The 5D Institute and USC School of Cinematic Arts will host a special presentation this Friday with production designer and art director Andy Nicholson, who will discuss the 3D space drama “Gravity.” Nicholson will be introduced by USC professor and filmmaker Bruce Block. Following the presentation, a Q&A session will be moderated by editor and author Bill Desowitz. The event will take place 3:30-5:30 at USC’s Eileen Norris Theater.

According to his bio on 5D Institute, Nicholson was the production designer of “the Warner Brothers 3D space suspense film written and directed by Alfonso Cuaron. ‘Gravity’ is a groundbreaking venture, setting new standards for the integration of visual effects and digital technology, alongside traditional film design and technique.”

Nicholson “closely follows the development of technology and software, continually pushing the use of 3D modeling and CAD within film art departments and actively seeks to assimilate digital technology with traditional design workflows, integrating all disciplines that help to bring the written word to the screen.”

Among his credits: “Band of Brothers,” “The Mummy,” “Sleepy Hollow,” “The Bourne Ultimatum,” “Sexy Beast,” “The Wolfman” and “Alice in Wonderland.”

“We are all aware of the destructive disconnect that can occur when for whatever reason the design department and the visual effects pipeline do not synchronize in preproduction,” said Nicholson. “In ‘Gravity’ we all experienced the opposite… ‘Gravity’ could not have been acheived without the design/vfx synergy, and it suggests a model for the future of these hybrid films…”

For more information about “Designing the World of Gravity” with Andy Nicholson, visit the 5D Institute event page.