<p>Basically CTCS is A LOT of essay writing and a LOT of critical (obviously) thinking in which you have to make a lot of assumptions about a filmmaker’s intent, an actor’s intent, etc. It depends on the class and/or the assignment. One CTCS paper I wrote (freshman year, I think) had to interpret visual motifs and techniques of a film ONLY; one I wrote senior year was more open ended where I discussed two punk rock documentaries. I actually really like the open endedness of CTCS.</p>
<p>Some CTCS students go on to pursue a life of academia by enrolling in MA or PhD program related to their intended focus. (One kid I knew really liked Asian Cinema and is not getting his PhD in East Asian Studies after getting a CTCS BA.) The other half goes on to pursue industry jobs. I may have mentioned it in the other threads, but all the CTCS kids I know who pursued jobs and not more school all got really AWESOME industry jobs. I attribute this to the fact that CTCS kids are allowed that more well-rounded education and are free to double major (highly recommended!) or minor, whereas it’s a bit harder to double major in Production (doable) or WST (not allowed by the advisor).</p>
<p>Thanks so much for all the help. You’re wonderful, truly I certainly don’t plan on taking the “academia” route, my dream is to work at Pixar. I don’t even care what my job is, I will deliver mail or wash cars. Honestly. Haha. I also really would like to double major in Public Relations so I’m very happy to hear Critical Studies makes it easy to do so. My high school actually has a class called “Film as Literature” where we basically do everything you are stating in terms of film analysis. Motifs, themes, symbols, how the camera angle dictates the audience’s thoughts, etc etc. I’m so glad to hear this class might come in handy. Thanks again!</p>
<p>P.S can you offer any specific examples of these “awesome” jobs that Crit. Studies students got in the industry after graduation? Just curious.</p>
<p>Working as assistants at production houses, working at major studios, working as agent assistants, productions coordinators – mostly entry level but really desirable industry positions.</p>
<p>avesnicole - I’ll second what zelda says about there being many opportunities for Crit Studies majors to explore all areas of production. My son is a crit studies major, but has taken advantage of many grad level courses in cinematography, special effects, etc. He made a huge point of volunteering to work on as many films as possible - grad students are always looking for crew, and once you’re known as a reliable person who can do what needs to be done, you tend to stay really busy. He thought about trying to transfer to production but decided against it, despite strong support from a prof who would have helped him. He liked the balance of analysis and practice, and feels that learning the theory will ultimately help him be a better film-maker. He also picked up a minor in a completely unrelated field, and is happy with the variety.</p>
<p>FauxNom, Thanks so much. I love to hear about all the grad student film volunteer opportunities and that your son was able to take great production classes. All this info makes me even more excited than I already was for the fall!</p>
<p>I’ve just been admitted as a WST major and wanted to know the difficulty of the workload, and is it possible to get a job and balance school at the same time? Thanks.</p>
<p>What kind of job are we talking about? I will let you know, though, that since you will be taking AT LEAST 16 units a semester (sometimes 18, if not more) because of the BFA requirements and USC’s own GE requirements, it’s hard to have a job or internship that is more than 15 hours a week, especially in your first year. </p>
<p>When you’re a sophomore/junior/senior, you may have classes only 2-4 days a week. (But second semester sophomore year…don’t get a job. 290 will be your job.)</p>
<p>Well I was thinking of “job” more on the lines of working at a restaurant or something. I’ll need the extra cash, but wasn’t sure about how many hours of homework I’ll have each night. Can you givce me a rough estimate? Also, is the homework just writing? ANd are there tests? (sorry, I’ve just got so many questions!)</p>
<p>I got in!
Unbelievably happy. Running around screaming!
I never got my letter in the mail though, it must have gotten lost or something! But I got an email from the Director of Student Services congratulating Fall 2011 SCA Freshman and inviting us to the facebook group!
Did this happen to anyone else?</p>
<p>First of all, you won’t want to work in a restaurant or anywhere not on/far from campus that isn’t an internship because you won’t have the time for commuting and the odd hours something like a retail or restaurant job would bring. There are plenty of on campus jobs – from working at the bookstore, driving the Campus Cruisers or being an office assistant. The hours on these are usually flexible and it’s much easier to, for example, go to your 9am class and then walk 5 mins away to your job at 2pm. There are on-campus job fairs in the fall and spring for these types of positions. </p>
<p>Homework…depends on who your professor is, how quickly you plan/write and honestly how much time you are willing to put into the assignment. (I’m assuming you’re talking about WST homework only and not GEs/other SCA classes.) The amount of “homework” changes with every semester. Freshman year, you’re writing only scenes; senior year, you might have to write 50 pages in a week. (Honestly, not as hard as it sounds; remember – screenplays are spaced differently!)</p>
<p>The thing that you SHOULD start doing in your first year is working on budgeting your time and figuring out at what time of day you write best. Creative writing is a lot different than essay writing and, let’s be real – sometimes you aren’t motivated or inspired at certain times of the day, and it’s not something you can really “force.” I am (and always have been) a late night writer, working best from 9pm-3am; a girl in the program I knew was an early morning writer and would wake up at 5am to write before class at 10am. Try to figure this out as soon as possible, because then you can plan your socialization and other homework around it.</p>
<p>There are no “tests” in your actual screenwriting classes – but you will get tests in CTCS classes, production classes and GEs. (Actually, some upper-level WST classes have “tests,” but they’re more analyzing scripts in take-home essays…)</p>
<p>If you’re worried about the homework being just writing…You need to ask yourself why you want to even be there! I was STOKED that my only homework was writing – but that DOESN’T MEAN IT’S EASY. In fact, it’s HARD. It’s not something I can really explain, but…it is sometimes hard to work on deadlines and manage to turn something in when you’re not inspired. The mark between someone who will do well in the program compared to someone who will fail is if they can effectively keep their voice and ideas intact while considering/applying criticism from peers/professors AND (even if you don’t feel it’s your best work) managing to turn in pages and getting out as much as you can before the next class session. (This applies more in your junior and senior years, really…)</p>
<p>A story: A girl in my year was so concerned about being an “authentic” writer that, if she didn’t “feel” her work, she wouldn’t turn in pages. EVER. Our senior year in thesis class, she came to class ONCE in the entire semester (JANUARY TO MAY!) with pages for us to read. (And it was only like…15 pages of writing.) She would tell us that the work wasn’t ready for people to read (SORRY, IT ALWAYS HAS TO BE READY!) and that she “wasn’t inspired” that week – basically BS after BS after BS.</p>
<p>Needless to say, she flunked out in our senior year and is currently still at school fulfilling her requirements. Because she was so caught up in herself, she had to stay an extra year. A FULL YEAR. </p>
<p>Now, she had a lot of other issues, too – but the moral of the story is ALWAYS try to turn in something (even if its just a few scenes), value the input of your teacher and peers (because they’re there to help!) and try not to get caught up in the flouncy foo-foo “artist” mindset. Screenwriting (as opposed to general fiction writing) is a BUSINESS and you will be expected to treat it as such. If you can’t perform and turn in work on time, you will fail. Miserably.</p>
<p>Phew. Sorry if this doesn’t make sense or is rambling. I’m waiting for a cab to take me to the airport!</p>
I certainly don’t plan on taking the “academia” route, my dream is to work at Pixar. I don’t even care what my job is, I will deliver mail or wash cars. Honestly. Haha. I also really would like to double major in Public Relations so I’m very happy to hear Critical Studies makes it easy to do so. My high school actually has a class called “Film as Literature” where we basically do everything you are stating in terms of film analysis. Motifs, themes, symbols, how the camera angle dictates the audience’s thoughts, etc etc. I’m so glad to hear this class might come in handy. Thanks again!</p>