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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 26 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; 70 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 cinema.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 together comprise the USC Core. See here and here for more information.

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 sophomore 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 106bScreenwriting Fundamentals4
8

Year Two, First SemesterUnits
CTPR 318Acting Experience for Writers2
CTWR 206aWriting the Screenplay4
6

Year Two, Second SemesterUnits
CTCS 201History of the
International Cinema II4
CTPR 241Fundamentals of Cinema Technique2
CTPR 290Cinematic Communication4
CTWR 206bWriting the Screenplay2
CTWR 215Practicum in Writing Short Films2
14

Year Three, First SemesterUnits
CTCS 464Film and/or Television Genres, or
CTCS 469Film and/or Television Style Analysis4
CTPR 301Creating the Non-Fiction Film4
CTWR 305Advanced Screenwriting: The Relationship Screenplay4
CTWR 434Comedy Writing Genres2
14

Year Three, Second SemesterUnits
CTPR 319Directing for Writers: Fundamentals2
CTWR 306Advanced Screenwriting: Alternative Narrative4
CTWR 421 Writing the Hour-Long Dramatic Series 2
8

Year Four, First Semester Units
CTPR 419 Directing for Writers: Intermediate, or
CTPR 436 Editing for Writers 2
CTWR 418a Senior Thesis 4
CTWR 453 Advanced Feature Rewriting 4
CTWR 459a Entertainment Industry Seminar 2
12

Year Four, Second SemesterUnits
CTWR 418bSenior Thesis4
4

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 435Writing for Television Genres2 or 4, max 8
CTWR 437Writing the Situation Comedy Pilot2
CTWR 439Writing the Original Dramatic Series Pilot4, max 8

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 approaches.

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 cinema.usc.edu.

A total of 44 units is required. A minimum of 22 units must be 500-level or above. Course work includes hands-on instruction in production, acting and directing.

Graduate Production Preparation Course

CTPR 507 Production I, is taken in the first semester. This course covers the basic aspects of filmmaking through lectures and hands-on production using digital video.

CTPR 507 Production I (4 units), which brings together students from other CNTV divisions, introduces the fundamental principles of motion picture production, emphasizing visual and auditory communication. Each student makes several non-dialogue personal projects, serving as writer, producer, director, cinematographer, sound designer and editor, and takes a crew role on a collaborative project. Projects are shot using digital cameras and edited on non-linear systems. Approximately $1,200 should be budgeted for miscellaneous expenses, lab and insurance fees.

Course Requirements

Year One, First SemesterUnits
CTPR 507Production I4
CTWR 513Writing the Short Script2
CTWR 514aBasic Dramatic Screenwriting2
CTWR 572Practicum in Directing Actors for Film2
10

Year One, Second Semester Units
CTPR 536 Editing for Scriptwriters 2
CTWR 421 Writing the Hour-Long Dramatic Series, or
CTWR 434Comedy Writing Genres2
CTWR 514bBasic Dramatic Screenwriting2
CTWR 516Advanced Motion Picture Script Analysis2
8

Year Two, First SemesterUnits
CTWR 459aEntertainment Industry Seminar2
CTWR 515aPracticum in Screenwriting4
6

Year Two, Second SemesterUnits
CTWR 515bPracticum in Screenwriting4
4

Total: 44 units required for the degree. Only two writing courses can be taken per semester.

Electives
Students may choose from the following electives to complete their degree along with the required courses and 6 units from the critical studies list of electives. Electives outside of CNTV are available with departmental approval.

Courses listed as writing electives are considered heavy writing classes and are subject to the two writing classes per semester rule.

ELECTIVESUNITS
CTAN 436Writing for Animation2
CTAN 448Introduction to Film Graphics Animation4
CTIN 458Business and Management of Games2
CTIN 483Programming for Interactivity4
CTIN 488Game Design Workshop4
CTIN 558Business of Interactive Media2
CTPR 479Single Camera Television Dramatic Pilot2
CTPR 486Single Camera Television Dramatic Series4
CTPR 506Visual Expression2
CTPR 575Directing for Scriptwriters2
CTWR 410LCharacter Development and Storytelling for Games4
CTWR 430The Writer in American Cinema and Television2
CTWR 431Screenwriters and Their Work2
CTWR 433Adaptations: Transferring Existing Work to the Screen2
CTWR 441Writing Workshop in Creativity and Imagination2
CTWR 499Special Topics2-4
CTWR 518Introduction to Interactive Writing2
CTWR 541Writing from the Unconscious2
CTWR 574Advanced Seminar in Directing Actors for Film2
CTWR 599Special Topics2-4

WRITING ELECTIVESUNITS
CTWR 435Writing for Film and Television Genres2 or 4, max 8
CTWR 437Writing the Situation Comedy Pilot2
CTWR 439Writing the Original Dramatic Series Pilot4, max 8
CTWR 453Advanced Feature Rewriting4
CTWR 520Advanced Scene Writing Workshop2
CTWR 553Advanced Screenwriting4
CTWR 577abIntermediate Screenwriting Workshop2-4, 2-4

CTCS courses (6 units required)units
CTCS 464Film and/or Television Genres4
CTCS 469Film and/or Television Style Analysis 4
CTCS 501History of Global Cinema Before World War II2
CTCS 502History of Global Cinema After World War II2
CTCS 503Survey History of the United States Sound Film2
CTCS 504Survey of Television History2
CTCS 505Survey of Interactive Media2
CTCS 510Case Studies in National Media and/or Regional Media4
CTCS 511Seminar: Non-Fiction Film/Video4
CTCS 518Seminar: Avant-Garde Film/Video4
CTCS 564Seminar in Film and Television Genres4
CTCS 569Seminar in Film and Television Authors4
CTCS 587Seminar in Television Theory4

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.

Writing for Screen and Television Certificate

The Writing for Screen and Television Certificate is awarded for one year of study.

Applicants must be recognized writers outside of the field of screenwriting.

The course of study is no less than 16 units total, over two semesters. Writers, both U.S. and international, should appeal directly to the chair for admission in the fall semester.

Admission is granted to only one or two scholars a year, and is of the highest selectivity. Applicants must have earned an undergraduate degree with at least a 3.0 GPA. Additionally, candidates must show compelling reason for not applying to a formal degree program.

The general course of study is as follows:

first semesterunits
CTWR 513Writing the Short Script2
CTWR 514aBasic Dramatic Screenwriting, or2
CTWR 515aPracticum in Screenwriting4
CTWR 516Advanced Motion Picture Script Analysis2
CTWR 572Practicum in Directing Actors for Film2
8

Second semesterunits
CTPR 536Editing for Scriptwriters2
CTWR 514bBasic Dramatic Screenwriting, or2
CTWR 515bPracticum in Screenwriting4
CTWR electives2-6
8