Undergraduate Estimate of Costs

Colleges & Universities University of Southern California
33

<p>Read this book. This should answer most of your initial questions although it’s officially about graduate level programs, most of it will still be true for undergrad programs as well.</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Film-School-Confidential-Insiders-Schools/dp/0399533192”>http://www.amazon.com/Film-School-Confidential-Insiders-Schools/dp/0399533192&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>And here’s the best source on script formatting, although things change over time. The best advice is to get a hold of actual scripts of recent films that you admire and take a look at how they’re formatted. Lots of writers have their own styles.</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Guide-Standard-Script-Formats/dp/0929583000/ref=pd_cp_b_0”>http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Guide-Standard-Script-Formats/dp/0929583000/ref=pd_cp_b_0&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Beyond that, the comment about you being ambitious but lazy does unfortunately ring true. I understand that you’re nervous and it’s a big jumping off point for you, but keep in mind that there’s a world of a difference between wanting to be a director and actually DOING the work of a director. Have you made any short films? Have you acted in any plays in school? How many plays of Shakespeare have you read? Have you ever watched any silent movies?</p>

<p>Also keep in mind that Hollywood is an unstructured, idea-driven industry. Your “assignments” in school will simply be that you have a film due in three weeks and they give you a camera, access to editing equipment, and an office to make phone calls and a book full of headshots. That’s it. From there, you will screen your film in front of your classmates in three weeks and once it’s done you’ll have to sit back and take criticism and get feedback from all of your classmates. You can’t explain away things based upon what you intended because you can’t be there in every theater across America and the world to explain how things just didn’t quite work out right. This is why USC is such great training for Hollywood - because that’s exactly how Hollywood works, for better and for worse.</p>