Current USC Film/TV MFA. Ask me anything!

[TheVirtualFilmmaker]

Hello,

I am currently an enrolled Film/TV Production MFA student at USC. Feel free to ask me anything!

 

[light.alchemist]

Hi! Thank you for starting a thread! I'm a rising senior at UCLA, interested in going to USC for MFA Film/Television program. I guess I'll start off w basic questions...

1. what's the school like now, based on your experience?

2. Are grad students able to get priority for equipment?

3. Just a curiosity, but are you able to share more on the cinematography track (if you can).

4. Lastly, any advice on grad applications? haha

 

[TheVirtualFilmmaker]

...

 

[TheVirtualFilmmaker]

Hi! Thank you for starting a thread! I'm a rising senior at UCLA, interested in going to USC for MFA Film/Television program. I guess I'll start off w basic questions...

1. what's the school like now, based on your experience?

2. Are grad students able to get priority for equipment?

3. Just a curiosity, but are you able to share more on the cinematography track (if you can).

4. Lastly, any advice on grad applications? haha

I will be as candid about my experiences as possible. Things I wish I knew when I was applying because, at least for me, it would have greatly influenced my decisions. Anything I say here is true to my experience at SCA. Others may or may not agree:
1. One of SCA selling points has always been the title of the "Best Film School in the World." While the school does have a lot of resources, in some cases even more than some of the smaller studios, the title is almost entirely self-proclaimed. There's nothing about USC which makes it a better film school than UCLA or AFI. Each school and it's program has something unique to offer so it's more about personal preference. When I applied to USC, I was interested in the "Hollywood Style" of filmmaking, something USC is famous (or infamous?) for.
Most recently, the Film/TV MFA program has run into a plethora of issues, some of which are detrimental to student success at the school. Here are some of the things:

• Ever since my cohort started the program a couple semester ago, we have often run into a lack of transparency with the school administration and faculty. The curriculum and the course requirements are often changed on the fly and no one seems to have any answers. Most recently, they decided to make some big changes to the thesis requirements suddenly, making a lot of people ineligible for the capstone project as well pushing some students towards an extra semester or two. This has caused a lot of anxiety to the students who want to make a thesis film and especially to those who had planned to use the thesis to complete their degree requirements.
• The academic advisor, who should be the most accessible person, is probably the most inaccessible. Most of us have never met him in person, emails are rarely responded to and he doesn't seem to ever have any answers. Even when the faculty and others specifically refer us to him for answers.
• One of the things that I found particularly shocking about my experience at SCA so far is how much favoritism can impact your trajectory while at school. There are people in my cohort who came into the program with years of filmmaking experience while there are others who had never held a camera before. The few who came in with a lot of experience are often first offered the best opportunities such as top roles on the advance projects. And then the leftover roles trickles down to the bottom. The way it's all structured, its very likely to never get to direct a film at SCA after your first year. And during that first year, you are assigned people and you don't have a choice in who you work with.
• There are so many other issues that at SCA that people outside of school wouldn't even know about until they're already neck deep into the mess. Probably better left for private discussions.

2. The access to equipment depends on the classes you are enrolled in. And the classes you can enroll in depends on your seniority in the program. So the first year grad students have a tough time getting the sought after classes while it becomes easier as you progress. The more advance a class the better access to better equipment you have.

3. While the SCA website and other admissions media do suggest that there's a properly defined track system, in reality it's non existent. At the end of first year, you are asked to email the school your top 3 preferred tracks and then you are assigned a faculty mentor based on your choice. Other than that, the track doesn't play much of a role. You could have declared a directing track but keep taking a bunch of editing classes instead. As long as the degree requirements are met, you graduate. In other words, a cinematography track wouldn't give you any more access to cinematography classes and resources than someone in the directing track. It's all either based on the seniority/waitlist or just flat out favoritism.

4. From what I have been able to gather about the admissions process over the semesters, the admissions are not nearly as selective as the school or a quick Google search would make you believe. I think the idea of selectiveness goes to the heads of some of the students who get admitted. They start believing that they must be the smartest humans on the planet because they got into a "very-selective" film school.
Once you submit your application, I think it mostly depends on who in the faculty ends up reading it and if they resonate with it.

 

[misteryfic]

There's any advice and suggestions for the Personal Statement? Like, how a good personal statement for USC look like? I always get an internal debate between going for a more personal focus or a more the future me focus. What do you think is the focus they're looking for?

 

[misteryfic]

There's any advice and suggestions for the Personal Statement? Like, how a good personal statement for USC look like? I always get an internal debate between going for a more personal focus or a more the future me focus. What do you think is the focus they're looking for?

 

[TheVirtualFilmmaker]

There's any advice and suggestions for the Personal Statement? Like, how a good personal statement for USC look like? I always get an internal debate between going for a more personal focus or a more the future me focus. What do you think is the focus they're looking for?

I would say there really isn't a right or wrong personal statement. I would highly recommend staying true to who you are and hope that it comes across to the faculty who ends up reading it. What they often look for is diverse opinions in each cohort. They will rarely ever have a cohort where every student is already an accomplished filmmaker and they will rarely ever have a cohort where no one has ever made a feature film before.

 

[tttjtan]

Hi, thank you for sharing very much! I got waitlisted for the fall semester and guaranteed a position in the spring semester.

• So, do you have any advice for those who are not very experienced but still got admitted to the program? Like, there’s still some time before the semester begins, so what skills or quality do you think are the most important to make a unexperienced student better or more welcomed and perceived as a filmmaker? Such as reading more books or writing more scripts?
• When it comes to classes, are all the students able to take what they want? Or is it a lottery system or needs us to snap them up?
• How intense the classes are? I literally have very limited experience with equipment and do I need to worry that I may not be able to catch up with my classmates?

Thank you very much again for sharing! I’m excited but also quite nervous about my future study