School of Cinema-Television launches new M.F.A program linking traditional and
computer animation



The good old days when animators painstakingly would paint hundreds of cells
and then shoot them, one frame at a time, to make Mickey Mouse come to life
those days aren't gone forever, but they're changing.

Film animation is forging new territory, from the computer- generated Metal Man
in Terminator 2 and giant dinosaurs in Jurassic Park to the sophisticated blend
of hand-drawn and electronic images in Aladdin.

As animation and computer graphics explode in popularity, the School of
Cinema-Television is gearing up to produce a new generation of filmmakers to work
in this dynamic field. In the fall, the school unveils its new M.F.A. program in
film, video and computer animation, underwritten by Silicon Graphics, Warner
Bros. and Hanna-Barbera.

The high-tech animation program, which combines traditional and digital
animation, is designed "to train animators to be comfortable in a world that
computers are very much a part of," said cinema-television school dean Elizabeth
Daley. The program's key objectives are to help students develop their own style
and personal expression and to advance the animation field by encouraging
students to explore innovative forms and technologies.

The program builds on courses in film and video graphics and animation that Gene
Coe, associate professor and director of film graphics, has been teaching for 22
years, and on the resources of the school's seven-year-old Computer Animation
Laboratory, directed by Richard Weinberg, a research assistant professor.

The new program brings together two areas that for the most part have been
distinct and separate in the film industry.

"Our feeling is that anybody who is going to be entering the job market in
animation in the future had better be well conversant with computer animation
because the field is undergoing a change," Weinberg said. "We feel that if our
graduates are able to understand the full realm of animation&Mac173; from classical
through high-end computerized animation&Mac173; then they'll be able to cope with
whatever might come their way in the future."

Expected to begin with 20 students, the two-year film, video and computer
animation curriculum emphasizes practical learning from the start, with hands-on
courses beginning in the first year and historical survey courses that expose
students to a range of animation styles and techniques. First-year students also
will take a course in fundamentals of screenwriting and develop individual
projects. The second year emphasizes advanced courses in production and directed
studies.

Students will be able to choose a concentration within the program and supplement
their studies with related or complementary electives from other schools and
departments.

In addition to learning cinema history, students in the program are encouraged to
sample courses in computer science, psychology, mythology, art history, drawing,
painting, graphic design, music, writing and acting. The students also will gain
field work experience and do industry residencies.


Although they are being combined in unconventional ways, traditional animation
and computer animation each still have a distinct look and feel. Traditional
animators are better able to bring their characters to life, humanizing their
expressions and emotions. Computer graphics is still best for science fiction,
geometric and mechanical images, such as spaceships and robots.

But Coe said most of the animation work done today involves a combination of
computer and conventional techniques. With the technology now available,
animators can make conventional drawings by hand, then scan the images onto a
computer and apply color and texture with software. Once committed to the
computer's memory, the images can be electronically transferred to various
formats, including video and 35mm film.

Coe believes the new technology will greatly reduce the labor involved in
traditional animation while still fostering the discipline as an art form.

"I think this combination is going to provide some really interesting venues for
the students, and it doesn't need to change the aesthetics at all. It can stay
just as creative or expressive, and you don't have to spend those hours and hours
in solitary work," Coe said.

At the forefront of the school's technology is the Computer Animation Laboratory,
located in the Carson Television Center. The lab, Weinberg said, is equipped with
a powerful Silicon Graphics Crimson workstation with Reality Engine and Indigo
and personal Iris workstations&Mac173; technology comparable to what is used by
special- effects giant Industrial Light & Magic.

Silicon Graphics also is providing specialized supercomputers with integrated
graphics technology for 3-D modeling and animation. Recent productions developed
at the lab include a one- minute animated portion of the IMAX film "Hidden
Hawaii" and a five-minute, 35mm film combining live action and a computer-
generated version of "Silver Surfer," the Marvel Comics superhero.

For the new graduate program, the school plans to develop a USC/Silicon Graphics
Laboratory, featuring extensive digital filmmaking equipment, in the Marcia Lucas
Post-Production Building.

The total commitment from Silicon Graphics, Warner Bros. and Hanna-Barbera is
$450,000 over three years. In addition to the financial contribution, Warner
Bros. and Hanna-Barbera will provide guest lecturers, seminars and visiting
teaching positions.

The new M.F.A. program shows that USC is "moving ahead into the '90s," said
Computer Animation Lab manager Steve Robiner, who did much of the work on the
"Silver Surfer" project.

But the program's real breakthrough has more to do with people than with changing
technology. Just like the studios, the cinema school is tearing down the wall
between traditional animators and computer animators.


"If people in these areas are going to work together in the industry, they should
learn in school how to communicate with each other," Robiner said.