In Motion: Winter 2022
The Annual Publication of the SCA Family

December 19, 2022

Read this year's In Motion Magazine

Alumni Spotlight: Larry Stuckey '93

December 1, 2022

Larry joins us to discuss the thrills of filmmaking, the emotions behind the craft, and shares a variety of stories from his college days and his time in the industry.

MISC (Media Institute for Social Change) Discusses Mental Health in Media

November 30, 2022

On Thursday, November 17th, the USC Media Institute for Social Change, a USC School of Cinematic Arts organization, hosted “Got Stress?: Mental Health Matters”, a screening and panel dedicated to mental health awareness and advocacy.

SCA launches new MFA program!

November 10, 2022

Expanded Animation Research + Practice (XA), SCA’s newest graduate program is designed for artists, directors, and visionaries to advance the field while exploring new forms of animation practice. Applications for the Fall 2023 semester are due November 15th. 

The Janes: Modern Day Superheroes

October 27, 2022

The USC School of Cinematic Arts held a screening of the lauded 2022 documentary, The Janes. Directed by Emma Pildes and Tia Lessin, the documentary follows a group of women known as the Jane Collective, who helped more than 11,000 women obtain safe abortions in Chicago in the late 1960s to early 1970s.

USC MISC (Media Institute for Social Change) Discusses Mental Health Storytelling

October 25, 2022

November event will feature films and an expert panel
 

John Singleton Scholar Feature: Kennedy Hill '23 and Kevin Maxwell '22

October 11, 2022

We sat down with two John Singleton Scholarship for the Arts recipients Kennedy Hill '23 and Kevin Maxwell '22 and discussed their artistic journeys, John’s legacy and his impact on their creative pursuits.

Alumni Spotlight: Jeffery Gary '84

October 3, 2022

Jeffery Gary '84 is a documentary filmmaker, photographer, and author. Jeffery joins us today to discuss how he came to be a documentarian and his approach to crafting his newest project Letters From Brno.

Olivia Peace Earned Student Academy Award Nomination with "Against Reality"

September 8, 2022

Student Academy Award Finalists and SCA alum Olivia Peace '22 shares the inspiration behind her 2022 Oscar nominated film Against Reality 

Sony Interactive Entertainment Pledges $3 Million to USC Games Gerald A. Lawson Fund

September 7, 2022

Sony Interactive Entertainment Becomes Latest Supporter of the Gerald A. Lawson Fund, Furthering USC Games’ Effort for Games Industry Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
 

Alumni Spotlight: James Ponti '88

September 6, 2022

James joins us to discuss his journey from television writer and producer to middle grade fiction author.

Celebrating John Singleton

September 2, 2022

USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, African American Cinema Society, and Visions & Voices collaborate on a retrospective of the influential storyteller and his films
 

Student Oscar Nominee Josh Greene Regarding Waves Apart Surf Documentary

August 31, 2022

One of seven Oscar finalists chosen from 1,496 submissions, Waves Apart will be vying for the gold, silver or bronze medal to be announced [later] in September.

Danielle Takahashi Honored with Hedy Lamarr Award

August 25, 2022

Media Arts + Practice undergrad Danielle Takahashi ('23) took advanced biology classes before college that laid the foundation for her arts-based research on bees, mycelium, and kelp. However, she spent months studying those topics, and her efforts recently paid off when Takahashi recently earned a Hedy Lamarr Achievement Award for Emerging Leaders in Entertainment Technology.

ZAP the Media Arts + Practice Club Presents: BONDS the MAPazine

August 25, 2022

The opening text in the debut issue of ZAP's BOND magazine introduces a "story about youth, kindness, energy and hope." From there, the zine sustains a largely buoyant tone complete with bubbly-shaped fonts and rainbow-colored doodles. Media Arts + Practice student Cole Slater, who co-founded the publication and its affiliated ZAP club this spring with classmate Abby Chen, says "The most important thing about the vibe for our zine was that it's supposed to be fun and enjoyable." 

To that end, ZAP, overseen by a five-person "Z Board" and advisor Sonia Seetharaman, collects wildly varied pieces of media including poems, photographs, fashion spreads, illustrations, links to short films and hard-to-classify fare. Contributor Katie Luo, for example, documented her 24-hour self-streaming adventure on Twitch, while Kevin Yin showed off "cyanotype" images imprinted on his shirt with light from the sun. 

"Spotlight" Executive Editor Taylor Crawford

August 23, 2022

Taylor Crawford ('22), Executive Editor of Spotlight, The CAMS Undergraduate Journal of USC, discusses the inspiration behind her involvement with the organization and her journey as a self-taught designer. 

The Ganek Family Foundation Gifts SCA An Immersive Storytelling Studio

August 17, 2022

The USC School of Cinematic Arts is launching the Ganek Immersive Studio, an interdisciplinary center for developing and producing a wide range of immersive media content, made possible by the generous gift from David and Danielle Ganek and the Ganek Family Foundation.

Producer-director Kay Zhang takes Mother in the Mist to Cannes

August 2, 2022

En route to the Cannes Film Festival for a screening of her 2021 short Mother in the Mist, Chinese native Kay Niuyue Zhang met the man who unwittingly taught her how to speak English. Zhang explains, "Growing up in Wuhan, I learned English by watching random American TV shows like "Prison Break" when I was in the sixth grade. Even crazier, on my flight to Cannes, the guy who sat next to me was the actor John Abruzzi, who played the alpha gangster guy. I told him, "I learned English watching you on 'Prison Break.' He said, "You grew up watching the wrong show!"

Alumni Spotlight: Kuba Soltysiak '18 & Tim Schauer '18

August 1, 2022

Kuba and Tim discuss their collaborations over the years and their recent breakthrough into the film industry.

Alumni Spotlight: Nicole L. Thompson '19

July 21, 2022

Nicole joins us to discuss her directorial debut Suitcase Killer: The Melanie McGuire Story and her multifaceted career in the entertainment industry.

BLOCKS Make Waves at IMGD

July 21, 2022

Adam Morina wrote for The Young and Restless soap opera in L.A. around the same time that Ingram Mao was studying interior design at New York City's Pratt Institute. After enrolling at Interactive Media & Games Division (IMGD) MA degree program, the odd couple met mid-pandemic over the Discord chat app, where they swapped jokes, talked video games, and debated the virtues of PC versus Mac. "We both have artistic backgrounds and we're both sort of contrarians," Morina recalls, "So Ingram and I sort of gravitated toward each other. It started as a friendship but then our skill sets lined up so well that we decided 'Oh let's make something together.'" 

SCA Alumnus Prentice Penny is Giving Back!

July 6, 2022

Penny ’95 launches The First Up program at SCA for BIPOC Writers.

Major Tech CEO Donates $14 Million to The USC School of Cinematic Arts

June 24, 2022

John Riccitiello, CEO of San Francisco-based Unity Technologies establishes the John Riccitiello Fund and John Riccitiello Chair in Games and Interactive Media at the School

Alumni Spotlight: Erich Rettstadt '16

June 13, 2022

Erich joins us to discuss his award-winning queer musical short Tank Fairy and finding inspiration in the filmmaking process.

Alumni Spotlight: Ryan Cenicola '19

June 4, 2022

Ryan joins us to discuss his career in transmedia story experiences and his recent work with Coachella 2022.

SCA Disability Rights Organization Launches with Oscar-winning Film

May 31, 2022

A screening and panel of CODA was a sold-out event.

 

SCA’s First Jobs Program Surpasses Over 1,000 Alumni Hired

May 31, 2022

Landing Your First Industry Job with the Help of SCA’s Industry Relations  

2022 USC Games Expo

May 26, 2022

USC Games, North America’s No. 1 Game Design Program for eleven years according to the Princeton Review, continues its collaboration with long-term partner, Jam City to bring the 2022 USC Games Expo.

Matt Reeves and Prentice Penny Highlight USC School of Cinematic Arts Graduation

May 13, 2022

The ceremony returns to the Shrine Auditorium for the first time since the pandemic.
 

Alumni Spotlight: Ari Karczag '15

May 9, 2022

Ari joins us to discuss his journey of discovering his passion for VFX and becoming a motion capture and performance artist.

GLAAD Brings Real-World Advocacy to SCA Workshops

April 28, 2022

Interview with Evan Hughes, SCA Associate Dean of Diversity and Inclusion and Associate Professor of Cinematic Arts.

Sony Partnership Envisions the Future of Entertainment

April 28, 2022

On April 13, 2022, the USC School of Cinematic Arts and Sony Electronics Inc. announced a new partnership aimed at shaping the future of entertainment.

Alumni Spotlight: Raqi Syed '03

April 11, 2022

Raqi joins us to talk about the development of her award-winning immersive experience MINIMUM MASS and further discuss her experiences as an immersive media artist.

SCA Productions Go GREEN!

March 30, 2022

Sustainable filmmaking is underway at SCA and will be required for all SCA productions beginning fall 2022.

SCA professor Ted Braun on Gustavo Dudamel documentary ¡Viva Maestro!

March 30, 2022

The first four notes. That's what Gustavo Dudamel focused on when he rehearsed Beethoven's Fifth Symphony with the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra. That iconic ba ba ba BOMM motif also served as entry point Viva Maestro!, Ted Braun's new documentary about Los Angeles Philharmonic's charismatic Music and Artistic Director that opens April 8 in L.A. and New York. Braun, who teaches screenwriting at School of Cinematic Arts, says "The film was initially intended to be about the genius of Gustavo and the artistry of conducting. It's not just some person with magic hands who imposes ideas upon a group of technicians in the orchestra. I wanted to capture this fluid dynamic that happens back and forth between an orchestra and a conductor."

Alumni Spotlight: Jacqui Barcos ’96 and Sarena Khan ’07

March 7, 2022

Jacqui and Sarena join us to speak more about their artistic journeys and filmmaking in the wildlife crime genre.

Alumni Spotlight: Mike Nicoll '12

February 7, 2022

Mike joins us to discuss his latest project, LYNCHPIN: Inside the Business of Basketball, and a career in sports filmmaking.

An Unexpected Friendship Leads to a Magical Disney Documentary

January 27, 2022

Acclaimed documentary short Sophie & The Baron from USC School of Cinematic Arts alumna, Alexandria Jackson and Lauren Brown is shortlisted for an Oscar

The Green Film School Alliance Launches

January 19, 2022

SCA is among thirteen founding members of The Green Film School Alliance, a consortium of film schools committed to sustainable film production.

Defining Cinematic Research

January 18, 2022

SCA’s research labs are innovating creative, multidisciplinary approaches to problem-solving societal issues.
 

Sidney Poitier's Commencement Address

January 12, 2022

Sidney Poitier delivers Commencement Address to SCA's Graduating Class of 2000.