2nd Year USC School of Cinematic Arts MFA Student, AMA (2 Viewers)

[Rohithaashv Gugulothu]

Hey shark8! I'm Rohith from India. I'm looking forward to apply to the MFA in Film Production for the spring intake. I thought you would be the right person to shoot some questions at.

I am going to be honest, except for having made a 4 minute POV film, I have no visual portfolio as such. I do, however, have the experience of having studied Film Studies (minor) during my undergrad. Even my dissertation was a culmination of Psychology and Film Studies. I have bunch of short scripts I can use as my portfolio. I also finished a screenwriting course (weekend certificate course) and am currently working on a web-series (currently under production) as a writing consultant and dialogue writer.

A) Do you think the lack of portfolio films per se, will reflect poorly in my application? Will it be a major deterrent?
B) Do you advice me to apply to both, the screenwriting and production courses in order to bolster my chances of getting in?
C) Generally how long do they take to revert with the decision?

Also, I would like to share my Personal Statement with you and like to get your feedback on it. May be, if possible even have a look at yours, if that's fine with you!

Thank you in advance.

 

[Avec Love]

What are the pros and cons of going for a 546 directing gig vs. a 581 directing gig at the end of the program?

One pro for 581 I guess is that you can direct your own script. I wonder if you have the strict 12 min. time limit that 546 does?

546 tends to be better organized, there is a guaranteed pot of money for the film and there is a grade on the line for most people working on the film so the incentive to participate is there. Those are the three main benefits. The scripts are hit or miss, and so are the films, but the process itself is a fantastic learning experience. Many students in above the line roles are paired so that two people are doing the same role (this has its drawbacks and its benefits) except for Director and Cinematographer. As Director you have a lot of attention and pressure on you, but this could be a good thing depending on how you like to work. There is a no-exceptions 12 minute cutoff for the film and for many directors starting out, this might be a number that's tough to hit without significant sacrifices.

581 (and its counterpart 582) tends to be less strict in terms of length - what you submit to the class has to conform to a certain page count (I think 15) but my understanding is that in post, they are less strict about the final runtime. Some advantages of the class is that it takes place over the course of three semesters, instead of one semester, dedicated to pre-production, production and post-production respectively. The loose structure of the class means that you are in nearly total control of the process - you can make the movie pretty much however you want to. You can shoot a oner for 16 minutes on 70mm in the Bahamas, provided you can pay for it. There is no budget cap, from what I know. If you could find somebody to spend a million dollars on your short film, you can have a million dollar short film - of course the school does nothing to match or raise money for the film - that's kind of all on you. I'd say this is the main drawback - it's potentially the most costly class you could take in SCA and one with the least structure/support. The likelihood of making a succesful film that ends up being worth the cost is very low. If you take this class - it's worth trying to make a film that's in the 3k-5k range and not in the 30k range (which is what a lot of students end up shooting for).

 

[truffleshuffle]

546 tends to be better organized, there is a guaranteed pot of money for the film and there is a grade on the line for most people working on the film so the incentive to participate is there. Those are the three main benefits. The scripts are hit or miss, and so are the films, but the process itself is a fantastic learning experience. Many students in above the line roles are paired so that two people are doing the same role (this has its drawbacks and its benefits) except for Director and Cinematographer. As Director you have a lot of attention and pressure on you, but this could be a good thing depending on how you like to work. There is a no-exceptions 12 minute cutoff for the film and for many directors starting out, this might be a number that's tough to hit without significant sacrifices.

581 (and its counterpart 582) tends to be less strict in terms of length - what you submit to the class has to conform to a certain page count (I think 15) but my understanding is that in post, they are less strict about the final runtime. Some advantages of the class is that it takes place over the course of three semesters, instead of one semester, dedicated to pre-production, production and post-production respectively. The loose structure of the class means that you are in nearly total control of the process - you can make the movie pretty much however you want to. You can shoot a oner for 16 minutes on 70mm in the Bahamas, provided you can pay for it. There is no budget cap, from what I know. If you could find somebody to spend a million dollars on your short film, you can have a million dollar short film - of course the school does nothing to match or raise money for the film - that's kind of all on you. I'd say this is the main drawback - it's potentially the most costly class you could take in SCA and one with the least structure/support. The likelihood of making a succesful film that ends up being worth the cost is very low. If you take this class - it's worth trying to make a film that's in the 3k-5k range and not in the 30k range (which is what a lot of students end up shooting for).

Wow thanks for this. I know I'm planning way far ahead, but it seems that 581 is the long-term goal that I'd find the most satisfying. I had no idea about the 3-semester length of the whole process though. So I take it that we'd need to apply during the 1st semester of our Second Year considering it's a 3-year MFA? Wow that comes up quick then. That means we'd need to really develop a strong idea and pitch in the summer between First and Second Year for this culmination project!

 

[truffleshuffle]

Hey shark8! I'm Rohith from India. I'm looking forward to apply to the MFA in Film Production for the spring intake. I thought you would be the right person to shoot some questions at.

I am going to be honest, except for having made a 4 minute POV film, I have no visual portfolio as such. I do, however, have the experience of having studied Film Studies (minor) during my undergrad. Even my dissertation was a culmination of Psychology and Film Studies. I have bunch of short scripts I can use as my portfolio. I also finished a screenwriting course (weekend certificate course) and am currently working on a web-series (currently under production) as a writing consultant and dialogue writer.

A) Do you think the lack of portfolio films per se, will reflect poorly in my application? Will it be a major deterrent?
B) Do you advice me to apply to both, the screenwriting and production courses in order to bolster my chances of getting in?
C) Generally how long do they take to revert with the decision?

Also, I would like to share my Personal Statement with you and like to get your feedback on it. May be, if possible even have a look at yours, if that's fine with you!

Thank you in advance.

Hey Rohithaashv, I was just recently admitted for this upcoming Fall so I can answer C. The deadline was Nov. 15 and they started sending out interview requests the first week of January. Admissions decisions for international applicants started coming out the last few days of February and for domestic applicants the first week of March. It was kind of a rolling process after that.

And regarding what the admissions committee (adcom) is looking for, read it directly from the horse's mouth here in an incredibly informative and eye-opening interview: How to get Into USC Film School: An Interview With an SCA Admissions Committee Member

 

[Tammy]

Hi there, my internship supervisor asks me about what do I want him to put in my recommendation letter. So what should recommendation letter specifically mention to increase the chances of being admitted?

 

[Rohithaashv Gugulothu]

Hey Rohithaashv, I was just recently admitted for this upcoming Fall so I can answer C. The deadline was Nov. 15 and they started sending out interview requests the first week of January. Admissions decisions for international applicants started coming out the last few days of February and for domestic applicants the first week of March. It was kind of a rolling process after that.

And regarding what the admissions committee (adcom) is looking for, read it directly from the horse's mouth here in an incredibly informative and eye-opening interview: How to get Into USC Film School: An Interview With an SCA Admissions Committee Member

Thank you so so much! That was mighty useful!

 

[afilmcionado]

In light of the new comments about the program in the Spring 2021 thread, I wonder if anyone can provide some extra perspectives or not? How true are these comments?