USC School Of Cinema-Television To Introduce SOFTIMAGE|XSI into Master of Fine Arts Programs

Softimage Co., a subsidiary of Avid Technology, Inc., recentlyannounced that the world-renowned School of Cinema-Television at theUniversity of Southern California (USC) is now introducing theSOFTIMAGE®|XSI® software in its ‘InteractiveMedia’ and ‘Animation and Digital Arts’ Master ofFine Arts (MFA) programs to help meet industry demands forprofessionally educated animators and digital media creators. As partof Softimage’s academic efforts, Softimage recently placedlicenses of the SOFTIMAGE|XSI software, the industry’s leadingnonlinear 3-D production environment, in the School ofCinema-Television to help train graduate students pursuing advancedanimation degrees.

The Animation and Digital Arts MFAs provide a solid foundation forthe entire realm of animation -- from traditional hand-drawn characteranimation to fully digital animation -- using state-of-the-arttechnology such as the SOFTIMAGE|XSI environment.

The Master of Fine Arts in Interactive Media, a new intensivethree-year program designed to prepare students for creative careers inthe emerging field of interactive entertainment, focuses on the areasof game design, immersive narrative, mobile media, and content forbroadband applications.

“The USC School of Cinema-Television prides itself in givingstudents access to the best-in-class professional tools they will beusing later on in their careers. We are delighted to add SOFTIMAGE|XSIto our ‘Interactive Media’ and ‘Animation and DigitalArts’ Master of Fine Arts (MFA),” says Richard Weinberg,Chief Technologist, USC School of Cinema-Television.

“USC is consistently the top-rated school for cinema andtelevision in the USA, and is clearly the place to find tomorrow'sanimation professionals. The school’s facilities are second tonone in the academic world, and we are delighted to be able to provideour tools for use by the students at the School ofCinema-Television,” says Alan Waxenberg, Softimage’sbusiness development manager, third party partner and education.

To find out more about becoming a Softimage Academic Partner pleasego to www.softimage.com/Education/XSI/PartnerProgrammes/AP.htm or sendemail to Education@softimage.com. For more information about USC seehttp://www.usc.edu/schools/cntv/

About Softimage Co.

Softimage Co., a subsidiary of Avid Technology, Inc., is an industryleader in 3-D animation, 2-D cel animation, compositing and specialeffects software, designed to address the demands of the film andcommercial/broadcast and games/interactive industries. TheSOFTIMAGE|XSI software, an integral player in Avid's Make, Manage andMove Media™ strategy, is the flagship product offering fromSoftimage. It is the industry's first 3-D nonlinear productionenvironment providing animators and digital artists the freedom to makeprofessional animation, visual effects and games - from major motionpictures, to cartoons and commercials, to animated content for videogames and Web sites. Softimage is proud to count amongst its customers:R!OT, Valve, Capcom, Electronic Arts, Pandemic Studios, The Mill, PixelLiberation Front, Blue Sky Studios, Hybride, Janimation, Quiet Man,PSYOP, Cinepix and Framestore CFC. The Softimage product family isdesigned to help users innovate, create and collaborate throughout theproduction process. For more information about Softimage visitwww.softimage.com. For more information about Avid visitwww.avid.com.

About University of Southern California-School ofCinema-Television

In 2004, the USC School of Cinema-Television will celebrate 75 yearsof training the next generation of creative talent and scholars infilm, television and new media. Co-founded by the University ofSouthern California and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciencesin 1929, the School offered the first bachelor’s degree in filmin the country and today is consistently ranked as the top program ofits kind. Its more than 7,000 graduates — the ranks of whichinclude such stellar figures as Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, RonHoward, James Ivory, Randal Kleiser, George Lucas, Michelle Manning,Bill Mechanic, Neal Moritz, Walter Murch, Jay Roach, Gary Rydstrom,Edward Saxon, Stacey Sher, Bryan Singer, John Singleton, RobertZemeckis, and Laura Ziskin — are among the entertainmentindustry’s most distinguished animators, scholars, teachers,writers, directors, producers, cinematographers, editors, sound expertsand industry executives. Since 1965, not a year has passed in which agraduate of the School has not been honored with an Academy Awardnomination.

©2003 Avid Technology, Inc. All rights reserved. Productspecifications and availability are subject to change without notice.Avid, SOFTIMAGE, XSI, and Make, Manage and Move Media are eitherregistered trademarks or trademarks of Avid Technology, Inc. in theUnited States and/or other countries. All other trademarks containedherein are the property of their respective owners.