<p>From what I have been able to determine Dodge College @Chapman University has the top most modern facilities that are actually used by the bulk of their undergraduate stutdetns, smaller student to teacher ratios and more hands on experience than USC or UCLA. USC is known as the greatest Film School in the world and there is a lot of networking available thru the alumni when getting work after graduation from USC. One may be better trained for work at Dodge College @Chapman University but USC has presently the greatest reputation. Dodge College admits 210 total Freshman each year (only 70 in the Film Production and only 30 in the TV Production/Broadcast Journalism). USCs program major of Cinematic Arts Critical Studies and they accept 75 Freshman each year to this program; the entire USC School of Cinematic Arts school accepts a total of 200 Freshman per year. Although there is a very wide possibility of classes at USC to choose from the program is less directed than Dodge College and relies on the student to choose their classes (@USC). The journalism classes one would take would be at the at USC Annenberg School of Journalism.</p>
<p>[Lawrence</a> and Kristina Dodge College of Film and Media Arts](<a href=“http://ftv.chapman.edu/programs/soda...st_journalism/]Lawrence”>http://ftv.chapman.edu/programs/soda...st_journalism/) The TV Production/Broadcast Journalism major at Dodge College</p>
<p>[Lawrence</a> and Kristina Dodge College of Film and Media Arts](<a href=“http://ftv.chapman.edu/]Lawrence”>http://ftv.chapman.edu/) Click on the yellow link on this page that says “Watch Our Video Introduction”. This video is 5 years old and Dodge College is even better now.</p>
<p>Below are comments that discuss USC, Dodge College & NYU that I found on the web: </p>
<p>dara18 August 14, 2011 at 9:19 pm </p>
<h2>USC, UCLA and Chapman/Dodge are very similar. Not in how they run their program, but how theyre seen in the industry. Chapman is 3rd, but really catching up, and theyve amazing facilities. The problem is, theyre all extremely competitive! Its literally easier to get into Harvard (6% acceptance rate) than into any of those film programs, the acceptance rate is about 5% for each college. (To give you an idea, USC accepts about fifty into the director program, and twenty-five into the screenwriter program, out of over a thousand applicants each year. And you first must be admitted to USC, which is tough on its own.) </h2>
<p>Christopher C. Odom is a Director, Writer, Author in Nashville, TN, USA
UCLA is best known for their writers who dominate the summer movie screenwriting credits, USC is better known for their powerhouse directors, AFI often has incredible cinematographers, NYU is heralded for its East Coast filmmaker style, and Columbia is an all around great school with exceptional film theory for all programs. Any school you go to at the Big five will be an incredible experience for each program. Youll also have big name professionals and heads of big companies teach courses or speak as guests because of the schools notoriety. You cannot lose.
The downside to USC is that they run it like a studio. Only five people get to direct a thesis project if you are a graduate directing student. Every directing student comes in to be one of those five and then twenty or thirty people in the end do not get a thesis project, but get to help crew on the five people who did get to make ones film. The upside to USC, is again, that they run it like a studio. USC is often unparalleled in its networking capacity and markets its students aggressively to the industry.
UCLA is most known for its screenwriters. USC might be capable of out-networking UCLA, but its writers cannot out-write UCLA writers. An average UCLA Graduate Screenwriting student will leave with eight feature length screenplays. UCLA screenwriters write a feature-length script in a 10-week quarter, which most resembles a real life 8-week writing assignment. USC screenwriters will write one feature-length screenplay over a period of one year. You do the math.
The Peter Stark Producing Program at USC is great for producing movie executives, but the UCLA Producing Program is great for teaching producers everything there is to know to go out there and just start doing it.
Similar to USCs only five will direct a thesis project, AFI is even more hardcore. Not only are there are a limited number of thesis projects, not every filmmaker is always invited to come back to school for a second year. It is harder to get into any of these film schools than its to get into Harvard Law School, simply because Harvard takes a higher percentage of its applicants than the big film schools do, so for me AFI and USC really wasnt worth getting cut or snubbed over after you had to already defeat the odds of winning the lottery to even get accepted. Having to win the lottery a second time just wasnt desirable.</p>
<p>02-15-2011, 10:54 PM #9 </p>
<p>TOCproductions
Basic Member
I’ve been going through exactly the same process!</p>
<p>I dont know if it is possible for you to tour the campuses of these schools, but if you can I HIGHLY recommend it. </p>
<p>I myself was pretty dead set on USC initially. I knew of their prestige and rep in the industry. However I also made sure to tour Chapman, because I had heard good things.</p>
<p>After the campus tours… my opinion and preference has shifted 100%. Chapman basically reached out and hugged me. Everyone was friendly, small student population, gorgeous campus. And the film school was AWESOME. I had a private tour (guess it was a slow day) from a Freshman in the program. He showed me completely through the studios, sound stages, foley room, motion capture studio, editing bays, audio mixing studios, 500 seat preview theater with 3D HD projectors… the whole 9 yards, everything top of the line. Students can access facilities 24/7. Seriously. Got an idea at 2 in the morning? Keycard into the building and start working. Additionally, alumni have access to equipment, resources, and stage space AFTER they have graduated!! Fill out a schedule form, and you are in! No rental charges, nada. That is seriously cool.</p>
<p>USC… is definitely a prestigious university. Massive campus, very educated students, but TONS TONS TONS of people. Medium city sized. As for the film school… my impression was that there was SO much money invested into equipment… that they are almost scared to let students near it. From the mouth of my ‘tour guide’ who actually mainly talked about admission; “Ya, we have awesome facilities! I wish i could show you, but they are behind a lot of locked doors which I don’t have keys to.” I felt that was very representative of the school. You have to take large numbers of GE classes before you really launch into the film program. Not so at Chapman; you take classes for your film major from freshman year on out, constantly. </p>
<p>Chapman may not have quite the rep that USC does, but they are RAPIDLY coming up in the industry. They have plans laid out for millions of dollars in expansion culminating in a ‘film village’ with backlot and even more sound stages, and are very aggressive in expansion programs; part of the benefit of all the tuition they charge, I guess. Speaking of tuition… they are several thousand dollars a year cheaper than USC. Not much, but every bit helps. </p>
<p>I’ve been pouring myself into this research for the last few months, but visiting made all the difference. If you have any questions about campuses or anything just let me know…
Best of luck!
Peter Cat
2011-08-08 18:53:09
University of Southern California</p>
<p>The richest film school in the world (alum George Lucas contributed $175 mill
ion, and alum Robert Zemeckis has given a bundle, too), USC probably has more
graduates working in the industry than any other school and has the greatest
support from the industry itself, with 10,000-plus alums who routinely donat
e millions for state-of-the-art facilities – and notable support from non-gr
aduate Steven Spielberg. Its Peter Stark Producing Program, under The Graduat
e producer Larry Turman, remains the premier venue for aspiring producers and
execs. Insiders were split when asked to choose between AFI and USC for the
No. 1 spot, with AFI winning largely on the basis of its choice student body.
But USC takes the candle when it comes to technical training. Says Dean Eliz
abeth M. Daley: “One of the hardest things to understand is the culture of fi
lmmaking. You’re not gonna get that out of a book. Come here and you’ll under
stand.” She’s right, thanks to unrivaled facilities, an emphasis on film hist
ory and technique and its great ties with Hollywood – a plus for some, but n
ot for those more interested in indie films. The upside: It’s a vast dream fa
ctory. The downside: It’s a vast dream factory.</p>
<p>DEGREES Critical studies, B.A., M.A., MFA and Ph.D. programs in everything fr
om film and TV to animation and digital arts</p>
<p>NOTABLE ALUMNI George Lucas (Star Wars), Ron Howard (A Beautiful Mind), Jon L
andau (Avatar)</p>
<p>“USC is run in many ways like a studio. The challenges that were given to us
had to do with the realities of the industry and financing, and I think those
were important lessons to learn.” – Lee Unkrich, director, Toy Story 3</p>
<hr>
<p>Peter Cat
2011-08-08 18:53:09</p>
<p>Chapman University Dodge College of Film & Media Arts</p>
<p>“We’re not a trade school,” says Dean Bob Bassett. “We’re focused on helping
young people find jobs – and that’s the hardest thing.” Students at the
Orange, Calif.-based campus operate like they’re at a miniature studio: The direc
tors direct, the writers write, the producers produce, and they work with PR
and advertising students taught by new faculty member Dawn Taubin, a former W
arners marketing exec.</p>