collageIf you’re interested in going into the entertainment industry in any capacity, be it directing, writing, producing, animation, editing, or otherwise, you should consider attending film school. I wrote this article to share my knowledge as a USC film school alum and to help you get accepted to film school as well!
My Film Background and Experience
I graduated from the film school that was voted the #1 US film school for the sixth year in a row by The Hollywood Reporter: University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts. My major was Film & Television Production (a program with a 3% admission rate).
In addition to being accepted into a top US film school, I received a full-tuition merit scholarship to USC. During my senior year, I was asked to serve as the student representative in scholarship interviews for the film school, so I have experience reading and analyzing applications with other representatives of USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. I was able to identify the qualities of a good and bad application and will share those with you below.
What Do You Need to Apply to Film School?
Each film school has its own application process. To find the application requirements for the film school you’re applying to, simply search for “[College Name] film program application requirements” on Google. Here’s an example:
The conservatory style schools (e.g., AFI) only require one application, while film schools based at four-year universities (e.g., USC and NYU) typically require two applications: the application to the overall university (usually the Common Application) and the supplementary application to the film school.
I won’t get into the nitty-gritty of how to write the best general application (for more on that, check out our guide to building a versatile college application). This application is still important, though, because you won’t be admitted to a college’s film program if your test scores, transcript, letters of recommendation, and other materials are not impressive enough.
Instead, I’ll be talking about the supplementary application specifically (the only application for conservatory schools), and I’ll be using USC’s as my example as I’m sure many of you who are reading this will be applying there. Even if you aren’t applying to USC, its application is pretty much the standard film school application.
For USC’s film application, you’ll need the following materials:
- Cinematic Arts Personal Statement
- Writing Sample (A or B or C)
- Visual Sample (Video or Photo Option)
- Creative Portfolio List
- Letters of Recommendation (3)*
*These can be the same ones submitted for the Common Application and are no different from letters of recommendation for any college application.
I’ll go into detail for each of the components below (excluding the letters of recommendation since these are just your typical letters).
#1: Cinematic Arts Personal Statement
One part of the USC film school application is the personal statement. Here is how USC describes this component (all bold emphasis mine):
The personal statement will be read by the Film & Television Production Admission Committee as a measure of creativity, self-awareness and vision. We are looking for a sense of you as a unique individual and how your distinctive experiences, characteristics, background, values and/or views of the world have shaped who you are and what you want to say as a creative filmmaker. We want to know about the kind of stories you want to tell. Bear in mind that enthusiasm for watching films, descriptions of your favorite films and the involvement in the filmmaking process is common in most candidates. As a result, we encourage that you focus on your individuality. Note that there is no standard format or correct answer. (1,000 words or less)
2: Writing Sample for Film School
The writing sample provides you with another opportunity to reveal what kind of storyteller you’d like to be. According to USC, your writing sample can be one of three options:
- A dialogue scene between two people. Provide a one-paragraph introduction describing the two characters in screenplay format. (no more than three pages)
- A description of 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)
- Describe a concept for a feature-length movie, fiction or documentary, which you would like to develop. (no more than two pages)
I recommend option 2 or 3. You can attempt option 1 if you want, but I think it’s the most difficult of the three to write well. I chose option 3, which I believe is the easiest option. Only submit option 2 if you feel very confident about your dialogue (i.e., that it sounds realistic and not cheesy) and scene structure (i.e., that it has a clear beginning, middle, and end).
Regardless of the option you choose, you need to show a side of yourself that is different from what you show in your personal statement. For example, if your personal statement discusses how you watched Jurassic Park in the hospital with your grandmother and how passionate you are about Spielberg, it’s best not to write a dialogue scene between a boy and his new alien friend (for the youngins who might not get this reference, in Spielberg’s E.T. a boy befriends an alien). In other words, you need to prove that you don’t just want to become a Spielberg copy.
The key here is to exhibit diversity and openness in your application (particularly in your personal statement, writing sample, and video sample). USC doesn’t want fully formed artists who will only make documentaries about one topic and who refuse to tell any other stories; rather, USC wants students who will learn from others and can be shaped into effective storytellers.
Usc Film School Acceptance Rate
According to the FilmSchool.org application tracker the usc film school acceptance rate is 30% (48 out of 161 applications) and the lowest reported accepted GPA to the USC Directing/Film Production MFA is 3.0.
USC – Directing/Film Production
- FilmSchool.org USC Acceptance Rate: 30% (48 out of 161 applications)
- Lowest Reported Minimum GPA: 3.0
- Earliest Interview Notification Date: January 3
- Earliest Interview Date: January 18
- Earliest Decision Date: January 25
USC – Peter Stark Producing Program
- FilmSchool.org USC Acceptance Rate: 26% (22 out of 86 applications)
- Lowest Reported Minimum GPA: 3.39
- Earliest Interview Notification Date: January 11
- Earliest Interview Date: January 19
- Earliest Decision Date: February 16
USC – Writing for Screen and TV
- FilmSchool.org USC Acceptance Rate: 23% (30 out of 128 applications)
- Lowest Reported Minimum GPA: 2.9
- Earliest Interview Notification Date: February 23
- Earliest Interview Date: February 25
- Earliest Decision Date: February 20
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