Bachelor of Fine Arts

The philosophy of the Filmic Writing Program, a degree program for screen and television writing, is that the writer has the original vision; that the art of film is most fully realized through a blending of film form and film content; and that the script needs to embody this unity of form and content.

Each fall (there are no spring admissions), a class of 24 undergraduate writing students is selected to begin the program. The students move from writing synopses and treatments to full-length screenplays and documentaries and from experimentation with non-verbal communication to integrating complex visual designs into advanced projects. A total of 128 units is required for completion of the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree; 68 of these units are taken in a prescribed sequential order. Students work with writing faculty as well as with professional writers from the film and television industries.

Applicants must submit supplemental application materials to the Filmic Writing Program. For specific instructions, contact the Filmic Writing Program, University Park, Los Angeles, CA 90089-2211 or telephone (213) 740-3303, web page: http://cinema-tv.usc.edu.

General Education Requirements

As of fall 1997, the university has instituted a new general education program, designed to be a simpler, more coherent and more integrated introduction to the breadth of knowledge outside the major discipline which is expected of every undergraduate who receives a degree from USC. This new program requires six courses in different categories, plus writing and diversity requirements, which are described in detail here.

All students who (1) enter the School of Cinema-Television as freshmen in the summer of 1997 or later; or (2) begin college elsewhere in the summer of 1997 or later; or (3) began college earlier but transfer to USC in the summer of 2000 or later must satisfy the requirements of the new general education program. Other students whose schedules permit are encouraged to follow the new program as well. However, continuing and transfer students in the fall of 1997 may elect to satisfy a "transitional" plan instead.

Required Production Course

Undergraduate writing students are required to take CTPR 290 Visual Communication. This is an introductory production course which must be taken during the sophomore year.

In CTPR 290 students are taught the principles of filmmaking through lectures and hands-on production. Each student makes five Super 8mm non-dialogue films using his or her own equipment. At minimum, a Super 8 camera, projector, tripod, viewer and splicer will be needed, plus substantial funds for film and processing (approximately $800). A tape recorder is also useful.

Four-Year Major Requirements for the B.F.A. in Filmic Writing

Year One, First Semester		Units
CTWR 106a	Filmic Writing I	4
CTCS 190	Introduction to Cinema	4
		____
		8
Year One, Second Semester		Units
CTWR 105	Non-Verbal Thinking: Visual and Aural	2
CTWR 106b	Filmic Writing I	4
		____
		6
Year Two, First Semester		Units
AHIS 123x	Introduction to Art History: Form, Culture and Communication	4
CTCS 200	History of the International Cinema I	2
CTWR 206a	Filmic Writing II	4
CTWR 213	Content and Consciousness	2
CTWR 319	Directing for Writers: Pre-production	2
		____
		14
Year Two, Second Semester		Units
CTCS 201	History of the International Cinema II	2
CTWR 206b	Filmic Writing II	2
CTWR 215	Practicum in Writing Short Films	2
CTPR 290	Visual Communication	4
		____
		10
Year Three, First Semester		Units
CTWR 306a	Filmic Writing III	4
CTWR 318	Acting Experience for Writers	2
CTWR 419	Directing for Writers: Post-production	2
CTCS 367	Film and the Other Arts, or
CTCS 464	Film Genres	4
		____
		12
Year Three, Second Semester		Units
CTWR 205	Introduction to Filmic Design	4
CTWR 306b	Filmic Writing III	2
CTWR 316	The Affective Domain	2
		____
		8
Year Four, First Semester		Units
CTWR 301	Creating the Non-Fiction Film	4
CTWR 418a	Filmic Writing Senior Thesis	4
		____
		8
Year Four, Second Semester		Units
CTWR 418b	Filmic Writing Senior Thesis	4
CTWR 432	Practicum in Writing and the Media	2
		____
		6

Electives

A minimum of 20 elective units is required. Suggested electives in Cinema-Television include:

CTWR 430	The Writer in American Cinema and Television	2
CTWR 431	Screenwriters and Their Work	2
CTWR 433	Adaptations: Transferring Existing Work to the Screen	2
CTWR 434	Comedy Writing	2
CTWR 435	Writing for Film and Television Genres	2, 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- or lower will not fulfill a major requirement).

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