
  
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  April 17, 2013 Rhythms + Visions / Expanded + Live 2 Friday, April 26th. 8 PM to Midnight
  Rhythms + Visions / Expanded + Live will light up the School of Cinematic Arts Complex in an eventing of large exterior projections and animated sonic performances. Innovative artists Quayola & Sinigaglia, Miwa Matreyek and Charles Lindsay will perform an eclectic program of contemporary audio-visual art and visual music. The exterior spaces of SCA will come alive with interactive installations and building projections created by faculty and students from USC’s Digital Arts and Animation and Interactive Media divisions.
  
  
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  April 15, 2013 USC | 5D World Building in Action
  USC | 5D Institute's first live, interactive festival, "The Science of Fiction: World Building in Action," held April 13 at the Norris Theater and SCI building, brought together a wide range of professionals, students, and youngsters to create a near-future LA 2020 in a single day.
  
  
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  April 9, 2013 Robert Zemeckis Profiled by the DGA Trojan Alum Talks about the Role of Technology in Film
  Robert Zemeckis Profiled by the DGA! http://www.dga.org/Craft/DGAQ/All-Articles/1302-Spring-2013/DGA-Interview-Robert-Zemeckis.aspx
  
  
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  April 8, 2013 2013 Commencement Speakers Announced Alumni Stacey Sher and Matthew Weiner to Address Student Body
  Long-time ally of the USC School of Cinematic Arts and legendary producer of Pulp Fiction, Django Unchained and Erin Brokovitch Stacey Sher will be the 2013 commencement speaker. In addition, alum Matthew Weiner, the executive producer of Mad Men will receive the 2013 Mary Pickford Alumni Award for distinguished alumni.
  
  
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  April 8, 2013 On the Towne Academy Award-winning Screenwriter Visits SCA
  In addition to classroom work, internships and creating projects, part of the School of Cinematic Arts’ student education is the many guests the School brings in through the year. On April 2, legendary screenwriter Robert Towne made his final of three visits of the semester to discuss Shampoo (1975) and, among a host of subjects, touched on how research is key to making a standout script.
  
  
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  April 4, 2013 The Science of Fiction Coming to SCA 5D Institute to hold Festival on World Building
  The USC School of Cinematic Arts emphasises a mixture of technology and storytelling in its curriculum across all six of its divisions. To explore this further, USC’s 5D Institute will host The Science of Fiction, a gathering of leading theorists, practitioners and students in the emerging field of “World Building.” Presented in partnership with Boeing and Warner Bros. Pictures, the festival will feature a live, interactive event where participants will use the narrative design principles of World Building to create a visionary, near-future world. The festival will launch on April 13 at USC’s Norris Theater.
  
  
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  April 3, 2013 From Vertigo to Avatar: Tom Sito Covers the History of Computer Graphics Hench-DADA Professor Presents History Book
  Computer graphics are in the DNA of the cinematic arts. Tom Sito, Professor of Cinematic Practice for the John C. Hench Division of Digital Arts, has written the first book detailing the history of computer graphics as an art form and a workhorse for the entertainment industry. Moving Innovation: A History of Computer Animation is available on Amazon.com.
  
  
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  April 2, 2013 SCA Family Stories: Talia Myers Student Discusses her YouTube Video Going Viral
  Each year, SCA students make countless shorts, music videos, TV pilots and even feature films. Making sure these projects are seen, however, can be a whole different ball game. For SCA student Talia Myers ’15, who recently had a surge of media attention after her YouTube video became a viral hit, the battle of getting one’s name out there just got a whole lot easier.
   
  Myers recently sat down with SCA to discuss her viral YouTube video, “Kate Upton, Will You Go To Prom With Me?,”  how her short time at SCA helped her make this project and her advice for students looking to get their work seen.
  
  
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  April 2, 2013 Trojan Vision Turns Fifteen Award-Winning Student Television Marks Anniversary
  Students working at the USC School of CInematic Arts’ television station Trojan Vision have a simple rule. When you are doing your day-to-day activities, you’re a normal student. When you’re at the station, you’re a professional. On April 6 the award-winning station will be celebrating its fifteenth anniversary with a gathering at the station’s headquarters in the Robert Zemeckis center for Digital Arts.
  
  
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  March 29, 2013 The “Journey” Continues to GDC Visionary Game form SCA Alumni Wins Six Awards
  Journey,a downloadable game from for the PlayStation format, won six awards, including Game of the Year, at the 13th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards on March 27th. Journey was developed and produced by thatgamecompany, a video game company run by alum Jenova Chen ‘06 and co-founded by Kellee Sanitago ‘06.
  
  
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  March 15, 2013 Summer Program: Applications Open Unique Program Also Open to Non-Major and Non-USC Students
  The School of Cinematic Arts Summer Program offers participants from around the world an opportunity to attend intensive and creatively demanding filmmaking classes taught by world-class faculty with the use of state-of-the-art equipment. Offering over thirty classes each summer, SCA Summer Program courses cover all aspects of filmmaking, including cinematography, directing, screenwriting, film and television business studies and computer/hand-drawn animation and gaming. Full semester classes condensed into six or seven weeks creates a total immersion experience unlike any other film school in the world. SCA Summer Program students have gone on to become producers at major companies/studios, independent filmmakers and even Emmy Award-winning documentarians.
  
  
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  March 14, 2013 USC Games Has Big Night at BAFTA Awards BAFTA Honors SCA Alumni-Created Games
  London recently got a little warmer when several of the School of Cinematic Arts alumni indie gamers gathered for the 10th British Academy Games Awards on March 5. USC alumni games The Unfinished Swan and Journey both took home awards, including Outstanding Debut Game, Outstanding Game Innovation and the Game Design award.
  
  
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  March 12, 2013 ESCoNS @ SCA USC to Hold 3-Day Event on Groundbreaking Cognitive Therapeutics
  Following its successful inaugural symposium in 2011, the Entertainment Software and Cognitive Neurotherapeutics Society (ESCoNS) is holding its second annual conference from March 15-17 at USC to advance the development of videogame therapy in diagnosing and combating mental disorders, as well as how to improve cognitive learning, brain capacity and function through interactive gameplay. Partnered with SCA’s Interactive Media and Games Division and the Game Innovation Lab, this year’s conference will bring together over 200 attendees in the tops of their fields to create scientific and medical breakthroughs through interactive games and media.
  
  
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  March 12, 2013 USC Games Number One Graduate Program Secures Fourth Consecutive #1 Ranking
  The University of Southern California has been named the number one game design school in North America by the Princeton Review for its graduate program.  This ranking is shared by the USC School of Cinematic Arts (SCA) Interactive Media and Games Division and the USC Viterbi School of Engineering’s Department of Computer Science. USC has been ranked the number one school for game design for each year the Princeton Review has released the college ranking.  Additionally, USC took the number 2 position for its undergraduate program.
  
  
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  March 8, 2013 A “Phantom” in SCA Filmmakers/SCA Faculty Discuss Latest Movie
  When filmmakers join the School of Cinematic Arts faculty, they do anything but slow down. Many of SCA’s faculty, adjuncts and professors continue to be an active part of the industry as writers, directors, producers and everything in between. This commitment to the moving image was on display February 22nd when SCA faculty members Todd Robinson, John Watson and Pen Densham screened their newest collaboration, Phantom, at the Ray Stark Theatre.  Following the screening, Phantom’s writer/director Robinson joined fellow SCA faculty members/Phantom producers Watson and Densham and Academy Award-nominated actor Ed Harris for a Q&A to discuss how the industry is becoming more open to small-budget films and that students shouldn’t wait until they graduate to start their own collaborations.
  
  
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  March 8, 2013 The Yellow Brick Road Leads to Norris James Franco and Zach Braff Discuss Their Time in Oz
  Students of Leonard Maltin’s Theatrical Film Symposium (CTCS 466) were able to view an advance screening of Disney’s Oz the Great and Powerful in Norris Theatre last night, with a special Q&A with the film’s actors James Franco (Spider-Man, 127 Hours) and Zach Braff (Scrubs, Garden State). The two highlighted their experiences on the blockbuster’s set, the need for keeping a strong relationship and emotional arc in the midst of grand visual technology and the importance of having a strong, collaborative director at the helm.
  
  
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  March 7, 2013 Putting Games in the Name IMD Gets a New Name
  The School of Cinematic Arts’ Interactive Media Division has long been at the forefront of innovative gameplay. To emphasize its commitment to studying games and playable media in all forms, IMD will be renamed the Interactive Media and Games Division.
  
  
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  March 5, 2013 SCA Family Stories: Kylie Nicholson and Jack Morgan Students from SCA’s New B.A. in Media Arts + Practice Give Advice
  The School of Cinematic Arts is proud to announce the new Bachelor of Arts in Media Arts + Practice as its newest B.A. To celebrate the new degree program, SCA Family Stories sat down with students Kylie Nicholson and Jack Morgan to talk about the new degree program, how students can prepare themselves for the new major and how collaboration is the key to success in the new program and the real world.
  
  
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  March 5, 2013 The Berlinale Talent Campus in 5D 5D Institute Hosts Two Seminars in Berlin
  Having a globally diverse marketplace is a key component for groundbreaking collaboration. For mediamakers pushing the forefront of technology, the Berlinale Talent Campus (BTC) hosts just the place for this community of innovative thinkers. As such, Alex McDowell, Co-Founder and Creative Director of the 5D Institute at the School of Cinematic Arts, recently visited the BTC in Berlin to discuss World Building and its impact on technology’s use in design fields.
  
  
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  March 1, 2013 EA Visits USC President of Labels Frank Gibeau Coming to Campus
  
  
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  March 1, 2013 Herb Farmer Technology Display at SCA Visit the Collection of Cinema’s Rich History
  Today’s moving images are created far differently than its origins: with green screens, motion capture technology, 3D visuals and more, the possibilities are endless. However, the history of cinema is captured not only through the images themselves, but through its advances in technology. To keep filmic history alive, the School of Cinematic Arts is currently showcasing the Herbert E. Farmer Motion Picture Technology Collection within the Hugh M. Hefner Exhibition Hall for viewers to see these pieces of cinematic history firsthand.
  
  
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  February 25, 2013 Chris Terrio For The Win USC Alumni Wins Big at Oscars
  At last night’s Oscars, School of Cinematic Arts (SCA) alum Chris Terrio took home the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for Argo. The win epitomizes SCA’s mission to keep an engaging story at the forefront of filmmaking.
  
  
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  February 25, 2013 SCA Family Stories: Max Taxe Recent Black List Recipient Sits with SCA
  Students in the School of Cinematic Arts’ Writing for Screen and Television program are told right off the bat that a career in Hollywood is a marathon, not a sprint. However, for alumni like Max Taxe ’11, their career path could get jump-started more quickly than anticipated when their work receives attention early on.
  
  SCA recently sat down with Taxe to discuss his screenplay Goodbye, Felix Chester, which made the 2012 Black List, his time at SCA and his advice for budding screenwriters.
  
  
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  February 22, 2013 Trojans at the MPSE Awards Three SCA Student Films Nominated for Award in Sound Editing
  School of Cinematic Arts students strive to make their projects at the industry-standard level, and that dedication shows. SCA is known for its ranks of writers, directors, producers, video game designers and editors, but one of its best kept secrets is the caliber of sound editors who graduate from the School every year.
  
  On February 17th, the Motion Picture Sound Editors (MPSE) hosted the Golden Reel Awards in downtown Los Angeles to recognize outstanding works by student and professional filmmakers in the field of sound design. Of the eight student films up for the Verna Fields Award in Sound Editing for Student Filmmakers, SCA held three nominations. Two days prior, the SCA Sound Department hosted an event to screen each student film nominated for the award.
  
  
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  February 21, 2013 School of Cinematic Arts Oscar Noms! Congrats to our alumni
  Congrats to the SCA alumni nominated for Oscars!
  
  
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  February 15, 2013 USC Cinematic Arts Announces Bachelor of Arts in Media Arts and Practice New B.A. Will Cover Emerging Media
  The USC School of Cinematic Arts is always on the cutting edge of the digital marketplace and digital technology. In this vein the School is proud to announce a new degree program, the B.A. in Media Arts + Practice.
  
  
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  February 14, 2013 Jim Gianopulos Joins Board of Councilors Entertainment Industry Titan to work with School of Cinematic Arts
  Jim Gianopulos, Chairman and CEO of Twentieth Century Fox Film, has joined the prestigious USC School of Cinematic Arts (SCA) Board of Councilors. The Board of Councilors takes a leadership role in the School’s overall planning and development as well as supports its fundraising efforts.
  
  
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  February 11, 2013 Thatgamecompany’s Journey Sweeps Interactive D.I.C.E. Awards SCA IMD Alums’ Game Takes Home 8 Interactive Academy Awards
  The Interactive Media Division (IMD) at the USC School of Cinematic Arts is known for bringing an unparalleled level of artistry and innovation to video game design. thatgamecompany, which was co-founded by alumni Jenova Chen ‘06 and Kellee Santiago ‘06 exemplifies this approach, with highly-artistic games Cloud, flOw, Flower and, most recently, Journey. On February 16th, Journey was the big winner at the D.I.C.E (Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain) Awards, which are presented annually by the not-for-profit Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences (AIAS) to honor outstanding achievements in interactive art form. Journey was the Awards’ most recognized game, with eight wins: Game of the Year, Outstanding Innovation in Gaming, Outstanding Innovation in Art Direction, Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition, Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design, Casual Game of the Year, Outstanding Achievement in Online Gameplay and Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction.
  
  
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  February 8, 2013 Producer Andy Friendly Makes Major Donation to SCA Friend and Alum Gives Direct Aid to Students
  The USC School of Cinematic Arts is fortunate to have a strong roster of alumni who are eager to give back. Among them are SCA alumnus, producer and executive Andy Friendly ‘73 and his wife, actress Pat Crowley, who have created an endowment to help students who are struggling to complete their education. In January, Friendly augmented his existing gift to the School of Cinematic Arts with an additional $50,000 and renamed the fund the Pat Crowley and Andy Friendly Endowed Fund for Student Support.
  
  
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  February 8, 2013 USC has Two Options: be “Funny or Die” Comedy@SCA and Funny Or Die Team Up to Host a Workshop for All USC Students
  At the School of Cinematic Arts, students are taught to take the study of the moving image seriously, and that includes studying comedy. As a way of providing students with hands-on experience in creating online video content, SCA has teamed up with Funny Or Die, the award-winning, top destination for comedy on the web, for a two-day workshop. Running this Friday and Saturday, February 8-9 at USC’s Robert Zemeckis Center for Digital Arts and in the SCA Complex, students will get the chance to prove just how funny they can be.  
  
  
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  February 7, 2013 Bryan Singer Shakes Up Critical Studies SCA’s Most Populated Division Renamed After Alum
  From George Lucas and Steven Spielberg to Sumner Redstone to Jeffrey Katzenberg and Ray Stark, the School of Cinematic Arts’ (SCA) foundation has literally been built through the names of its friends and alumni. Now filmmaker Bryan Singer ’89 joins the ranks of these entertainment industry powerhouses with a major donation to the School, a $5 million gift to name the Critical Studies division, from which Singer received his BA.  The Bryan Singer Division of Critical Studies will be the first USC School of Cinematic Arts division named for one of its alumni.
  
  
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  February 6, 2013 Redstone Production Building Opens with a Bang Entertainment Industry Icon Dedicates Two Soundstages
  Legendary entertainment industry executive Sumner Redstone has named the Sumner M. Redstone Production Building housing two soundstages at the USC School Cinematic Arts (SCA). On February 5th the School hosted a gala reception in his honor attended by filmmakers George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, USC President C. L. Max Nikias, Chairman of the SCA Board of Councilors Frank Price, School of Cinematic Arts Dean Elizabeth M. Daley, and entertainment industry titans Brad Grey, Brian Grazer, Jim Wiatt, Les Moonves and Bob Evans.
  
  
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  February 1, 2013 SoCal Meets Beijing Professor Jason E. Squire honored at Beijing Film Academy
  From writing division professors visiting Russia to IML’s relationship with Effat University in Saudi Arabia and the global outreach of the American Film Showcase, The School of Cinematic Arts has made incredible strides in the realm of international relations. Students from around the globe study at SCA, with one of the largest populations originating from China.  As one of SCA’s leading professors interested in both continuing and expanding this discussion between SCA and its international outreach, Associate Professor of Practice Jason E. Squire visited Beijing over winter break for various events and honors.
  
  
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  January 28, 2013 Fruitvale Sweeps Sundance Sundance Hit is a Trojan Family Affair
  Graduates of the USC School of Cinematic Arts (SCA) have a reputation for sticking together after they graduate. Fruitvale, the Grand Jury and Audience Award Winner at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, is a prime example of this practice, with fourteen USC graduates on the crew, four of whom met during the production of an SCA student film. Fruitvale was written and directed by SCA alum Ryan Coogler ‘11, with seven other Trojans who either attended or graduated from three different schools in key creative roles.
  
  
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  January 28, 2013 USC Has Record Year at Sundance Film Festival Films with SCA Alums in Key Roles Make Deals in Park City
  A record twenty-one films showcasing SCA talent screened at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and its sister festival, Slamdance. The festival launched on January 17th and ended last weekend with an awards ceremony highlighting standouts that resonated with critics and audiences. To support the alumni, students and friends of the School who visited Park City this year, SCA hosted two events, a filmmaker breakfast and party, at the Riverhorse Tavern on Main Street.
  
  
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  January 17, 2013 Sumner Redstone Makes Major Donation to SCA Industry Icon Names The Sumner M. Redstone Production Building
  Sumner Redstone has changed the face of the entertainment industry. His leadership at Viacom and CBS will be studied by students of the moving image and the entertainment industry for generations to come. Students at the USC School of Cinematic Arts will now be able to study Redstone’s legacy in a building named in his honor. Redstone has made a $10 million gift to the School to name the Sumner M. Redstone Production Building, part of its expansive new Cinematic Arts Complex.
   
  
  
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  January 17, 2013 Sundance Blog 2013
  Check out the newset blog posts from USC Students and Alumni! sundance.usc.edu
  
  
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  January 17, 2013 USC Cinema at the Golden Globes Five Alumni Honored at Awards
  At the 2013 Golden Globes award on January 13th, four USC alumni’s films were honored for the categories of Best Drama, Best Series: Musical or Comedy, andBest Miniseries or Movie.
  
  
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  January 14, 2013 Mary Sweeney Named Chairman of Film Independent
  USC Cinema Professor Mary Sweeney, the current Dino and Martha De Laurentiis Endowed Professor who teaches in the Writing Division at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, has been elected to the position of sitting Chair of Film Independent. Sweeney, who teaches Graduate Writing Thesis and Dreams, The Brain and Storytelling at SCA, is known for her work on The Straight Story and the indie film Baraboo.
  
  
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  January 14, 2013 Project Holodeck in Dublin IMD Video Game Debuts at Trinity College, Dublin
  Projects from USC Cinema’s Interactive Media Division are often very ambitious. For a project to stand out in the competitive world of IMD, they need to step up in a big way. USC video game Project Holodeck attempts this by taking the science fiction staple of Star Trek’s Starship Enterprise’s Holodeck and making it a reality. This December, the Project Holodeck team presented their project at GAME: The Future of Play, a conference on experimental and future game forms, at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland.
  
  
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  January 11, 2013 USC Cinema Oscar Nominations
  The USC School of Cinematic Arts would like to congratulate the following alumni for were nominated for Academy Awards!
  
  
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  December 21, 2012 SCA Family Stories: Chanel Summers Sound Designer/Adjunct Talks to SCA About Sound Design
  One of the biggest draws for students considering the USC School of Cinematic Arts is the top-rate faculty. The Interactive Media Division is no exception to this. SCA Family Stories sat down with Chanel Summers, a pioneer in the field of audio design for games, to talk about her role as an educator, what students can do to prepare themselves for the real world and how in the world of videogames, and that innovation usually comes from non-traditional people who explore unorthodox paths.
  
  
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  December 19, 2012 USC Games Hosts Demo Day Day Features Career Fair and Student-Made Game Demonstrations
  On December 12th, The School of Cinematic Arts’ Interactive Media Division combined forces with SCA’s Student Industry Relations and Viterbi’s School of Engineering to create Demo Day