The USC’s School of Cinematic Arts’ John C. Hench Division of Animation & Digital Arts (Hench-DADA) will host the 25th Annual Conference for the Society of Animation Studies titled Redefining Animation. The event invites scholars, researchers and artists to present, address and critique the expanding art form across disparate media and to contribute their papers, ideas and observations to engage a variety of topics in the ever-evolving field of animation and digital arts. Redefining Animation will take place at USC from June 23-27.
DreamWorks Animation’s CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg and CCO Bill Damaschke will open the conference with keynote speeches on June 23. The event will feature a multitude of screenings, panels and micro-talks, ranging in topics including “Animation on the Move: Animated Journalism and Global Reporting;” “New Frontiers in Visual Music;” “Animating the Future: Collaboration and Storytelling;” “Poetry in Motion” and “DIY Viral Animation.” Keynote speakers include Character Animator and USC Professor Tom Sito, Artist Davide Quayola, USC School of Cinematic Arts’ Electronic Arts Endowed Chair of the Interactive Media & Games Division Tracy Fullerton, Visual Effects Supervisor and USC Professor Michael Fink, Robotics Designer Dr. David Hanson and actress Geena Davis, founder of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media. The Conference will conclude June 27, with DreamWorks Animation inviting a limited number of guests for an in-depth tour of the DreamWorks Animation Studio.
“We are proud to host the Society for Animation Studies’ Redefining Animation here at the School of Cinematic Arts,” said Kathy Smith, Chair of the John C. Hench Division of Animation & Digital Arts. “Los Angeles provides a dynamic location and meeting place for scholars and practitioners at varying intersections of the industry, academia and the arts, and we welcome all to participate in this year’s stellar conference.”
Redefining Animation will launch at 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 23rd, at the George Lucas Lobby, School of Cinematic Arts Complex, USC, Los Angeles. For more details, visit anim.usc.edu/sas2013.html.
