<p>Yes, SC is expensive. However, the vast majority of students there receive financial aid. In the class just entered 24% received a scholarship and over 60% qualified for financial assistance.</p>
<p>There are individuals from various backgrounds who have become screenwriters. The USC program has a long history of producing noted screenwriters… Here is just a sample: (For brevity not all films/shows are listed.)</p>
<p>In no order…</p>
<p>Matthew Weiner/Sopranos</p>
<p>Shonda Rhimes/Grey’s Anatomy</p>
<p>Josh Schwartz/Chuck, The OC</p>
<p>Andrew Marlowe/Air Force One</p>
<p>John Singleton/Boys N’ The Hood</p>
<p>Jamie Vanderbilt/Basic</p>
<p>David Veloz/Natural Born Killers</p>
<p>Matthew Ryan Hodge/United States of Leland</p>
<p>Jeff Davis/Quantico</p>
<p>Brian Peterson and Kelly Saunders/Smallville</p>
<p>Steven Chbosky/Rent, Jericho</p>
<p>Willard Huyck/American Graffiti</p>
<p>David Klass/Walking Tall</p>
<p>Lisa Parsons/Arrested Development</p>
<p>Brad Riddell/American Pie, Band Camp</p>
<p>Robert Rodat/Saving Private Ryan</p>
<p>Aaron Thomas/Friday Night Lights</p>
<p>Judd Apatow/The Cable Guy, This Is 40, Funny People</p>
<p>John Milius/Apocalypse Now</p>
<p>Isn’t Woody Allen 108 years old?
Sorry if I wasn’t clear, the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s is when those multiple Oscar nominee screenwriters were winning those awards. In this era the vast majority of writers went to college to start honing their craft. Georgia Girl’s list is typical of many top Universities. No doubt the internet and film technology are changing things, but it doesn’t negate the need to become educated.<br>
Cheap DSLR’s are not how films are made in the industry, they are still expensive. D made two thesis films at LMU, worked on dozens of other students. None of them were cheap, and without the resources of the University would have been out of reach financially. It takes deep pockets to make films, and then marketing them, plus a little luck to go with talent. It has the potential to be a heartbreaking business, similar in many ways to music. Get the skills for a decent day job, and don’t be in massive debt when you graduate.
Or be the child of someone who has already made it to get your connections.</p>
<p>jtmoney, you are right on the money, no pun intended, with your comment about getting skills for a decent day job. My daughter is a sophomore screenwriting major at SC and understands that no one is going to hire her with a screenwriting degree. But by the time she graduates she will have taken courses and gained work experience that will help her get a job to pay the rent until she writes the next Breaking Bad. </p>
<p>Woody Allen and Quentin Tarantino were winning awards in the 40’s? Wow they look good for their age</p>