I'm not going to go back and edit this so all of my stupid is here on display. This is a journal about how I got into USC film school and then got a legit job in the feature animation industry. It now feels very self centered and silly but yah, here it is if you want to break into the animation industry with a weird path.
Mario Furmanczyk is a guy that wrote of his first year experience at CalArts character animation program, and his journal really helped me out when working on my portfolio as well as when choosing a university. I decided that I would like to provide the same sort of resource for others regarding my experience at USC School of Cinematic Arts. This is not intended to be a guide on how to get into USC SCA, instead it's more of a resource for kids who are struggling with understanding the animation division of what is arguably the best film school in the world. More of a starting point and a reflection on my experience.
Work hard during high school! My portfolio was ok, but I worked really hard and maybe that showed through in my application. That's about it for getting in to the film program. Be yourself.
USC orientation is very welcoming. They put you in great little groups with spirited and kind leaders, they constantly entertain you with the "SCit" and a visions and voices presentation, they get you pepped with the band, they throw you a very fun little dance, they give you all the food you could possibly want, and then after all of that, you register for your classes.
Make sure to be prepared to write and to learn a bit. There is so much information thrown at you that it's almost hard to keep up, but they make every possible effort to keep you from feeling overwhelmed. Don't worry about which classes you are going to take or any of that.
The first thing they hand you is your USC Catalogue, and it has every piece of information you could want inside of it. As Freshman, students generally focus on their general education credits unless they are in an extreme program. You can expect to have around 4 or 5 classes because 16 units (most classes are either 2 or 4 units) is the standard number of classes to be taken during the first semester. The advisors work really close with you to determine what special classes you need.
Before registration though, there is all kinds of opportunity to learn about housing and clubs and such at the involvement fair and organized schedules. If you are really into it and want to take advantage of everything they have to offer, it's totally possible and very fun.
The animation program specifically requires drawing and two other classes first semester. Animation 101 and Animation 451. 101 is an overview of animation as a medium and 451 is a history of animation class. I had to get clearance for the drawing class but I got it no problem by emailing the department. The class requirements change year to year though.
It feels like the animation program is maturing. Since the USC Animation program is so young, however, their isn't much student work on the internet to compete with the incredible CalArts and Ringling reels, but I don't think it has anything to do with the quality of the USC students, only the amount of time the program has been around. I think (but I'm not sure) that last year's graduating class is the first class to have been through the program all four years. The quality of work being produced is really dependent upon each students effort.
All in all, the USC Freshman Orientation was a blast. Registering for classes went incredibly smooth, and the Animation program and T.O. program really work to keep their kids moving in the right direction. The only downside that I experienced was that it felt rushed but that's kindof the point. Two days is not very much time to include all of the fun stuff they had us do.
Among other things, I want to get a grasp on objective c, get better at javascript, write a few short film scripts, learn Maya and After Effects extensively, draw a ton of good material including character design, and tattoo all of my belongings this summer. I also am trying to keep up a variety of small web design jobs to support the expensive habit of animation. I figure if I can learn the software as well as I know the software I already know (cinema 4d and final cut) then I can be way ahead when the school year hits. I am also going to try to pick up some of my reading for my T.O. class so I can familiarize myself with the material before the onslaught. Good thing I enjoy my alone time! I'll periodically update this business.
So due to an extremely high demand or something going on with production of the Autodesk for education suite, I haven't been able to start my learning about Maya yet. But, I have been brushing up my Cinema 4d skills! I am working on making a short film about Care Flight, and my generic character (creatively named Helicopter Man) has been modeled and almost rigged. I have all the joints and IK set up and now I have to do the skinning and weight mapping. Then on to facial morphs and some fun animation tests. (Update Summer 2011, still not done).
On another note, Objective C is ridiculously difficult, both in concept and in execution. There is so much extra coding for so little functionality. Maybe that's just from a guy coming from interpreted languages, but I'm damn happy I didn't go for a computer science minor or something. It's not for the right-brained individual.
The USC SCendoff (cute) at Lake Tahoe was a great time, and all of the SC alumni were great people, very willing to help and very kind and friendly. I have 10 days till I take off for LA, and then only a few more till my classes start.
So it's the beginning of the seventh week already and I haven't managed to update my journal so far so here goes an absolute explosion of experiences.
USC has been good. I'm going to start with what it is like to live here, then focus on the social aspect of SC, then I'm going to talk about the school aspect, then finally I'm going to discuss my experiences with SCA so far.
Living at USC is like summer camp, and that's really the only metaphor (simile) that I can think of to describe this strange experience. I had the good luck to get housing at Parkside, and although it is a little bit more expensive, it's well worth the price as there is air conditioning (113 degrees outside is no joke), and you are in a quiet and beautiful part of campus. The food is good, not great, but definitely better than any other campus I've ever been to. If you have the Trojan plan, you could theoretically eat really fantastic food every day. All in all, I have no complaints living here. There are tons of therapy/counseling options too if you are having trouble, and everyone is willing to make your experience fantastic even if it takes extra work on their part. For instance, just last night at the Washington V SC game, I was sitting with my parents near the Washington fans, and some kid got really sick because he had way too much to drink. Within a few minutes, the event security people had an emt over by the kid to help him out and he was taken care of even though nobody knew him and he was so far away from home. Keep in mind, this is in a stadium of 90,000 people, and it took literally a few minutes for help to reach him. This is how everything is at USC. Everyone is so helpful it's crazy.
There are tons of parties, and tons and tons of alcohol if you are looking for that kind of thing. Especially on the row, there are typical college scenarios every single thursday through saturday. Luckily, however, there are a ton of like minded people as myself, and if you want to have fun without dying, then there are always options. Going to parties and not drinking is fun too. For pretty much any event you want to put on, you can apply to any number of organizations for funding and receive money so it's completely free. You have to plan ahead, but USC really goes out of it's way to make safe fun possible if you are looking to do something kindof unusual. That being said, you are usually to busy to plan crazy events, but as part of my building government, I am really familiar with it by default.
School school is super fun. I am getting challenged in my TO reading and writing courses, and it's definitely taking up all of my time. I don't really feel like I'm learning anything practical, hence the idea of a liberal arts education, but that's a first world problem. Expect to have a ton of work if you sign up for TO. A class I would recommend if you are in animation, or anything for that matter is called Movement for Actors. It's a tough class if you've never acted before, but I'm learning a ton every time I go, and it's another place where I'm actually being challenged.
Ah, now on to the animation. Animation is starting slow, but it's not like I'm not able to experiment. My actual intro to animation class is fun, but we aren't yet focusing on the animation part of animation, just the principles of good visual design. This is done by making a 100 plus frame flipbook every single week with a different theme correlating to the design principle we are focusing on. It definitely makes the repetition of animation prominent. History of animation is exactly what you'd expect it to be. It's busy, and it's very much a ton of facts, but it's very interesting. I have learned tons about not just american animation, but animation as an art form throughout the world and ages. We get to watch a lot of examples. Which, you know, means a ton of movie time.
My drawing class is very difficult, and I like it probably more than any other class I have. My teacher, Kristen, is very intense (and she would probably like to be described that way), and we are constantly pushed to try harder. It's all about realism so far, and my sighting and just all around drawing is getting much much better. By and large, however, it's the most challenging and difficult drawing class I've ever been in, and it is so much of a step up from my high school at least. I tried to sit in on a class that was taught by Will from Art Center in Pasadena, but I got kinda wiggled out because there is not enough space in the room. Later on it will be an actual requirement but right now it's not like I'm actually signed up for the class.
Overall, as I go into the seventh week, I've already learned a lot, and the benefits of USC are really showing in how motivated I am to get better and better. It's a great environment to learn in, and I love all of my professors. I even got to meet one of my heroes the other day, and I won't say his name, but know that he is literally the top guy at one of the best studios in the world. It was an honor, and it makes me want to work even harder to get there.
So there's this thing about college that seems pretty traditionally strugglesome. Yes, strugglesome. I don't feel like I'm learning anything practical at all. Even further, it doesn't seem like I am learning enough or fast enough to compete with the art schools, and after talking with some upper-class-men, I'm not sure that I will actually get to that speed of learning. This is not to say that there isn't something to be learned at USC SCA DADA, just that it is definitely not hardcore animation. You will not produce the same amount of work as you would at an art school, and your portfolio (unless you bolster it yourself (which you NEED to do)) will not be even close to on par with the artists you are competing with. This is definitely not a trade school.
That's why I've decided to drop the honors writing program and add another schoolio to my curriculum vitae. I'm planning to enroll in some online animation programs and work really hard in that area while trying to keep my GPA up in actual college to keep the scholarship. We will see how this all goes.
And now finals are upon me and I am nocturnal. Right now is like the early morning for me. I went to bed at 7 am and have for the past couple of days, and I finally see why USC is legit. It's because I can hang out in the common room of my suite animating with fake blood and absorbent ground with a friend until 7 in the morning with little to no problems. In fact, there is straight up traffic in the wee hours of the morning occasionally. And then if you wander across campus, you can get starbucks coffee and neon gummy bears. That's all I need to survive. But actually, the finals seem to be nice and bearable except for the majors like bio and chem-e and all them. Those poor people are dying.
Second semester started as I was trying to take 18 units again. Four of these units were split into two courses, Educational Counseling and Computer Applications in Architecture. The reason I mention these two courses is that I ended up dropping them altogether for a grand total of 14 units. I dropped Edco for scheduling reasons and Architecture because it was too easy.
This left me with an animation course, a critical studies in cinema course, and two regular GE's where my Thematic Option would have been. I will compare TO to regular GE courses in a bit.
The animation course was interesting. It seemed to be yet another "survey of mediums class" where the chief idea was to literally animate everything. My instructor, Lisa Mann, led this conquest of exploration. Each week, a new project was due of whatever we could accomplish in (set number of time) with (weeks medium). So, for example, we had 2 hours to animate food, and whatever we brought in we would screen in class. After watching everyone's weekly project, we would progress to enjoy an hour or so of examples of the next weeks medium. At the risk of sounding redundant, I don't think I really learned anything about animation but what I taught myself in doing the homework. I have gotten similar responses from some of my peers in the program.
Critical Studies, or CTCS 190, is a famous course at USC. It is taught by the venerable Dr. Drew Casper, a veritable encyclopedia of everything film. The lecture contains upwards of 200 students, and is held in a movie theater. I'm not gonna lie, Casper is an excellent teacher, and an entertaining lecturer. My TA, Casey, was incredible as well. I really enjoyed the class and I felt like I learned a lot about how to talk about film, even if I knew things by other names. Most of all, Casey pushed me to write well, and I think I learned how to write better in this class more than any other so far. There is a reason why 190 is so well regarded.
The TO vs GE thing is complicated, but I think I can summarize it. Thematic Option is intimate and warm, kind of like high school. You constantly have 1 on 1 contact with your teachers, and the impression that you are yearning to learn will actually affect your grade. Effort and improvement over time will end in a good grade in TO. In GE's, you have to constantly fight to make sure that whatever you are turning in fits within their little box of parameters. So many students, and the subjective side of grading tapers off into an objective struggle against all of your classmates who, most likely, will include all four undergrad classes. So your work is being objectively held up to everyone's, and perceived effort will not usually sway your grade. To put it simply, TO and GE courses are (in my experience) equally difficult for completely different reasons. I'm glad I've tried both. Granted, one of my GE's was hopelessly boring and useless, but the other was magnificent. A common occurrence in the USC GE program.
My second semester consisted of a lot of time trying to do my own projects outside of the academic area. I worked on a senior's thesis project, doing composting and a (really cool) animated title sequence. I've also read so many books that it hurts. The biggest asset at USC to me so far has been the libraries. I LOVE USC LIBRARIES. In fact, I spend most of my time reading, and I don't plan on changing that. I've learned so much from the libraries that I haven't learned in class, and wouldn't be able to learn in class. I also study a lot in Starbucks, and I feel like they deserve a shout-out because I constantly steal their electricity.
And now, looking back on the end of my first year as a whole, I'm considering changing majors. I'm not sure what to, however, I'm feeling a little iffy about animation. It's more of a fine art focus than a storytelling focus, and if you cannot tell from my other projects, I'm very interested in storytelling. I feel uncomfortable approaching this problem, but at least I have a summer to think about it.
To summarize how I feel about USC is impossible, so reading this whole thing may or may not give the right impression. I'm pretty happy about a lot of things at SC, mainly the incredible friends I've made, the great housing, the remarkable libraries, etc. I don't like LA, but maybe having a car next semester will change that. I don't feel like I'm learning anything in my classes, but I've also only been in college for a year, and you know what they say about freshman year being drudgery. I feel like the animation major is not what I want, but I've only taken a few classes. We will see how this all works out, but that's that.
So it's summertime and I need to make some money, so I'm doing small, personal websites that are easy to manage using Wordpress as a cms. Besides that, I've got to figure out my life a bit, and I think I'm not going to force the issue and hope my ideas coalesce on their own. I know where I want to be, but I'm not sure how to get there (specifically, if my program in college is conducive to getting there). I plan on relaxing and reading a ton. I applied to the Pixar Undergraduate Program (and put a good deal of effort into the app) but alas, I was not chosen. The first of many many many rejections if I am to stay in the animation industry, but everyone knows that's how it works so it's no big deal. Now I've a free summer with which I can fill with any number of projects!
I've been getting really involved in queer life on campus but ended up being pretty disenchanted with the whole thing. Any time I join a group like that it always seems to end up being a lot of people agreeing with each other and that doesn't necessarily seem like a progressive organization.
Regardless of that rant, let's start with the classes I took.
Grassroots Participation in Social Media was a General Education course that was really not all that helpful. Didn't expect it to be but I had some sort of hope. I don't know. Wasn't my cup of tea.
Internship in Cinematic Arts! I had the opportunity to intern with 2929 Productions thanks to a reference from Kyle Harris and the kindness of 2929 and it was truly a wonderful experience. I did all of the normal internship duties like covering the desk and the phones and filing and making labels and just generally helping around the office, but I also got the chance to do script coverage. It seems that most people in the film industry have these horror stories about their first coverage internship and how they had to empty the chamber pots etc. or otherwise incur the wrath of their supervisors. I did not have these experiences. Michael Merlob was my supervisor and Shay Weiner is the Creative Executive and person I reported to. They were a joy to work with and it was a real blessing to make the hour commute to Santa Monica twice a week and spend time at 2929. The internship course left something to be desired, but I hear they are improving it so it's probably not worth complaining about.
Intermediate Drawing was tough and fun. It was a life drawing class and we had a live model every week and I ended up dropping the class because I got very sick during the middle of the semester and it was the first class to go. However in the ten or so weeks that I spent time in that class I gained a ton of insight into drawing the human form and got more work with live models than I've ever had the opportunity to have before. That was a very nice class, but it is notable that upper level drawing is NOT required for the animation major although I would seriously suggest it.
Writing for Animation was a joy. Elizabeth Gill-Brauer is a wonderful teacher and a very nice person, and I can honestly say that I learned the most from her than I've learned in any other class at USC. I honestly want to take the class again because I feel like the environment she cultivates and the atmosphere of feedback in the class was a truly valuable and fun experience. I looked forward to doing the homework for that class every single week and I looked forward even more for the friendly yet refreshingly honest feedback the class gave everyone on their work. Liz introduced us all to The Writer's Journey. Up until this class I had used Robert McKee's Story as a bible for screenwriting, but The Writer's Journey is another gem of a resource. Gosh I just loved that class.
Introduction to Animation Techniques. This class was taught by Tom Sito who, as you may know, is a well respected and venerable animator of the Disney vein. He's worked on so many movies that when you google him you will be amazed. He does incredible work. What I wanted out of the class was more rigor and more storytelling. The exercises were valuable, but so far what I'm missing from the program is sheer difficulty. The work I make in class I want to be able to be proud of, so it cannot be easy. But also, you cannot create a lot of great animation in a very short amount of time. The solution I would propose would be longer term assignments broken up into weekly tasks. Even, perhaps, a group assignment (just like the real world!) That's my rant on the way this class was taught, but it has been said before and I will say it again I'm sure. Tom Sito is an incredible asset to the school and explained the principles very well. The assignments were just not really what I was looking for to improve myself.
So I ended up doing a lot of work on my own! I'm working on a few story concepts and starting to think about the Disney Pixar Dreamworks applications for next summer. It's way too expensive to stay in Los Angeles and not get paid for an internship, so I either have to shoot big and get a big paying internship, or I have to go home to Reno. I love Reno, but I really want an internship. Hopefully if next semester goes well I will have a ton of work ready to show off. I plan on working harder than anyone I know to improve my work.
Sophomore year has started off in a pretty ok way. Not too good, not too bad. My lovely Emily keeps me sane as I sort out all of the frustration I have with the pace of college life. A lot of the time on the weekends when everyone is partying I just look around and I really just want a family and a dog.
So I had the opportunity to attend Disney Inspire Day 2012 along with a hundred or so other individuals from other art schools from around the country last week. It was a great experience and I cannot express my thanks enough to Dawn and her incredible team as they welcomed us into their workplace and inspired us to do great work. I have been a little jaded this semester as I have been faced with the problem of having no classes where I am generating work that is good enough or in the right direction towards my goal of becoming a story artist.
I have had a project I've been working on called "Trick or Treat" that is now posted in my "work" section that is my first real long storyboard sequence! It took me many hours and a lot of coffee and reading but I am happy with it. I am sending it off for my internship applications and hoping that one of the studios sees my potential and not just my work. While at Disney Inspire Days all of the USC students were struck with the hard truth that we have to work really hard in our own time to produce our own work if we are hoping to get any of the internships over the art school kids.
This realization is nothing new to me but that's just because I worry a lot. So while it is not a shock, it was seriously reinforced on that fateful day to Disney and I'm so happy that I spent my entire spring break working because if I didn't, I would have nothing to send in for internship applications. My list has been narrowed to Laika, Disney Animation and Pixar because I missed the Dreamworks deadline, but that does not mean I am disheartened! I am even more excited! I sent in my Pixar application this past week and I know it got there on time! I'm lucky just to be able to apply.
My grades are not slipping but they aren't holding either. I put so much work in outside of class and my new job that I love at the Office of Wellness and Health Promotion is so fun that my General Education credits are not a focus. I can't lose my scholarship though.
I cannot reaffirm enough how in love I am with my darling Emily. She da best.
School is out and I haven't updated this in a while. Summer is grand.
One of the artists I met at Inspire days gave me some honest criticism which was extremely generous. Specifically, he said this: "The biggest thing holding you back right now is your draftsmanship. Your drawings aren't communicating your story ideas clearly enough for me to give story feedback." Now I know I can draw to most people's standards. But my gesture drawing has always been poor, and that is a critical deficiency. Facing one's weaknesses is not an easy thing to do, but if someone who has the job I want tells me that I need to spend some serious time on my drawing, then I will. And I have. I have taken his advice and I have read Walt Stanchfield's "Drawn to Life" handouts. They are an absolute godsend. I've been drawing at least four times a week. I re-read the handouts over and over again (800 pages!). I have taken notes on them and tried to put all of my notes into a little tip sheet that keeps me moving when I feel my drawing slipping. I'm gonna post that soon.
I've never been taught gesture drawing. To be honest I've never been taught anatomy either, so I have been teaching myself. It's not easy, but I think I've improved a ton. I've been re-working and pushing my gestures at home after I get home from the beach etc. That's helped a lot.
My other project is this animated short that I've been working on. It's about a robot with socks. I've switched to blender. I don't have any reason to keep paying for animation programs when blender is free and just as good. I have taught myself that this summer too. USC offers free access to Lynda and I've really benefitted from that resource. (One actual benefit to USC!)
I feel lucky that that artist (I'm not sure if he wants me to cite him) took the time to give me some honest criticism, and that it happened early (ish). So I haven't squandered this great chance to grow, and I cannot wait to keep growing. I wish the program at USC was more geared towards what I want to do. I am taking Sheila Sofian's story class this coming semester and I am excited to maybe have an animation class that really kicks ass.
So I had an amazing summer and had no time to write this up but now I am. Summer was great. I spent a lot of time with my girlfriend and I had the opportunity to live with her in Boise. I got to draw constantly and my gesture drawing improved like 30 fold if that is possible. All of my drawing improved but it's taken me a while to really come to terms with that and understand the ways I've grown.
In addition to drawing, I had the opportunity to brush up in some cg packages as mentioned above. I know this year is going to be crucial and I am looking high and low for an internship that will help me this fall.
As this semester comes to a close, I feel like I am understanding so many things so much better than I ever have. I've read through the majority of this and it's all pretty ridiculous, but in retrospect, at least it's honest. This semester has given me the time and the conditions where I could grow on my own which has been lovely.
So that's great. School is good too, better than ever before. I have class with Angie Jones and Sheila Sofian and Karen Leibowitz. They are three wonderful people and I have grown much under their instruction. Angie Jones teaches the 3d animation class in maya. That is excellent, very introductory, but for someone who didn't start with maya it's a nice class. I understand that we will be focusing more on performance and staging in the second semester so that is very cool. Sheila is teaching a storyboarding class that I adore. The grad students in class have a lot of insight. There is a true range of experience in my classmates and it allows for a healthy and useful critique which I have been so hungry for. My storyboarding has grown leaps and bounds in this class. Karen Leibowitz is my drawing teacher and she just lends a lot of clarity to the artistic process and the relationship between intention and execution. I have appreciated her instruction and grown a lot in my representation of form and light in her class.
Besides that, I've finally moved off campus to a beautiful apartment building on 21st street and I love love love love it. It's far enough from USC to make it feel like I'm isolated and it makes the creative process a lot more accessible even while I'm in school. Soooo, to take advantage of that, I've been working on my thesis! Already! Because the program at USC only allows for one thesis while you are under their jurisdiction (one thesis that you have time for), it's been like pulling teeth waiting for this. And I've made no bones about being frustrated. But alas, we are at a point where it is useful and prudent to start working. At the time of this writing (early December), I've almost completed an animatic of my thesis film. It's about a diner that goes out of business and goes on a small adventure to find a place to live. There are gags, it is funny, it has heart, it is going to rock socks. The production blog (link) is where I will post a bunch of updates regarding that as soon as it gets rolling. I'm keeping detailed records of the whole process so that my sweat can maybe be a learning tool for someone out there.
What else is going on? Oh yeah, this semester I had a great internship with Illumination Entertainment and I am lucky enough to be back on for another semester. It's a great place with great people. I wish I had more time to devote to them because they are really sweet and I can't put in the effort I need to keep up with everything. I'm learning to respect and understand how to ask for time and manage time in a professional environment. Not to mention the great relationships I'm making. It's just great and that's pretty much it. I'm getting stationary just so I can send them some Christmas cards.
Besides that, Junior year is good. Ya know, working on my thesis is the best and everything else is chugging along at a reasonable rate. Haven't totally fallen behind on anything crucial.
Quick update now that winter break 2012/2013 is coming to a close. It's been a great break and I'm extremely excited for my thesis as the progress has been great (link). I've got everything set up for that and I'm even a bit ahead of schedule. In addition, I sent a blind inquiry to a studio in New Zealand expressing my interest, and (would you believe it) they even wrote me back! I am updating my portfolio page and putting together a CV to send along. I am just surprised and heartened that people respond to emails anymore!
As January is coming to a close, I'd like to take a moment to record some first impressions of my classes this semester. Animation is great, performance focus is totally my thing, and it's in maya which I could use some work in. My Spanish class is decent. My comparative literature class is extremely good as long as I don't fall behind on the reading. And the Ideation and Pre-Production class which is the required pre-thesis class for Juniors in USC animation is good so far mostly because of the teacher, Maks Naporowski. He is incredibly friendly and has a real open-ness that I appreciate. On top of that, my job at the Office for Wellness and Health Promotion with Paula, Diane, Katherine and Amanda continues to get better and better! Love those gals!
This semester went really fast. Character animation with Angie was great and we even got to do some dialogue pieces. Learned a lot about Maya and a lot about how hard it is to make a film, even in pre-production stages. I managed to make it through my classes fine! I applied all over the place for summer internships, but alas, still nothing which is all good. My job with Illumination is great and I've really learned a lot from that. I hope summer goes well, I'm hoping to get a lot of thesis done!
For whatever reason, this summer was really hard for me. I got a lot of work done, but I spent most of my time in Los Angeles, and I got stir-crazy and over stressed about a lot of stuff.
I worked on a freelance project that fell through, the results of which you can see on my portfolio page (it's the spacey shot with galaxies and planets and stuff) but anyways, that was good because what I've learned is how to work on my own. I finally get that groove of just waking up and doing work and just getting a little bit done every day. I feel capable and comfortable with my personal work hygiene now, and that's pretty much the only positive thing that this summer brought. But it's kind of a big thing so I'm happy about it! Back to thesis work, thus commences the big year.
Hmm. Where to begin on my Senior year. Spent a huge amount of time working on my thesis film which is finally done. In retrospect, I would have preferred to focus more on developing an entertaining piece rather than focusing on the implications of the story as well as the technical execution. Besides that, I’m proud of it, it’s a weird and melancholy piece that has a lot of heart and feels complete.
Other things, worked hard at Illumination during the Spring. I interned for production, which means I got to watch and learn how all of the assets and every portion of the film passes back and forth between LA and Paris. Very interesting. I was lucky enough to be able to keep working on the research for development and business development that I love. It was a great Spring, finishing up my school and ramping up at Illumination.
Graduation was nutty. Walked in the Shrine Auditorium which is crazy and historical. I knocked off the animation chair's hat when I hugged her?! They played Happy by Pharrell when we left the big room. Weird times. A couple of industry huge-wigs spoke and presented a pretty interesting focus. Hearing the optimism from the top of the pile is a little hard to apply to our own generation as the shifts in distribution are seriously displacing the profit streams. That’s the most exciting part about film these days though! It’s just hearing that nothing has essentially changed from the guys that run the studios feels… a little silly.
And now it’s a few months out of graduation and I’m living in SoRo with Emily and Joel. Illumination was kind enough to offer me a full time position where I spend half my time doing production duties and half of my time working on strategy and future research for IE. It’s amazing most days, Illumination is generally a wonderful place to be. The office is top-down based on just plain kindness and respect, and that is pretty much all I could ask for in a workplace. I’m so lucky.
Two projects right now outside of work! Writing a book, and building a mystery game for iOS with some people who are much smarter than me. Happy times! I think this is the end of the USC Film School Department of Animation and Digital Arts Journal. Please don't hesitate to contact me if you're interested in studying animation at USC or in general. I am an open book.