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University of Southern California
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Writing for Screen and Television

Bachelor of Fine Arts

The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Writing for Screen and Television is a unique, four-year program for students who seek intensive professional preparation for a career in screen and television writing. This rigorous program emphasizes small, workshop-style classes, and attracts students from all over the world. Students attend a variety of guest speaker presentations, take high level industry internships, are provided with mentors and taught by world-class professors.

Each fall, a class of 24 undergraduate writing students is selected to begin the program. A total of 128 units is required for completion of the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree; 72 of these units are taken in a prescribed sequential order. There are no spring admissions.

Applicants must submit supplemental application and materials to the program office. For specific instructions, contact Writing for Screen and Television, University Park, Los Angeles, CA 90089-2211 or telephone (213) 740-3303, or online at www-cntv.usc.edu.

General Education Requirements

The university's general education program provides a coherent, integrated introduction to the breadth of knowledge you will need to consider yourself (and to be considered by other people) a generally well-educated person. This program requires six courses in different categories, plus writing and diversity requirements, which are described in detail in the General Education Program section.

Required Production Courses

Undergraduate writing students are required to take CTPR 241 Fundamentals of Cinema Technique and CTPR 290 Cinematic Communication. These introductory production courses are taken concurrently during the junior year.

CTPR 241 is an experiential course dealing with the technical and aesthetic principles of directing, cinematography, editing and the development of ideas through a cinematic vocabulary.

In CTPR 290 students are taught the principles of filmmaking through demonstrations, hands-on production and critical analysis. Each student makes five digital video non-dialogue projects using equipment supplied by the school. Approximately $1,000 should be budgeted for miscellaneous expenses, lab and insurance fees.

Four-Year Major Requirements for the B.F.A. in Writing for Screen and Television

Year One, First SemesterUnits
CTWR 106aScreenwriting Fundamentals 4
4

Year One, Second SemesterUnits
CTCS 190Introduction to Cinema4
CTWR 105Non-Verbal Thinking: Visual and Aural2
CTWR 106bScreenwriting Fundamentals4
10

Year Two, First SemesterUnits
CTCS 200History of the International Cinema I 2
CTPR 318Acting Experience for Writers2
CTWR 206aWriting the Screenplay4
CTWR 213Content and Consciousness2
10

Year Two, Second SemesterUnits
CTCS 201History of the International Cinema II2
CTPR 241Fundamentals of Cinema Technique2
CTPR 290Cinematic Communication4
CTWR 206bWriting the Screenplay2
CTWR 215Practicum in Writing Short Films2
12

Year Three, First SemesterUnits
CTCS 464Film and/or Television Genres, or
CTCS 469Film and/or Television Style Analysis4
CTPR 319Directing for Writers: Pre-production2
CTWR 306aAdvanced Screenwriting4
CTWR 434Comedy Writing Genres2
12

Year Three, Second SemesterUnits
CTPR 301Creating the Non-Fiction Film4
CTWR 306bAdvanced Screenwriting2
CTWR 435Writing for Film and Television Genres2
8

Year Four, First SemesterUnits
CTWR 418aSenior Thesis4
CTWR 453Advanced Feature Rewriting4
CTWR 459aEntertainment Industry Seminar2
10

Year Four, Second SemesterUnits
CTWR 418bSenior Thesis4
CTPR 419Directing for Writers: Post-Production2
6

Electives

A minimum of 20 elective units is required.

Suggested electives in Cinema-Television include:

CTWR 430The Writer in American Cinema and Television2
CTWR 431Screenwriters and Their Work2
CTWR 433Adaptations: Transferring Existing Work to the Screen2
CTWR 434Comedy Writing Genres2
CTWR 435Writing for Television Genres2, max 8
CTWR 437Writing the Situation Comedy Pilot2

Grade Point Average Requirements

A minimum grade of C (2.0) must be earned in all required and prerequisite courses (a grade of C- (1.7) or lower will not fulfill a major requirement).

Master of Fine Arts

The Master of Fine Arts, with a major in Writing for Screen and Television, is an intensive two-year degree program which concentrates on writing for narrative film and television. During the course of their studies, students benefit from a wide array of internship and mentorship opportunities available as a result of the university's close links to the Los Angeles film industry's top screenwriters, directors, production companies and studios.

Course work includes practical instruction in everything a working writer needs to learn about the filmmaker's art and craft. Writing is taught in small workshop-style classes. The approach focuses on the visual tools of storytelling, developing stories from characters and then on an Aristotelian three act structure. Fractured narratives, ensemble stories, experiments with time and points of view, as well as other idiosyncratic styles of storytelling, are also addressed. The curriculum covers other professional concerns, including legal issues, agents and the Writer's Guild, as well as the history and analysis of cinema. Classes are taught by working writers with a wide variety of skills, experience and attitudes.

Each fall 32 students are selected to begin the Graduate Writing for Screen and Television Program; there are no spring admissions. Applicants must submit a supplemental application and materials to the Graduate Writing for Screen and Television Program. For specific instructions, contact the Graduate Writing for Screen and Television Program, University Park, Los Angeles, CA 90089-2211, or telephone (213) 740-3303, or online at www-cntv.usc.edu.

A total of 44-46 units in cinema-television at the 400 and 500 level is required. Course work includes hands-on instruction in production, acting and directing.

Graduate Production Preparation Course

CTPR 521x Filmic Communication is taken in the first semester. This course reviews the basic aspects of filmmaking through lectures and hands-on production using digital video. A minimum grade of B (3.0) is required in CTPR 521x in order for a student to continue in the Master of Fine Arts in Writing for Screen and Television program.

Course Requirements

Year One, First SemesterUnits
CTWR 513Writing the Short Script2
CTWR 514aBasic Dramatic Screenwriting2
CTPR 521xFilmic Communication2
CTWR 572Practicum in Directing Actors for Film2
8

Year One, Second SemesterUnits
CTWR 434Comedy Writing Genres, or
CTWR 437Writing the Situation Comedy Pilot2
CTWR 514bBasic Dramatic Screenwriting2
CTWR 516Advanced Motion Picture Script Analysis2
6

Year Two, First SemesterUnits
CTWR 435Writing for Film and Television Genres2
CTWR 459aEntertainment Industry Seminar2
CTWR 515aPracticum in Screenwriting4
CTPR 575Directing for Scriptwriters2
10

Year Two, Second SemesterUnits
CTWR 459bEntertainment Industry Seminar2
CTWR 515bPracticum in Screenwriting4
CTPR 536Editing for Scriptwriters2
8

Total: 46 units required for the degree. Only two writing courses can be taken per semester.

CNTV Electives
A minimum of 14 elective units at the 400 and 500 level is required, determined by which options the student selected.

Electives
3 courses must be selected from the following:
CTCS 464Film and/or Television Genres4
CTCS 469Film and/or Television Style Analysis4
CTCS 501History of the International Cinema Before World War II2
CTCS 502History of the International Cinema After World War II2
CTCS 503Survey History of the American Sound Film2
CTCS 504Television, New Media and Culture2
CTCS 505Survey of Interactive Media2

Grade Point Average Requirement

An overall grade point average of 3.0 (A = 4.0) must be maintained in all courses. In addition, an overall grade point average of 3.0 in all units attempted is required to qualify for registration in CTWR 515ab. Courses in which a grade of C- (1.7) or lower is earned will not apply toward a graduate degree.

In lieu of a thesis, the student is required to complete a full-length screenplay which will be developed in CTWR 515ab and must be accepted by the Division of Writing Graduation Committee.

Time Limit

Students must maintain satisfactory progress toward their master's degrees at all times. The time limit to complete all requirements is three years from the first course at USC applied toward the Master of Fine Arts degree. Course work more than seven years old is automatically invalidated and may not be applied toward the degree.