USC Cinematic Arts | First Look 2017

« Back to First Film 2017 Screening List

Animation Films:

Dead Pan (4:12)

Wendy tries to go on a date with a lovable orc Lurtz, but the date is interrupted by her drunken ex Peter Pan.

Writer/Director/Producer
Gracie May

Production Sound Mixer
Bethany Sparks

Composer
Jonathan Keith

Cast: Aaron Izek as Magra, Jason Smith as Lurtz, Savannah Southern-Smith as Wendy, Cameron Gavinski as Peter

Lion Dance (5:59)

It's love at first sight for Jian and Ayumi, during the city's annual Lion Dance - but will they be able to find each other during the busy parade?

Writer/Director/Art Director
Zheng Kang

Writer/Director/Producer
Tim Pattinson

Theme Composer
Masafumi Okubo

Score Composer
Yasuyoshi Suzuki

Lead Sound Designer
Makoto Ito

Sound Design Team
Hiroki Kato
Mitsunori Ohta
Sinichi Akiyama
Hiroe Hirai

Cast: Yoshimi Nukui as Ayumi (Female Lead), Nobuhiro Tamura as Jian (Male Lead)

Mosquito: The Bite of Passage (7:00)

A mosquito on her first hunting trip with her mother tries to confess that she doesn't like blood.

Co-Director/Writer/Co-Producer
Brian Vincent Rhodes

Co-Director
Eric Cheng

Co-Producer
Ivan Bordas

Cinematographer
Xing-Mai Deng

Sound Designer
Randolph Zaini

Production Sound Mixer
Juel Taylor

Post Production Sound
Bridget Tang

Editors
Brian Paison
Lindsay Armstrong

Production Designer
Jean Paulo Lasmar

Composer
Gautier Galard

Cast: Alisa Reyes as Aliye (daughter), Eileen Galindo as Soma (mom), Philip Anthony Traylor as George

Nose Hair (10:00)

While playing a game with his friends young Nate realizes that he has an unusual condition.

Director
Louis Morton

Music & Sound
Ulrich Troyer

Screenplay
David Guest

Storyboard Artists
Miguel Jiron
Javier Barboza

Animators
Yawen Zheng
Brian Smee
Jovanna Tosello
Josh Weisbrod

Cast: Jayden Mason Eastaugh, Ryan Lacey, Christopher Wells, Grand Gitner, Sean Bolger

Once a Hero (8:20)

A boy wants to be a superhero, He becomes friend with a girl who is bullied by all classmates, Until one day, He is forced to make a choice, betray the girl or not?

Writer/Director/Producer
Xia Li

Music
Min He

3D
Jinzhi Du

Script Consultant
Jason Ronzani

Sound Design
Huazhang Dai

Background
Jinyue Wan

Cast: Min Shi, Jinyue Wan, Sijia Huang

Once Upon A Line (7:06)

A man leads a monotone, humdrum existence until he suddenly falls in love. What follows is a short portrait of a difficult relationship marked by a struggle for control and identity. The ending gives hope for a new beginning and a change of perspective.

Director/Animator
Alicja Jasina

Composer
Aaron Gilmartin

Sound Designer
Katie Gately

The Meltdown (12:21)

A sarcastic physicist at a Nuclear Testing Facility finds himself in a sticky situation after his ineptitude leaves the facility in grave danger.

Writer/Director
Connor Kerrigan

Co-Writer
Nelson Dial

Producer
Brian Vincent Rhodes

Composer
Kyle Laporte

Production Supervisor
Kelly Barnhardt

Production Sound
Juel Taylor

Assistant Director
Raymundo Archila

Cast: Connor Kerrigan as Otto, Nelson Dial as Geoff, Cecily Breaux as Jackie. Brian Rhodes as Jerome, Michael Sturgis as Todd, Tyler Miclean as Extras

Today (6:26)

Father and daughter team up to tell a story of adventure, asparagus, and secret agents to pass the time before they return home from the hospital.

Writer/Director/Producer
Katherine Duffy

Sound Mixer
Chris Morocco

Composer
Jacques Brautbar

Cast: Caroline Spinola as June, Steven Miller as Dad/Agent Dangercannon, Paul Stanko as Dr. Smoothmoves, Reilly Hoeft as Bearly

« Back to First Look 2017 Screening List