I recently heard from a USC SCA grad that the Production administration generally doesn’t admit people who did undergrad film into the program. I have no idea if this is true, but if it is then that changes my plans a good bit. Can anyone speak to this? What does the grad program look for in someone? Why wouldn’t they want to admit people who studied film already?
And if this is true, what degrees should I think about for my bachelors and where should I go to get them?
Any help is appreciated. This college stuff is so confusing!
You should study whatever else it is you’re passionate about besides film. The way that people work in Hollywood (as in gaining meaningful employment) is by having a background in film and _. The "and " is what differentiates you from the competition. Lots of people know film in Hollywood but the pool of competition in the "and _" is much smaller. So if you’re passionate about film and education, or film and science, or film and philosophy… whatever.
I don’t know that film studies is any different than any other degree that way. You could consider it to be somewhat of a generic liberal arts degree that way. The critical studies programs IMHO unless you’re doing a doctoral program with the intention of being a professor/media scholar are B.S. Better to get a degree in a REAL liberal art like history or philosophy or literature i.e. some grounding in the world throughout history and some rigorous critical thinking skills. Or you could get a business/accounting degree and be a producer. Or whatever. The “and _________” is up to you. But there’s no one set path into Hollywood and yes, that can drive a lot of people insane. Kids grow up today learning how to take standardized tests and perform well in school, but that’s not the same thing as leading a meaningful, fulfilling life. The book “Excellent Sheep” covers this phenomenon quite well.