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Game On!
A Night To Remember
FALL 2004
Division of Interactive Media scores historic
$8 million gift from Electronic Arts
By John Zollinger
Though barely two years old, the School’s Division of Interactive Media has become a national
trendsetter in interactive education, research, and development — a leadership status that has
been both confirmed and bolstered by a record-breaking $8 million gift from Electronic Arts Inc.
that is funding an innovative teaching curriculum, a state-of-the-art lab for games innovation, and the firstever
endowed faculty chair at a university for the study of electronic gaming and interactive entertainment.
“ The School’s rich storytelling tradition and long-standing commitment to technological experimentation make
it an ideal partner for EA,” said Don Mattrick, president of Electronic Arts Worldwide Studios. “This is an
excellent opportunity for EA to invest in the future of the industry by providing today’s students with the
skills and knowledge they will need to push technology and entertainment forward.”
“ This gift clearly demonstrates EA’s commitment to expanding the frontiers of game design, and to developing
a well-rounded, highly skilled, and forward-thinking talent base overall,” said Dean Elizabeth M. Daley. “The
School’s position as an international academic leader is further solidified by its relationship with the world’s
number-one interactive entertainment developer — a partnership that will set new standards of excellence in a
field that is truly changing global culture.”
In addition, EA’s Mattrick has become the newest member of the School’s Board of Councilors — joining
such entertainment giants as Jeffrey Katzenberg, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, John Wells, David L.
Wolper, and Robert Zemeckis, and most recently, Laura Ziskin and Brian Grazer. Mattrick is working with
fellow board members to ensure that the School’s interactive media curriculum defines the pace and direction
of growth and innovation in this field.
Emmy-nominated comedian and University of
Southern California alumnus Will Ferrell
(Anchorman, Elf, Old School, Saturday Night Live)
hosted the USC School of Cinema-Television’s 75th
anniversary alumni celebration on Septembmer 26
at historic Bovard Auditorium — the site of the
university’s (and the country’s) first college-level
film class. Ron Howard (’75), Randal Kleiser (’74),
(continued on page 3)
Gala host Will Ferrell with Darth Vader
Ross/Time Warner Award
D ressed
in jewel-toned orange and shades of
warm russet, the Robert Zemeckis Center for
Digital Arts provided an appropriately festive setting
for the presentation of the 2004 Steven J.Ross/Time
Warner Award to eminent entertainment industry
executive Robert A. Daly. More than 150 friends
and colleagues gathered to honor Daly who, with
longtime partner Terry Semel, helped Warner Bros.
Entertainment soar to new heights during the 19plus
years he led the studio.
Established in 1992 in memory of the late chairman
and CEO of Time Warner Inc., and in conjunction
with Time Warner’s $2.5 million gift to endow the
(continued on page 15)
Graduate MFA student Mike Brinker works with digital
circuitry to produce a social puzzle game.
The EA gift specifically enables the division to flesh out two
new and critical components of its structure: The Electronic
Arts Interactive Entertainment Program and the Electronic
Arts Endowed Faculty Chair.
(continued on page 11)
What’s Inside:
2 Sensational at 75!
Alumni and friends mark the School’s 75th
anniversary at a variety of special events
7 A Score to Settle
Film-scoring workshops help music- and
movie-makers get in tune
9 The Right Stuff
A first-person report on “First Pitch”
10 Alumni Perspectives
Les Blank, Cyrus Nowrasteh, and Jennifer and
Suzanne Todd talk about college, collaboration, and
the creative process
15 The “Eyes” Have It
Production students look to sharpen their editing
skills on the feature-length Rhinoceros Eyes
16 High Hopes
HD technology takes another step forward with
gifts from Sony and Ultimatte

A Very Good Year
Thanks to the many friends and alumni who have participated in, or soon
will join us for, the School’s 75th anniversary festivities. Our community’s
unabated enthusiasm for the School — reflected in this special
commemorative section — is a clear indication that the long tradition of
leadership, excellence, and innovation that we have enjoyed celebrating
this year is just the beginning.
Going Once, Going Twice…
Benefit Auction Gives School Something to Shout About
On June 17, an entertainment-themed auction benefiting the USC School of Cinema-
Television was held at the former home of actor-writer Vincent Price (1911– 1993).
Scott and Ellen Sassa generously offered their Spanish-style estate for this historic 75th
anniversary event, which raised over $100,000 to benefit students and programs at
the School.
“
Fundraisers like this help keep our program financially healthy so it can continue to
serve new generations of students, scholars, and creative talent,” Dean Elizabeth Daley
explained to guests. “So, no matter the selling price, every purchase made tonight is a
pretty terrific bargain.”
Internationally known auctioneer and president of Christie’s Los Angeles, Andrea
Fiuczynski, presided over the bidding for the “live” auction lots — Alfred Hitchcock’s
passport, lunch with Steven Spielberg, and an original “Golden Ticket” from Willy Wonka
and the Chocolate Factory were among the crowd favorites — but an array of one-of-akind
silent auction lots — including costumes worn by Hugh Jackman in Van Helsing,
courtside tickets to an L.A. Lakers vs. Sacramento Kings game, and the “broad sword”
brandished by Mel Gibson in Braveheart — also inspired enthusiastic bidding contests.
The USC School of Cinema-Television and Dean Elizabeth M. Daley would like to extend
warmest thanks to all of those who made the benefit auction a success through their bids and
generous donations of time and priceless artifacts.
Bounty and the Beast
Van Helsing Premiere Scares Up Support
Stephen Sommers
Bob Ducsay
2 | in motion fall 2004
Deep in the mountains of faraway
Carpathia lies Transylvania, a mysterious
world menaced by impenetrable secrets and
cunning, nightmarish creatures. But, on
May 3, Hollywood stars and eager premiere-goers
had only to drive to the top of
a modest hill in modern-day Universal City
to journey to this mythic land, unforgettably
rendered by Stephen Sommers (’93)
and Bob Ducsay (’86) in Van Helsing.
Special thanks to Bob Ducsay, Ron Meyer,
Stacey Snider, Stephen Sommers, Jim
Wiatt, Universal Pictures, and everyone else
in the School’s loyal family of supporters
for making this premiere to benefit the
USC School of Cinema-Television such a
wonderful success.
Top: Dean Elizabeth M. Daley, with alumnus and Board of Councilors member
Scott Sassa and his wife, Ellen, during the School’s recent benefit auction.
Bottom: That’s the ticket! Board of Councilors member David L. Wolper, producer of
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, donated one of five original “golden tickets”
from the ever-popular 1971 film to his alma mater for the School of Cinema-Television’s
benefit auction. The rare item, which fetched $10,000, was the night’s biggest seller.

A Night To Remember
(continued from page 1)
George Lucas (’66), Bill Mechanic (’79), Josh Schwartz (’99), Stacey Sher (’85), John
Singleton (’90), and Robert Zemeckis (’73) were among the notable USC alumni who made
special appearances that evening.
Highlights of the gala, a homecoming for USC’s cinema-television alumni, included Clint
Eastwood’s tribute to School of Architecture alumnus and legendary art and production director
Henry Bumstead (’37) and the presentation of a specially commissioned award by Frank
Pierson, president of the School’s founding partner, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and
Sciences. It was the friendship between fencing partners Douglas Fairbanks Sr., the first
president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and Rufus von KleinSmid,
president of the University of Southern California, that set the stage for the founding of the
School back in 1929. Brian Grazer (’74), Ron Howard, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg,
Robert Zemeckis, Dean Elizabeth Daley, Board of Councilors Chair Frank Price, and, fittingly,
USC President Steven B. Sample were all on hand to accept the stunning one-of-a-kind
crystal trophy. Executive produced by Grazer and Spielberg, and produced by Michael B.
Seligman, the event also featured humorous and heartfelt testimonials from alumni and
friends, as well as performances by the USC Thornton Orchestra, conducted by Mark Watters
(’77) who substituted for John Williams, and members of the USC Trojan Marching Band.
The School’s alumni gala was generously underwritten by Studios International, which has
partnered with USC to oversee the educational program that will be offered in conjunction
with the new state-of-the-art studio that soon will break ground in Bangkok. Major support
for this event was also provided by AudioTek Corp., Creative Technology, Dream Foods,
Galpin Ford, Harry Winston, Sandra and Kenneth Malamed, Stolichnaya, Turner Classic
Movies, and Variety.
Top Right: Spielberg, Grazer, and Howard
Middle Right: Leslie Harter Zemeckis and Robert Zemeckis
Below: Pierson, Howard, Zemeckis, Spielberg, Grazer, Lucas, Daley, Sample, and Price
All Aboard!
Zemeckis Donates Polar Express Premiere
Bringing to life one of the most beloved children’s fables of our time,
The Polar Express is a stunning new digital production that reunites
the Oscar-winning team of Robert Zemeckis (’73) and Tom Hanks.
The Polar Express, based on Chris Van Allsburg’s book, pulls into theaters
on November 10, but you can be among the first to experience
this soon-to-be holiday classic when it premieres in Los Angeles on
Sunday, November 7!
Thanks to the generosity of Robert Zemeckis, Warner Bros., and an
anonymous donor who is matching all proceeds, dollar for dollar, the
world premiere of The Polar Express will serve as a benefit for the USC
School of Cinema-Television. For more information about this benefit
premiere, please call Levy, Pazanti & Associates at (310) 201-5033.
BOARD OF COUNCILORS TELEVISION EXECUTIVE ADVISORY COUNCIL
Frank Biondi, Jr.
John Calley
Barry Diller
Lee Gabler
David Geffen
Brian Grazer
Brad Grey
Jeffrey Katzenberg
Alan Levine
George Lucas
Don Mattrick
William M. Mechanic
Barry Meyer
Sidney Poitier
Frank Price
Barney Rosenzweig
Scott Sassa
Steven Spielberg
John Wells
Jim Wiatt
Paul Junger Witt
David L. Wolper
Robert Zemeckis
Laura Ziskin
Peter Benedek
Alan Berger
Stuart Bloomberg
Marcy Carsey
Jon Feltheimer
Lee Gabler
Ted Harbert
Sam Haskell
Tony Jonas
Kerry McCluggage
Leslie Moonves
Rod Perth
Frank Price
Peter Roth
Scott Sassa
Herb Scannell
Scott Stone
Toper Taylor
John Wells
Paul Junger Witt
fall 2004 in motion | 3

Sound Advice
Beneath a bright blue canopy of cloudless sky,
more than 10,000 members of the Class of
2004 — along with some 40,000 beaming parents,
friends, and family members — celebrated the
University of Southern California’s 121st Commencement
on Friday, May 14.
The USC School of Cinema-Television’s mid-afternoon
satellite commencement ceremony was held at the Shrine
Auditorium, its longtime home. Said Sonny Calderon, who
received his M.F.A. from the Division of Writing for Screen
and Television that day, “Having it [graduation] at the
Shrine — which is gorgeous — somehow feels like you’re
being initiated into the Hollywood community (even
though we’re not — yet).”
The festivities began on a high note, with a special screening
of the School’s new 75th anniversary documentary,
Honoring the Past/Creating the Future. Written and directed
by Tiller Russell (’01) and produced by Jill Aske (’01), the
documentary deftly traces the evolution of the School over
75 years through the use of a witty musical score and the
skillful blending of rare archival footage and recent photographs
and interviews.
Dean Elizabeth Daley reminded graduates that they are
linked to this illustrious lineage, which dates back to the
dawn of the “talkie” era when Douglas Fairbanks Sr., the
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ first
president, urged USC to add film studies to its curriculum.
“ From that pivotal moment, there was no looking back for
Four Film Friends Reunite
By Justin Wilson
Rydstrom’s Words Inspire New Graduates
7-time Academy Award winner Gary Rydstrom told graduates
to embrace the unexpected: “Knowing what’s going to happen
next is boring in the movies, and it’s boring in life.”
Back to School
the country’s first university-based film education
program,” said Daley.
Daley invited alumnus Bill Mechanic, a member of the
School’s prestigious Board of Councilors and former chair-
man and chief executive officer of Fox Filmed Entertainment,
to center stage to introduce the School’s featured commencement
speaker. Daley noted that, under Mechanic’s leadership,
Fox released such landmark pictures as Fight Club, The
Full Monty, Quiz Show, Saving Private Ryan, The Thin Red
Line, and Titanic. Mechanic’s new company, Pandemonium,
has its first feature currently in post-production: the drama
Dark Water, directed by Brazilian filmmakerWalter Salles
(Central Station), another USC alumnus.
Mechanic’s introduction was doubly meaningful because
the School’s 2004 commencement speaker, legendary
sound editor Gary Rydstrom (’81), had the added distinction
of also being this year’s recipient of the Mary
Pickford Outstanding Alumnus Award. The award, which
is given at each commencement to an alumnus or alumna
of the School, honors former students who have made an
indelible impact on the entertainment industry. Previous
recipients include William Fraker, the late Conrad L.
Hall, Alan Ladd Jr., Michelle Manning, Walter Murch,
Stacey Sher, David L. Wolper, Robert Zemeckis, and
Laura Ziskin.
“ The Pickford Award is the latest in a long string of welldeserved
honors and accolades that have been conferred on
this year’s commencement speaker,” said Mechanic. “Gary
Rydstrom has received an incredible seven Academy Awards
for his work in sound,” Mechanic continued. “No other
USC alumnus owns as many of those coveted golden statuettes
as Gary, and his 13 Oscar nominations surely put him
a special category of filmmakers altogether.” In addition to
his Oscar bounty, Rydstrom has been honored with two
BAFTA Film Awards, three Golden Reel Awards, and a
Career Achievement Award from the Cinema Audio Society.
After receiving his degree from USC, Rydstrom began a
long and fruitful association with Skywalker Sound, a
division of Lucas Digital Ltd., and went on to amass a list
of credits that, Mechanic said, “rivals in range and quality
those of almost any filmmaker I can think of.”
While many students can’t wait to leave university life behind and move on to “the real world,” others find a very real sense of
meaning in memories that take them back to their college days.
For alumni Jason Shuman, Chris Ridenhour, Herb Ratner, and Danny Strong, reliving those memories takes the form of a yearly
visit to their old campus haunts — and to an off-campus favorite, La Barca restaurant on Vermont Avenue — every May 10.
Shuman, a film producer (Little Black Book, Darkness Falls) whose company Blue Star has a production deal with Revolution
Studios; Ridenhour, a talent manager at Evolution Entertainment whose clients include writer (and fellow alumnus) Stephen
Susco; Ratner, a screenwriter whose credits include the upcoming film Mr. Lucky (also produced by Shuman); and Strong,
an actor who has appeared regularly in films and such TV shows as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, all credit USC with providing
them the tools they needed to succeed in their respective fields.
“
We all had the best times in film school, that’s why we love to come back,” said Shuman.
4 | in motion fall 2004
From Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, his first
Lucasfilm project, to last summer’s groundbreaking
Finding Nemo, Rydstrom’s work has set the industry standard
for excellence and innovation in sound. “It is not an
Congratulations,
Class of 2004!
exaggeration to say that Gary Rydstrom has defined what
we have heard at the movies for the past 20 years,”
remarked Mechanic.
In a thoughtful, compelling, and often humorous address,
Rydstrom, who recently stepped forward to become a firsttime
director at Pixar Animation Studios, talked candidly
about “beginning a whole new career, in animation, at
Pixar, where, a mere 27 years after leaving for film school,
I’m a director.”
Board of Councilors member Bill Mechanic, who received both
his B.A. and M.A. degrees from USC, introduced commencement
speaker and Mary Pickford Award recipient Gary Rydstrom.
He exhorted graduates to embrace the unexpected. “Knowing
what’s going to happen next is boring in the movies, and it’s
boring in life … There’s more to discover on a crooked path,”
Rydstrom opined. “I wouldn’t give up 20 years in film sound
for anything. It was an added bonus that it turned out to be
the fast track to directing,” he said with a smile.
“ Gary Rydstrom was great,” said Calderon. “His speech was
hilarious and inspiring. My wife wanted to see me walk at
graduation, and I’m so glad I did.”
Jeff Pickett, who just earned his M.F.A. from the Division
of Film and Television production, concurred: “Gary
Rydstrom’s speech was perfect — funny, inspirational,
touching. It was certainly the best graduation address I’ve
ever had the privilege of hearing,” said Pickett. “Now, it’s
up to me to try my best to become a paid director, whether
it happens tomorrow, or in 27 years!”
Herb Ratner, Jason Shuman, and Chris Ridenhour in the
George Lucas Building, circa 1996.

Renov Named Associate
Dean for Academic Affairs
By John Zollinger
Professor Michael Renov, who has taught critical studies for over 22 years, 18 of them at USC,
assumed the post of associate dean for academic affairs in August. He replaces Professor
Richard Jewell, who is returning to teaching after a decade of service in the slot.
Renowned at home and abroad for his expertise in the documentary film form, Renov is a prolific
writer who has authored scores of articles and written or edited seven books, among them
Hollywood’s Wartime Woman:
Representation and Ideology and The
Subject of Documentary, which was released
this year. In addition, he is the co-founder
of Visible Evidence, an annual international
documentary studies conference. In conjunction
with the USC Casden Institute
for Study of the Jewish Role in American
Life, Renov also created “Eye & Thou:
Jewish Autobiography in Film and Video,”
a series of events featuring screenings of
Jewish autobiographical films, followed by
on-stage dialogues between filmmakers and
humanities scholars.
Michael Renov
Q: What exactly does the associate dean for academic affairs do?
Renov holds a Master of Arts degree from
San Francisco State University and a Ph.D.
from UCLA in film and television studies.
Renov: The associate dean for academic affairs is the point person for all faculty concerns, chief among
them promotion and tenure, as well as the vital matter of curriculum — the content and coordination of
all course offerings. The person in this position must also be devoted to the academic vision. Who are we
as a school? We know we’re changing and growing, and we really have to be able to chart the course for
the future. To that end, the associate dean must facilitate open communication among the faculty, help
create consensus around shared goals, and move the School forward.
Q: How has the School positioned itself to meet the future?
Renov: We’ve just spent the last year putting together a strategic plan for the School, which allows us to
look forward five years or so down the road, to see where we are as a school, evaluate ourselves in a very
honest way — assessing our strengths and weaknesses — and project what we want for the future. I
think any dynamic organization, any school, any business has to constantly be engaged in self-evaluation,
and we’ve gone through that process in what seems to be a very effective way.
“We really have to be able to chart
the course for the future.”
Q: What motivated you to take this post?
— Michael Renov
Renov: I came out of this strategic-planning year feeling that this was a great moment for the School
and that I was ready to take a larger role in brainstorming ideas and planning for the future. I’m also eager
to forge connections and create stronger collaborations with other schools and departments on campus.
Q: Do you mean collaborations like the undergraduate minor in gaming that the
Interactive Media Division began this semester with the Viterbi School of Engineering?
Renov: Exactly. There are many USC faculty members who have a lot to offer and to gain from collaborations
with us. We’re perfectly situated to create a greater synergy within our own faculty and with
faculty from other schools. And why not? Why not make USC the best place possible when it comes to
media studies and media production?
Q: Stepping back for a moment, what do you think is the School’s importance
to society?
Renov: People love to go to the movies, but I don’t think they necessarily make the connection between
going to the movies and solving pressing social problems, when, in fact, popular culture is one of the
important ways that any society works through its conflicts, its tensions, its key issues. The School is in
an ideal situation because we’ve created a laboratory environment in which we can try out new things,
test our ideas, allow students to fail, encourage all kinds of experimentation, and take risks. We’re preparing
the next generation of media practitioners — producers, writers, directors, cinematographers, scholars,
animators, game designers. If we can instill values, stimulate critical thinking, and promote collaborations
across various boundaries, encouraging diversity of expression and of ideas, we’re going to have a
huge social impact. Because we’re developing the next generation, who will help set the cultural agenda
and shape the future.
Schools in Harmony
Collaboration Hits a High Note
By Margaret M. Dunlap
Although the School of Cinema-Television and the Thornton
School of Music stand only a few feet from each other, the
gulf between student directors and student composers has historically
been a difficult one to bridge.
Said Assistant Professor David J. Bondelevitch, MPSE, “When I was
a student at USC, it struck me as very odd that there was not a class
about film music, which is, to me, one of the most important parts
of the filmmaking process.” When he returned to the School of
Cinema-Television as a member of the sound faculty, he proposed a
solution in the form of a new course, one that eventually became
CTPR 437: Directing the Composer. Recently, he also found an ally
at the music school in Professor Brian King, a Thornton School faculty
member since 1998, and now director and chair of the Scoring
for Motion Pictures and Television Program.
Since fall 2002, Bondelevitch and King have hosted meetings each
semester to introduce students in the film and television scoring
program to students directing or producing films. The most recent
convocation in October drew approximately 70 students and resulted
in several successful collaborations. Further strengthening this
program, an endowed chair in music editing has been established at
the School of Cinema-Television, and renowned music editor Ken
Hall has joined the cinema-television faculty.
King has also partnered with Richard Hyland, sound department
coordinator for the School of Cinema-Television, to produce “Music
Master Classes” for film and music students on the Spielberg Music
Scoring Stage. Two workshops have been held thus far, one for
string performance and another for percussion.
For King, communication is the key goal. “Film students don’t necessarily
speak the language of music. They’ll say, ‘I need a whoosh!
here,’ or ‘I’m looking for something vaporous’, and that doesn’t
always translate.” At the same time, it can take scoring students a
while to develop a cinematic sensibility. “Most of the time, they just
write too much music. They learn that they need to leave room
for the silences.”
Brian King (left) of the Thornton School and David J. Bondelevitch of
the School of Cinema-Television are fine-tuning USC’s film and television
scoring program.
In spring 2004, Assistant Professor David
Bondelevitch, MPSE, and Rob Cutietta, dean of the
USC Thornton School of Music, were judges for a unique
scholarship competition. Four graduate students from the
School of Cinema-Television’s Division of Film and
Television Production — William Seth Dalton, Soo Z.
Hugh, Joshua Rous, and Adam Stein — were each awarded
a grant to be used to produce a short film using music
from a soon-to-be-released recording of Yo-Yo Ma playing
film composer Ennio Morricone’s music. The four films
will debut at a special concert on November 5, accompanied
live by Ma and the USC Thornton Chamber
Orchestra, and conducted by the composer’s son, Andrea
Morricone, in Bovard Auditorium.
fall 2004 in motion | 5

Recent Releases
6| in motion fall 2004
Dodgeball
Rawson Marshall Turber, Writer and Director
Along Came Polly
Stacey Sher, Producer
Miracle
Gordon Gray, Producer
Little Black Book
Elisa Bell, Writer
Jason Shuman, Producer
50 First Dates
Peter Segal, Director
Nancy Juvonen, Producer
Confessions of a
Teenage Drama Queen
Anita Brandt-Burgoyne, Editor
Princess Diaries 2
Shonda Rhimes, Writer
The Passion of the Christ
Caleb Deschanel, Cinematography
Taking Lives
Jon Bokenkamp, Writer
The Girl Next Door
Luke Greenfield, Director
Ella Enchanted
Tommy O'Haver, Director
Hidalgo
Robert Dalva, Editor
United States of Leland
Matthew Hoge, Writer and Director
Walking Tall
David Klass, Writer
Johnson Family Vacation
Christopher Erskin, Director
The Alamo
Ron Howard, Producer
Spider-Man 2
Laura Ziskin, Producer
Al Gough and Miles Millar, Story
Man on Fire
F. Hudson Miller, Supervising Sound Editor
13 Going on 30
Josh Goldsmith and Cathy Yuspa, Writers
Van Helsing
Stephen Sommers, Director, Writer, and Producer
Bob Ducsay, Producer and Editor
Shrek 2
David Weiss, Writer
The Day After Tomorrow
Jeffrey Nachmanoff, Writer
Raising Helen
Bruce Green, Editor
Faculty Focus
Gerald Isenberg
After a long and illustrious career in television, Gerald I. Isenberg came to the
USC School of Cinema-Television to help make the medium (and later interactive
media) an integral part of the curriculum. In pursuit of this goal, he was
instrumental in the formation of Trojan Vision, the university’s own television station, operated
by the USC Annenberg Center for Communication. Today, as a faculty member in
the Peter Stark Producing Program and the executive director of electronic media, he is
most frequently seen teaching CTPR 566 — commonly known as “the pitch class” —
every spring or running The Movie Packaging Simulation Game, which he created and
which is played for two weeks in the spring semester by second-year Peter Stark Producing
Program students.
Were you interested in film and television from a young age?
No, I went to business school and I was supposed to go into the shoe business.
Shoe business? Not show business?
No, the shoe business. I misspelled it and ended up here — no, I’m kidding. When I was in
business school, I decided to get a job in New York for a number of reasons. Because the
shoe business was family run, I could always go into it. So, I went to New York after getting
a job in finance at Columbia Pictures, working for the president there. After about three
years — it’s a long story — they sent me out here to get to understand the studio. They
made the mistake of sending me in January, and it was so beautiful here. I said, “Oh no, no,
no, no, this is where I need to be.” I got transferred out here and never went back.
Gerald Isenberg
What projects are you especially proud of?
There are a lot. One is Go Ask Alice, which was a great ol’ television movie, and then there
were the TV movies Katherine, James Dean, The Attempted Defection of Simas Kudrka, and
Forbidden, which was made for HBO. My company also did The Women of Brewster Place, a
mini-series with Oprah Winfrey. When you’re in the theatrical business, when you look back
in your career, you may have 10 films, or 15 films, but I’m looking back at more than a
hundred films. There’s just no comparison.
In your opinion, what are the benefits of film school?
We give kids a fabulous training. They become instantly useful, and they’re appreciated. It’s
not just that kids know how to use an Avid, it’s that they understand story construction.
Okay, that being said, how is USC’s program a cut above the rest?
One, the philosophy here begins with the premise that people learn best when they need the
knowledge. So the first day students get here, they are handed a camera and sent out to
make a film. We teach from what they need to know.
Second, of course, we are also blessed with one of the best physical plants, if not the best
physical plant in the country. The third thing … is the proximity to and the integration with
the industry. And finally there is a truly superior faculty.
What advice would you give to recent graduates and current students
who might want to follow in your footsteps?
There are a lot of approaches to a career, to a life. The fallacy that most students have coming
out of this school is that they think there is “a way.” There is no a way, there are lots of
ways, and I tell students the hardest thing you’re going to face in your career is getting into
the business. Once you’re in the business it’s a lot easier, but getting in is hard. Therefore,
get in any way you can and then worry about, am I in the right spot? But first, get in.
I take pride in the fact that I had a 30-something year career in the business. I’ve enjoyed
the vast bulk of it, made an enormous amount of friends, have a huge list of films behind
me — many of which had a positive impact on viewers — and I’m reasonably financially
secure. I’m not rich by any means, but I am secure in the lifestyle that I want to live. That is
a nice place to have ended up, you know?

First Pitch: A View from the Trenches
By Margaret M. Dunlap
The third annual USC First Pitch was a night of
firsts. This year, the event moved from its previous
home on the Zemeckis Center soundstages
to a grand reception hall at the Peninsula Hotel in
Beverly Hills. For the first time, senior undergraduates
from the School’s writing division joined second- and
third-year graduate students from the M.F.A. program for
a night of five-minute pitches to managers, agents, and
production executives.
From 7:15 to approximately 9:30 p.m., 57 writers pitched
their features and original television pilots a total of 969
times to 43 executives. This was what it looked like from
the inside.
5:50 P.M.>> ARRIVAL
“So, the script I’ve got for you tonight is…”
We’re supposed to get to the hotel between 6:00 and 6:20,
so naturally I’m driving down South Santa Monica Blvd.
at 5:15. I take a scenic route over the last four blocks that
includes Olympic Boulevard and Avenue of the Stars, and
manage to arrive only ten minutes early.
As I hand over the car to the valet I tell myself that I’m in
good shape. The script is good. The pitch is good. I did
this event last year. No reason to be nervous.
Right.
6 P.M.>> PREPARATION
So that the executives and industry guests can relax before
the event gets started, the students are all gathered in an
out-of-the-way area that The Peninsula calls “The Board
Room.” Tonight, it might be more appropriately called:
“ The Panic Room.”
Although many writers are at least outwardly calm and
collected, Dean Elizabeth Daley will later describe the
charged atmosphere as “having enough energy to light up
all of Los Angeles.”
The room is full of student writers, student interns getting
a sneak peek at what they’re in for next year, wellwishing
faculty and alumni, and last but not least, Mikkel
Bondesson, our intrepid industry advisor. For the last
semester Mikkel has been present for seminars, pitch
workshops, and last-minute questions. Tonight, he brings
us a final pep talk, and a gift: Tic Tacs. “Because the last
thing we need tonight is a case of halitosis!”
H allowed
At least if he’s giving us something else to worry about,
he’s also providing a solution. When the little boxes come
around, I take one.
6:45–9:30 P.M.>> THE PITCHES
“So now, our protagonist is locked in…”
Round one is by far the most nerve wracking. Last year, I
got to the end of the first round and the agents I’d been
pitching to suggested I rewrite my pitch. With only 30
seconds between rounds, I figured I’d have to spend most
of that time crossing the room instead. This year, it goes
better. I don’t get a definite yes, but the guy I’m pitching
to is into the story, and we discover that we’re both from
Boston. “Which T-stop did you live on…? Oh sorry,
that’s the bell, and I’ve only got 30 seconds to cross the
room, gotta move on.”
That’s pretty much how it goes for the next two hours.
The time is broken down into slots numbered 1 to 25.
Almost everyone is pitching 17 out of those 25 possible
slots. My schedule is pretty broken up. I’ve got two rounds
“on” and then two rounds free. Then five on, followed by
three off. Not everyone is like that. I compare schedules
with one guy who pitched 13 rounds straight before his
first break. Still, the execs only get two rounds off during
the entire evening.
“As we move through Act II, the obstacles are coming thick
and fast, and our protagonist hits a wall…”
ground for film and television buffs, the historic hallways of The Culver
Studios still seem to echo with the footsteps of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, Cecil
B. DeMille, Katharine Hepburn, Alfred Hitchcock, Laurel and Hardy, Harold Lloyd,
David O. Selznick, and countless other Hollywood legends — all of whom created movie
magic on this lively lot.
The lot’s signature structure is its grand colonial mansion-office, which is fronted by
sweeping green lawns, sculpted hedges, and flowering rose bushes. A replica of George
Washington’s famous Mount Vernon residence, this registered historic landmark faces
Culver City’s Washington Boulevard and is probably best known for its memorable cameo
appearance in Gone With the Wind.
Building renovations and new construction have enabled The Culver Studios to retain the
charm of the past while accommodating today’s film, television, commercial, and music
video producers who require the latest in fiber optic and digital capability. An infusion of
youthful energy, courtesy of students from the School’s Division of Film and Television
Production, has also contributed to the rebirth of the legendary studio.
An agreement between Michael Taylor, division chair, and Ron Lynch, president of The
Culver Studios, has given production students access to available soundstages. Already
more than 25 students have set up shop on the illustrious lot, sharing the facilities with
current television and movie productions, including Arrested Development (Fox) and
Skipping the Holidays (Revolution/Columbia).
Somewhere about round 18, I can feel my brain turning
to mush. I know my pitch backwards, but this is all about
stamina now. At the table I just left, I found myself
telling three managers, “So, I’ll let you know,” instead of
“ So, you’ll let me know?” I caught myself and made a joke
out of it, but I’m not expecting a call from them anytime
soon. Honestly though, I wasn’t expecting a call from
them anyway. That’s one advantage to First Pitch: If a
pitch goes badly, it can go badly only for five minutes.
It doesn’t seem any easier from the other side of the table.
At this point, everyone’s tired. And then, as I come off a
break and slide in opposite another agent, break the ice,
and go into my pitch, something clicks. The pitch is flowing
again, I’m not confusing my characters’ real names
with the names of the people I’ve mentally cast in their
roles, or getting my tongue caught on my teeth. The agent
blinks out of his glassy-eyed stare. He laughs in the right
places, he doesn’t laugh in the wrong places. I finish, and
he says, “That sounds interesting. Why don’t you send me
the script?”
It’s not my first “yes” of the night, but it helps put the spark
back in those last few rounds.
9:30 P.M.>> INFORMAL DESSERT RECEPTION
“And then we move into Act III…”
Before the first round officially began, USC School of
Cinema-Television writing division alumnus Jamie
Vanderbilt described his horror of pitching, “You take
essentially introverted people who are engaged in the most
solitary of pursuits and force them to talk to other people…
for minutes at a time!”
It’s true that while writing, adrenaline rushes are few and far
between. Sixty writers coming off one simultaneously is
something to behold. At the post-pitch reception, some of
my colleagues are definitely looking the worse for wear. One
student tells me, “I just want to go home, throw myself on
my bed, and cry.” The guy who has spent the evening
telling and retelling the story of an African war orphan
forced to become a child soldier looks like he’s been through
a few campaigns himself.
But while my throat is telling me to shut up and drink
some tea with lemon, I’m feeling pretty good. Good enough
to mix and mingle with a few executives who’ve stuck
around for the dessert reception, I even pitch my story
again. (The executive will call me the next morning and ask
for my script.)
And that’s not so unusual. Nearly everyone is tired, but the
mood is positive. No executives fell asleep. More people
were receptive, or at least polite, than not. Most of us have
met people that we’d look forward to seeing again for six, or
even seven, minutes at a time.
All told, students received 506 requests to read their scripts,
either that night, or filtering in over the next week or so.
If previous years’ statistics are any guide, many writers
will eventually find representation through contacts that
they make at the event. A few might eventually have their
work optioned.
But really, that’s not even the point, because this is only the
first pitch. The real marathon — of starting and building a
career — is just beginning.
“And that is the note of hope we go out on.”
Famed Studio Welcomes Student Productions
“
This is a unique opportunity for our students to shoot their films in a historic studio setting
and work side-by-side with professional filmmakers,” said Taylor. “They will have
access to stages, equipment, props, and sets, and to a back lot complete with a classically
designed New York street.”
One of the original cottages on the Culver Studios lot.
fall 2004 in motion | 7

Alumni Quick Takes
1930–1939
Henry Bumstead, Architecture ’37, nominated
for the Art Directors Guild Production Design Award for
Warner Bros.’ Mystic River
Elizabeth Allen ’99
1960–1969
Walter Murch ’67, nominated for the ACE Eddie
Award in Drama for Cold Mountain
1970–1979
Brian Cochrane ’75, has been named assistant man-
aging editor of Daily Variety Andy Friendly ’73,
executive produced Luxury, which aired on ABC and
gave the network its best ratings in seven months in the
Monday 8 p.m. slot Brian Grazer ’74, nominated
for PGA Award for Producer of the Year for TV Drama,
Series (24-Fox); will produce The Man Who Kept Secrets
for Paramount; is executive producer of The Big House
for 20th Century Fox Television; will produce Flight
Plan for Disney with Robert DiNozzi executive produc-
ing Bruce Green, edited Raising Helen along with
Tara Timpone Randal Kleiser ’74, will direct Love
Wrecked for Media 8 Entertainment Rex McGee ’75,
has written Hallmark’s upcoming film for television Love,
Clyde John McLaughlin, ’79, won the WGA
Award for Comedy/Variety for the Showtime TV series
Penn & Teller: Bullshit with fellow alumnus David
Wechter ’77, Two other alumni, Mark Wolper ’83
and Star Price ’83, executive produced Chuck
Pratt ’78, will executive produce Desperate Housewives
with Mark Cherry and Michael Edelstein for Touchstone
Television, Miles Hood Swarthout ’73, won the
Spur Award from the Western Writers of America for the
Best First Western Novel of 2003 for his novel The
Sergeant’s Lady Ron Underwood ’74, directed the
film Two Thumbs Up! Robert Zemeckis ’73, will
produce The Prizewinner of Defiance, Ohio, along with
his ImageMovers partners Steve Starkey and Jack Rapke,
for DreamWorks and Revolution Studios Laura
Ziskin ’73 and Neal Moritz ’85, are producing
Stealth for Columbia Pictures
8 | in motion fall 2004
1980–1989
Judd Apatow ’87, will write, produce, and direct a
“middle-age coming of age film” for Universal Robert
Ballo ’85, directed and co-produced The Great Year,
which aired January 28 on KOCE Elisa Bell ’87,
will be scripting Dirty Little Secret for Paramount
Pictures; is currently writing Honey West for Miramax
Anita Brandt Burgoyne ’80, won the ACE Eddie
Award for Best Editor of the Year in Drama for Homeless
to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story Ignacio Darnuade
’89,produced last year’s Mexican hit Ladies’ Night; his
treatment The Red House has been acquired by Warner
Independent Pictures Bryan Fuller ’83, executive
produced Wonderfalls for 20th Century Fox Television
and Regency Television Gordon Gray ’86,will pro-
duce Carlisle School for Walden Media Robert
Greenblatt ’87, nominated for a PGA Award for
Producer of the Year for TV Drama Series (Six Feet
Under-HBO) Phil Joanou ’84, will direct Hammer
Down for DreamWorks Evan Katz ’86, won the
WGA Award for episodic drama for Fox’s 24 Michael
Lehmann ’85, directed an episode of Century City for
Universal Network Television Rodney Liber ’86, is
producing the motion picture Synergy for Universal
Pictures Robert Osher ’81, has been named chief
operating officer of Columbia Pictures Motion Picture
Group Jim Piechocki ’85, wrote and directed
Eminem Aka, a biographical documentary of the rapper,
for Xenon Pictures Lon Rosen ’81, was named vice
president and chief marketing officer of the Los Angeles
Dodgers Gary Rydstrom ’81, was nominated for an
Academy Award in sound editing for Finding Nemo
Aaron Schneider ’88, was cinematographer on The
D.A. for Warner Bros. Television John
Schwartzman ’85, won The American Society of
Cinematographers Award for Seabiscuit Peter Segal
’84, will direct The Longest Yard for Paramount and
Sony Stacey Sher ’85, will produce the screen adap-
tation of Little Earthquakes for Universal; her new pro-
duction company, Double Feature Films, is filming two
projects, one with Keanu Reeves and the other with
Harrison Ford Bryan Singer ’89, will direct a
remake of Logan’s Run for Warner Bros. Jennifer &
Suzanne Todd ’87, ’86, will produce Exorcism for
Dummies for Revolution; they are producing Sex Talk for
New Line Cinema Steve Turner ’88, is co-produc-
ing HBO’s Deadwood and was producer of the WB
series The Gilmore Girls David Weiss ’87, wrote
Shrek 2 for DreamWorks John Wells ’82,
was nominated for a PGA Award for Producer of the
Year for TV, Drama Series (The West Wing-NBC); he
produced Johnny Zero for John Wells Productions and
Warner Bros., to air on Fox Mark Wolper ’83,
executive produced Helter Skelter, which was filmed by
the Wolper Organization in association with Warner
Bros. Television
Laurel Moje Wetzork ’93
1990–1999
Glenn Adilman ’90, took over as vice president of
network development at Sony Pictures Television
Elizabeth Allen ’99, will direct Aquamarine for
Fox 2000 and is writing and directing Driving While
Infatuated for Fox Searchlight John August ’94,
will executive produce and supervise the script of Prince
of Persia: The Sands of Time for Disney Walt Becker
’95, has been commissioned to script Bull Rider
Irving Belateche ’94, wrote The Reckoning, which
has been acquired by Odd Lot Entertainment and A
Band Apart Jeremy Bell ’99, is producing, along
with partners Michael Lasker ’01 and George
Heller ’01 at Foursight Entertainment, Camp
Rockaway, for Red Wagon Entertainment and Columbia
Michael Berns ’92, is co-executive producing
NBC’s Las Vegas Gregg Bishop ’99, wrote and
directed the supernatural thriller The Other Side for
Elisa Bell ’87
Wonder Studios and Bishop Productions Sanford
Bookstaver ’95, will direct The Tiny Problems of
White People for Maverick Films Mary Cheney ’96,
was appointed vice president and senior producer at
Burnett R.J. Cutler and Jay Roach ’86, have

officially launched the search for The American
Candidate as part of a new reality series for Showtime
Samuel Dickerman ’94, will executive produce
Xanth for Warner Bros. Jason Ensler ’97, will direct
Grilled for New Line Cinema Jonathan Glickman
’93, will produce Pacifier for Spyglass Entertainment
David Goffin ’97, nominated for PGA Award for
Producer of the Year for Reality/Game Series (American
Idol-Fox) Al Gough ’94, and Miles Millar ’94,
will produce Powerpuff Girls for Disney Luke
Greenfield ’94, will direct and produce The Untitled
Destiny Project for his newly launched production compa-
ny; will direct and produce The Holiday Club for 20th
Century Fox David Hamlin ’94, filmed Avalanche:
Surviving Tragedy, which aired on MSNBC’s National
Geographic Ultimate Explorer Dan Hertzog ’91,
shot and directed an ad campaign for NPR Claudine
Ise ’98, joined Wexner Center for the Arts as associate
Noah Kadner ’99
curator for exhibitions Richard Kelly ’97, will
direct the comedy-musical thriller Southland Tales for
Cherry Road Films Noah Kadner ’99, directed his
first feature, Formosa, an independent project produced
by High Road Productions Anya Kochoff ’91,
wrote the script for Manhattan Baby, a romantic comedy
that will be produced by Reese Witherspoon Leslie
Lwerks ’93, completed a one-hour TV special on high-
wave surfing, which won the top award at X-Dance in
Park City, Utah; is currently in post-production on a
high-definition feature documentary about the history of
Pixar Animation Studios Lucky Mckee ’97, will
direct Red, based on the horror novel by Jack Ketchum,
for United Artists Doug Miro ’96, co-scripted
Skeletons and The Last Talisman for DreamWorks and
The Great Raid for Miramax Constantine Nasr
’97, produced The Looney Tunes Golden Collection, rated
the Best DVD of 2003 by Entertainment Weekly, and is
currently at work on volume 2 Vanessa Newell ’98,
is one of the editors for the documentary series TV
Revolution Tommy O’Haver ’95, will direct Magick
for DreamWorks and Robert Zemeckis’ ImageMovers
Nick Osborne ’97, will produce The Pariah for
Underground Films Ari Posner ’93, provided the
music for The Last Mogul: The Life and Times of Lew
Wasserman Nick Pustay ’95, will adapt the novel
Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood
Pal for Mission Entertainment Kevin Ross ’90, was
an editor on Fox’s TV series Wonderfalls; he also serves as
a representative on the board of directors for the Motion
Picture Editors Guild, IATSE, Local 700 Hal
Schwartz ’95, produced Committed, which stars
Reiko Aylesworth, Bruno Campos, JoBeth Williams,
Meat Loaf, Marla Sokoloff, Greg Germann, and David
Alan Basche; the crew also included DP Matthew
Heckerling ’02; editor Adam Stein, a current stu-
dent; writer Carol Watson ’95, who passed away in
1998; and associate producer Lennox Wiseley ’95
Josh Schwartz ’99, will write and executive produce
a new TV drama series for Warner Bros. John
Sclimenti ’90, produced a rockumentary, Riding in
Vans with Boys, which was picked up for distribution by
Melee Entertainment, a DVD specialty arm of
DreamWorks John Singleton ’90, will develop and
direct Luke Cage for Columbia with Neal Moritz pro-
ducing Erich Stonestreet ’97, directed an action-
comedy music video, Crush, for Waverly Stephen
Susco ’99, wrote the script for the movie Red, which is
to be produced by United Artists Lee Unkrich ’90,
was nominated for the ACE Eddie Award in Comedy for
Finding Nemo Sytze Van der Laan ’93, has been
promoted to co-CEO of the Studio Hamburg Group
Bree Michael Warner ’98, completed photography
on the feature film Boardwalk Poets Laurel Moje
Wetzork ’93, directed Rogues, a psychological thriller
that screened at the Palm Beach International Festival
Jim Whitaker ’94, has been promoted to president of
production for Universal-based Imagine Films Robert
Winn ’97 directed, wrote, and produced, and Lindsey
Jang ’99 wrote and produced the documentary Saigon,
USA which aired on PBS
2000 –Present
J.R. Arinaga ’04 and Tyler Soper ’04, reached
the finals of the 2003 –2004 Coca-Cola Refreshing
Filmmaker’s Awards for their film The Essentials
Aditya Assarat ’00, wrote and directed Hi-So,
which was selected by The Sundance Institute for its
annual January Screenwriters Lab Joe Ballarini ’00,
wrote and is expected to direct F+ for MGM Jennie
Chamberlain ’04 and Gabriel Lichstein ’03,
reached the finals of the 2003–2004 Coca-Cola
Refreshing Filmmaker’s Awards for their film Love and
Other Stuff Sean Covel ’02 and Chris Wyatt ’02,
produced Napolean Dynamite, which was purchased by
Fox Searchlight at the Sundance Film Festival Nelson
Cragg ’03, won the American of Cinematographers
Society Conrad L. Hall Heritage Award, which is pre-
sented to promising film school students or recent gradu-
ates Chad Creasey ’03, wrote Sydney White & the
Seven Dorks, which was optioned by Dara Resnik for
her graduate thesis and has been purchased by Warner
Bros. Victoria Foster ’04, directed Unsyncables At
Any Age, a documentary presented at the L.A. Harbor
International Film Festival Alex Franklin ’00, has
been promoted to director of development at Lions Gate
Entertainment Yana Gorskaya ’02, won the ACE
Eddie Award in Documentary for Spellbound Jason
Lust ’00, has acquired rights through his company,
Circle of Confusion, to filmmaker Ken Baker’s memoir,
Man Made; is one of the producers on Jinx for Universal,
and is financing and producing Red, based on the horror
novel by Jack Ketchum, Corey May ’01 and Dooma
Wendschuh ’01, will produce and distribute the
screen adaptation of The Dogs of Babel with Focus
Features Chris Prouty ’03, with Steve Desmond and
Jill Prouty, won first place in the Academy of Television
Arts & Sciences Foundation College Television Awards
competition in the category of Children’s Programming,
for Saving Worms Amy Slucter ’03, won an Alfred P.
Sloan Film Award for The Cure Shawn Sylvian ’00,
has taken over as artistic director of the Tacoma Grand
Cinema Reggie Vinluan ’04, won an Alfred P.
Sloan Film Award for Afterbirth Andrew Waller
’03, is directing Ice Princess for Disney
Nelson Cragg ’03
Current Students
Judith Fernando, and Christine Shin reached
the finals of the 2003–2004 Coca-Cola Refreshing
Filmmaker’s Awards for their film Movie Date Jesse
Wheeler, won an Alfred P. Sloan Film Award for
The Dry Season Mun Chee Yong, won a ninth
annual DGA Student Award.
fall 2004 in motion | 9

7
Great Moments
1
5. Guillermo del Toro takes a moment to smile for the
camera with Leonard Maltin after a screening of Hellboy.
6. Pete Segal explains to a 466 student the process of working with
Adam Sandler in 50 First Dates.
7. Woody Omens speaks to students about Conrad Hall’s work.
6
11
10 | in motion fall 2004
9
1. John August speaks to a 466 student about how he adapted the script
for Big Fish.
2. Patty Jenkins and friend speak with Leonard Maltin about the
challenges of getting her film, Monster, made as a first-time director.
3. Gordon Gray recounts anecdotes from the making of Miracle to
a 466 student.
4. Rawson Thurber signs a Dodgeball poster for his alma mater.
8. Bill & Cheri Steinkellner, Leonard Maltin, and Gary Baseman take a moment
to smile for the camera after a screening of Teacher’s Pet.
9. Susan Behr & Nathanial Kahn share with 466 students the difficulties of
Nathanial’s journey in searching for his father.
10. Luke Greenfield discusses with Leonard Maltin his process of selecting actors
for The Girl Next Door.
11. Gary Rydstrom, Richard Harris, Jon Landau, and Bill Mechanic speak with Jason Squire about their experiences
working on Titanic.
12. Steve Zaillian, Woody Omens, Conrad W. Hall, Haskell Wexler, and John Toll came to USC to discuss
Conrad Hall’s influence on the art of filmmaking.
5
2
10
8
3
4
12

Game On!
(continued from page 1)
The EA Interactive Entertainment Program, which is a track
in the three-year Master of Fine Arts degree, supports new
courses to help students become proficient in scriptwriting,
as well as visual and audio effects, which are then used to
create compelling interactive experiences with cinematic
qualities for a variety of game playing populations.
An integral part of the interactive entertainment program is
the Electronic Arts Game Innovation Lab, based in the
Zemeckis Center for Digital Arts. This state-of-the-art facility
serves as a research space and think tank where new concepts
in game design, play, and usability are developed,
prototyped and play-tested. The room is equipped with an
array of technologies, from PCs sporting high-end graphics
cards, to a usability room set up with one-way mirrors and
video cameras that allow researchers and developers to monitor
how players interact with various games. Students, faculty,
and visiting scholars in the lab are investigating a broad
range of subjects, such as scalable networked virtual environments,
multi-platform gaming environments, and ubiquitous
gaming. Through their work, lab users are pushing
games beyond their currently defined genres, markets, and
play patterns, creating a body of knowledge about players,
games, and game playing that provides a launching pad for
the next generation of software and hardware.
Beyond the lab, EA support is aiding in the formation of an
intra-USC gaming community that brings together creative
and technical expertise in cinema-television, the arts, and
technical sciences, and provides students with invaluable
real-world experience through internships and work-study
programs at EA, including the company’s newest Los
Angeles studio.
Professor Perry Hoberman (left) helps student Todd Furmanski
program a BASIC stamp chip, which enables a computer to
read various types of sensors (light, motion, etc.).
The EA Endowed Faculty Chair — which brings some of
the gaming industry’s top talent to teach at USC — elevates
the field into the ranks of other professions, such as law and
medicine, and draws the top student candidates from home
and abroad to learn one-on-one from these masters. The EA
chair is one of six newly created endowed positions that the
School installed this fall. Together they join an impressive
roster of funded seats at the School, including the Alma and
Alfred Hitchcock Endowed Chair, the Mary Pickford
Professorship, the Steven J. Ross/Time Warner Dean’s Chair,
the Fran and Ray Stark Endowed Chair, and the Hugh M.
Hefner Chair.
Playing It Smart
Interview with Scott Fisher, chair
of the Division of Interactive Media
Arriving at the School in 2002, Scott Fisher brings a wealth of experience as a media artist and interaction
designer whose work focuses primarily on interactive environments and technologies of presence.
Well known for his pioneering work in the field of Virtual Reality at NASA, Fisher’s media industry
experience includes Atari, Paramount, and his own companies Telepresence Research and Telepresence
Media. Fisher is a graduate of MIT’s Architecture Machine Group (now Media Lab); has taught at MIT,
UCLA and UCSD; and served as project professor and director of the Environmental Media Project for
Keio University at Shonan Fujisawa, Japan.
Scott Fisher
Q: What is the importance of interactive media, or, put more directly, why should
people take this division seriously?
Fisher: The short response to that question is that interactive entertainment is most likely going to be the
dominant form of entertainment in the 21st century. The most common example is what’s happening with
the video game industry where the revenues from that are now competing with film box office revenues.
That said, in the longer term there are a couple different aspects in terms of where we are in development.
The technologies that are the underpinnings of interactive media, of interactive entertainment, are now
coming to the point where they can easily compete with other home consumer devices. PlayStation, for
example, at $149, is approaching the quality of graphics machines that five or six years ago we were paying
a couple hundred thousand dollars for. Those kinds of developments are really crucial. Perhaps more important,
beyond the technology availability and cost effectiveness is the type of experience people have become
used to. People are accustomed to using the Web, using a lot interactivity in their day-to-day activities, and
we see students coming in expecting to have much more access and availability of interactive coursework.
We in the division believe that this will only grow, and that this process will evolve into a very major new
set of media to provide interactive experiences.
Q: Where do you see the division in terms of defining how we learn, teach, and collaborate
with one another?
Fisher: Even though we call the mission of the division interactive entertainment, a huge area of interest
and importance for us is in educational applications in all of the different media that I have been talking
about, but particularly games. We see that crossing over very quickly and very effectively. For example,
a few months ago I went to a seminar around E3, which is the largest game convention in the world.
This workshop was specifically focused on using games for education. Representatives from all the
major universities were present and witnessed demonstrations of crossovers, of using game scenarios for
educational applications.
Q: What are the plans for expanding the reach of the program?
Fisher: We have a minor in game design in collaboration with the Viterbi School of Engineering, and
because of that we’re looking at undergraduate numbers growing substantially in our undergraduate game
design and interactive media introduction classes. Depending on how that goes, we would very much like
to grow this into an undergraduate program in addition to the MFA program.
Q: Interactive media studies programs are cropping up around the nation. Why
should prospective students choose USC over some other place?
Fisher: It’s true, there are plenty of other game programs out there. There are vocational schools, there are
schools like Carnegie Mellon, the University of Washington, and Stanford, but I think the particular mix of
things we have to offer is just unbeatable. Carnegie Mellon has a two-year program, but it’s much more oriented
around the technology and tool-building end of things. We’re focused much more on the storytelling
and experience-design aspect of it. And that’s really the key thing that’s going to make any new technology
work in the public’s eye — it’s not the technology itself, it’s what you do with it. We also have a mix of
backgrounds applying. We have computer science students, we have a lot of design students, we have
artists, we have philosophers. It’s a very good mix that I think is critical to make something like this work,
because eventually the teams that these guys will end up putting together will mirror that same mix.
fall 2004 in motion | 11

Illustrious Alums
CYRUS NOWRASTEH
Writer-director Cyrus Nowrasteh was born in Boulder,
Colorado, and grew up in Madison, Wisconsin. After graduating
from the USC School of Cinema-Television in
1977, he worked primarily in television for the next several
years, writing for such series as The Equalizer, Falcon Crest,
La Femme Nikita, and Pacific Blue. Nowrasteh went on to
write and direct the award-winning Paramount/Showtime
production The Day Reagan Was Shot, starring Richard
Dreyfuss, for which he received the 2002 PEN Center USA
Literary Award for best teleplay. Nowrasteh’s other writing
credits include 10,000 Black Men Named George, a 2002
Showtime film that garnered him a second PEN Center
USA Literary Award — and the distinction of being the
first writer to receive this prestigious honor in consecutive
years; The Island, which he also directed; and the independent
hit Jenipapo (The Interview).
Cyrus Nowrasteh
Why did you decide to go to USC and what did
you find most memorable about it?
I grew up in the Midwest and my freshman year [of college]
I was at New Mexico State, where I played tennis. I
was interested in studying film and was well aware that
USC had one of the top film schools. I applied to USC and
transferred. The thing that I found most interesting was
that all these people from the industry were coming and
talking to classes at the school. It felt like being a student
here had value. Because these people obviously thought it
had some value to come talk to the students. I was very
focused on learning, but also on how could I go from being
a student to being in the business. The program started
emphasizing screenwriting, and I wrote my first script my
first year down there at USC.
What were the steps you took from the time
you graduated until you got your break in
terms of being a writer?
I wrote a lot and some of the scripts were good and some
weren’t. I’ve always felt that you need to write scripts that
will set you apart from the herd. Whenever I’ve tried to
write mainstream commercial fare, I failed. There are guys
who are good at that, who love that, but that just isn’t my
calling. I just want to write historical epics and true stories.
I think you can waste a lot of time in this business trying to
make contacts and going to social events, hanging out at
the right clubs. A friend of mine and I used to have an
adage which was “it’s not who you know, it’s who you don’t
know that’s going to help you,” and I still believe that. I
think it’s the people who discovered me or got to know me
through my writing … those are the people who helped me
most. Not somebody that I knew socially.
12 | in motion fall 2004
How did your first paid writing gig come about?
My first paid writing gig was for an ex-colonel in the Air
Force, who wanted to do a “Save the MIA-POW” movie.
He paid me a thousand dollars to write a script for him. It
was sort of a variation on a script he’d already written,
which was unreadable. That was really technically the first
person to pay me for my writing. The first approved studio
gig I did was a re-write at Universal on a biker movie. It
was a disaster. I was new to the game and I sat in a room
with seven or eight people. They all had different points of
view, and I tried to please everybody, but I learned a valuable
lesson. If you can’t please yourself with the direction
you are taking on a script, you might as well not turn it in.
If you are just sitting around trying to please everyone in
the room, you are going to fail. So I failed. I sold a couple
options and was doing some re-writes on some scripts that
I had sold to Interscope. I did numerous re-writes for them
and then I got a shot at The Equalizer, which was a series
back in the ’80s on CBS. I was amazed — I wrote a script
and turned it in, they liked it, and hired me to write a couple
more. A few weeks later they were shooting my script.
I ended up working in series off and on for the next five
years. I developed some pilots and worked on different shows.
Did you have an alternate goal for your
career? Were you working toward something
or were you just finding your way?
It took me a long time, but I’m directing now. I did [The
Day Reagan Was Shot] with Showtime and it won some
awards. It was the highest rated movie Showtime had. My
experience on [that project] was really positive because I felt
like I got to make the movie I wanted to make. I had as
much control over that movie — the final cut, how it was
presented, and how it was played on mostly every level —
as I think any director would want. I felt like a real author,
[because] if you wrote it and you are the director, people
back off. Plus, I had a very powerful producer. I had Oliver
Stone and that helped. To do that, to finally make a movie
the way I wanted was really what the dream is all about.
I don’t care if it’s a cable movie or an independent low
budget or if it’s a half-hour Nickelodeon [show], if it’s your
baby, it’s your baby. That’s what we all strive for, so I guess
that was the goal. Now I’m developing things for different
cable companies, writer-director deals, and I’m trying to set
up a feature.
What are the biggest pitfalls you have in writing
movies about true events?
There is an underlying truth to any historical drama. That’s
what is important, not whether every incident or every
word of spoken dialogue actually occurred. If that’s your
criteria, then let’s throw out Shakespeare. He made it up all
the time, but there were underlying truths about power,
royalty, ambition, dark forces between powerful people.
Those underlying truths that he was dramatizing are so
much more important then if each incident in those plays
really happened.
What do you love most about what you do?
I love movies, I love history, and I love true stories. I am
able to channel my interests about the world into my work.
I’ve gotten the opportunity to meet and interview a lot of
interesting people and research interesting events. Trying to
bring them to fruition as drama is challenging, but it’s
[something] that I am passionate about, and making a living
doing it is a privilege — and it’s rare.
TEAM TODD
Suzanne and Jennifer Todd both followed in their father’s
footsteps, enrolling in USC where the self-described
“movie-crazy” duo chose the path of film producers. Raised
in Los Angeles, the Todd sisters were enchanted with the
movie business from a young age, holding jobs ranging
from production assistant to Universal Studios tour guide.
The pair got their start as assistants and associate producers,
but quickly emerged as producers in their own right with
such notable films as If These Walls Could Talk, Austin
Powers, and Memento. Now producing as Team Todd for
Revolution Studios, they are working on several upcoming
films, including Sex Talk, Zoom’s Academy, and Prime.
What is the art of being a producer?
Jennifer: Sometimes we describe it as being the chief fireman
and also sort of the architect of the project. You are
the person who brings the idea to the studio, or you find
the script and the director and you put the cast together.
You are the only person who supervises both creative and
production and financial, so you are looking after both
sides of the movie. You have the writer, director, actors
worrying about the content of the movie and you have
your studio worrying about the bottom line, and it is your
job to juggle both.
Memento ended up being such a great experience for us, but
it was such a hard movie to make. We got very lucky that
we got [the financing] money at the time it came through
because the company [Newmarket] does not finance that
many movies on their own. If we were still trying to make
movies in that fashion it would not work.
Suzanne Todd
So how have those relationships from film
school, such as Jay Roach [“Austin Powers”,
“Meet the Parents”], helped you professionally?
Suzanne: I ran into trouble on the first If These Walls Could
Talk and I needed someone to come [work] literally in the
middle of the night. I called Jay at home [and asked him]
to shoot two days of Cher’s piece for me. We had just
always been friends and work overlaps into that friendship.
[Austin Powers] called for a very specific, patient person.
When we saw how Jay related to Mike [Myers], we thought
he would be a really good choice. It had been a long time
since 480. I think it had been almost ten years and Jay was
working on a movie about Hitler. You can imagine pitching
that to Bob Shaye, the head of New Line. We knew Jay was
talented because we worked with him as a writer and as a
DP and he wanted to be a director since his USC days.
Mike had come to know him and really believed in him
also, which helped with the studio.
A lot of times, first-time directors want to know everything
and if their ego isn’t really in the right place, they are not
willing to ask other people for help. I think [good] directors
really understand how to get a group of people with a

unch of very different personalities together — not only to
get along, but also to inspire them every day to do their best
work. To be clear about your vision, to be able to enunciate
their vision to somebody else, to be able to make it their
own so they are excited to come to work every day. Those
are the kind of things that make a great director and those
are the things we felt that Jay had … It really just took a
group of people to believe in Jay [because] he had the talent
to get it done.
Jennifer Todd
When did you reach the point where you could
go out on your own, as producers and how did
it happen?
Jennifer: We progressed through a bunch of jobs and
Suzanne had partnered with Demi Moore [to produce] a
bunch of movies. I was running Bruce Willis’s company
and we made the first Austin Powers movie for New Line.
Mike Deluca was the head of production and he called us
up one day. The movie had just finished shooting and he
said, “I think you and Suzanne should be doing this on
your own. You should come here and I’ll give you a deal.”
We always liked working together but we never had this
master plan of having our own company. When he said it,
it made perfect sense. I think in a way we were just scared
that it would be hard to do on our own because producing
is very competitive.
What does it take to be successful in
this business?
Suzanne: We always say that the people that are successful in
this business are literally the people who do not leave.
I don’t think people realize how hard it is. [People we went
to film school with] always say, “You have it so easy now,
you just get to pick whichever movies you want to make.”
I think it is a misconception that somehow with success the
job becomes easier, but it really doesn’t. You have to be
movie crazy, because why else would you do it? There are
much better ways to make money and there are much better
ways to live a sane existence.
Jennifer: The people who really love it, live it and breathe it
everyday. It does not work for those people who think it
would be a fun job to have because it is very competitive.
What is the most important piece of advice that
you have for the young people starting out at
USC now?
Suzanne: I think you just really have to keep yourself open
to every experience. Believe in yourself even at times when
it is really hard because if you do not think that you have
something to offer. It is very hard to convince other people
of that. I came out of film school and I had skills [and]
whether or not it was true, I believed it and that belief
serviced me well.
LES BLANK
USC alumnus Les Blank says that he is drawn to “People
with a strong passion for what they do … [my subjects] are
all creative people. They’re out there trying to express themselves.”
And having made more than 30 documentaries over
the course of his career — including Burden of Dreams
(1982), The Blues Accordin’ to Lightnin’ Hopkins (1968), and
In Heaven There Is No Beer? (1984), Blank has certainly
found his niche for expressing himself.
Blank was born in Tampa, Florida, and earned his B.A. and
M.F.A. from Tulane University in New Orleans before coming
out to Los Angeles and USC. Now, Blank’s work in the
field of the documentary has earned him a British Academy
Award for Best Feature Documentary (Burden of Dreams,
1982) and top festival honors in venues from The San
Francisco Film Festival, The Melbourne Film Festival,
Sundance, and others too numerous to mention.
Information on Blank and his films — past, present, and
upcoming — can be found at www.lesblank.com. Highlights
from In Motion’s recent conversation with the award-winning
documentarian can be found below.
Les Blank
Les Blank: I had gone to college thinking I wanted to be a
writer. Actually I didn’t know if I wanted to be a writer, or a
brain surgeon, or a biologist, [but] I flunked chemistry and
that narrowed the contest. So, I was left with being a writer,
or something creative, but writing seemed to fit the bill
because I liked to read a lot. And so I majored in English,
and I wrote and wrote, and got reject slips, and I got to
thinking, “maybe I can’t make a living writing, but I can
make a living teaching literature.” I applied to graduate
school at UC Berkeley in English, and it wasn’t really what I
wanted. It was way too academic and formal; I wanted to
be creating, so I dropped out.
I knocked around for a while, and started seeing these art
films in San Francisco. Ingmar Bergman had The Seventh
Seal showing, and when I saw the film, I was so impressed
with seeing this man who was so much more depressed
than I was, I became elated by comparison. And I decided
that’s it, that’s what I want to do, work around movies of
this caliber, but that had something to say. In prep school at
Andover we’d been shown foreign films, such as Vittorio De
Sica’s Miracle in Milan and The Bicycle Thief, and I’d always
liked them, but it didn’t occur to me that one could go out
and be a filmmaker; it seemed too far away. I didn’t know
there were film schools. I came close to joining the Naval
Air Force. I took all the tests for being a fighter pilot and
passed them, and was given orders to go to flight school in
Pensacola. While driving between the Bay Area and
Pensacola, I passed through New Orleans, where I had done
my undergraduate work. And I went to see a professor I had
liked in the theater department, Robert Corrigan, and he
asked me what I was up to and I told him I was trying to
write, not getting very far, but I was very inspired by this
film, The Seventh Seal. I told him I’d like to go into filmmaking,
but didn’t know how to go about it. And then he
said, “We’re starting a brand-new program in the theater
department that offers an M.F.A. in theater with an emphasis
on playwriting, and maybe that will be a step for you
toward cinema. If you could direct actors on stage and
write plays, maybe you could segue into film someday.”
So, I applied for the program, and a fellowship, and was
accepted. So I told the Navy I wasn’t coming, and went to
work taking the master’s in theater, directing actors and
writing stage plays. Then I learned that there were indeed
film schools, and two of them were in L.A., so when I got
my degree, Professor Corrigan wrote a letter of recommendation
to both USC and UCLA. UCLA did not offer a
Ph.D., but USC had a Ph.D. in communications. I was
accepted, with a graduate fellowship, and that’s what
brought me to USC.
Was it here that you started thinking about
the documentary?
Les Blank: I had an interesting course in documentary. We
watched Robert Flaherty’s Nanook of the North, the classic
British filmmakers … What probably made the biggest
impression was John Marshall, who came through town
with a documentary film called The Hunters, about the
bushmen of the Kalahari Desert. I think he grew up over
there, and they were familiar with him and he with them,
and he followed them around with a camera as they went
on one of their hunts.
Anyway, the man came to the class, showed the film, and
talked about filmmaking and living with people who were of
a very different culture than our own. That opened my eyes.
I said, “Someday, I would like to go out and do films like
that. Come back here and show the film to all the students.”
Were there any particular experiences or
instructors here who gave you the tools to do
what you went on to do, or who were particularly
inspiring?
Les Blank: Well, I enjoyed Arthur Knight’s classes
immensely — I like fiction films, also. Most of his guests
were actors, directors, and producers. It was inspiring to
be in the same room and hear the way these people talked
and thought.
What would you say is the most rewarding
part of what you do? What about it makes you
keep coming back?
Les Blank: I want to see how it influences audiences, how
people are moved by what I do. I also like the concept of
permanence. One reason I like films rather than stage plays
is that once the play is over, it’s gone. It’s a lot of fun to
watch a live performance, but when it’s over it disappears
into thin air.
Is there any particular advice you’d have for
students or recent graduates who are looking
to also work in the nonfiction area?
Les Blank: I would say whatever your passion is, go fulfill it
while you have the passion and the energy to do it.
Someone in one of my films said, “Passion brings its own
talent.” So if you wait until you’re sufficiently trained or
have sufficient money, you could be a long time getting
started. It’s important just to dive in, start making mistakes,
and start flailing away.
fall 2004 in motion | 13

In Memoriam
DANA BROCCOLI
Her many friends at the USC School of Cinema-Television
were saddened to learn of the loss of actress, producer,
novelist, and humanitarian Dana Broccoli on February 29.
She was 82.
A New York native, Broccoli studied acting at Cecil
Clovelly’s Academy of Dramatic Arts at Carnegie Hall and
eventually moved to California where she and her first husband,
actor Lewis Wilson, joined the famed Pasadena
Playhouse. Separated from Wilson, Dana met Albert
“Cubby” Broccoli, one of the most successful producers
working in England and Europe, in 1959, and the two were
married shortly thereafter in Las Vegas, with Cary Grant
serving as best man.
Dana Broccoli was perhaps best known for her work as custodian
of the James Bond franchise, following the death of
Cubby Broccoli, the film series’ producer, in 1996. It was
Dana who brought a then-unknown Sean Connery to the
attention of the Bond filmmakers, and she has been credited
by the Ian Fleming Foundation and others as a “creative
force” on the 007 films.
The Broccolis adapted another Ian Fleming book, Chitty
Chitty Bang Bang, for the screen in 1968, and, in 2002,
Dana Broccoli produced the successful London stage version.
She also published two novels, Scenario for Murder and
Florinda, adapting the latter for the musical La Cava, which
premiered in London in 2000.
Dana and Cubby were committed philanthropists, raising
hundreds of thousands of pounds to benefit a variety of
worthy causes, including the UK’s National Society for
the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. The Dana and
Albert Broccoli Foundation Scholarship at the USC
School of Cinema-Television is awarded to distinguished
graduate students in the School’s Division of Film and
Television Production.
Dana Broccoli is survived by four children, including
Michael Wilson and Barbara Broccoli who continue to
produce the legendary James Bond films.
JOHN HENCH
John Hench, a friend of the USC School of Cinema-
Television and founding supporter of the School’s Division
of Animation and Digital Arts, passed away on February 5.
The longtime Disney artist was 95.
Born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Hench grew up in Southern
California and studied art in Los Angeles, San Francisco,
and New York City. He began his association with Disney in
1939, working as a sketch artist on Fantasia. In the years
that followed, Hench came to symbolize the company in a
way that was matched only by Walt Disney himself.
In addition to Fantasia, Hench lent his vast artistic talents to
such classic Disney films as Dumbo (1941), Make Mine
Music (1946), Cinderella (1950), Alice in Wonderland (1951),
Peter Pan (1953), and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954).
In 1954, he joined a small but visionary group of artists and
designers that was the genesis of Walt Disney Imagineering,
the creative team behind Disney theme parks and resorts
worldwide. The group contributed its design expertise to the
VIII Winter Olympic Games, held in Squaw Valley, Idaho in
1960, and Hench went on to help develop four Disney
shows that debuted at the 1964 New York World’s Fair:
“ Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln,” “Carousel of Progress,”
“ It’s a small world,” and “Magic Skyway.”
14 | in motion fall 2004
John Hentch and Walt Disney discuss an original model for Disneyland.
“
He truly was a contemporary ‘renaissance man,’ a genius
who could do and understand anything,” said Vibeke
Sorensen, former chair of the School’s Division of
Animation and Digital Arts. Hench was particularly interested
in extending the language of animation through education.
He met regularly with students (“He wanted to see
everything they made,” notes Sorensen) and continued to
advise Sorensen and other educators on a wide range of
projects, including the design of the animation studios at
USC, until the very end of his life.
In 1990, Hench was named a Disney Legend, an honor
accorded to individuals whose contributions to the company
have been truly exceptional. He also received lifetime
achievement awards from the Themed Entertainment
Association and the International Animated Film Society.
Up until two weeks before his death, Hench still worked
daily at Walt Disney Imagineering, and was actively
involved in the design of Hong Kong Disneyland.
RAY STARK
Ray Stark, the legendary Hollywood producer, agent, and
executive, and founder the Peter Stark Producing Program,
died in January at the age of 88.
A native of New York City, Stark attended Rutgers and New
York University Law School. After serving in the Navy during
World War II, Stark shifted his focus to the entertainment
industry. The Broadway musical Funny Girl, which he
produced, told the story of his mother-in-law, comedian
and beloved Ziegfeld Follies star Fanny Brice. The show was
an instant hit and launched the career of a then-unknown
Barbra Streisand who went on to star in Stark’s screen version,
receiving an Academy Award in 1964 (she tied with
Katharine Hepburn in the Best Actress category) for her
debut film role.
Although he was perhaps best known for Funny Girl and its
sequel, Funny Lady, Stark helped bring more than 250
motion pictures — including The Electric Horseman, The
Goodbye Girl, Night of the Iguana, Smokey and the Bandit,
and Steel Magnolias — to the big screen during a prolific and
influential career that spanned more than four decades. In
1993, he won an Emmy for the HBO made-for-television
film Barbarians at the Gate.
Among the other prestigious honors accorded Stark were
the Irving G. Thalberg Award, given by the Academy of
Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and the Lifetime
Achievement Award from the Producers Guild of America.
Stark and his late wife, Frances were committed philanthropists
whose substantial early contributions to and ongoing
support of the School’s Peter Stark Producing Program
helped prepare some of the today’s most notable producers,
creative executives, and agents for top-level careers in the
entertainment industry. The world-renowned program,
which will celebrate its 25th anniversary next year, was
named for the Starks’ son, Peter, who passed away in 1970.
The Starks continued to support the program and remained
Ray Stark

“
Advanced Editing Students “Eye” New Opportunities
Production students at the USC School of
Cinema-Television shoot and edit short films of
varying lengths and complexity, but no class has
ever edited an entire feature-length film. That is, no class
had ever done that until last spring, when 12 students in
Norman Hollyn’s Advanced Editing Class (CTPR 556), reedited
Aaron Woodley’s feature film Rhinoceros Eyes, starring
Michael Pitt, Paige Turco, and Gale Harold. The film, winner
of the 2003 Toronto Film Festival’s Discovery Program,
was released in May by Madstone Films.
The project was set in motion when two of the film’s producers,
Tom Gruenberg and Chip Seelig, began supplying
footage to schools for students to re-edit scenes.
We [were] thrilled with our cut, but the nature of the story
is such that there are many stories that could have been told
from the source material,” said Gruenberg. “We thought
that the project would be enlightening as well as help generate
college/university-level discussions of the film.”
The two contacted USC and, through Professor Doe Mayer,
were put in touch with Hollyn.
In Memoriam
(continued from page 14)
dear friends of the School, establishing an endowed faculty
chair in 1997 and providing funds for student support
and other vital needs.
Ray Stark is survived by his daughter Wendy and granddaughter
Allison.
T.C. WANG
Legendary Hong Kong filmmaker T.C. Wang, who studied
cinema at USC more than a half-century ago, passed
away in April at the age of 93.
Widely regarded as the patriarch of the Chinese movie
industry, Wang was involved in the production of hundreds
of film and television shows, including The World
of Suzy Wong, The Deer Hunter, Rush Hour 2, Hawaii
Five-0, Love Boat, and Shogun.
Wang founded Salon Films, a worldwide leader in film
production headquartered in Hong Kong, and also served
as honorary chair of the Chinese Film Foundation.
Wang’s children, including Fred, director of Salon Films,
also studied at USC.
In 2002, he established the T.C. Wang Internship
Program at the USC School of Cinema-Television to
provide more opportunities to film students committed
to depicting Asian matters in film.
Wang is survived by two sons and three daughters.
“ We were in the process of taking a new look at the editing
curriculum,” Hollyn said. “While we’re always interested in
getting professional footage for our students to learn editing
techniques, it struck me that there was a larger opportunity
here. Most of our graduate students go on to work in longer
formats than they make here. But there is an appreciable
difference in the editing process, between long and short
films. In the re-editing process, it’s important to learn how
changes in one area of the film can subtly impact the story
45 minutes later. You also get a much different sense of
pacing when you’re working across 100 minutes, rather
than 10.”
Hollyn contacted Madstone and proposed that, instead of
supplying the raw footage from some selected scenes, they
supply all dailies, as well as the original music that had been
recorded by John Cale and Eric Woodley and all of the
film’s paperwork. He and Madstone also agreed that the
film’s director would come out to speak to the class to discuss
his editing process.
“ Aaron’s visit to the class was crucial for me since this wasn’t
a class just about Rhinoceros Eyes, but about the entire editing
process,” said Hollyn. “I crafted the class so there were
constant visits from people involved in post-production. We
had Walter Murch discuss editing Cold Mountain; composer
Lee Curreri talked about how music interacts with editing;
assistant editor Greg Thompson spoke about organizing
editing rooms; and DVD producer Mark Rowen talked
about the very new job category of creating DVDs. We also
had USC alumnus Marcel Valcarce discuss Adobe After
Effects, and DVD authoring maven Bruce Nazarian gave
instructions about how to author a DVD. In addition,
career consultant Janet Conn addressed the class on job
hunting, networking, and résumé building.”
Hollyn added that he is already working on finding new
films to anchor the class in succeeding semesters (students
will again work with Rhinoceros Eyes this fall). Seelig reported
during his visit to the class that, of the dozen schools
participating in the program, only USC was able to re-edit
the entire film.
“ There are some things that you’ve done,” director Woodley
told the class, “that I wish I was able to put into our film.”
Scenes from Rhinoceros Eyes. Actors pictured: Matt Servito,
Victor Ertamanis, and Michael Pitt in frame 1; Pitt in frame
2; Paige Turco and Pitt in frame 3; and Pitt and Ertamanis
in frame 4.
Ross/Time Warner Award
(continued from page 1)
dean’s chair at the USC School of Cinema-Television, the Steven J. Ross/Time Warner Award honors leaders who
have advanced the modern media industry and culture. Honorees share Ross’ unwavering commitment to nurturing
the talent and technology of the future. Past recipients include the late Ambassador Walter Annenberg, Kirk
Douglas, Bill Cosby, and John Calley.
This year’s award was presented to Daly by Richard D. Parsons, chairman and CEO of Time Warner Inc. Parsons
spoke eloquently about the award’s legendary namesake and, in particular, about how Steven J. Ross brought fun
and humanity to the workplace.
“
Steve really was a giant,” he noted. “He not only dreamt big, but he accomplished big things.”
From left to right: Richard D. Parsons, chairman and CEO of Time Warner Inc., Steven J. Ross/Time Warner honoree
Robert A. Daly, and Dean Elizabeth M. Daley.
Like Ross, Daly’s management style — notably, his emphasis on friendship, teamwork, and individual integrity — set
the standard for those who followed. “We at Time Warner are grateful for everything you did,” Parsons told Daly.
During his years at Warner Bros., 13 of the more than 400 major motion picture releases overseen by Daly garnered
Academy Award nominations for Best Picture, and three (Chariots of Fire, Driving Miss Daisy, and
Unforgiven) received coveted Best Picture Oscars. Daly also had a guiding hand in bringing top-rated, top-quality
programming (including such acclaimed series as China Beach, ER, Friends, and Murphy Brown) to television.
Daly, a self-described “suit,” made a heartwarming acceptance speech, thanking his family and telling the gathering
that “the most important person in my business life was Steve Ross … I owe him a lot.” Ross, said Daly,
taught his colleagues that “it’s OK to bring your heart to work.”
fall 2004 in motion | 15

Bumstead Honored
Henry Bumstead’s sketch of Gondorff’s room in The Sting.
L egendary
Hitchock Remembered
Patricia Hitchcock O’Connell
University of Southern California
School of Cinema-Television
George Lucas Building, Room 209
Los Angeles, California 90089-2211
www.usc.edu/schools/cntv
art and production director Henry
Bumstead, a 1937 graduate of the USC School of
Architecture, received the 2004 distinguished Alumnus
Award, presented by the Architectural Guild.
Patricia Hitchcock O’Connell discussed
her memoir, Alma
Hitchcock: The Woman Behind the Man, at
a recent Friends of the USC Libraries
Literary Event. The book traces the fascinating
life and career of O’Connell’s
mother, the wife of the renowned filmmaker.
O’Connell and her family are
longtime friends and supporters of the
USC School of Cinema-Television.
Soaring with High-Def
New Equipment Elevates Educational Experiences
Digital motion picture technology continues to advance by leaps and bounds at USC,
propelled in recent months by donations of two Sony 24P high-definition (HD)
cameras, three Sony HDCAM decks, several Canon HD zoom lenses, and an HD
Ultimatte, which allows real-time compositing of digital images from the green-screen on the
Kurosawa Stage in the Robert Zemeckis Center for Digital Arts.
Although digital technology has been improving steadily for years, the state-of-the-art Sony
camera — improved and refined at the urging of alumnus George Lucas — is the first to
make significant inroads against film, replacing traditional 35-mm film cameras in highbudget
feature productions and episodic television series. Indeed, the equipment enabled
Lucas to deliver the dazzling imagery showcased in Star Wars: Episode I. Likewise, the next
generation of high-caliber digital imaging technology will once again help Lucasfilm set new
industry benchmarks when it is unveiled in the next installment of the Star Wars saga.
Taken together with other cutting-edge tools, such as the state-of-the-art HD projectors
available at the Ron Howard Screening Room and Frank Sinatra Hall, an HD digital compositing
system provided by Ultimatte Corporation, along with Sony’s generous donation of
HD cameras, HD lenses, and HD videotape decks, is enabling the Zemeckis Center to
secure its position as the world’s leading university-based HD production center.
“
This new state-of-the-art equipment is an important addition to the School’s vibrant palette
of digital tools, which is helping to unleash the imaginations of tomorrow’s storytellers,” said
Robert Zemeckis.
Already, the center has become a favorite destination for organizers of the Santa Fe High-
Definition Workshop, an enterprise that brings together educators with working cinematographers
and directors of photography to learn about new technology. It is anticipated that, as
familiarity with the resources available at USC rises among leaders in the field, the School’s
ability to support and expand HD production will increase as well.
“ The use of this level of HD equipment distinguishes the School as a leader in production
capabilities,” said Richard Weinberg Ph.D., director of USC’s Computer Animation
Laboratory. “Students are already integrating live action HD with computer-generated environments
and digital characters, enabling a new generation of stories to be told. Imagine a
building where you can shoot HD on a giant two-wall green screen, digitally composite
computer animation, visual effects, and motion-capture into the images, and screen the project
down the hall on the HD projector. That’s the Zemeckis Center.”
Dean Elizabeth M. Daley
Associate Dean,
External Relations Marlene Loadvine
Editor/Writer Jacqueline Angiuli
FALL 2004
Contributors Jill Aske, Margaret Dunlap,
Norman Hollyn, Cindy Iwanaga,
Ann Spurgeon, Justin Wilson, John Zollinger
Researchers Jiby-John Kattakayam
Michelle Kramer
Design Leslie Baker Graphic Design
Copy Editor Lisa Killen
Contributing Photographers Margaret Dunlap
Jonathon Craig Holland
Michelle Kramer
Alberto Rodriguez/Alan Berliner Studios
Michele A.H. Smith
Laurie Wierzbicki/Alan Berliner Studios
Justin Wilson
John Zollinger
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