shakingthecamera
New Member
Wondering how the UCLA MFA Production/Directing program is and whether it's worth the cost. I tried to find film samples of student work from those currently in the program but that information is not available anywhere, which is odd considering that most MFA programs showcase student work. I came across this thread from 2022 warning prospective UCLA MFA students in the Producing/Directing program and am nervous about committing if the department still struggles with internal conflicts. I have also come across this article written in 2020 that goes over how the UCLA Department of Film, TV & Digital Media got poor marks in an Academic Senate Review. Here is an excerpt from the latter article:
"The review, which was completed in June but is seen here publicly for the first time, also found that student criticism “was wide-ranging and vocal, though many students also praised their close advising relationships with faculty, and MFAs particularly appreciated the generally prompt and detailed feedback on their work. However, students also described certain faculty members, particularly adjuncts, as ‘aggressively anti-intellectual’ and ‘un-academic.’ Teaching assistants reported instances of certain instructors (notably adjuncts) requiring them to do work unrelated to instructional support, thus exceeding union work load and hourly limits ‘because [the instructors think] the TA isn’t a heavy job.” One faculty member was said to choose which students in that area got to take which courses, and to assign more talented students to ladder faculty advisors and others to adjuncts. Several students reported incidents of faculty derision or ad hominem shaming in class meetings and feedback on assignments (a problem identified in the previous review). One student claimed that ‘the majority of us have mental health issues,’ and at least a half-dozen others in the same meeting agreed. Another said that given the lack of academic rigor in their area, ‘I wish I’d gone to trade school.’ Lacking sufficient fellowship support or funding assistance from the department, one student reported having to live in their car in order to complete a thesis film.”
The combination of what seems to be internal conflict (curious whether its ongoing) amongst the Cinema Studies and Production departments, student dissatisfaction with the lack of rigor, student dissatisfaction with the lack of funding, and lack of transparency around student work makes me hesitant to see whether or not UCLA will be the most cost-effective choice.
I'm curious to see if any current or recent graduates of the UCLA MFA program, specifically in Production/Directing, have any thoughts or comments about any of this information I've found online.
"The review, which was completed in June but is seen here publicly for the first time, also found that student criticism “was wide-ranging and vocal, though many students also praised their close advising relationships with faculty, and MFAs particularly appreciated the generally prompt and detailed feedback on their work. However, students also described certain faculty members, particularly adjuncts, as ‘aggressively anti-intellectual’ and ‘un-academic.’ Teaching assistants reported instances of certain instructors (notably adjuncts) requiring them to do work unrelated to instructional support, thus exceeding union work load and hourly limits ‘because [the instructors think] the TA isn’t a heavy job.” One faculty member was said to choose which students in that area got to take which courses, and to assign more talented students to ladder faculty advisors and others to adjuncts. Several students reported incidents of faculty derision or ad hominem shaming in class meetings and feedback on assignments (a problem identified in the previous review). One student claimed that ‘the majority of us have mental health issues,’ and at least a half-dozen others in the same meeting agreed. Another said that given the lack of academic rigor in their area, ‘I wish I’d gone to trade school.’ Lacking sufficient fellowship support or funding assistance from the department, one student reported having to live in their car in order to complete a thesis film.”
The combination of what seems to be internal conflict (curious whether its ongoing) amongst the Cinema Studies and Production departments, student dissatisfaction with the lack of rigor, student dissatisfaction with the lack of funding, and lack of transparency around student work makes me hesitant to see whether or not UCLA will be the most cost-effective choice.
I'm curious to see if any current or recent graduates of the UCLA MFA program, specifically in Production/Directing, have any thoughts or comments about any of this information I've found online.
