Application Procedures
Division of Film & Television Production
· Bachelor of Arts
· Master of Fine Arts
The Film & Television Production program emphasizes exploration of the student filmmaker’s creative voice through hands-on filmmaking. Students learn all aspects of cinematic storytelling from writing and producing to directing, post-production and cinematography.
The faculty panel evaluates applications for originality, clarity, personal insight and artistic excellence.
Application Deadlines
Note: Transfer students—admission is granted on a space available basis. 48 transferable semester units (excluding AP & IB, but may include units in progress during the fall or spring semester) are required for consideration.
Note: Graduate applications are accepted in both the fall and spring semesters.
USC Admission Materials
Cinematic Arts Supplemental Materials
Undergraduates: The following materials must be submitted directly to the USC Cinematic Arts Admission Office (Attn: Undergraduate Production, CTV-G130, Los Angeles, CA 90089-2211) with the applicant’s name and student ID number (if available) indicated at the top of each page. All items must be typed or legibly handwritten on standard 8.5 x 11-inch paper.
Graduates: The following materials must be submitted online at: www.usc.edu/admission/graduate.
1. Cinematic Arts Supplemental Application Form (undergraduates only)
Available online here.
2. Photocopy or Printout of the USC Application for Admission (undergraduates only)
Send a photocopy or printout of the application you have submitted to the USC Office of Admission. Do not send the original application to the School of Cinematic Arts. It is not necessary to send the university essay, quick takes, or short answers to the School of Cinematic Arts. Transfer applicants should send the activity summary. Online applicants should print a copy of the application from their computer. A brief statement indicating submission of the online application is acceptable if you are unable to print the materials.
3. Cinematic Arts Personal Statement
A. The personal statement will be read by the Film & Television Production Admission Committee as a measure of creativity, self-awareness and vision. There is no standard format or correct answer. What we are looking for is a sense of you as a unique individual and how your distinctive experiences, characteristics, background, values and/or view of the world have shaped who you are and what you want to say as a creative filmmaker. Be specific, vivid and focused. We're not interested in a laundry list of personality traits or a resume of accomplishments. We want to know your passions, your beliefs, the kind of stories you want to tell. (1000 words or less)
B. The production program at USC is committed to providing students with a broad understanding of both fiction and nonfiction filmmaking, in cinema, television and new media, and in the major creative roles of writing, producing, directing, cinematography, editing and sound. After exposure to all these forms and roles, students often choose to concentrate on a particular discipline. Given what you know now (and without committing yourself in any way) tell us which of the above aspects of filmmaking seems of particular interest to you and why. (200 words or less)
4. Writing Samples (choose one)
A. An outline for a four-minute film that contains no dialogue. It can be fiction or non-fiction. The story has to be communicated visually. (no more than two pages)5. Visual Samples (choose one) Provide the URL for your Visual Sample
B. A dialogue scene between two people. Provide a one-paragraph introduction describing the two characters in screenplay format. (no more than three pages)
C. Describe a concept for a feature-length movie, fiction or documentary, which you would like to develop. (no more than two pages)
6. Portfolio List
Video Option:
Create a brief narrative video in which you had a major creative role. The video can be either live-action or animation, fiction or documentary, but it should reflect your aesthetic tastes and intellectual and emotional interests. (no more than five minutes)
Photo Option:
Prepare a series of six photographs you have taken which, when viewed in a specific sequence, portray a unique and original character or which tells a simple narrative story. The images may either be black-and-white or in color. (4x6 inches in horizontal format)
The portfolio list is a written record of the applicant’s creative material. It should include a concise description of each project, the month and year the project was completed, the applicant’s creative role and the purpose of the project. The material, which does not need to be film- or television-related, should give an idea of the range and depth of the applicant’s creative ability. Formal recognition—such as awards, publications, jobs and exhibitions—should be noted. The name of the institution or publication should be included when listing creative materials prepared for a class or publication. An example of the portfolio list is below:
July 2008, A Day in the Life, digital video, 12 minutes. Position: writer/director. A documentary on a homeless Iraq vet who has lived on the streets since his return from the military. Created for senior-year multimedia term project, San Raphael High School, Miami, Florida.
March 2008, Doorways, a series of 5 black-and-white photographs. Position: photographer. "Second Prize Winner" in the Des Moines Sunday Journal photo contest.
February 2007, Cellomorphosis, short story. Position: writer. A variation on the novella by Franz Kafka; published in Writing, vol. IV, 2007, at Amherst College, Amherst, Massachusetts.
7. Letters of Recommendation
Three letters of recommendation are required. Undergraduate applicants should send the letters to the Undergraduate Film & Television Production Admission Committee at the appropriate address below. Graduate applicants must submit their letters through the university’s online application. Applicants are responsible for verifying that the letters have been received.
Undergraduates (Freshman and Transfer applicants)
Send the above materials—Cinematic Arts Supplemental Application Form, photocopy or printout of the USC admission application, Cinematic Arts personal statement, writing samples, portfolio list and letters of recommendation to:
USC Cinematic Arts Admission Office
Attn: Undergraduate Film & Television Production Program
University Park, CTV-G130
Los Angeles, CA 90089-2211
Graduates (M.F.A. applicants)
Submit the university application, Cinematic Arts personal statement, portfolio list and letters of recommendation online using the university’s online application.
Admission Checklist
Film & Television Production Division
USC Office of Admission
213.740.1111
•USC Application for Admission
•Official Transcripts
•TOEFL for international applicants
USC School of Cinematic Arts
Office of Admission
213.740.8358
•SCA Supplemental Application - Undergraduates
•Activity Summary - Transfers
•Copy of USC Application - Undergraduates
•Cinematic Arts Personal Statement
•Writing Sample
•Visual Sample
•Portfolio List
•Letters of Recommendation
