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. 

“We are moving into a landscape where art and science, design and engineering are inseparable - at their intersection lies World Building, the new creative laboratory for the future of immersive, narrative practice,” said USC School of Cinematic Arts professor/5D Co-Founder and Creative Director Alex McDowell.

The Science of Fiction will feature presenters and participants that include leading theorists and practitioners of World Building from a wide spectrum of creative and scientific disciplines, as well as students currently working with the newest technologies. Participants will form teams to contribute to the creation of an alternate visionary world, a near-future reality that could exist if given the right impetus. Following the festival this unique world will continue to be worked on, as part of transmedia projects at USC and the 5D Institute. The festival will also examine the practices, strategies and technologies being used for the creative development of narrative media through 21st century World Building.

Festival presenters include: ?John Seely Brown, Ann Pendleton-Jullian, Brian David Johnson, Alex McDowell, John Underkoffler and Holly Willis and participants: ?Henry Jenkins, Jenova Chen, Scott Fisher, Cornelia Funke, Daniel Suarez, Hernan Diaz Alonso, Julian Bleeker, Mauricio Mota, Nathan Shedroff, Michael Backes, Candace Reckinger, Michael Patterson, Neil Leach, Nonny de la Pena, Richard Lemarchand, Rob Landis, Tali Krakowsky, Sergei Gepshtein and many more.

Attendees will also be able to enjoy several other innovative events including: Evidence, a World Building mediated exhibit; Hunger in Los Angeles, a real-time immersion into a virtual documented world by artist Nonny de la Pena and networking opportunities.

The festival will close withSound of Fiction, a one-night only musical celebration of new sonic innovators. Presented in conjunction with KCRW and curated by actor/researcher Vanja Alispahic, Sound of Fiction will feature performances by: Groundislava, in-demand video gamer turned composer; Ryan Heffington, performance artist/choreographer/designer who is known for his work with Ke$ha, The Gossip and Muse; Scott Pagano, who has created captivating visuals for acts like Skrillex, Koan Sound and the M Machine, Zedd and Ben Stokes, the multidimensional director/animator/composer/visual artist/producer who has created spectacle as music videos for an extensive list of artists including DJ Shadow, De La Soul, Nine Inch Nails and Public Enemy.

The Science of Fiction will launch at 9am on Saturday, April 13th at USC’s Norris Theater.For a full list of events, please visit http://5dinstitute.org/events/science-of-fiction

Tickets are currently on sale athttp://science-of-fiction.eventbrite.com