USC Film School

University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA 90089-0911
213.740.1111

Film, Video and Computer Animation 213.740.3985
Peter Stark Producing Program 213.740.3304
Division of Screen and Television Writing 213.740.3303
Division of Critical Studies 213.740.2911
Division of Film and Video Production 213.740.2911

In the early 1980s, many of the school's most famous alumni and friends joined forces to fund a world-class film and television complex at USC. Their gifts enabled the school to build the following facilities:

• The George Lucas Instructional Building, which houses Ann and Jack Warner Hall
• The Marcia Lucas Post-Production Building
• The Steven Spielberg Music Scoring Stage
• The Johnny Carson Television Stage
• The Harold Lloyd Motion Picture Sound Stage

The newly renovated Television Production Center, part of the Sony Media Center, encompasses three multi-camera stages, both off- and on-line editing rooms, a digital Betacam editing suite and a broadcast control-center that serves the campus and surrounding community.

The School of Cinema-Television has other facilities within the University Park Campus. The Cinema-Television Library, housed in Doheny Memorial Library, is the site of the Film and Television Study Center and the Warner Bros. Archive. In addition to its vast collection of books, journals, screenplays and periodicals, the library provides viewing access to an extensive collection of film and television titles, and houses studio records and personal papers relating to those films.

The Cinema-Television complex and the sophisticated equipment it contains constitute a comprehensive production facility. Each year, USC cinema students use these facilities to produce the equivalent of 25 feature-length films, near the output of any studio. A significant portion of the multi-million dollar cost of producing these films and video projects is absorbed by the School of Cinema-Television.

Within the school are five main areas of study:

• Division of Critical Studies
• Division of Film and Video Production
• Division of Screen and Television Writing
• Film, Video and Computer Animation Program
• The Peter Stark Producing Program

The School of Cinema-Television continually strives to push the forward edge of technological experimentation and scholarly thought. Aspects of the curriculum range from very traditional scholarly paths to a new production curriculum, designed to keep pace with massive changes in entertainment media. Undergraduate and graduate degree programs are available in the school's Division of Critical Studies, Division of Film and Video Production and Division of Screen and Television Writing. The school also offers graduate degrees through the Peter Stark Producing Program and the Film, Video and Computer Animation Program.

The School of Cinema-Television at USC exists in the context of a fine research university and promotes excellence in both thought and implementation. A strong emphasis is placed on craft, but not at the expense of aesthetic and critical foundations. Students participate in courses beyond their core area of study, and they typically have the opportunity to take electives in other areas of the School of Cinema-Television and the university.

In addition to training new talent for the industry, the school serves as an incubator for new ideas, technologies and applications. The school's research and technology laboratories enable students and faculty to pursue a wide range of activities, including work with large-format computer animation, interactive and high-definition television, multimedia, "virtual reality" and advanced imaging techniques for special-effects, animation and graphics.

Alumni: George Lucas, Irvin Kershner, John Milius, Robert Zemekis, Randall Kleiser, Les Blank, Laura Ziskin, Ron Howard, John Singleton, Dan O'Bannon, Michael Lehman, Phil Joanou.

ASC alumni include:

Caleb Deschanel, ASC
Director/Director of Photography

• The Right Stuff (1983): Oscar Nominated
• The Natural (1984): Oscar Nominated
• Twin Peaks (1990) (TV)
• Fly Away Home (1996): Oscar Nominated

Richard Edlund, ASC
Visual & Special Effects

• Star Wars (1977): Oscar Recipient
• The Empire Strikes Back (1980): Oscar Recipient
• Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981): Oscar Recipient
• Return of the Jedi (1983): Oscar Recipient

Conrad Hall, ASC
Director of Photography

• Cool Hand Luke (1967): Oscar Nominated
• Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969): Oscar Recipient
• The Day of the Locust (1975): Oscar Nominated
• Tequila Sunrise (1988): Oscar Nominated