The Program

 

Intro Animation   0:58 Huckleberry Lain, MFA '09

A being is driven to madness by the full moon, discovering a sensitive, beautiful,
and deep dream world.
Nahomi Maki, MFA '08, Production 2

nmaki@usc.edu 213.200.3328 www.nahomimaki.com

In 2005, Nahomi Maki received a Bachelors degree with an emphasis in Conceptual and Media Art at Kyoto City University of Arts. Currently, she is busy creating her MFA thesis, Silver Fossil, an animated film mixed with live action images.

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A Morning   02:00
A girl reads a clear book in a morning
Qingyuan Wang, MFA '09, Contemporary Topics

Qingyuan2000@hotmail.com 319.321.5330

Qingyuan Wang grew up in the coldest and most northern part of China between latitude 43°25 and 53°33. She received her BA in Advertising and Art History from Beijing University. As an MFA student in the John C. Hench Division of Animation & Digital Arts, she is pursuing her animated dream and particularly developing her love for character design.




Cyclical   05:58
Cyclical is a spiritual, cultural, emotional, and audible journey that follows African people from ancient Africa to contemporary America.

terilynvlawson@gmail.com www.terilynvlawson.com

Terilyn V. Lawson, MFA '06, Thesis

Terilyn V. Lawson is an aspiring director/producer of animated and live action films. Upon completion of her thesis film Cyclical, she received her MFA in Animation & Digital Arts at USC. She believes that, regardless of the media, a message must be present.  The message may be comical, serious, or abstract, as long as the audience is not left with fewer brain cells than before it viewed the work.  



Violent Growth   02:45
We force the dark memories out of our mind, and in our greed even blissful memories

riaama@gmail.com 213.804.5751 www.riaama.com

become fictions.
Ria Ama, MFA '09, Experimental Animation

Ria Ama is an artist with a background in traditional Japanese sumi painting and graphic design. She has a BFA in Textile Design from Parsons School of Design and is currently a 2nd year MFA student at USC’s Hench-DADA.




Breath   01:55
Man is always afraid of disappearing, but the atoms that make up the human body are not

B88206007@ntu.edu.tw +886-953-919-006

the things that disappear.
Hsiao-wen Chiu, Visiting Scholar 06'-07' , Production 1

Hsiao-wen received her BS and MFA degrees in Taiwan. In 2006-‘07, she explored experimental animation at the John C. Hench Division of Animation & Digital Arts as a Visiting Research Scholar. Her quest is to combine a love of animation with her concern for the earth. Currently, she is animating medical films in Taiwan.






The Stonecutter   07:22
The Stonecutter knew he could find happiness, if he could only be more than just a stonecutter.
Will Meyer, MFA '07 Animation Minor, Animation Theory

williamethan@gmail.com 323.251.4559 www.flavoroftheweak.com

Will Meyer has recently completed his MFA in Animation & Digital Arts at the University of Southern California.  He received a BS in Film Production from Emerson College in Boston.  He recently worked at Sony Imageworks as an Associate Technical Director and is now freelancing as a rigger and animator.



Breaking the Ice   02:03
A young boy playing in the snow forms an unlikely friendship
Elliot Grossman, BA '07 Animation Minor, Animation Theory

grossman.elliot@gmail.com 510.520.2600

Elliot Grossman earned his BA at the USC School of Fine Arts while pursuing a concurrent study in animation through the John C. Hench Division of Animation & Digital Arts.  His senior film, Breaking The Ice, tells a concise, character-based story that takes a playful look at awkward first impressions.  Elliot currently works professionally as a character animator at Heavy Iron Studios in Los Angeles.



Abridged  03:35
A Long-Distance Affair
Arjun Rihan, MFA '08, Production 2/3

arjunrihan@gmail.com

Arjun's interests center around understanding movement,
its representations, and its role in storytelling, and he aspires to be a character animator. His professional experience includes a Technical Director internship at Pixar Animation Studios. Originally from Pune, India, he studied
Computer Science and Economics as an undergraduate
at Stanford University.                                    

Abridged has screened at the San Francisco Ocean Film Festival and the Tiburon International Film Festival, and also received
the 2008 USC Phi Kappa Phi Student Recognition Award.


String and Girl   05:30
3A string shares her memories with a little girl.

dabazelon@hotmail.com 213.273.5518 www.davidbazelon.com

David Bazelon, MFA '07, Thesis

David Bazelon received his MFA from the John C. Hench Division of Animation & Digital Arts in 2007.  His films have focused on composing imagery with bizarre transitions and effects.  He has worked on numerous music videos and commercials and had an award-winning short at the Nicktoons Network Animation Festival.  Since graduation, he has been working at DreamWorks Animation with Crowd FX.



CARL 57   03:12
In the final moments of Carl's lilfe he recalls the 1950s nuclear testing in Nevada

ryanchen26@gmail.com

Ryan Chen, MFA '08, Production 2/3

In addition to making animated films, Ryan Chen has worked for Electronic Arts, the USC Annenberg Center for Communication Labyrinth Project, and the USC Integrated Media Systems Center to develop educational games using Valve's source engine.  He earned a BFA in film and digital media from U.C. Santa Cruz. Currently he is finishing his thesis and working on a dome theater project with the California Science Center.
LA Shorts Fest




Treasure   02:40
Based on the filmmaker’s childhood memory, a little girl finds a "treasure" in her driveway.

melissa.bouwman@gmail.com 213.308.3988

Spirits are high until she faces a harsh reality.
Melissa Bouwman, MFA '09,
Production 1

Melissa Bouwman is an animator, video producer, and educator currently seeking her MFA in Animation & Digital Arts at USC. Her interests lie in traditional and digital cut-out animation, experimental narrative, and installation. Prior to her studies at USC, Melissa enjoyed a career as a high school teacher, college professor, workshop leader, and artist in the schools.





The Parable of the Thoughtless Man   06:35
A man is attacked by the act of change in his life of daily routine.

huckleberrylain@gmail.com 917.363.1165 www.huckleberrylain.net

Huckleberry Lain, MFA 09', Master Class

Huckleberry Lain mostly dabbles in experimental film.  Lain attempts to fuse digital with analog by pushing the boundaries of both technologies. He has been known to act in the films of George and Mike Kuchar, Katja Loher and Marie Losier.


Rain Reflection   02:01
A man discovers a new perspective through a magical encounter with a raindrop.

atasse@gmail.com atasse.blogspot.com

Amanda Tasse, MFA 09', Production 1

Amanda Tasse is a 2nd year MFA student in Hench-DADA.  She combines traditional techniques, such as painting and stop-motion, with 3D and 2D digital technology.  She has created animation for documentaries and broadcast graphics, mainly through compositing in Adobe After Effects, and has worked in production design for live-action.  Amanda enjoys modeling, lighting, and designing the overall look and mood of projects.  She aspires to be an art director.



Summer Storm   06:00
Two kids (and a little brother) save the world with science!

val@valerielapointe.com www.valerielapointe.com

Valerie LaPointe, MFA '07, Thesis

Valerie LaPointe recently received her MFA in Animation & Digital Arts at the University of Southern California in Spring 2007.  She now works as a story artist for Pixar Animation Studios. Summer Storm is her thesis film created using stop-motion and digital techniques.




Shooting Stars   03:18
After committing a great accident, a mischievous boy redeems himself by creating the

brittanybiggs@gmail.com 703.501.9988

stars.
Brittany Biggs & Ryan Chen, MFA '08, Contemporary Topics

Brittany Biggs co-wrote the script, created the initial story concept, and designed the characters and objects in Shooting Stars. Recently, she participated in the Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) Internship in Tokyo, Japan, where she completed a short, animated film for TBS’s CatChat program for children. Currently, she is completing her thesis film and working as a TA for the USC Institute of Multimedia Literacy (IML) Program.

ryanchen26@gmail.com

In addition to co-writing the Shooting Stars script, Ryan Chen was responsible for the direction, animation, motion capture, editing, modeling, lighting, background designs, compositing, and sound design. He earned a BFA in film and digital media from U.C. Santa Cruz. Currently he is finishing his thesis and working on a dome theater project with the California Science Center.




The Gloaming   03:04
The Gloaming takes office space to an eerie dimension following the misfortune of a

andrewhu84@gmail.com

worker ensnared by sinister visitors during the nightshift.
Andrew Huang, BA '07, Animation Minor, Animation Theory

Andrew Huang’s films have screened at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival, the Art Futura Show, and SIGGRAPH 2006.  His work has been featured in various publications including Motionographer, DAZED, Animation World Magazine (AWN), and CGWorld. He graduated from USC with a BA in Fine Arts and a minor in Animation & Digital Arts. Huang is now represented by Endeavor Agency and directs music videos and commercials with Trouble Makers, a commercial production company based in Paris.
Palm Springs International Shorts Fest
Taiwan International Animation Festival
LA Shorts Fest


Dear Fatty   07:00
A little girl wrote a letter to her lost pet hamster, Fatty.
Hsin-I Tseng, MFA '6, Thesis

hsinitse@gmail.com 213.273.5163 www.hsinitseng.com

Hsin-I Tseng is a native of Taiwan who received her MFA from Hench-DADA in 2007. At USC, she channeled her fine arts background into traditional hand-made animation, computer, and special effects animation. She is planning a career in the animation industry, focusing on compositing, stop-motion, and digital animation, and has already worked on music videos and TV commercials. She also plans to create her own independent pieces.



Urban Oasis   02:07
A young robot dreams of leaving for the city
Dave Horowitz, MFA '09, Production 1

mr.daveh@gmail.com 708 769 3661 www.dave-horowitz.com

Dave Horowitz is a 2nd year MFA student in the John C. Hench Division of Animation & Digital Arts.  He has wanted to be an animator ever since watching Wallace and Gromit in The Wrong Trousers at the tender age of ten.  He enjoys crocheting, thrift store shopping, and hunting the elusive narwhal.  Dave aspires to work in production design and visual development.





Viola: The Traveling Rooms of a Little Giant   8:47
Shih-Ting Hung, MFA '07, Thesis

shihtinghung@gmail.com 213.820.0277 www.shihtinghung.com

Shih-Ting Hung just completed her MFA in Animation & Digital Arts and is currently working as a music video director. Viola: the Traveling Rooms of a Little Giant is her first visual effects film. She has also been involved in numerous productions as a digital artist, including Norah Jones’ music video Sinkin’ Soon and the Tim Burton produced film 9.


Program Running time: 80 Minutes