<p>I'm going to enter my senior year in Sept. National honor society. GPA 3.7 now. 4 AP when done with senior year. Looking for a writing college , preferably one that has a strong focus on writing for the screen (tv or film). Comedy is my strong suit. Prefer east or west west coast. So far Emerson, NYU Tisch, USC are the only 3 on my list that I know of. UCLA seems to be better for MFA than undergrad(but their connections may be a strong point and worth applying to this school). Suggestions appreciated.</p>
<p>Most colleges look at your GPA from the end of your junior year, not including senior year grades.</p>
<p>Test scores? Any other extracurriculars? </p>
<p>Haven’t got AP tests yet, took ACT, no score yet and three subject tests, no scores yet. SAT in Sept. PSAT 2000, have taken 4 credit Harvard class in English Lit and Comp last summer and Brown class (no credit) in writing for comedy. Going to Emerson this summer for 4 week program. Multiple years of community service.</p>
<p>numerous film credits( extra roles) also play piano and sing. </p>
<p>Chapman is supposed to have a good screenwriting program.</p>
<p>anyone familiar with BU school of communication? If I do a reach at Columbia I think third year there may be a class (concentrate) in creative writing. Never can decide if the core education of a “traditional” school or the tailored concentrate of one of the above type is a better way to go.</p>
<p>The thing about screenwriting is, an aspirant who desires a career in such depends on his/her creative ability within it. There are literally 10,000’s of people who aspire to this career, but the vast majority obviously fall by the wayside, because creativity is not something most people naturally have – and it is a natural gift (though undoubtedly fostered). So “connections” generally don’t apply to writing, specifically to tv and movies. </p>
<p>Once the various producers know you can write and you have proven it, however, you’re in the loop, and your name will become circulated and you’ll find plenty of work. The man who penned Rowling’s Potter books to screen is a UCLA dropout who couldn’t gain entry to its film school, but eventually was able to jump into the mix by cutting his “losses” by dropping out and seeking grunt work.</p>
<p>So in other words, your talent will show forth if you have the chops. It doesn’t matter what major you choose, whether English, or English/Creative writing, or screenwriting, or history, if you have the talent they’ll find you if you put yourself out there. </p>
<p>I guess what I’m saying is film school, especially specifically related to screenwriting is overrated. Most of your film majors are PA’s, or working in the mail room, or trying to get their feet in the door five years and beyond after graduation. </p>
<p>yeah, any would-be professional writer MUST consider their would-be day job with equal intensity.</p>
<p>^ Undoubtedly…</p>
<p>But I think that there should be fallbacks for anything, especially those who desire work in front of and/or behind the camera. I think UCLA grads in film/tv and theatre are pretty good at this. Many at the school desire working in various fields of the industry and this extends those who choose many other majors, but they also generally temper these plans by pursuing education, example above excluded. I’ve seen film/tv majors from the U pursuing law or mgmt degrees, become agents, or entertainment attys, after giving themselves x amount of years to make it. If they can’t be directly involved in film and tv, they’ll seek peripheral jobs related to them. I think NYU and USC grads are more invested of trying to make it probably because the names both sets of their colleges possess in the industry, with their film programs being ranked one or two, interchangeably.</p>
<p>Emerson in this mix?</p>
<p>will apply for Emerson’s honors program</p>
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<p>Really spot on. </p>
<p>In the world of screenwriting, only one thing matters - quality. </p>
<p>If a producer or a studio executive has two scripts pass by his desk, one good and written by an NYU or USC grad, the other amazing and written by a high school dropout, the dropout will always win. I repeat. The dropout. Will. Always. Win. One Quentin Tarantino - who dropped out of high school and worked in a DVD rental store - is worth more than 1,000 subpar screenwriting graduates combined. Every single time. Hollywood cares about artistic integrity on some level, but there’s one thing they care about more, and that’s money. No matter how hard you may have worked to get a degree in screenwriting, it doesn’t amount to squat if they feel like YOU can’t make money for THEM. It’s not necessarily fair. But it’s the way things go.</p>
<p>Waving a piece of paper in someone’s face won’t convince them you’re a good writer. Only one thing and one thing only will do that, and that’s an actual screenplay. As long as you can put good words on a page, you’ll be paid well. As long as you can tell a great story that’ll captivate an audience (and get them to pay for it), no one in the industry cares who you are; you could be a talking dog for all anyone cares. Truly, I’m being honest here.</p>
<p>There’s a bit of a sad truth here that not many people are brave enough to say, and this is it: while your writing can be improved ten fold by practicing and studying, a portion of it really is up to fate. Even if it’s a small portion, some of the equation will always be out of your hands. There are writers who pay big bucks to attend expensive colleges and writing retreats, and they can’t write for (pardon my French) ****. They’re very, very noble for trying, but for these people, failure is unfortunately inevitable. Then, there are writers out there who write on napkins in coffee shops (like JK Rowling) or back rooms of DVD stores (Tarantino), and without any practice or formal training whatsoever, they pen the next Harry Potter or Pulp Fiction. I mean, look at Diablo Cody. She was a stripper with a blog when she wrote Juno, and it went on to win an Oscar. </p>
<p>The real question is how much you’re willing to pay to learn this information; the information of whether or not you are, in fact, cut out for a creative career. The simple truth is that you don’t have to pay anything. Host a script on the blacklist, get coverage, send query letters out, enter a contest (big or small), give your work to a complete stranger - there are literally a dozen different ways to get this sort of confirmation, and none of them require going to an expensive college. Pick up a pencil, watch a movie, and write down your impressions. Analyze screenplays, and take notes on them. Read your favorite books, try to deconstruct what the author did. Practice, revise, practice some more. Read books on writing. My personal favorites for screenwriting are “dialogue secrets” and “writing for emotional impact”. “scriptshadow 500 tips” is also good, as well as “on writing” by Steven King for novelists. Search inside of yourself for talent and inspiration. You won’t find it in a classroom.</p>
<p>I’m sorry I’m being so blunt. Even if I sound like a complete buzz kill now at the start of your writing career, you’ll feel very, very differently in the next 10-15 years if you’re stuck paying off large loans without a stable income. That may not happen. You COULD be very, very successful, in a very short amount of time. Or, you could fall somewhere in the middle between genius writer and talentless hack - someone with decent skills trying to make a break for themselves. In that case, you don’t want debt shackling you down. </p>
<p>reading this thread reminds me of so many threads looking for that good premed college. No doubt there are differences in the quality of education in writing programs as in science education, but so many kids seem to think that its the school that “delivers” something or gives them “the best chance” instead of understanding how much depends on their own ability and effort.</p>
<p>Look into American, Temple, and UNC-Wilmington, as “fall-backs.” The schools you’ve mentioned are highly selective, and impossible to “chance” you for, since portfolios will count for as much as transcripts. One “safety” to include is Columbia College-Chicago. They have almost open admissions, and I was very impressed with their film department’s facilities when we toured it several years ago. </p>
<p>Great points, @Abcde11 … I like your distinction between a staff writer for a production co. or a go-to writer for, say, Spielberg, who adapts something to the screen – like our UCLA dropout example who adapted the Potter books – versus someone who actually created it like Rowling or Tarantino or Cody. </p>
<p>To think that connections are unimportant for film and TV writing and that quality always rises to the top is naive. The next Citizen Kane is sitting in a pile somewhere, unread, because the writer doesn’t have the connections to get a meeting to make a pitch. Yes, there are literally thousands of writers out there, but only a few producers or agents who have a limited amount of time. Who’s going to get the meeting or their script read? Some unknown with no connections or someone connected to someone with some degree of success who can vouch for an unknown? </p>
<p>Unsolicited scripts are a one in a million shot - not least because of possible copyright violations, which any book on screenwriting will tell you. Most are unread or even trashed. No, a big name school won’t get you anywhere, but working with future up-and-comers will get you somewhere, whether that is at UCLA, USC, Tisch, BU, or Chapman. Some of those people have industry connections, they’ll get breaks, and if you have talent or are just a college buddy, might give you a break as well. Doesn’t always work, but it’s a heck of a lot easier than trying to break in on your own.</p>
<p>Top Film Schools (Including Writing)
<a href=“The Hollywood Reporter – Movie news, TV news, awards news, lifestyle news, business news and more from The Hollywood Reporter.”>http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/best-film-schools-hollywood-reporter-595712</a></p>
<p>Points well taken, and I more or less agree with all of them. In the end, it does come down to simple skill, talent, passion, and luck when it comes to finding a great career in the writing industry. However, as true as your argument is, the fact remains that I want to go into a college with fellow writers, and a college that will help provide teaching that will better hone my skills. I’m not just focused on finding a job, that will come later. For now, I’m searching for a college that will be a sort of writers get away. Yes, I know that in the end my talents will be what gets me work, and a college name itself won’t matter, but the fact is that if I’m going to college, I want to go to a college for my interests. So please, among the three, which of these universities is better.</p>
<p>@MrMom62 - I think the point Drax12 was trying to make is that - unlike in other careers - a quality portfolio of screenplays can sometimes overcome a lack of connections. While, say, the startup company of a veteran entrepreneur is going to be viewed differently than the startup company of a teenager, how favorable a script is usually doesn’t have to do with the background of the writer, but only the script itself. The theory is that an amazing script ‘should’ catch someone’s attention regardless of who the writer is; even though this is (as you said) a very rare occurrence. </p>
<p>I agree with you that the success of a writer is very heavily dependent on their connections - you can’t sell a script all on your own. The point where I differ, however, is what type of connections are needed and how those connections are acquired. I think the real, tangible connections a writer needs come in the form of a good manager, and eventually an agent. Snagging a manager or agent isn’t something colleges can necessarily aid in. The kind of connections that would also be useful to a writer can be formed by working as a writers assistant on a television show, or a script reader or editor. Either way, these kinds of jobs put you in contact with ambitious individuals already working their way up the ladder. These kinds of jobs also expose you to writers - and many other members of production teams - in various stages of their careers, as opposed to just a large group of beginners. </p>
<p>Personally, I just can’t justify spending the outrageous sums of money needed to attend USC or NYU just to connect with up-and-comers who “may or may not” make it big. I think with the advent of social media, you don’t even necessarily have to be a student at USC or NYU to meet these same up-and-comers. </p>
<p>There are a variety of entry level jobs out there that would more than supplement the missing connections from college, and then some - these positions put you in close proximity to a greater diversity of people already working in the industry, and not only do you avoid debt, but in some cases you’re even paid a little. Because these types of entry level jobs give you a real look into the industry (rather than the sugarcoated propaganda peddled out at most film schools), if you decide this isn’t the right career choice for you, you can walk away at any time with little to no ramifications. And yes, I know snagging a job as a writers assistant or script reader is difficult (as the positions come with a lot of competition), but can it really be harder than trying to make it into an uber-prestigious university? Most likely no</p>
<p>Yes, it probably harder to land those jobs than to make it into an uber-prestigious university and not nearly as meritorious. Those jobs go to people with connections, obtained by whatever means necessary. The cleanest way of obtaining them if you are an outsider is through the list of film schools listed above.</p>
<p>As for which of the three schools listed would be the best for an aspiring writer, I would say USC is going be your top film and television school, NYU is going to be great for all forms of media if you’re willing to branch out beyond film and television. In fact, if your willing to go the indie route, including documentaries and all the new media stuff, NYU might be the way to go with it’s connection to the media world of NYC. It seems like except for big-time film and TV production, more new stuff is coming out of NY, so it might be easier to get a start there.</p>