Division of Animation and Digital Arts
Encyclopedia
The John C. Hench Division of Animation and Digital Arts (DADA) at the USC School of Cinematic Arts
, Los Angeles, United States, is an "international and multi-cultural program focusing on animation in all its forms." http://anim.usc.edu/about.html The program offers an undergraduate minor and major in animation, MFA, and Ph.D in Media Arts and Practice. http://anim.usc.edu/about_curriculum.html
The DADA program was first introduced to the film school in 1994. It was the product of prior work by Gene Coe (film graphics) and Richard Weinberg (who received a joint appointment with the department of engineering in 1985). In 1994 they brought Vibeke Sorensen from CalArts
to help design the program and received funding in 1997 from John C. Hench. Christine Panushka joined the department that year, followed by Ishu Patel
and Kathy Smith (the current Chair) in 1998. http://anim.usc.edu/about_history.html
USC School of Cinematic Arts
The USC School of Cinematic Arts, until 2006 named the School of Cinema-Television , is a film school within the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California. It is the oldest and largest such school in the United States, established in 1929 as a joint venture with the Academy of...
, Los Angeles, United States, is an "international and multi-cultural program focusing on animation in all its forms." http://anim.usc.edu/about.html The program offers an undergraduate minor and major in animation, MFA, and Ph.D in Media Arts and Practice. http://anim.usc.edu/about_curriculum.html
The DADA program was first introduced to the film school in 1994. It was the product of prior work by Gene Coe (film graphics) and Richard Weinberg (who received a joint appointment with the department of engineering in 1985). In 1994 they brought Vibeke Sorensen from CalArts
California Institute of the Arts
The California Institute of the Arts, commonly referred to as CalArts, is located in Valencia, in Los Angeles County, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the United States created specifically for students of both the visual and the...
to help design the program and received funding in 1997 from John C. Hench. Christine Panushka joined the department that year, followed by Ishu Patel
Ishu Patel
Ishu Patel is an animation film director/producer and educator. Over a period of twenty-five years at the National Film Board of Canada he developed animation techniques and styles to support his themes and vision.-Background:...
and Kathy Smith (the current Chair) in 1998. http://anim.usc.edu/about_history.html
Honors
- 2001: SIGGRAPHSIGGRAPHSIGGRAPH is the name of the annual conference on computer graphics convened by the ACM SIGGRAPH organization. The first SIGGRAPH conference was in 1974. The conference is attended by tens of thousands of computer professionals...
- Best Animation, "Values" by alumnus Van Phan; Exhibited work, "Indefinable Moods" by Professor Kathy Smith http://anim.usc.edu/about_history.html - 2002: Sundance Film FestivalSundance Film FestivalThe Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
- Exhibited work: "Horses on Mars" by alumnus Eric Anderson and "Indefinable Moods" by Professor Kathy Smith http://anim.usc.edu/about_history.html
Current faculty and staff
- Larissa Banks
- Cornelius Cole III
- Paul Demeyer
- Dariush Derakhshani
- Mar ElepanoMar ElepanoMariano "Mar" Elepano is a Filipino American independent filmmaker, teacher, and has been the production supervisor of the John C. Hench Division of Animation and Digital Arts, USC School of Cinematic Arts since 1993....
- Eric Furie
- Maureen Furniss
- Joseph Janeti
- Kristy Kang
- Thomas Kang
- Everett Lewis
- Lisa Mann
- Christine PanushkaChristine PanushkaChristine Panushka is an independent filmmaker, freelance animator, artist and teacher. She is currently a Professor in the John Hench Division of Animation and Digital Arts at the USC School of Cinematic Arts....
- Michael PattersonMichael PattersonMichael Patterson is an experimental film artist, teacher, and a commercial film director specializing in TV spots and music videos. He currently teaches animation at the Division of Animation and Digital Arts at the USC School of Cinematic Arts...
- Candace Reckinger
- Daphne Sigismondi
- Thomas Roger Sito
- Kathy SmithKathy Smith (filmmaker)Kathy Smith is an Australian independent filmmaker, painter, photographer, and Associate Professor with the John C. Hench Division of Animation and Digital Arts , USC School of Cinematic Arts. She has been the Chair of DADA since 2004....
(Chair) - Sheila M. Sofian
- Shelly Wattenbarger
- Richard Weinberg
- Will Weston