Apparently USC film school is hard to get into. Even harder to get into than Harvard Law. The acceptance rate for USC film school seems to be at around 4% while for Harvard Law the rate is 11%.
Since the acceptance rate was so low, when I first came to USC I expected most of the film students to be very enthusiastic about film-making. It was too much expectation. One of the first film students I met had not even selected film production as his first choice major. And he was not the only one to have never touched a video camera in his life. Another student could name all the Oscar Best Picture winners all the way from 1928 to the present. But he had never ever even tried to write a script or make a film of any kind. Smart but lazy and very arrogant.
Of course not all students I met were like this. There were some very brilliant and talented filmmakers at USC, but that was very rare(to be blogged about later). The majority of USC film school students were people who treated USC like a golden ticket into the multi-billion dollar industry of Hollywood. These were people who expected to direct AAA feature film titles, merely because they graduated from USC film school.
That...
is pretty ridiculous.
Just think about it. Who in their right mind would give someone $30 million to make a film just because they had a USC film school sticker on their resume?!? If there is such a producer I would love to meet them, cause I have a GREAT idea for a film.
Seriously, no one would even give $100. That's because artistic or filmmaking talent is not judged by a degree. A Bachelor of Arts degree can be an indication of talent, but that is not always the case.
Talent is indicated by results. Results like:
-Directing a short film
-Editing a music video
-Producing a feature film
-Having your film play at a festival
(Not results like, "I got an A+ in my film theory class")
So, what do you have to show your talent? A film school on your resume or a feature film?
What has "resulted" from your filmmaking talent?
Don't even comment. Just go and make films.
Dont' waste your time reading blogs. JUST GO MAKE FILMS
You make valid points but you can't be too hard on USC film kids. I mean what if they just never had the opportunity to make films? Maybe it was always a dream but their school/small town/baby sitting for siblings got in the way. Just because you go to USC for film school doesn't mean you're a professional and it shouldn't mean you're a professional (: You're there to learn. People who think it's a ticket to fame are wrong but it is a ticket to very good connections and four years is a lot of buffer time between you and the "real" world. Having time to learn about film and be invested in film is awesome! Especially while going to a 4 year college. The kids who are super motivated will go out and try to get internships and get more involved in film festivals as they get more comfortable. An A in a film theory class may mean nothing in the "real" world but it sure does a lot for your GPA an it shows that you care about film as an artform or you could get a C be lazy as fuck and be super creative and be able to get into film festivals. People change majors all the time just because you didn't want to make films from the time you were 5 or you couldn't afford fancy equipment or even cheap equipment doesn't mean you're less valuable as a student for going there. (: sorry for the run on rant. People just need time to learn and USC is a great place to have that time.
ReplyDeletewell Diana were you aware USC costs over $50,000 on tuition and room & board? No one goes there to "have fun" or change majors. They go there because they are
ReplyDeleteA: truly serious about film and want to turn it into a career
or
B:Their parents earn over $150000 a year and can donate some serious green to the school
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe idea that "no one will give a director money to make a film just because he/she has a degree from USC" is completely false. It is a business of "who you know". Graduating from USC puts you in a good crowd. It's the same with law school. If you graduate from a school like Harvard, Yale, Stanford, or even Ole Miss people are going to hand you jobs because of their connection to that school. If person A went to Harvard Law, and person B went to UMKC Law School do you think person A will come out knowing infinitely more about the legal system than person B? Obviously not. However, Person A is much more likely to get hired on with a more prestigious law firm simply because of the connections to his/her school.
ReplyDeleteThe idea that "no one will give a director money to make a film just because he/she has a degree from USC" is completely false. It is a business of "who you know". Graduating from USC puts you in a good crowd. It's the same with law school. If you graduate from a school like Harvard, Yale, Stanford, or even Ole Miss people are going to hand you jobs because of their connection to that school. If person A went to Harvard Law, and person B went to UMKC Law School do you think person A will come out knowing infinitely more about the legal system than person B? Obviously not. However, Person A is much more likely to get hired on with a more prestigious law firm simply because of the connections to his/her school.
ReplyDeleteThe idea that "no one will give a director money to make a film just because he/she has a degree from USC" is completely false. It is a business of "who you know". Graduating from USC puts you in a good crowd. It's the same with law school. If you graduate from a school like Harvard, Yale, Stanford, or even Ole Miss people are going to hand you jobs because of their connection to that school. If person A went to Harvard Law, and person B went to UMKC Law School do you think person A will come out knowing infinitely more about the legal system than person B? Obviously not. However, Person A is much more likely to get hired on with a more prestigious law firm simply because of the connections to his/her school.
ReplyDeleteChris law is different. Yale and Harvard are DIFFERENT. This is art. Art only speaks for itself. Yes connections help. Yes USC looks great on a resume. But we are talking about MILLIONS of dollars invested in the artist. Now a simple job opportunity. Companies asses the risks and they BARELY risk hiring on someone who hasn't played a major role in major television and film in the past. At USC you learn about 15% of what you need to know to perform well in the industry. You learn the rest when you're actually there. THIS IS ART not a memory contest. Some people are simply not artists. Yeah A+s are great but that only shows how well you perform in a sheltered classroom not a genuine chaotic movie set.
ReplyDeleteI get what the people knocking USC are saying, but as someone currently in the film school, I can tell you the resources are in place to be incredibly successful. You just need to be self motivated enough to use the resources that are there, because they won't be handed to you. By just saying I go to USC, I've gotten major onset experience and have been able to intern for some major companies which WILL look good on a resume and WILL allow me to have a leg up after graduating. Because of USC, I've had connections to countless major players in the industry and have gotten incredible contacts that will help me later in life. USC has allowed me to work with A list actors as well as major directors. Sure, USC may not teach you everything, but their easy access to major internships mean you can learn things outside of the classroom as well. They also give amazing financial aid (so does NYU surprisingly) meaning my family who wouldn't have been able to afford in state tuition can afford a school like USC instead. Is film school perfect? No. Should people feel entitled and feel like they can do nothing in film school and get a job? No. But does film school give you a leg up if you use the incredible resources available to you? I have to strongly say, yes. But that's just my two cents.
ReplyDelete