<p>I was told that in some schools at USA students must rent cameras and all the equipment when they need it, and that it all comes from their pocket… is that the case of USC SCA??</p>
<p>It depends. </p>
<p>When you are in an SCA class that requires use of equipment, you are charged a “lab fee” for the class that covers insurance and use of the gear. Addition equipment (like boom mics) are rented out, but you don’t have to pay to use it, since it was already covered in your class fees; you will, however, have to pay late fees for equipment not returned on time and you can be liable for lost/stolen equipment.</p>
<p>This lab fee (from what I remember) is around $500 and is attached to your tuition account when you register for a class; it can be covered through your scholarships/financial aid.</p>
<p>I know they also recently changed the rules where you have to use the school’s equipment in classes like 290; when I took the class, some people (myself included) purchased our own HD cameras so we could have better looking films and make the movies on our own time. They outlawed this because it was an “unfair advantage” against students who had to coordinate times to use their group’s equipment.</p>
<p>So, to answer your question more succinctly: You pay a flat fee per class when editing rooms/equipment is needed and some of it you need to “rent” – but it doesn’t cost anything extra outside of the class fee unless it is not returned.</p>
<p>OK that sounds reasonable … thank you very much for the info … =)</p>