The
USC School of Cinematic Arts, until 2006 named the
School of Cinema-Television (CNTV), is a film school within the University of
Southern California
in Los Angeles, California
. It is the oldest and largest such school in
the United States, established in 1929 as a joint venture with the
Academy of
Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The school offers multiple
undergraduate and
graduate programs. For 2006-2007, the school
had 865 undergraduates and 653 graduate students.
The School’s founding faculty include
Douglas Fairbanks,
D.W. Griffith,
William C. DeMille,
Ernst
Lubitsch,
Irving Thalberg, and
Darryl Zanuck. Notable professors
include
Drew Casper, the Alma and
Alfred Hitchcock Professor of
American Film;
Tomlinson Holman,
inventor of
THX; David Bondelevitch, President
of the Motion Picture Sound Editors; and
Mark Jonathan Harris, documentary
filmmaker.
The program is one of USC's most competitive specialty schools, for
both undergraduate and graduate programs. The BA program in film
production accepts 50 students per year, while the Critical Studies
department accepts 75 for its BA program, 15-20 for its MA program,
and approximately 10 for the Ph.D. (three to four from outside the
school, and five to seven continuing from the internal M.A.
program); the Peter Stark Producing Program, the MFA program for
Motion Picture Producing, accepts 25 per year. The BFA program in
Writing for Film and Television accepts only 24 students per year.
The MFA program in film directing accepts 48 new students each
semester (fall and spring) and the MFA for screenwriting accepts 32
students per year (fall admittance only). The MFA program for the
Division of
Animation and Digital Arts accept 15 students a year, and the
recently established BA program for Animation & Digital Arts
accepted only 11 students out of 150 applicants for the 2008-2009
fall semester. Acceptance to any program is contingent upon review
of a
portfolio, which requires
writing samples, creative
resumes,
autobiographies, and other written
responses. The Animation portfolio should consist of artwork and an
artist statement. The production portfolio does not require the
submission of a director's reel or any film samples, allowing
talented students who may have not had the opportunity or the means
to create films to have the opportunity for admission. The school
also has a
summer film program that does not require acceptance
to any of the above programs.
In April 2006, the USC Board of Trustees voted to change the
school's name to the USC School of Cinematic Arts.
On September 19, 2006, USC announced that alumnus
George Lucas had donated US$175 million to
expand the film school with a new facility. This represented the
largest single donation to USC and the largest to any film school
in the world. His previous donations resulted in the naming of two
existing buildings after him and his then-
wife, though Lucas was not fond of the
architecture used in those buildings. An architectural hobbyist,
Lucas laid out the original designs for the project, inspired by
the
Mediterranean Revival
Style that was used in older campus buildings as well as the
Los Angeles area. The project also received another $50 million in
contributions from
Warner Bros.,
20th Century Fox and
The Walt Disney Company.
The USC
School of Cinematic Arts joined forces with the Royal Film
Commission of Jordan, to create the Red Sea Institute of
Cinematic Arts (RSICA) in Aqaba
, Jordan
.
Distinctions
- Since 1973, at least one alumnus of SCA has been nominated for
an Academy Award annually, totaling
256 nominations and 78 wins.
- Since 1973, at least one SCA alumnus or alumna has been
nominated for the Emmy Award annually,
totalling 473 nominations and 119 wins.
- The top-17 grossing films of all time have had an SCA graduate
in a key creative position.
Awards - USC Cinema Short Films
Facilities
Film industry companies, friends, and many of the school's famous
alumni have joined forces to fund a world-class film and television
complex at USC. Their gifts and ongoing support have enabled the
School to build some of the top facilities and equipment of any
film school anywhere, including:
In addition to the new George Lucas and Steven Spielberg buildings,
USC is also in the process of building new sound stages, animation,
and sound facilities.
Areas of study
Notable SCA alumni
See also
List of University of Southern California people
Notable faculty members and instructors
The Steven Spielberg Music Scoring
Stage
References
- Sharon Waxman, At U.S.C., a Practical Emphasis in Film, The New
York Times, January 31, 2006, Accessed February 10, 2009.
- Rachel Abramowitz, L.A.'s screening gems, Los Angeles
Times, Accessed June 16, 2008.
- USC School of Cinematic Arts, Writing for Film and Television Application
Requirements
- USC School of Cinematic Arts, Applications by Program and Deadlines
- Stuart Silverstein, George Lucas Donates USC's Largest Single Gift,
The Los Angeles Times, September 19, 2006
- John Zollinger, George Lucas Donates $175 Million to USC, USC Public
Relations, September 20, 2006
- Jordan Signs Cinema Pact With USC, USC Public
Relations, September 20, 2006
- Mel Cowan, Cinematic Arts Celebrates 80th Anniversary With All New
Campus, University of Southern California, March 31, 2009,
Accessed May 1, 2009.
- Alumni Profile: Cannes Do Spirit, Trojan
Family Magazine, Spring 2002, Accessed Sept. 19,
2006.
- Eileen Norris Cinema Theatre Complex, USC
School of Cinematic Arts Facilities, Accessed January 3,
2009.
- USC Self-Guided Tour, University of Southern
California, Accessed June 8, 2009.
- Facilities
- Weinraub, Bernard. "FILM; An Unusual Choice for the Role of Studio
Superhero", The New York Times, July 9, 2000. Accessed November 27, 2007. "Mr. Singer attended the School of Visual Arts in
Manhattan for two years, and then transferred to the University of
Southern California."
External links
for his student film Bean
Cake.
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