SCA Summer Program Classes

APPLICATIONS FOR U.S CITIZENS &
STUDENTS WITH A GREEN CARD OR F-1 VISA ARE OPEN UNTIL MAY 1
Accepted students please check out the Accepted Students Page
The 2026 Program runs from Thursday, June 25 - Friday, August 7, 2026.
 For any questions, please contact us at summer@cinema.usc.edu.
or 213-740-3327.


Important Notice:

  • SCA Summer Program courses are designated as either 8 units or 4 units.
  • Students can enroll in a mimimum of 4 units and up to a maximum of 12 units.
  • Students cannot take more than one Production Course.
  • Students cannot take an 8-unit Production class -- such as Warner Bros., Filmmaking Intensive, or Directing Intensive -- along with Writing the First Draft Feature Screenplay or Writing the TV Series Pilot.
  • Auditing courses is not permitted in the SCA Summer Program.
  • Current USC students, as well as individuals who have been dismissed from USC, are not eligible to participate in the SCA Summer Program.
Production
Screenwriting
Producing & Editing
Game Design & Animation
Performance Capture / Virtual Production

Units: 2
Student Level: Beginning

Sorry, there are currently no sections scheduled for this class

Virtual production is fast becoming a major force in media creation, from movies like AVATAR and CHRISTMAS CAROL and television shows like PAN AM, to game cinematics, previsualization and animated works like KUNG FU PANDA 2.  The techniques used in virtual production borrow from various areas like live action production, animation and video games, but give back to these crafts as well through new mechanisms used to produce this media.  

This 6-week class will explore the rising impact virtual production is having on the media industry through exploration of how it works and how users are apply these new techniques.  Throughout the class, we will explore the core underlying technologies used in virtual production, including motion capture, performance capture, virtual cinematography, “simulcam” and others. 

This summer you will have the opportunity to learn specialized skills on USC's state-of-the-art Motion Capture sound stage aka the "volume". Explore the future of the industry with this technology that merges production practices, animation techniques and interactive design.

Becuase this class hits the ground running, experience with computer graphics software like Maya, Motionbuilder, Softimage or 3D Studio Max is strongly recommended prior to taking this course; however, is not required.

 

*please note that dates and times of the course are subject to minor changes*

 
Follow us