USC's Film School

Colleges & Universities University of Southern California
1

<p>So, I was checking out the website for the School of Film and I saw their admission requirements mentioning a “Portfolio List”. Anybody here that goes to the Film School or is applying, know how many “projects” on average students send as a part of that profile list ?. I don’t know how many projects it would take to be considered “competitive” or to have a good chance at admissions…</p>

<p>I know the school is very competitive and tough to get into (from what I’ve heard), but I’ve become quite curious about it… maybe I’ll look into applying next year… thanks</p>

2

<p>Get ready to feel really low when CC students tell you about their application.</p>

<p>Even so you might want to wait until we know which of the members of CC got into Film school.
For my own part I figured that while my chances were incredibly small they were atleast bigger then if I didn’t apply at all.</p>

3

<p>It says the portfolio can consist of many different types of creative work. Mine had film projects, artwork, and writing projects on the list, but I haven’t gotten into film school yet. Would love to hear from those who did!</p>

4

<p>Well before i sent mine in i called and asked what sort of things i could put on there. They said anything film related and creative. Wether it was on set, school, independent or whatever you know.
Here is mine as a list to give you an idea dude (its prob crap compared to some people)</p>

<p>February 1996, ?News Report?
Hi-8 colour video
10 Minutes
Position: Journalist/Cameraman
A morning news bulletin on the ways of the early school life.
Produced for leisure purposes.</p>

<p>April 2004, ?The Mechanics of a Golf Swing?
Digital video
15 minutes
Position: Producer/Cameraman.
A video with commentary breaking down the mechanics of the golf swing. Produced for ?Physical Education A-level.? Theale Green Community School, 6th form College, Physical Education department.</p>

<p>March 2005, ?A Private at War?
Digital video
5 minutes
Position: Director of Photography.
A private at war copes with the psychological stresses of being on the front line. Produced for ?Digital Cinematography?. A course taken at the Metropolitan Film School, London.</p>

<p>April 2005, ?Deadline?
Storyboard
Position: Writer.
An ex- agent is approached by the Government to thwart a series of terrorist attacks occurring in Los Angeles.
Produced for ?Film Studies A-Level?. Theale Green Community School, 6th form College, Film Studies department.</p>

<p>2005/2006
Editing for a surveillance company
Position: Editor.
Edited covert surveillance video footage for presentation to clients.
Produced for ?Verify?, a private security company. Edited on Final Cut.</p>

<p>January 2006,?The Traveler? (A trailer for a short film. )
Digital video
2 minutes
Position: Writer/Director/Editor.
A man who lives ?under the radar?, realizes his life consists of nothing more than waking up every day. He sets out to put this right.
Produced for independent study</p>

<p>April 2006,?Can M. Night Shyamalan be classed as an auteur with a distinctive, creative approach to film making, or has he followed a film-making formula so rigidly that he has now become a victim of his own success??
An auteur project. Produced for ?Film Studies A-level?. Theale Green Community School, 6th form College, film studies department.</p>

<p>April 2006,?Immoral Earnings? A screenplay
Position: Writer.
A paranoid wife learns her executive husband is having a gay affair with the boss of a rival oil firm.
Produced for ?Film Studies A-Level?. Theale Green Community School, 6th form College, Film Studies department.</p>

<p>October 2006, ?Return Of Anubis? A short film
High Definition video
10 minutes
Position: Grip/PA.
A mummy haunts a film set and wreaks havoc with the cast and crew.</p>

<p>October/November 2006, ?Happenstance. A short film
Digital video
3 minutes
Position: Director of Photography.
A young man and a beautiful lady collide in a bar. They both wonder if they should have said something to each other after a bizarre flash forward occurred. Produced for ?Principles of Production?. Columbia College, Hollywood </p>

<p>October-December 2006, ?Reservoir Dogs? An acting piece
5 minutes
Position: Mr Pink.
A different take on a scene from ?Reservoir Dogs?. Mr. Pink and Mr. White seem rather calm, and play ?go fish? whilst exchanging intense dialogue.
Produced for ?Introduction to Acting?. Columbia College, Hollywood.</p>

<p>December 2006, ?Jack? A pilot sitcom for HBO
High definition video
25 minutes
Position: PA/Grip/2nd AC.<br>
A young man who has a comedic outlook on life faces problems at home and at work.</p>

<p>February 2007, ?Mac Commercial Mock?
Digital video
5 minutes
Position: Co-writer/Co-director/Director of Photography.
The ?catastrophe? theory of the Earth?s creation is put up against the theory of ?Uniformitarianism?. A look at the work of 17th century scientists James Hutton and John Playfair.</p>

5

<p>Students like Jamie are what they are looking for.</p>

<p>And heres more - If you want to get into the film school, besides have decent Gpa and decent Sats and a passion for film since you can remember, these give you an edge

  1. Being female (more males apply) or a URM
  2. Being from someplace like Idaho or Mississippi (unique, diversity, USC loves this)
  3. Having your own film company, working on your schools TV show, a public access cable show - something like that
  4. Entering and Winning your local student film festival, volunteering at film fesivals like Sundance, Telluride, stuff like that
  5. Drama as an elective - they like actors, many film students also act and direct<br>
  6. Be the Editor or Reporter for your school newpaper or you won a writing competion
    The more of the above electives you persue, the better the chance. They rarely accept you in the film school on grades alone - you must have the passion.
    If I left anything out, I’m sure others will add</p>
6

<p>I’m also from England. So my international status helps me out i guess, being a minority and all.</p>

<p>I hear there are not may people from the UK and good ol’ USC.</p>

7

<p>OP; hopefully you’ll get more info during the day/night (depending on where you live) and if you read it all and still want to submit - you’re either crazy or you might just have what it takes…or probably both…</p>

8

<p>that’s a great resume jamiedp, great work, good job.</p>

<p>“ebayispayingforcollege”: your list gives me some hope if it’s legit. I don’t know if all of that is true, or where you got your information from but besides having a great academic record GPA-wise and even ACT-wise i am an URM and I currently live in Mississippi to be precise lol… </p>

<p>as far as the others you mention I don’t have them unfortunately, except for that great passion. MS is not exactly the epitome of filmmaking or Hollywood, though I love the entire movie-making industry, especially after a few visits to universal studios while I lived in California. It truly is awesome what these people do and with what they do them… As far as the resume goes. I have made a couple of works like jamiedp’s, but nothing close to that amount…</p>

<p>Endshere: Not applying would be crazy. If I don’t apply I have 0 chance of getting in, but if I do, I might get in, you never know… It is still early though to make a decision on that, I’m just browsing around right now and gathering information. Any more would be greatly appreciated, thanks.</p>

9

<p>I totally agree with you, as I said:
“For my own part I figured that while my chances were incredibly small they were atleast bigger then if I didn’t apply at all.”</p>

10

<p>Anyone been accepted to the film school yet? Or will they send these out later?</p>

11

<p>I’d be great to hear from current film students and students that got accepted… I don’t know if this is true but I read somewhere they only accept about 15% of applicants (150 out of 1000) for film school. Can anybody confirm this ?</p>

12

<p>Thanks Rijeos, i appreciate kind comments :)</p>

<p>And yes, i agree, it would be good to hear from some currently accepted students.</p>

13

<p>ebayispayingforcollege: i saw what you had to say about jamie’s portfolio lol just wanted to see what you think, cause i applied too and haven’t heard back yet but i’m pretty nervous, i’m glad that you said being a urm, a female, and being on your high school’s tv station helps, haha i’m a mexican american female and have done extensive work for my school’s news station the morning howl… basically everything on this list i have directed, edited, and written.</p>

<p>? October, 2005, ?Homework Stress,? VHS color video, 2 minutes. Position: writer/director/editor. A public service announcement on how to handle homework induced stress. Produced for ?The Morning Howl,? T.V. Broadcast Journalism,
? December 2005, ?Hunting Down ?Dr.? Salter,? VHS color video, 5 minutes. Position: writer/director/editor. An expose on my high school principal, Charles Salter, and how he really isn?t a doctor even though he has been allowing students to address him as Dr. for the past 4 years. Mr. Salter never let me air this video. Produced for ?The Morning Howl:? T.V. Broadcast Journalism,
? January 2006, ?The Morning Howl. Do you dare?? VHS color video, 1 minute. Position: writer/director/editor. An opening for my school?s news station. A green screen was used to spoof the Ipod commercials and a Morning Howl tagline was incorporated into it. Produced for ?The Morning Howl:? T.V. Broadcast Journalism,
? February 2006, ?That Howl Show,? VHS color video, 1 minute. Position: writer/director/editor. An opening for my school?s news station. This opening spoofed the opening of That 70s Show and we used the green screen to create an appropriate Morning Howl background. Produced for ?The Morning Howl:? T.V. Broadcast Journalism,
? March 2006, ?Jaws of life and seatbelt safety,? VHS color video, 3 minutes. Position: writer/director/editor. A public service announcement that won first place in the video category of the Orange County Sheriff?s High School Media Challenge. This PSA addressed teenage seatbelt use and how the Jaws of life are performed in serious car accidents. Produced for the Orange County Sheriff?s High School Media Challenge.
? July 2006, ?Waiting,? 35mm film, 4 minutes. Position: writer/director/editor. Short film about a woman waiting for her husband to come home so they can go to their anniversary dinner. He shows up too late and the night is ruined. Produced for Final 35mm project-Film and Digital Cinematography Course Summer Production Workshop- University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA.
? August 2006, ?Link Crew Freshman Orientation,? VHS color video, 15 minutes. Position: writer/director/editor. I was chosen by the head of the Link Crew Organization at my school to write, direct, and edit this video which introduces the freshman to high school by giving them a tour of the campus, going over school rules, and giving them helpful advice from upperclassman. Produced for Link Crew,
? September 2006, ?When Johnny met Audrey,? VHS color video, 5 minutes. Position: writer/director/editor. A short silent movie of how Johnny and Audrey met, fell in love, kept missing each other, and then finally got together in the end. Produced for Silent Movie Assignment, Video Production,
? October 2006, ?Up, Up, and Away to Homecoming,? VHS color video, 1 hour and 30 minutes (total of numerous projects). Position: writer/director/editor. A collection of videos made for my school?s Homecoming assembly and halftime show; corresponded to our superhero theme. Produced for Homecoming, Associated Student Body,
? November 2006, ?The Stranger,? VHS color video, 2 minutes. Position: co-writer/director/editor. A project for my AP Literature class that consists of making a movie trailer for The Stranger by Albert Camus. Currently in production. Produced for The Stranger project, AP Literature,
February 2007, “Above the City Lights,” VHS color video, 20 minutes (total of numerous projects). Position: writer/editor/director. A collection of videos made for my school’s Winter Assembly, which played a major role in the script. Produced for Winter Assembly, Associated Student Body.</p>

14

<p>That’s a good resume you have there :)</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

15

<p>Riejoes - I got all my information from being very nosy when my son got accepted 2 years ago. While it was hard getting too much out of my son, a lot of the other film kids were very friendly and that is how I found out what their “hooks” were. Many of the production students brought whole studios with them into the dorm rooms! The critical studies students were more well rounded - a litte movie making, some film volunteer work, in the case of my son, also an actor, producer and playwriter - I think his hook was the acting, opera and playwriting stuff. And I also talked to one of the dept chairs. Seeing your stats, Jamie and Scarlets you 3 are certainly in the running. Now if they get a huge bunch of diversified applicants with similar stats you know that it will be harder, they will choose the top ones. Except for the Scholorship people, they seem to wait until the last minute to let you know if you are accepted to the film school. They really take their time, but they do a good job. The ones they accept really are quite motivated and do very well at USC. </p>

<p>I forgot to mention, another point - a huge interest is also good. That means fly out to USC in your Sophmore/Junior year - the earlier the better. Then take the film school tour. If you can get noticed during the tour with a good question, it can’t hurt. Then go to every USC meeting in your area and ask for an interview. We must have seen the “Trojan Family” presentation so much we had it memorized!
As far as acceptance rate, what I heard is that it is more like 7 or 9 percent. (I am number challenged, but I heard It is harder to get into than Harvard.) This I heard from the dept chair there, but he was an artist type, not a math looking person this may have been information 2 or 3 years ago, they change every year.
You chose the right place. If you don’t make it, you can always try grad school at USC. THe great thing about the undergrad film program though, is that you get all the same skills and don’t need grad school once your graduate you can go straight to work.
By the way, I hope you all applied to NYU too. The best on the east coast and they take 2 times more film kids than USC.</p>

16

<p>At the Explore USC session, they told us the acceptance rate for the Cinematic Arts school was about 3%</p>

17

<p>that’s comforting… wow did they say anything about the actual admissions process? haha basically does your app have to be approved by the general school before cinematic arts will even review your app etc.</p>

18

<p>I went from 15% to 7-9% to now 3%, that’s pretty disheartening.Thanks for that info though… by the way, I thought NYU took less students than USC. Anyway, NYU is an incredible school too, but they are not too generous when it comes to $$, so that’d make it that much harder.</p>

19

<p>Here’s a story of someone who chose between NYU and USC, and gives the reasons for his choice.</p>

<p><a href=“http://avid.blogs.com/film_school_confidential/2006/08/index.html[/url]”>http://avid.blogs.com/film_school_confidential/2006/08/index.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

20

<p>NYU offered my son merit money, USC did not and didn’t match it when I showed them the offer from NYU, I guess they knew my son really did not want to go to NYU so you never know who is going to give you money. NYU 2 years ago took twice as many students into their programs - this I know for a fact. Both schools are excellent, the blogger is spot on with his assessements - a great blog. NYU was a good fit for him. </p>

<p>As far as the numbers, heres a guess, let me know if you have any different ones. The 15 percent acceptance is who applied to the film school and makes it into USC, the 3 percent is who makes it into production (the hardest film track to get into and the most applicants) The 7-9 percent is who gets into Critical Studies/Screenwriting, not as competitive as Production, giving the total film program about 5 percent overall acceptance? (math is not my friend) That leaves the other 10 percent who applied to film but made it into USC - they could be accepted as undecieded? Just a guess, maybe thats where all those different numbers came from.
Don’t forget, at USC you can always minor in film. There are lots of classes you can take, you just won’t graduate with a degree in film, but you can make the same contacts if you are motivated. Lots of famous industry people are always lecturing there and they are free to attend. And USC turned down Steven Spielberg so they do make mistakes.</p>