Program Details
DePaul University welcomes high school students to join us this July 10 through 14 as we return to conducting the 2023 Game, Cinema, and Animation Summer Academy in-person, as we did for our first 12 years. We will adhere to all safety procedures recommended by DePaul and government health officials during the week-long session. Our top concern is the health and safety of students and faculty, and if the situation in Chicago changes, we will take appropriate actions.
While we cannot require Covid-19 vaccinations for participants, we encourage
everyone age 16 and older to get vaccinated as soon as you are eligible—whether you attend the Summer Academy or not!
The Game, Cinema, and Animation Summer Academy will be held the week of July 10 through 14, 2023 for high school students interested in the film, television, and game industries. Students must have completed their freshman year of high school by July 1, 2023 to be eligible. Seniors who will be graduating in 2023 are also eligible. The deadline to apply to the Summer Academy is June 24th.
view sample schedule (pdf)
Film and TV Production Track
Students will work in groups to write, produce, shoot, and edit short films. Students will have the opportunity to take on multiple roles within the productions. Students will learn basic editing techniques to complete their films. This track will be taught by Gary Novak, Susanne Suffredin, and Meghan Artes.
Game Development Track
Along with students in the 3D modeling and animation track, game development students will work in teams to brainstorm, design, program, and produce assets for a 3D computer game. Students will have the opportunity to explore multiple roles in the game production process. The games will be designed and programmed using a game development platform. This track will be taught by Mike DeAnda.
Hand-Drawn Character Animation Track
Students will be introduced to the basics of classical hand-drawn character animation. Students will get hands-on practice on animation software. This track will be taught by Scott Roberts and Brian Ferguson.
3D Modeling and Animation Track
Students will learn the basics of computer animation and modeling. Along with students in the game development track, students will work in teams to brainstorm, design, program, and produce assets for a 3D computer game. Students will design, model, and texture creatures, vehicles, and environment objects, and learn how to import them for use in a working game. This track will be taught by Joshua Jones.
Screenwriting Track
Students will learn the basics of script format and visual writing style, while being introduced to story structure, character development, and the business of screenwriting. A series of in-class and take-home writing assignments will push students to discover their own unique point of view in a creative workshop environment. This track will be taught by Brad Riddell.
For additional questions, email us at
CDMSummerAcademy@depaul.edu.
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Apply Now Cost
The cost of the Summer Academy is $750. A deposit of $150 will be required in order to guarantee a spot in a track.
Cost covers:
- Food: Daily - Lunch
- Equipment/Software
- Housing is
not provided. Please see local hotels and Air BnBs for housing needs.
High School Senior
"The most fun, educational, awesome experience was the team effort of creating a video game."
Once admitted to the Summer Academy, students must submit a non-refundable deposit of $150 within 2 weeks of their admission in order to reserve their spot in the program. Space is limited so it is highly encouraged that you submit your deposit and the balance of your tuition by the applicable deadline of June 24th. Final payment will secure your spot.
A limited number of full and partial scholarships were available for those demonstrating financial need.
Apply Now Faculty Bios
Scott Roberts
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Associate Professor // Animation
School of Cinematic Arts
Scott Roberts received his M.A. and M.F.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His sculptures, video installations and animations have been exhibited internationally, including solo exhibitions in New York City, San Francisco, and Chicago, and screenings in Spike and Mike's Sick and Twisted Animation Festival. He also has over ten years of professional experience in television art direction, post-production, animation and 3D game art, and was the production designer for the independent film 'Making Revolution.' He most recently was Associate Professor at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design, where he taught animation and motion graphics for five years and helped establish a Time Based Media BFA program.
Scott Roberts was the Art and Story Advisor for
Devil's Tuning Fork, one of ten winners of the 2010 Independent Games Festival Student Showcase.
Contact Scott
Gary Novak
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Assistant Professor // Screenwriting
School of Cinematic Arts
Gary has been at DePaul since 2002 and is one of the founding members of the Digital Cinema Program. He has worked as a producer, writer, and director. The projects have included commercials, documentaries, and independent feature films. Gary has a M.F.A. in Screenwriting from the American Film Institute.
Contact Gary
Meghann Artes
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Associate Professor // Animation
School of Cinematic Arts
Meghann Artes holds an MFA from the Animation Workshop at UCLA. In addition to her academic work, she has over fifteen years of entertainment industry experience working for companies like Dreamworks, Nickelodeon, Bix Pix, Noggin, NBC, ABC and Sesame Street. She has won both an Emmy and a Peabody and her short films have enjoyed success in film festivals both across the country and internationally. Her film Speed Dating (2014) was selected as a Short of the Week and won a national jury award at the USA Film Festival. Meghann’s latest film, Sleepy Steve (2015), a comically absurd short film that combines live action, animation and visual effects, is playing in film festivals now.
Contact Meghann
Josh Jones
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Associate Professor // Animation
School of Cinematic Arts
Joshua Jones is an animator, film maker, and Associate Professor at DePaul University’s School of Cinematic Arts. He received a BFA from Syracuse University in Computer Graphic Arts, and an MFA in Animation from The University of Southern California where he created the student Academy Award-Nominated film “A Short Lifetime's Poem of Memory.” As a stop motion animator at Will Vinton Studios, Jones animated on 8 episodes of the 3 time Emmy award winning show “The PJ's,” and the 2 time Emmy award winning UPN show “Gary and Mike.”
Following his stint as a puppeteer, Jones found renewed interest in his electronic roots, and went on to work as a CG animator in feature film and television. He has animated for studios and clients including Fox TV, Fox Kids, Warner Brothers, Crystal Sky, Creative Visual EFX, Skyler Animation Studios, Oregon Public Broadcasting and National Geographic. “Make It A Great Day,” his most recent animated film, was a project that began as part of DePaul University’s Project Bluelight and then continued on as a 2 ½ year online collaboration between faculty and students. It has screened at 28 film festivals both nationally and internationally.
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Brian Ferguson
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Animator in Residence //
School of Cinematic Arts
Brian is a 25-year veteran Walt Disney Feature Animation animator whose filmography spans 15 feature films, several as supervising animator, including the classic animated feature films Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Aladdin, Pocahontas, Mulan, Fantasia 2000, and Winnie the Pooh. Brian is especially skilled at conveying humor and appealing personality, as can be seen in his characters among these landmark films.
Contact Brian
Brad Riddell
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Assistant Professor // Screenwriting, Cinema Production
School of Cinematic Arts
Brad Riddell has written four feature films for Hollywood studios including Paramount, MTV, and Universal. His first film,
American Pie: Band Camp, remains one of the highest-grossing live-action DVD releases in history, and is now syndicated on TBS. His most recent film, Crooked Arrows, was released nationally in theaters in 2012, and is the first lacrosse movie ever produced.
Contact Brad
Michael DeAnda
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Professional Lecturer // Game Development
School of Design
Michael Anthony DeAnda earned his Ph.D. in Humanities and Technology from Illinois Institute of Technology. As a scholar-practitioner, DeAnda's research and game design practices centers on experimental approaches to designing games that center on marginalized communities and social justice. His games have been showcased at international events, including Meaningful Play, Different Games, Queerness and Games Conference, and the Melbourne Queer Games Festival.
Contact Michael
Susanne Suffredin
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Senior Professional Lecturer // Post Production, Cinema Production
School of Cinematic Arts
Susanne Suffredin is an editor and independent filmmaker whose 30 + year career spans non-fiction, scripted and commercial genres with a keen emphasis on long form documentaries. Her work has screened at major festivals around the world including Sundance, Cannes, Venice, Tokyo, Chicago International Film Festival and the San Francisco International Film Festival to name a few. An associate of Kartemquin Films, Susanne was post-production supervisor of “Hoop Dreams” named the great American documentary and best film of the 1990s by Roger Ebert, among her many other credits with the famed production house. Susanne’s association with the award-winning Kindling Group includes “@home” as director and editor (2014 Booklist Magazine Editors Choice, Official Selection Eugene International Film Festival, Winner Best Documentary Los Angeles Diversity Film Festival, Official Selection Human Rights Film Festival at U.Va.) which broadcast nationally on PBS in 2015 and internationally in 2016. Her prior work includes the landmark series “The Calling” which she co-produced and edited for PBS’s Independent Lens. She edited the MacArthur funded “Count Me In” which had a broadcast in 2016 on PBS. She is also one the editors for the award-winning web series “Other People’s Children” and editor on “The Pool” currently in a festival run. She is a graduate of the ground breaking Community Film Workshop of Chicago where she was recently a speaker at their 50th Anniversary Celebration. She was named one of Chicago Film’s 50 Screen Gems by
Newcity Magazine in 2017. She is a Senior Professional Lecturer and Co-Chair of the Documentary Program at DePaul University’s School of Cinematic Arts and was recently awarded a Steans Center Service-Learning certificate in teaching.
Contact Susanne