<p>@Manymade1 What part of the application is that for? You have to write two 2-5 page screenplays, and give a 10 page sample. For the portfolio list, I emailed SCA and they said it should only be a list, so you shouldn’t give any extra samples. For example, if you’ve written a screenplay, you should simply state its title, how long it is, etc. They said that if you send them the actual material, they will disregard it and only look at the titles and such. They also said it shouldn’t be longer than 20 pages, but a 20 page portfolio list is also rare. I have seen other people on CC who said they had sent some of their work too, although I don’t know if it is worth it.</p>
<p>@ LayraSparks</p>
<p>I had already completed the two 2 - 5 scripts. I was actually planning on putting the screenplay as an extra. If I was to send them a script though, they would just disregard it?</p>
<p>@Manymade1 That’s what they told me. You can send it if you want to, though, it’s just that they’re not likely to read it, so why put in all the effort? Yet anything can happen and you might get lucky, so go ahead if you want to. Just don’t make it longer than 20 pages.</p>
<p>@ Layra</p>
<p>Thing about it is it was suppose to be a full 90-120 page screenplay, but if that’s the case I’ll most likely make a beat sheet breaking down all the scenes. Something that shouldn’t take up more than 4 pages.</p>
<p>@Manymade1 Yeah, that seems fine. Though you can always email them and ask. I think they were closed last week, but are back this week, so you could get a quick reply. I’m also writing to SCA actually, for other reasons, so I can ask them again. Maybe they’ll answer something different this time (although I don’t think they will).
Good luck!</p>
<p>@moyera I’m actually done with that, can I help you in any way?</p>
<p>I am a rising senior in high school and want to attend USC’s SCA Film & TV program. Here are my credentials:</p>
<ul>
<li>3.8 GPA</li>
<li>29 on the ACT (going to be taking the test two more times, though)</li>
<li>Will have taken 4 AP courses throughout high school and 1 Honors course</li>
<li>Vast amount of awards/recognition (some being in film and photography) throughout high school</li>
<li>Very knowledgeable about directing and editing since I have made films throughout high school.</li>
<li>Internship (2013 Summer)</li>
<li>Helped out with a professional short film (2013 Summer)</li>
<li>Enrolled in film program (2012 Summer)</li>
<li>Involved in a good amount of extra-curriculars: clubs, community service, sports</li>
</ul>
<p>I may be forgetting something, but this list is a good starter list.</p>
<p>I am extremely passionate about film and will do whatever it takes for success.</p>
<p>If I have a good application, do you think I have a good chance? What would you say is the most important aspect of the USC’s SCA TV & Film application?</p>
<p>I would appreciate any other comments about this program (or even USC’s BCA program - Business and Cinematic Arts joint program).</p>
<p>Thanks so much.</p>
<p>@LookingUp8</p>
<p>You’ve posted this question (verbatim) on three different threads. (for the record, I think “chance me” requests are fraught with wild speculation and leave a lot of applicants disappointed come springtime).</p>
<p>You received a thoughtful and comprehensive answer to your question on the “Questions for Seniors and Grads” thread. Madbean did a very good job of describing the process.</p>
<p>But I’ll tell what i wrote on a chance me thread somewhere else - people “might” be able to tell you if you’re in the ballpark, but they can’t tell you if you’re going to get a spot. SCA is taking like 4% of their applicants and no waitlists from what I can tell (although I might be wrong). So what are the odds you will be chosen? Not great. But since the whole thing is portfolio and essay based, those are things YOU can control.</p>
<p>So go back and read Madbean’s answer. And then realize, it doesn’t matter how good you are or what “projects” you did. Ultimately SCA will be looking for something you can’t predict and they’re turning down a lot of qualified kids. Even those who are accepted into SCA can’t predict who SCA is going to choose from year to year. After talking to admissions I’ve found them to be surprisingly “agile” in that regard.</p>
<p>SO… Just do your best and hope for the best. But Madbean did a fabulous job spelling out the process here in response #6: </p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-southern-california/1525210-cinematic-arts-question-seniors-grads.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-southern-california/1525210-cinematic-arts-question-seniors-grads.html</a></p>
<p>Hello all, SCA hopefuls, I just wanted to throw out that I (as an admitted animation major) am willing to answer any questions you have about the application process–I know I was super flustered during the whole thing, due to in part the lack of quality portfolios (at least those I could access online) and would be fine with helping those who need it. Just as a heads up, I did not accept my place in animation, which may be helpful to those of you who need a somewhat more unbiased comment here or there. :)</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Hi melonpanman,
we don’t have anyone applying to animation on this thread yet, but it’s still quite early…
Could you maybe describe what you wrote in the personal statement, just in general? I’ve asked others about this, and everyone says something different, as on what to put in it. Was it related to any experience with animation, or what you wanted to do at USC & why you picked that field, or was it more of general statement.
Also, would you mind telling us why you didn’t go after all? I heard animation only accepts 10-20 people, so it’s quite difficult to get in. Or is there a better school to study animation? I’m actually quite interested.
Anyway, thanks for posting on this thread, we are quite a bit stressed out here (at least I am). :)</p>
<p>Do you mean the general supplement for USC or the personal statement required for all SCA applications?</p>
<p>Sorry, I meant the SCA personal statement.</p>
<p>Similarly to Melon, I’ve been admitted to SCA (in Writing for Screen and Television) and remember this process very well. I also applied to NYU and was accepted into film production, there. I’d love to answer any questions or talk with you if you’re debating between schools; I did a lot of research and would love to help you out.</p>
<p>General comment(s): enjoy the application. As soon as I stopped stressing out about it and just started thinking of it as practice for school and my career later, it became so much easier. </p>
<p>Also, go with your gut. I ended up re-writing my Autobiographical Character Sketch the night before the application was due because it just didn’t feel right. If I hadn’t, I don’t think I would have gotten in.</p>
<p>So fun to see you guys excited for film :)</p>
<p>@hrabbit </p>
<p>Can you tell us a bit more? </p>
<p>How long did you spend on the application? </p>
<p>What was your strongest part? </p>
<p>What did you write about?</p>
<p>I have two questions …
- What is harder to get into for undergraduate: film production or screenwriting?
- For the personal statement for film production, I feel that I could go on forever and exceed the 1000 word limit easily. What topics should you focus on?</p>
<p>@Dreaming:
- Of course!</p>
<ol>
<li><p>From beginning to end, I spent about a year and a half on it–which sounds insane, but stick with me. I started working on my creative supplements the summer before (2011) because that’s when I knew for sure that I didn’t want to go anywhere else. They didn’t change a whole lot after I initially finished them that summer. I had at least a rough draft of all of my essays and samples by the end of October and spent November editing them. I also had friends and family look over my app, too, to make sure that everything was clear. Clarity is good, and so is peer editing. I submitted it the day before it was due.</p></li>
<li><p>I thought that the strongest parts for me were Creative Challenge B, my writing sample, and my autobiographical character sketch. It SHOULD be different for other people, and obviously you should try and make your entire application strong.</p></li>
<li><p>I asked this question on one of my visits to USC, and our tour guide–who was a faculty member at SCA–replied, “It’s about originality.” In the vaguest of terms, because I don’t want to potentially taint your work or have a plagiarism situation, I wrote about prostitution, superheroes and a school bombing. In the end it doesn’t matter about other applications, it matters about yours. If you’ve seen your idea in a movie, book, or play, don’t do it. Originality is key.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>@Platinum
- They didn’t tell us acceptance rates by program, but overall acceptance to SCA was 5%. Production accepts about 50 students whereas WST accepts about 26 (I think our class has 27); however, more people apply to production than to WST. Apply to whichever one you’re more passionate about. </p>
<ol>
<li>Sorry, I can’t really speak to the film production personal statement. Maybe just write out all that you can and edit down from there.</li>
</ol>
<p>Hope this helps!</p>
<p>@LayraSparks: Hello! Sorry for taking so long to reply, CC doesn’t have a good reply format. The animation people of SCA seem to be quite sparse on the internet, or at least compared to the CalArts people; but then again, it’s CalArts, haha.</p>
<p>Moving along, I wrote about why I wanted to go into animation in my personal statement-- how I got into the art field to begin with, in what I felt showed my personality and such to the reader. When I write, I don’t think too much about getting something-- I try to make what I write like my art, (hopefully) enjoyable and/or interesting to read. Without going into too much detail, I feel that it doesn’t really matter what you write about, just make it interesting and somewhat reflective of you, rather than what you did–for instance, though I wrote about my experience in CSSSA (CA State Summer school for the arts, which I recommend to anyone who’s interested in any sort of art, including writing and film and such), I emphasized my struggles, but why I ultimately loved it and how I continued into animation. ((sounds boring, sorry, haha))</p>
<p>As for why I didn’t go, it was for a multitude of reasons, but ultimately, it was because of financial issues, as well as school issues–USC would put me in a number debt over six digits, and meeting with the faculty and seeing the student work ultimately led me to decide that USC’s animation programme and aesthetic was really not what I wanted to work towards as an animator. (The fact that they are located in SoCal and have mostly connections with Dreamworks, rather than Pixar also served to deter me further) I would also be working towards a BA, not a BFA, and since I have little formal experience in animation I really wanted to immerse myself in the arts. </p>
<p>All in all, most of the problems I had with the school were quite small, (and somewhat animation specific, sorry) but added up, I could not reconcile them with the costs. (I got merit scholarships for all the schools I got into, except for USC, and I don’t qualify for any other financial aid, so that was really important) As for if there is a ‘better’ school to study animation-- CalArts in Valencia, Sheridan in Canada (I think it’s in Toronto?), are better for character animation–they are quite famous, really. SAIC (Chicago), Cooper Union(NY), and possibly USC (from what I’ve seen in student work) are better for experimental animation. For those looking into newer schools, PNCA is connected directly to LAIKA, so that may be a good thing to see. For alternate places, I’ve also heard good things about CSULB’s arts department, and I think there is a good school in France, as well. UC Berkeley also has some connections to Pixar (due to proximity), and classes in animation, for those who aren’t absolutely sure about committing to an art programme. </p>
<p>Don’t let me deter you from USC if you really want to go, though! One of the greatest strengths I saw with SCA would be the strength of the connections their students can make (USC mafia), as well as the prestige of a selective programme. </p>
<p>What major are you looking into, just out of curiosity? I may have some more specific advice to send you.</p>
<p>Always glad to help</p>
<p>Oh, and I almost forgot-- a message to everyone applying anywhere; DON’T stress too much about your personal statement! Write about whatever you want, as long as it’s about something you’re passionate about, universities will see it and love it, I promise. I see a lot of people stressing on the USC (especially SCA, with all that extra writing) forums, and honestly, just be yourself–well, if you’re grammatically-challenged, you may want to ask for a bit of help, but otherwise, just write! SCA is for film, which is /storytelling/, so as a film student, all of you should have a natural knack for this sort of thing, haha.</p>
<p>@melonpanman Thanks so much for your detailed reply! You’ve helped a lot!!
I don’t know why there are so few animation people here, perhaps because SCA is mainly known for its film production & writing program. I haven’t actually seen that many CalArts animation majors either, though I don’t see many CalArts people at all. Does it even have a CC page? I actually intended to apply there for a while, but it didn’t quite have what I’m looking for. It has excellent graduate programs, but for undergrads it’s rather limited. Not when it comes to animation, though. 
Oh, and I’m mainly interested in Writing for Screen & Television, & Critical Studies. Writing is my first choice, but I’d be happy to get into either of them.
I’ll save your e-mail and maybe I’ll PM you later on, because I’ll definitely have some other questions.</p>
<p>@hrabbit</p>
<p>Thanks for the response!</p>
<p>Out of curiosity, what do the acceptance letters for SCA for production/screenwriting come in and say?</p>