USC School of Cinematic Arts Film & TV Production Spring 2020

A Spring 2020 application category had been added too if you want to add your application there as well. :) Good luck!

 
Hey everyone! I haven't found any threads for this specific application, so I decided to create one. Who's intending to apply for Spring 2020? I am an international applicant and was looking for some help with my application!
I am! What schools are you planning to apply to? I'm actually working on my supplements this summer
 
I was put on the waitlist for Fall 2019! If I still don't hear anything this summer then that means I'll be attending in the spring!
Congrats! How does that work? Do you make up the class you missed in the fall? Stay an extra semester?
 
I am! What schools are you planning to apply to? I'm actually working on my supplements this summer
Right now only USC! Later I’ll try NYU, Chapman, CalArts and Columbia too!! I am almost done with my material (thankfully), just shot a short movie for the application ?
 
Hey everyone!

I, too, am on the waitlist for Fall 2019. Just like TayTay, this means that I will be attending in Spring 2020 (unless I get off the waitlist for Fall 2019). Based on what I've seen on this forum and the discussions I had at Admitted Student day, there's actually a fair number of us. This seems to be common practice from USC, although it doesn't look like it's common knowledge. Probably because USC itself isn't too keen on advertising it.

In any case, I found this forum to be incredibly helpful both times I applied (got in on my second try), and I'd love to contribute however I can as well. If anyone reading this thread has any questions about the process, or wants another pair of eyes on their application material, feel free to ask me right here or slide into my DMs.

Best of luck to all of you! Hope we'll be seeing each other in L.A in January :)
 
Hey everyone!

I, too, am on the waitlist for Fall 2019. Just like TayTay, this means that I will be attending in Spring 2020 (unless I get off the waitlist for Fall 2019). Based on what I've seen on this forum and the discussions I had at Admitted Student day, there's actually a fair number of us. This seems to be common practice from USC, although it doesn't look like it's common knowledge. Probably because USC itself isn't too keen on advertising it.

In any case, I found this forum to be incredibly helpful both times I applied (got in on my second try), and I'd love to contribute however I can as well. If anyone reading this thread has any questions about the process, or wants another pair of eyes on their application material, feel free to ask me right here or slide into my DMs.

Best of luck to all of you! Hope we'll be seeing each other in L.A in January :)


Congratulations!!!

I'm currently in my application process for the Spring of 2020. Do you mind if I ask you some questions on what you did for your prompts, essays, portfolios, and work samples? Just trying to see how I should format everything and what direction I should take to send my supplemental material in.

Thank you so much!!
Tim
 
Hey everyone!

I'm just starting my application process for the 2020 spring term at USC, and just wanted to see if people had any advice on how to send different pieces in, and if I could see a sample just so I can get an idea of what USC's looking for. I'm currently working on both my teamwork prompts and the Feature Film concept. Any advice on what to do with those prompts?

As for the visual sample, what sorts of samples would be best to send in? Are they looking for more story, more visuals, tech specs, etc?

Any and all advice would be very much appreciated. Thank you all so much!!

Tim
 
Hey everyone!

I, too, am on the waitlist for Fall 2019. Just like TayTay, this means that I will be attending in Spring 2020 (unless I get off the waitlist for Fall 2019). Based on what I've seen on this forum and the discussions I had at Admitted Student day, there's actually a fair number of us. This seems to be common practice from USC, although it doesn't look like it's common knowledge. Probably because USC itself isn't too keen on advertising it.

In any case, I found this forum to be incredibly helpful both times I applied (got in on my second try), and I'd love to contribute however I can as well. If anyone reading this thread has any questions about the process, or wants another pair of eyes on their application material, feel free to ask me right here or slide into my DMs.

Best of luck to all of you! Hope we'll be seeing each other in L.A in January :)
Congratulations on your offer!
& I would love some help, especially with my Personal Statement hahaha
 
Congratulations!!!

I'm currently in my application process for the Spring of 2020. Do you mind if I ask you some questions on what you did for your prompts, essays, portfolios, and work samples? Just trying to see how I should format everything and what direction I should take to send my supplemental material in.

Thank you so much!!
Tim

Hey Tim! Sure thing; feel free to ask away.

Regarding format: USC is deliberately vague here because it wants to give you the freedom to be as creative as you wish to be. As long as you stay within the guidelines in the application (e.g. number of words, page limit, etc), anything goes. I've even heard of people who submitted a personal statement in the format of a storyboard/comic strip. Of course, it's also totally fine to submit more traditional formats, like a classic essay structure. There's no right or wrong answer here in my opinion.

Hey everyone!

I'm just starting my application process for the 2020 spring term at USC, and just wanted to see if people had any advice on how to send different pieces in, and if I could see a sample just so I can get an idea of what USC's looking for. I'm currently working on both my teamwork prompts and the Feature Film concept. Any advice on what to do with those prompts?

As for the visual sample, what sorts of samples would be best to send in? Are they looking for more story, more visuals, tech specs, etc?

Any and all advice would be very much appreciated. Thank you all so much!!

Tim

Regarding the teamwork prompts: I think USC cares a lot about these ones. They're new questions, added as of Fall 2019 applications. Basically, every film is a project, and requires collaboration. USC wants to make sure their students are team players, who understand the kind of work that goes into successful projects, and have the amount of self-reflection to admit when they make mistakes, and realize how to avoid making those mistakes moving forward. My advice here would be to keep the following in mind:
  • In your successful project, how did you make sure everyone felt valued and invested, even those with with minor roles/doing thankless work?
  • What did you do when things didn't go as planned? Things never really go as planned on a movie set, so USC will want to know that you're the type of person who always has a plan B (and C...and D...)
  • If you can tie the lessons you learned in your unsuccessful project to how you work on film projects, all the better. Did this unsuccessful project change the way you think about working on film projects? If so, how?
  • Be very specific about what YOU did right and wrong. Do not show false modesty or couch your achievements in the term "we" for the successful project. On the flip side, do not try to put the blame on anyone else for the unsuccessful project; own up to your mistakes. Of course, you should still talk about what you did in the context of teamwork and collaboration, but USC wants to know what kind of person YOU are in group projects.
Regarding the visual sample: I think USC wants to know whether you can tell a story visually. Having cool shots/visuals/tech specs is definitely nice-to-have, but story trumps everything else in my opinion. I would try to make sure that the story you are telling in your visual sample relates to the aesthetic tastes and intellectual and emotional interests you describe in your personal statement.

Disclaimer: everything I just said is my opinion, not official USC guidelines. Take it all with a grain of salt and please do apply your own judgement. Good luck!
 
Congratulations on your offer!
& I would love some help, especially with my Personal Statement hahaha

I'd be happy to help :) USC faculty members often say the personal statement is the most important application material, so it's important to get this one right. Please shoot me a DM if you want some direct feedback on your statement. If you have more general question, feel free to just ask it here on the forum. All the best!
 
Hey everyone!

I, too, am on the waitlist for Fall 2019. Just like TayTay, this means that I will be attending in Spring 2020 (unless I get off the waitlist for Fall 2019). Based on what I've seen on this forum and the discussions I had at Admitted Student day, there's actually a fair number of us. This seems to be common practice from USC, although it doesn't look like it's common knowledge. Probably because USC itself isn't too keen on advertising it.

In any case, I found this forum to be incredibly helpful both times I applied (got in on my second try), and I'd love to contribute however I can as well. If anyone reading this thread has any questions about the process, or wants another pair of eyes on their application material, feel free to ask me right here or slide into my DMs.

Best of luck to all of you! Hope we'll be seeing each other in L.A in January :)
Hey Edouard! I found your tips incredibly helpful! Besides the writing and creative supplements to the application, do you think that grades is a large factor into the application process? Such as SAT scores, AP classes, extra circular actives, etc?

Justin
 
Hey Edouard! I found your tips incredibly helpful! Besides the writing and creative supplements to the application, do you think that grades is a large factor into the application process? Such as SAT scores, AP classes, extra circular actives, etc?

Justin

Are you applying to undergrad or grad MFA? Your mention of SAT, AP, etc. seems to suggest you may be applying to undergrad, which is probably a different thread from this one?
 
Are you applying to undergrad or grad MFA? Your mention of SAT, AP, etc. seems to suggest you may be applying to undergrad, which is probably a different thread from this one?
@justin feel free to create a it USC 2020 thread on the undergrad section when you can in this forum too:


There are already a bunch of other undergrad members there.

However personal statement advice would be the same whether it's BA or MFA.
 
@justin feel free to create a it USC 2020 thread on the undergrad section when you can in this forum too:


There are already a bunch of other undergrad members there.

However personal statement advice would be the same whether it's BA or MFA.

Great point (re: similarity for purpose of the personal statement). Thank you Chris
 
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