Animation and Digital Arts
Master of Fine Arts
The Master of Fine Arts degree in Film, Video and Computer Animation is a three-year (six semester) graduate program designed for students who have clearly identified animation as their primary interest in cinema. The program focuses on animation production, including a wide range of techniques and aesthetic approaches, from hand- drawn character animation to state-of-the-art interactive computer graphics. While embracing traditional forms, the program strongly encourages innovation and experimentation, and emphasizes imagination, creativity and critical thinking. Students should graduate with a comprehensive knowledge of animation from conception through realization; an understanding of the history of the medium and its aesthetics; in-depth knowledge of computer animation software and the most important elements of film, video and interactive media.
The program requires a minimum of 50 units: 38 units are in prescribed, sequential courses in the School of Cinema-Television. The other 12 units are cinema-television electives, four of which must be taken in the Division of Critical Studies. A thesis is required for the M.F.A. degree. Ongoing workshops in life drawing and computer software provide additional educational opportunities.
Admission is granted once a year in the fall; there are no spring admissions. Approximately 14 students will be enrolled in each incoming class. In addition to practical production, the program also provides opportunities for fieldwork experience and internships to facilitate the student's transition into the profession.
Applicants for the M.F.A. in Film, Video and Computer Animation must submit a supplemental application and materials. For specific instructions, contact the Cinema-Television Animation and Digital Arts Program Office, University Park, Los Angeles, CA 90089-2211, (213) 740-3986, or online at www-cntv.usc.edu.
The application deadline is February 15 for the fall semester.
Prior knowledge of fundamental computer animation concepts and techniques is recommended. Those without this background will be required to enroll in CTAN 523 Principles of Computer Animation for two of their elective units in year one.
Requirements for the M.F.A. in Film, Video and Computer Animation
Year One, First Semester | Units | |
---|---|---|
CTAN 451 | History of Animation | 2 |
CTAN 482 | Basic Motion Picture Techniques for Animators | 2 |
CTAN 522 | Animation Department Seminar | 1 |
CTAN 544 | Introduction to Film, Video, and Computer Animation | 3 |
CTAN 577a | Fundamentals of Animation | 2 |
Year One, Second Semester | Units | |
---|---|---|
CTAN 436 | Writing for Animation | 2 |
CTAN 522 | Animation Department Seminar | 1 |
CTAN 547 | Animation Production I | 3 |
CTAN 579 | Expanded Animation | 2 |
Elective* |
Year Two, First Semester | Units | |
---|---|---|
CTAN 501 | Interactive Animation | 2 |
CTAN 522 | Animation Department Seminar | 1 |
CTAN 524 | Contemporary Topics in Animation and Digital Arts | 2 |
CTAN 548 | Animation Production II | 3 |
Elective* |
Year Two, Second Semester | Units | |
---|---|---|
CTAN 522 | Animation Department Seminar | 1 |
CTAN 549 | Animation Production III | 3 |
CTAN 591 | Animation Pre-Thesis Seminar | 2 |
Elective* |
Year Three, First Semester | Units | |
---|---|---|
CTAN 522 | Animation Department Seminar | 1 |
CTAN 594a | Master's Thesis | 2 |
Elective* |
Year Three, Second Semester | Units | |
---|---|---|
CTAN 522 | Animation Department Seminar | 1 |
CTAN 594b | Master's Thesis | 2 |
Cinema-Television Electives
To complete the 50 units required for the M.F.A. in Film, Video and Computer Animation, students are required to take a minimum of 12 School of Cinema-Television elective units at the 400 and 500 level. Four of those units must be taken from the following Critical Studies courses:Electives | Units | |
---|---|---|
CTCS 400 | Non-Fiction Film and Television | 4 |
CTCS 402 | Practicum in Film/Television Criticism | 4 |
CTCS 404 | Television Criticism and Theory | 4 |
CTCS 407 | African-American Cinema | 4 |
CTCS 408 | Contemporary Political Film and Video | 4 |
CTCS 409 | Censorship in Cinema | 4 |
CTCS 464 | Film and/or Television Genres | 4 |
CTCS 469 | Film and/or Television Style Analysis | 4 |
CTCS 501 | History of the Global Cinema Before World War II | 2 |
CTCS 502 | History of Global Cinema After World War II | 2 |
CTCS 503 | Survey History of the United States Sound Film | 2 |
CTCS 510 | Case Studies in National and/or Regional Media | 4 |
CTCS 511 | Seminar: Non-Fiction Film/Video | 4 |
CTCS 518 | Seminar: Avant-Garde Film/Video | 4 |
CTCS 564 | Seminar in Film and Television Genres | 4 |
CTCS 567 | Seminar in Film/Television and a Related Art | 4 |
CTCS 569 | Seminar in Film and Television Authors | 4 |
CTCS 585 | Seminar in Film/Television Critical Theory and Production | 4 |
Thesis Project
In order to begin work on the thesis project, students must first successfully propose their project to a committee of M.F.A. Animation Program faculty. The proposal is prepared during the second year of study in CTAN 591 Animation Pre-Thesis Seminar and is submitted at the end of the second year. Throughout the three years of study, students will meet regularly with an M.F.A. Animation Program faculty advisor to develop and refine the proposal and discuss the progress of their work. The advisor will be a member of the thesis committee.The proposal itself will include a written treatment of the project with a discussion of similar work in the field and its relationship to the proposed project. It will describe aesthetic issues to be explored and specific techniques to be employed in its realization. It will also include a storyboard, budget and schedule, in addition to supporting materials created by the student demonstrating his or her ability to pursue the project. The faculty committee will make comments and decide whether the student may go forward with his or her project. Upon acceptance, the student will begin work on the project, otherwise revising the proposal and meeting again with the committee.
In the third and final year, students concentrate on their thesis projects, completing production and post-production. All sound or music, final high-resolution rendering (for computer animation), final film or video output, and compositing, titles or subtitles, will be done during this time.
A final review will take place in the second semester of the third year. The committee will meet and the student must show and defend the work.
Criteria for successful completion include: 50 percent originality and 50 percent quality of execution.