The Ganek Immersive Studios Proposal Process

The Ganek Immersive Studio is currently seeking proposals for our 2025-26 cycle of projects. The Studio sponsors 4-8 student proposals a year, specifically seeking proposals that push the boundaries of storytelling and experience design in Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, XR, and Immersive Experiences. Projects are limited to students currently attending the University of Southern California.

Proposal Guidelines

1. Treatment or Project Summary

• For cinematic project proposals: A one or two-page treatment of your story
• For immersive or game-based project proposals: A one or two-page project summary. This should summarize your project and specify whether the project is a Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, XR, or Immersive project.

2. Pitch Deck

This should include:

• Concept Images: Imagery that is reflective of your visual ideas. These can be images from other projects that are inspiring. The Ganek Immersive Studio strongly supports the use of A.I. tools in image creation for development, and we encourage the use of tools like Stable Diffusion, ControlNet, MidJourney, and Dall-e.
• Brief Summary of Story/Experience:
  • If submitting a cinematic proposal – please include a logline
  • If submitting a game or immersive project proposal – this should be a brief summary or written walkthrough of the user experience.
• Idea of World: A world-building brief or set of images slides that give us a sense of the world you are building for your story or experience. If you are designing a non-story-based experience, give us a sense of the visual experience you are crafting for your audience.

3. Collaborator List

A list of your collaborators. Please also attach written permission (an email is fine) confirming your collaborators’ participation on the project.

• For cinematic project proposals you must have the following team members signed onto the project at the time of submission:
  • Producer
  • Director of Photography
• For immersive or game-based project proposals you must have the following team members signed onto the project at the time of submission:
  • Producer
  • Lead Artist
  • Lead Engineer

4. Script (Optional)

• Your script in professional screenplay format, with a title page containing your contact information.
• Maximum 10 pages.

Proposal Acceptance 

The Ganek Immersive Studios accepts six to eight projects to produce annually. Projects are chosen on the strength of their concept, combined with the feasibility of their production. The Ganek Immersive Studio will actively work with students to help develop and refine students’ proposals, as well as offer guidance on production techniques.