Amanda

Well-Known Member
Hi everybody! Starting this thread because I'd love to get to know and chat with the others here who are planning on attending LMU in Fall 2016 across any of their MFA programs (Writing for the Screen, Film & TV Production, and Writing & Producing for TV). I think it'd be awesome if we were able to at least virtually meet each other before we begin our shared grad school journey.

So, to start with, if people want to introduce themselves and give a little background, and we'll see where it goes from there! Here's a handy little form to get us started (if my ideas for questions suck, sorry, I'm just trying to think of conversation starters):

Name:
LMU Program:
Current City:
Previous Education:
Favorite Genre:
One Movie / TV Show You Wish You Had Written/Directed/Produced/Etc:
Person Whose Career You Most Admire:

If anybody else wants to add to the list, feel free!
 
I figured I made it, so I'll start:

Name: Amanda
LMU Program: Writing & Producing for TV
Current City: Denver, CO
Previous Education: B.A. English/Film Studies, Certificate in Film Video Media - Writing/Producing
Favorite Genre: Drama
One Movie / TV Show You Wish You Had Written/Directed/Produced/Etc: The Secret in Their Eyes (Argentina, 2009, not the butchered American remake)
Person Whose Career You Most Admire: J.J. Abrams

Look forward to hearing from you all!
 
Thanks so much for making this thread! I'm not 100% sure I'm attending LMU just yet since I'm still waiting to hear from UCLA and USC, but there is a good chance I will attend LMU!

Does anyone happen to know how many students are admitted to each program? I'm just curious because I believe I read on the general LMU website that the average graduating class size for MFA programs are 15 people.

Name: Juan
LMU Program: Writing & Producing for TV
Current City: Austin, TX
Previous Education: B.S. Radio-Television-Film at UT Austin
Favorite Genre: Dramedy
One Movie / TV Show You Wish You Had Written/Directed/Produced/Etc: Jane the Virgin
Person Whose Career You Most Admire: Ryan Murphy
 
@TezcaJuan, You're welcome! Thanks for joining!

I'm not 100% certain, but the numbers I've heard / read about in various places have indicated the following ranges for entering first year classes, depending on the year:

WPTV: 8-16
WfS: 12-16
FTP: 16-30

Again, don't quote me on that, it's just what I've gathered from the research I've done ...

Another thing to point out is that I read in the LMU Bulletin that they do a faculty review on all MFA students after their first and third semester, and if your review isn't satisfactory or above, they'll drop you from the program. I'd be super curious to learn how many people on average get dropped (if any).
 
Thanks for the info! That's awesome! I kind of like that they do the reviews. I feel like it will give us extra motivation. Do you happen to know when we are getting our mailed letters/packets? I was mostly shocked when I got the call that I don't remember much about what we discussed.
 
Thanks for the info! That's awesome! I kind of like that they do the reviews. I feel like it will give us extra motivation. Do you happen to know when we are getting our mailed letters/packets? I was mostly shocked when I got the call that I don't remember much about what we discussed.

I believe she said next week (so, at this point, this upcoming week).
 
Hey Friends! I'm in the same boat that I'm still waiting on other programs, but I really like LMU's program and am excited that I have a great option ahead of me!

Name: Brenna
LMU Program: Writing for the Screen
Current City: Los Angeles
Previous Education: BA in Film Studies
Favorite Genre: Drama / Supernatural / Absurd-Weird
One Movie / TV Show You Wish You Had Written/Directed/Produced/Etc: Ex Machina or Mad Max or The Leftovers...and so much more
Person Whose Career You Most Admire: Coen Brothers

Nice to meet you both!
 
Hi @archbrenemy! Welcome to the LMU group!

I do hope both of you end up at LMU, but of course wish you luck on your other applications! LMU was the only school I applied to, so needless to say, I was thrilled to get my acceptance and obviously will be attending.

Here's a question just out of general curiosity, and to get more of a feel for everybody's interests/styles ... Anybody care to pitch or offer any details on the screenplay/pilot they submitting for their application?
 
Hey guys! I was accepted into LMU and, like stated above, am still waiting on Chapman and USC. I'm waitlisted at UT, but I really love LMU's programme and the size. I'm pretty excited to meet everybody!

Name: Chelsea
LMU Program: Writing for the Screen
Current City: Houston
Previous Education: BA International Studies with an emphasis in French art and culture
Favorite Genre: Drama, Thriller
One Movie / TV Show You Wish You Had Written/Directed/Produced/Etc: So many, but I'll keep it short. For film: The Lobster, Slow West, Persona (1966), and Paris, Texas. TV: Penny Dreadful and Rectify
Person Whose Career You Most Admire: Andrew Haigh and Ana Lily Amirpour
 
Last edited:
Hey everybody, not sure if I'll be attending LMU yet as I'm still waiting on a few other schools, but the program looks great and I'd be so excited to do it!

Name: Brian
LMU Program: Writing for the Screen
Current City: Los Angeles
Previous Education: BA in Film Studies and English
Favorite Genre: Drama, Dark Comedy, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
One Movie / TV Show You Wish You Had Written/Directed/Produced/Etc: The Social Network, The Americans, Fargo (both the movie and the show)
Person Whose Career You Admire Most: Paul Thomas Anderson

Good to meet everybody and glad we all made it!
 
Great to meet you all! And congrats once again on your acceptances and good luck on the others that you're still waiting to hear back from.

@Amanda I submitted a Jane the Virgin spec and an hour-long Aztec dramedy pilot (I know this sounds really weird but it was so much fun to write).
 
@lady-vengeance The Lobster is soooooooo good.

@Amanda - I submitted a feature script and a short piece of fiction for mine. Feature was about a young woman moving home and seeing her abusive ex for the first time in a while and basically her reality starting to unravel and blur with memories/nightmares until she alienates herself from her loved ones (it ends much more upbeat than that sounds though haha). Fiction piece is about a little girl who thinks there are monsters in the woods around her house and tries to keep them away from her family as a tornado is about to hit. So yeah, I'm all about the weird fantastical dramas over here haha.
 
For you guys that are for sure going to LMU, what're your housing plans? I'm currently looking at off campus places.
 
Nice on both your guys' scripts. I submitted a pilot about a family during the Great Depression, as well as a one-act play about a retiring actor's last performance.

@lady-vengeance I'm also looking off campus for housing. I've started my preliminary neighborhood search, and will narrow it down when I go out to visit in late March.
 
Yeah, I'm doing the same thing. I'm visiting early April so I'm just trying to have a list to check off when I get there.
 
Yeah, I'm doing the same thing. I'm visiting early April so I'm just trying to have a list to check off when I get there.
@Amanda and @lady-vengeance - I'm not sure the on-campus housing options or cost, but I think looking off campus to compare is at least smart.

I'm happy to extend any knowledge I have if you have any questions on neighborhoods, etc. I've lived in LA for 4 and a half years now. If I go to LMU, I will probably remain off campus in my current apartment or somewhere near. LMU is a little too far west for me (though the Marina Del Rey area has a lot of cool stuff), but that's because I'm attached to my neighborhood and have friends who are on the east side of town I want to be closer to.

padmapper.com is a great resource for rounding up the craigslist ads for apartments. Obviously, be aware of scams, etc. It's not checked, it just gathers the postings and puts them on a map so it's a little easier to see where they are talking about.

Also, a lot of people use westsiderentals.com, because they tend to be a bit more legit of listings (but it also tends toward the higher priced too). It costs to get all the listings, benefits, etc, but hey - maybe you can split the login with some other people on the site who will be looking for LA housing soon?

Good luck on the search!
 
@archbrenemy Thanks for the tips! What area do you live in? I would also love to get your general thoughts - any good neighborhoods, places to really avoid, etc.?

In regards to on-campus housing, I looked at LMU's option, and I'm not impressed. They have one graduate housing building; it's pre-furnished (which, I just can't do because I currently have an apartment full of stuff I'd like to keep), there's some iffy-ness about availability there during the summer (which makes absolutely no sense for graduate students), and the price seemed to be on par with off campus options. All that combines into a huge no for me ... If the cost was substantially less than an off-campus apartment, I might consider it, but ... no.
 
Hi everyone,
I applied to the mfa program in writing for the screen. I'm waiting impatiently to hear if I got in or not. I was rejected by ucla weeks ago, so waiting for lmu has me on edge. I see from the Google doc that 4 people were already accepted to the program I applied to; which only adds to my anxiety. If I am accepted, I will be seeking housing on-campus.
 
@archbrenemy Thanks for the tips! What area do you live in? I would also love to get your general thoughts - any good neighborhoods, places to really avoid, etc.?

In regards to on-campus housing, I looked at LMU's option, and I'm not impressed. They have one graduate housing building; it's pre-furnished (which, I just can't do because I currently have an apartment full of stuff I'd like to keep), there's some iffy-ness about availability there during the summer (which makes absolutely no sense for graduate students), and the price seemed to be on par with off campus options. All that combines into a huge no for me ... If the cost was substantially less than an off-campus apartment, I might consider it, but ... no.

Yikes - just as much and maybe not guaranteed over the summer? That seems really inconvenient.

I live just above the Culver City area and I love it. Culver has a great downtown with restaurants/bars, movie theater, coffee shops, farmer's market on Tuesdays, Trader Joe's - basically a lot of great things. While Culver itself can be a bit harder to find apartments cheaply, if you search for the immediate areas around it - mainly "Palms" - there are usually some good options. I used to live in the Palms neighborhood area too and the apartment was not the nicest (but cheap!) but I did like the area and felt safe. I have always felt safe in this current neighborhood too. It feels a little more suburban than some other parts of the city and wouldn't be too bad of a commute to LMU.

Other areas closer to LMU I have heard good things about too: Mar Vista, Playa del Rey, Marina del Rey are all nice neighborhoods with some affordable apartments. They have cool restaurants and things to explore. None are that walkable, but most of LA isn't haha. Right near LMU there are a bunch of new apartment buildings as well in some complexes with movie theaters, restaurants, etc.. Venice is a cool spot, a little hippie/arty/boho especially near the beach. Which is fun! But if it's not your thing, a good thing to know. I'm of course generalizing about most of these places. But all are considered safe and nice areas of LA.
Santa Monica further up is the nicest neighborhood of those nearby, but the prices will reflect that also. On the south side of LMU, I don't know much about Westchester or further south like Hawthorne, but I do know the quality of apartments around the airport are not as great (a friend's experience near there was pretty bad with her landlord).

Depends on the apartment too, but hopefully this can get you started! Good luck!
 
Log your film school application with our Application Database so that we can improve our admissions statistics.




Latest Accepted Applications


Acceptance Data
For up to date Film School Acceptance Rates, including Minimum GPAs, Minimum Test Scores, After Interview and Off-Waitlist Acceptance Rates, Film Experience and Undergraduate degrees of accepted applicants, Age data, and other acceptance statistics for your film program of choice simply navigate to the Acceptance Rates tab on each film school's page in our Film School Database.

For example:
Log your own Application with our application database to help improve the site's acceptance data.

Latest Film School Reviews

  • University of Colorado at Boulder (BFA)
    4.00 star(s)
    Reviewed by: Alumni
    Degree: BA/BS/BFA
    BFA University of Colorado at Boulder BFA Film Production
    Honest review. CU Boulder is an interesting place to learn filmmaking. The University boasts some excellent professors who are actively making...
    • Anonymous
  • University of Central Florida - School of Visual Arts & Design
    4.00 star(s)
    Reviewed by: Current Student
    Degree: BA/BS/BFA
    Concentration: Film - Feature/TV Writing
    UCF Film BFA (College of Sciences - School of Communication)
    UCF's BFA program is split into 4 modalities: narrative production, documentary production, experimental production, and feature/tv writing. I...
    • Anonymous
  • Syracuse University
    4.00 star(s)
    Reviewed by: Current Student
    Degree: BA/BS/BFA
    Concentration: Film
    Syracuse Film and Media Arts - BFA Film
    I'm in my last year at Syracuse University as a member of the department of Film and Media Arts, and it's been a lot of ups and downs. There's a...
    • Anonymous
  • Fitchburg State University
    5.00 star(s)
    Reviewed by: Alumni
    Degree: BA/BS/BFA
    Concentration: Film/Video and Theater
    A Great School with Great Professors!
    I was a student there from 2018-2022 and had a great experience. I would recommend it to anyone, especially people living within Massachusetts...
    • Anonymous
  • Florida State University - MFA in Writing
    5.00 star(s)
    Reviewed by: Current Student
    Degree: MA/MFA
    Concentration: Screenwriting
    Hidden Gem
    Before I get into the details, it's worth mentioning that I'm in my second year at this program and have really enjoyed my time here. I will be...
    • catmom

Latest Applications

Latest questions

Latest Articles

Latest Accepted Applications

Applications
Articles
Forums
Film Schools
Scholarships
Back
Top