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USC School of Cinematic Arts

Coordinates: 34°01′23″N 118°17′09″W / 34.023056°N 118.285833°W / 34.023056; -118.285833
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
USC School of Cinematic Arts
MottoLimes regiones rerum[1]
Motto in English
Reality ends here[2]
TypePrivate film school
Established1929; 96 years ago (1929)
Parent institution
University of Southern California
DeanElizabeth M. Daley (1991–present)
Academic staff
96 full time
219 part time[3]
Administrative staff
144 full time
499 student workers[3]
Undergraduates876[3]
Postgraduates715[3]
Location
Los Angeles
,
California
,
United States
Websitecinema.usc.edu

The USC School of Cinematic Arts is an academic unit of the University of Southern California, in Los Angeles. With a history that dates to the first years of talkies, the school descends from America's first program to confer a college degree in film. Under a name that directly preceded its present one, it became, in the 1980s, an academic unit of its own, within the university. Colloquially "SCA" or "the USC film school," it now has several divisions or programs, which treat artistic or business aspects of the creation of motion pictures and related media.

History

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The George Lucas Instructional Building (top) was demolished in 2009 after the opening of the new Cinematic Arts Complex (bottom).

In 1927, when Douglas Fairbanks became the first president of the nascent Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, one of his recommendations was that the academy have a “training school”. Fairbanks and his enablers reasoned that training in the cinematic arts should be seen as a legitimate academic discipline at major universities and be accorded degree considerations the same as those of fields like medicine and law. Although cinema-studies programs are now widely-entrenched in academia, this was a novel idea, and many universities turned Fairbanks down.

Tepid acceptance of this recommendation by Fairbanks came at the University of Southern California, which agreed to allow one class, called “Introduction to the Photoplay”. This debuted in 1929, the same year as the Academy Awards.[4] Determined to make it a success, Fairbanks brought in the biggest industry names of the era to lecture. These included Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford, D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, William C. DeMille, Ernst Lubitsch, Irving Thalberg, and Darryl Zanuck.[5] From that one class grew a Department of Cinematography, established in 1932 in the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. USC became the first American college or university to offer a course of study leading to a bachelor’s degree in cinema.[6]

Douglas Fairbanks delivers inaugural lecture of USC film school.
With university president Rufus von KleinSmid standing at left, Douglas Fairbanks Sr., as 1st President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, delivers the inaugural lecture, Photoplay Appreciation, at the USC film school, February 6, 1929.

In 1940, the department was renamed the Department of Cinema. By the latter 1970s, it was the Division of Cinema-Television, which, in 1983, became an independent academic unit, the USC School of Cinema-Television.[7] This, in 2006, was renamed the USC School of Cinematic Arts.[8]

On September 19, 2006, USC announced that alumnus George Lucas had donated US$175 million to expand the film school with a new 137,000-square-foot (12,700 m2) facility. This represented the largest single donation to USC and the largest to any film school in the world.[9] Lucas's previous donations had resulted in the naming of two buildings in the school's previous complex after him and his then-wife Marcia, though Lucas was not fond of the Spanish Colonial Revival architecture used in those buildings. That complex had opened in 1984.[10] For several years before it, the film school was housed in now-forgotten shacks that stood, along with campus tennis courts, between Waite Phillips Hall and Birnkrant Residential College. The site is now occupied by Leavey Library and its reflecting pool, along with the Generations Fountain.

Undated campus map shows "Future Home of USC School of Cinematic Arts."
On undated campus map, site of facility that opened in 2009 is marked “Future Home of USC School of Cinematic Arts.” Directly to its east are the buildings of the complex that opened in 1984. Farther east, Leavey Library, which opened in 1994, occupies the site of the tennis courts and film-school shacks of old.
Shacks of old film school are marked on campus map of 1971.
On campus map of 1971, tennis courts and the shacks of the old film school stand between Waite Phillips Hall and Birnkrant Residential College. “Cinema” is circled; and arrow points to “Cinema Annex,” which housed the chairman’s office.

An additional $50 million having been contributed by Warner Bros., 20th Century Fox, and The Walt Disney Company for its creation, the new facility opened in early 2009.[11][12][1] Lucas, an architectural hobbyist, had laid out its original designs, inspired by the Mediterranean Revival Style that had been used in older campus buildings and elsewhere in the Los Angeles area.[13][14]

In fall 2006, the school, together with the Royal Film Commission of Jordan, had created the Red Sea Institute of Cinematic Arts (RSICA) in Aqaba, Jordan.[15] The first classes were held in 2008, and the first graduating class for the university was in 2010.

In 2020, the School of Cinematic Arts announced it would remove an exhibit devoted to actor and former USC student John Wayne. This was after months of insistence on the part of students who denounced the Hollywood star’s views and the portrayal of indigenous Americans in his films. The exhibit has been relocated to the Cinematic Arts library, which has many collections for the study of figures whose lives and works are part of society's shared history. These materials are preserved for posterity and made accessible for research and scholarship, as will be the materials in the Wayne Collection.[16]

Facilities

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The school maintains the following facilities:[17]

At the center of the new television complex is a statue of founder Douglas Fairbanks. He is seen holding a fencing foil in one hand and a script in the other to reflect his strong ties with the USC Fencing Club.

Distinctions

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The Eileen Norris Cinema Theater, a 340-seat theater that regularly hosts film screenings, lectures, and special events.[22] It was where THX was first developed and installed.[23]
  • Since 1973, at least one alumnus of SCA has been nominated for an Academy Award annually, totaling 256 nominations and 78 wins.[24]
  • Since 1973, at least one SCA alumnus or alumna has been nominated for the Emmy Award annually, totaling 473 nominations and 119 wins.[24]
  • The top 17 grossing films of all time have had an SCA graduate in a key creative position.[24]
  • The current acceptance rate for the USC School of Cinematic Arts is 3%.[25]

Awards for USC Cinema short films

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Awards for USC Cinema feature films

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Divisions

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As presented at its own website,[35] the film school’s divisions or programs are the following …

John C. Hench Division of Animation + Digital Arts
Division of Cinema & Media Studies
Film & Television Production
Interactive Media & Games
Media Arts + Practice
Peter Stark Producing Program
John Wells Division of Writing for Screen & Television
The John H. Mitchell Business of Cinematic Arts Program
Expanded Animation Research + Practice

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Michael Cieply, A Film School’s New Look Is Historic, The New York Times, February 9, 2009, Accessed February 10, 2009.
  2. ^ The New York Times reports the motto as meaning "Reality ends here", but a more direct translation of the Latin approximates as, "The border is the regions of things".
  3. ^ a b c d USC Cinematic Arts (PDF), University of Southern California, School of Cinematic Arts, 2013, retrieved January 27, 2017
  4. ^ From Douglas Fairbanks to George Lucas: USC’s School of Cinematic Arts turns 90Los Angeles Times, April 6, 2019
  5. ^ Rachel Abramowitz, L.A.'s screening gems, Los Angeles Times, Accessed June 16, 2008.
  6. ^ Timeline 1929-1940USC School of Cinematic Arts
  7. ^ Timeline 1971-1992USC School of Cinematic Arts
  8. ^ Record-Breaking GroundbreakingSchool of Cinematic Arts News, October 5, 2006
  9. ^ John Zollinger, George Lucas Donates $175 Million to USC Archived 2015-02-23 at the Wayback Machine, USC Public Relations, September 20, 2006
  10. ^ USC’s New Film FactoryWashington Post, November 19, 1984
  11. ^ And Action!—New Cinematic Arts Complex OpensSchool of Cinematic Arts News, January 16, 2009
  12. ^ World Premiere—Cinematic Arts Celebrates 80th Anniversary With All New CampusSchool of Cinematic Arts News, March 31, 2009
  13. ^ University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic ArtsArchitect Magazine, May 7, 2014
  14. ^ What George Lucas WroughtWall Street Journal, June 2, 2010
  15. ^ Jordan Signs Cinema Pact With USC, USC Public Relations, September 20, 2006
  16. ^ "SCA to Remove John Wayne Exhibit". Daily Trojan. USC. 10 July 2020.
  17. ^ Facilities
  18. ^ Game Innovation Lab
  19. ^ Mobile and Environmental Media Lab
  20. ^ Mixed Reality Lab
  21. ^ Creative Media & Behavioral Health Center
  22. ^ Eileen Norris Cinema Theatre Complex, USC School of Cinematic Arts Facilities, Accessed January 3, 2009.
  23. ^ USC Self-Guided Tour Archived 2012-10-14 at the Wayback Machine, University of Southern California, Accessed June 8, 2009.
  24. ^ a b c Mel Cowan, Cinematic Arts Celebrates 80th Anniversary With All New Campus, University of Southern California, March 31, 2009, Accessed May 1, 2009.
  25. ^ "Amid deaths, students raise concerns over workload, culture and climate within the School of Cinematic Arts". 16 December 2019.
  26. ^ "The 28th Academy Awards, 1956". The Oscars. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
  27. ^ The Student Movie Makers, TIME Magazine, February 2, 1968
  28. ^ Rinzler, J.W., The Complete Making of Indiana Jones; The Definitive Story Behind All Four Films, Del Rey, 2008, ISBN 978-0345501295.
  29. ^ Bapis, Elaine M., Camera And Action: American Film As Agent of Social Change, 1965–1975, McFarland, 2008, ISBN 978-0-7864-3341-4.
  30. ^ Alumni Profile: Cannes Do Spirit, Trojan Family Magazine, Spring 2002, Accessed September 19, 2006.
  31. ^ KAVI – a short film written and directed by Gregg Helvey » Cast/Crew. Kavithemovie.com. Retrieved on 2014-06-05.
  32. ^ "Samir". Journey West Pictures. Retrieved 2022-10-22.
  33. ^ "2019 Heartland International Film Festival Selections". letterboxd.com. 15 February 2021. Retrieved 2022-10-22.
  34. ^ "HIFF28 Archives". Heartland Film. Retrieved 2022-10-22.
  35. ^ USC School of Cinematic Arts
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34°01′23″N 118°17′09″W / 34.023056°N 118.285833°W / 34.023056; -118.285833

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