The

University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8.1 ...

School of Cinematic Arts (SCA) houses seven academic divisions: Film & Television Production; Cinema & Media Studies; John C. Hench Division of Animation + Digital Arts; John Wells Division of Writing for Screen & Television; Interactive Media & Games; Media Arts + Practice; Peter Stark Producing Program. The USC School of Cinematic Arts is led by dean Elizabeth Monk Daley, who holds the Steven J. Ross/Time Warner Chair and is the longest-serving dean at the University of Southern California, having led the cinema school since 1991.

History

When Douglas Fairbanks became the first president of the nascent Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 1927, one of the more innovative items on his agenda was that the academy should have a “training school”. As Fairbanks and his enablers reasoned that training in the cinematic arts should be seen as a legitimate academic discipline at major universities, given the same degree considerations as fields like medicine and law. Although cinema studies programs are now widely entrenched in academia, back then it was a novel idea and many universities turned Fairbanks down. But he found tepid acceptance at the University of Southern California that agreed to allow one class, called “Introduction to Photoplay” that debuted in 1929, the same year as the Academy Awards. Determined to make it a success, Fairbanks brought in the biggest industry names of the era to lecture, including Douglas Fairbanks,

Mary Pickford Gladys Marie Smith (April 8, 1892 – May 29, 1979), known professionally as Mary Pickford, was a Canadian-American stage and screen actress and producer with a career that spanned five decades. A pioneer in the US film industry, she co-founde ...

D. W. Griffith David Wark Griffith (January 22, 1875 – July 23, 1948) was an American film director. Considered one of the most influential figures in the history of the motion picture, he pioneered many aspects of film editing and expanded the art of the n ...

Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is conside ...

William C. DeMille William Churchill deMille (July 25, 1878 – March 5, 1955), also spelled de Mille or De Mille, was an American screenwriter and film director from the silent film era through the early 1930s. He was also a noted playwright prior to moving into ...

Ernst Lubitsch Ernst Lubitsch (; January 29, 1892November 30, 1947) was a German-born American film director, producer, writer, and actor. His urbane comedies of manners gave him the reputation of being Hollywood's most elegant and sophisticated director; as ...

, Irving Thalberg, and Darryl Zanuck.Rachel Abramowitz
L.A.'s screening gems
''Los Angeles Times'', Accessed June 16, 2008. From that one class grew a Department of Cinematography (1932) in the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, renamed the Department of Cinema (1940), which led to the establishment of the USC School of Cinema-Television (1983), which was renamed the USC School of Cinematic Arts (2006). . On September 19, 2006, USC announced that alumnus

George Lucas George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker. Lucas is best known for creating the '' Star Wars'' and '' Indiana Jones'' franchises and founding Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as c ...

had donated US$175 million to expand the film school with a new facility. This represented the largest single donation to USC and the largest to any film school in the world. His previous donations resulted in the naming of two buildings in the school's previous complex, opened in 1984, after him and his then-wife Marcia, though Lucas was not fond of the

Spanish Colonial Revival architecture The Spanish Colonial Revival Style ( es, Arquitectura neocolonial española) is an architectural stylistic movement arising in the early 20th century based on the Spanish Colonial architecture of the Spanish colonization of the Americas. In th ...

used in those buildings. An architectural hobbyist, Lucas laid out the original designs for the project, inspired by the

Mediterranean Revival Style Mediterranean Revival is an architectural style introduced in the United States, Canada, and certain other countries in the 19th century. It incorporated references from Spanish Renaissance, Spanish Colonial, Italian Renaissance, French Colonia ...

that was used in older campus buildings as well as the Los Angeles area. The project also received another $50 million in contributions from Warner Bros.,

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Disn ...

and

The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on Octobe ...

. In fall 2006, the school, together with the Royal Film Commission of Jordan, created the

Red Sea Institute of Cinematic Arts Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondary ...

(RSICA) in Aqaba,

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

. The first classes were held in 2008, and the first graduating class for the university was in 2010. The USC School of Cinematic Arts announced it would remove an exhibit devoted to actor and former USC student

John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne and nicknamed The Duke or Duke Wayne, was an American actor who became a popular icon through his starring roles in films made during Hollywood's Go ...

, after months of insistence from a small number of students denouncing 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 the materials in the Wayne Collection.

Divisions

Film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmospher ...
&
Television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...
Production

The current Chair is Gail Katz, holder of the Mary Pickford Endowed Chair; Vice-Chair is Susan Arnold.

Cinema & Media Studies

The Division of Cinema & Media Studies is the central hub for film theory at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. The current Chair is Priya Jaikumar.

John C. Hench Division of Animation + Digital Arts

The John C. Hench Division of Animation + Digital Arts teaches courses in animation and digital arts. These include classic character animation, 2-D and 3-D storytelling, performance capture, visual effects, motion graphics, stop-motion, experimental filmmaking, installations and multimedia, documentary animation, and visualizing scientific research. The current Chair is Teresa Cheng, who holds the John C. Hench Endowed Division Chair.

Interactive Media & Games Division

The Interactive Media & Games Division teaches video games, which make up the fastest growing segment of the entertainment industry. USC has been a pioneer in teaching the foundations of games and interactive media while also moving the field forward with innovative research concepts. The Princeton Review has ranked USC the #1 Game Design school in North America every year since its ranking system began in 2009. The current Chair is Danny Bilson.

Media Arts + Practice

The Media Arts + Practice Division (MA+P) creates and analyzes media for fields as diverse as business, medicine, education, architecture, law, urban planning, filmmaking. The current Chair is Holly Willis.

John Wells Division of Writing for Screen & Television

The USC School of Cinematic Arts offers Bachelor of Fine Arts and Master of Fine Arts degrees in Writing for Screen and Television for students who seek professional preparation for a career in screen and television writing. The programs emphasizes small, workshop-style classes. Students attend a variety of guest speaker presentations, take industry internships, are provided with mentors and are taught by professors who are actively working in the entertainment industry. Each fall, 30 undergraduate and 32 graduate writing students are selected to begin the program. The current Chair is David Isaacs.

Peter Stark Producing Program

The Peter Stark Producing Program is a two-year (four semester) full-time graduate program. Approximately 24 Peter Stark Program students are enrolled each fall. The curriculum is designed to prepare a select group of students for careers as producers and executives of film, television, and new media. The current Chair is

Edward Saxon Edward Bradley Saxon (born November 17, 1956) is an American film producer. Early life Saxon was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, and educated at Kirkwood High School from 1972 to 1976. He studied at McGill University from 1976 to 1980 ...

Faculty

The School of Cinematic Arts also has an active Board of Councilors who help guide the future direction of the School and work with the Dean to ensure the School is properly resourced.

Facilities

Donations from film and game industry companies, friends, and alumni have enabled the school to build the following facilities:Facilities
/ref> * School of Cinematic Arts Complex, completed in 2010, which includes: **

soundstage **

and

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Sp ...

Buildings, featuring the Ray Stark Family Theatre, which is equipped for 3D presentation, as well as two digital theatres, the Albert and Dana Broccoli Theatre and

Fanny Brice Fania Borach (October 29, 1891 – May 29, 1951), known professionally as Fanny Brice or Fannie Brice, was an American comedienne, illustrated song model, singer, and theater and film actress who made many stage, radio, and film appearances. ...

Theatre ** Marcia Lucas Post-Production Center ** Marilyn & Jeffrey Katzenberg Center for Animation ** Sumner Redstone Production Building which contains two stages Redstone 1 and Redstone 2 ** Interactive building (SCI), home of the

USC Interactive Media & Games Division The University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts's Interactive Media & Games Division first accepted M.F.A. students in 2002. The division currently offers both undergraduate (B.A.) and graduate (M.F.A.) programs in interactive me ...

, the USC Division of Media Arts and Practice, and several research labs (th
Game Innovation Lab
th
Mobile and Environmental Media Lab
th
Mixed Reality Lab
and th
Creative Media & Behavioral Health Center
among others) *

Robert Zemeckis Robert Lee Zemeckis (born May 14, 1952) is an American filmmaker. He first came to public attention as the director of the action-adventure romantic comedy '' Romancing the Stone'' (1984), the science-fiction comedy '' Back to the Future'' film ...

Center for Digital Arts, home of Trojan Vision, USC's

student television station A student television station is a television station run by university, high or middle school students that primarily airs school/university news and in many cases, student-produced soap operas, entertainment shows, and other programming. At the ...

* Eileen Norris Cinema Theatre Complex, featuring a 365-seat theatre that also serves as a classroom with USC faculty member and

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

winner Tomlinson Holman's THX audiovisual reproduction standard used in film venues worldwide. The

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the " Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular entertainers of the 1940s, 1950s, and ...

Hall, dedicated in 2002, houses a public exhibit and collection of extensive memorabilia commemorating Sinatra's life and contributions to American popular culture. * David L. Wolper Center at Doheny Memorial Library * Louis B. Mayer Film and Television Study Center at Doheny Memorial Library * Hugh M. Hefner Moving Image Archive 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

* Since 1973, at least one alumnus of SCA has been nominated for an

annually, totaling 256 nominations and 78 wins.Mel Cowan
Cinematic Arts Celebrates 80th Anniversary With All New Campus
University of Southern California, March 31, 2009, Accessed May 1, 2009. * Since 1973, at least one SCA alumnus or alumna has been nominated for the

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

annually, totaling 473 nominations and 119 wins. * The top 17 grossing films of all time have had an SCA graduate in a key creative position. * ''

The Princeton Review The Princeton Review is an education services company providing tutoring, test preparation and admission resources for students. It was founded in 1981. and since that time has worked with over 400 million students. Services are delivered by 4 ...

'' has ranked the Interactive Media and Games Division's video game design program best in North America multiple years in a row. * Both ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly large ...

'' and ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...

'' have ranked SCA the number one film program in the world, with its unmatched facilities, proximity to Hollywood, and numerous industry connections being the primary rationale. * The current acceptance rate for the USC School of Cinematic Arts is 3%.

Awards for USC Cinema short films

* In 1956, producer Wilber T. Blume, a USC Cinema instructor at the time, received an Academy Award for best live action short film for a film he created entitled ''

The Face of Lincoln ''The Face of Lincoln'' is a 1955 short documentary film in which sculptor Robert Merrell Gage models the features of Abraham Lincoln while narrating the story of Lincoln's life. It won an Oscar at the 28th Academy Awards in 1956 for Best Short ...

''. Blume also received an Academy Award nomination that year for documentary short. * In 1968,

won first prize in the category of Dramatic films at the third National Student Film Festival held at

Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 milli ...

, New York for his futuristic '' Electronic Labyrinth: THX 1138 4EB''.Rinzler, J.W., ''The Complete Making of Indiana Jones; The Definitive Story Behind All Four Films'', Del Rey, 2008, .Bapis, Elaine M., ''Camera And Action: American Film As Agent of Social Change, 1965–1975'', McFarland, 2008, . * In 1970, producer

John Longenecker John Longenecker (born 1947) is an American film producer, Directors Guild of America member, screenwriter and cinematographer who produced the Academy Award-winning live-action short film, ''The Resurrection of Broncho Billy'' (1970). Biograph ...

received an Academy Award for best live action short film for a film he produced while attending USC Cinema 480 classes as an undergraduate—'' The Resurrection of Broncho Billy''. The film's crew and cast included Nick Castle, cinematographer; John Carpenter, film editor and original music; James Rokos, director; Johnny Crawford, lead actor; and

Kristin Nelson Sharon Kristin Nelson (née Harmon; June 25, 1945 – April 27, 2018) was an American primitive painter, actress, and author. She was married to the actor and musician Ricky Nelson for nineteen years, and is the sister of actor Mark Harmon. Earl ...

, lead actress. * In 1973,

won a Special Jury Award at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences' second annual Student Film Awards presentation for ''A Field of Honor''. * In 2001, MFA student David Greenspan won the Palme d’Or for

short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films ...

for his student film ''Bean Cake''. * In 2006, director, co-writer, and producer

Ari Sandel Ari Devon Sandel (born September 5, 1974) is an American filmmaker. He is known for directing the short film ''West Bank Story'' (2005), which won the 2006 Academy Award in the category Best Live Action Short Film. Life and career Sandel was bor ...

received an Academy Award for best live action short film (" West Bank Story") made as a USC Cinema graduate school project. * In 2009, MFA student Gregg Helvey was nominated for an Academy Award for his MFA thesis film, Kavi. * In 2020, School of Cinematic Arts graduate Travis Misenti directed a science fiction film, '' The Echo Worlds'', that was awarded the January Nominee (for the movie trailer category) of the year of 2020 for The Monthly Film Festival.

Awards for USC Cinema feature films

* In 2019, the crime / thriller film ''

Samir Samir (variantly spelled Sameer) is a male name found commonly in the Middle East, Central Asia and Europe. In Arabic, Samir () means holy, jovial, loyal or charming. In Albanian, it translates literally as “so good” but the connotation is clo ...

'' became an official selection for the 2019

Heartland International Film Festival The Heartland International Film Festival is a film festival held each October in Indianapolis, Indiana. The festival was first held in 1992, its goal is to "inspire filmmaker Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion pict ...

with the help of

Warner Bros. Entertainment Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

Notable SCA alumni

''See also List of University of Southern California people'' SCA has more than 12,000 alumni. Among the most notable are: * Sasha Alexander *

Ante Cheng Ante Cheng is a Taipei-born American cinematographer, based in Los Angeles. He is best known for his work on '' Ms. Purple'', ''Blue Bayou'' and ''Pachinko''. Career Ante received a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Southern California. ...

Scott Alexander Scott Alain Alexander (born July 10, 1989) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played college baseball for Pepperdine University and Sonoma State University. The Kansas City ...

* Elizabeth Allen *

Thom Andersen Thom Andersen (born 1943 in Chicago) is an American filmmaker, film critic, and teacher best known for his works of experimental film, including his 1975 film '' Eadweard Muybridge, Zoopraxographer'' and the 2003 essay film '' Los Angeles Plays It ...

* Judd Apatow * Gregg Araki *

Aditya Assarat Aditya Assarat ( th, อาทิตย์ อัสสรัตน์, born 1972) is a Thai independent film director, screenwriter, producer and cinematographer. Biography Early career Aditya Assarat was born in Bangkok. He left Thailand at th ...

Doug Atchison Doug Atchison is an American film, motion picture Film director, director and screenwriter. He received the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting, Nicholl Fellowship for the screenplay for ''Akeelah and t ...

* John August * John Bailey * Kelley Baker *

Richard L. Bare Richard Leland Bare (August 12, 1913 – March 28, 2015) was an American director, producer, and screenwriter of Hollywood movies, television shows and short films. Career Born in Turlock, California, he attended USC School of Cinematic Arts ...

* Hal Barwood * Walt Becker * Jim Bernstein *

David Bezmozgis David Bezmozgis ( lv, Dāvids Bezmozgis; born 1973) is a Canadian writer and filmmaker, currently the head of Humber College's School for Writers. Life and career Educational background Born in Riga, Latvia, he came to Canada with his family ...

Laura Bialis Laura Bialis is an American-Israeli filmmaker best known for directing and producing the documentary films Rock in the Red Zone (2015) and Refusenik (2008). Biography Laura R. Bialis was born in Los Angeles, California and grew up in Los Angeles ...

Gregg Bishop Gregg Bishop is an American film director, producer and writer. Early life Gregg Bishop grew up in Powder Springs, Georgia and started making movies with his father's Super 8 film cameras when he was 7 years old. He completed over 50 short fi ...

Paul Harris Boardman Paul Harris Boardman is an American screenwriter and film producer, best known for his work in the horror genre. Boardman has also written other screenplays for various studios and production companies, including TriStar, Disney, Bruckheimer Films, ...

Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli is a professional photographer, television host and world traveler. Dominic spent several months on assignment co-hosting the travel TV series Lonely Planet: Roads Less Travelled, Lonely Planet: Stressbuster, and photogr ...

* A. C. Bradley * Charles Braverman * Mehcad Brooks * Norman Buckley * Bryan Burk * Ben Burtt * Trey Callaway * Steven Cantor * John Carpenter * Nick Castle *

Aneesh Chaganty Aneesh Chaganty (; born January 30, 1991) is an American film director and screenwriter. He made his feature film directorial debut with the 2018 thriller ''Searching'', for which he won the Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize at the 2018 Sundance ...

* Sharon Choi * Adam Christian Clark *

Jon Chu Jonathan Murray Chu (born November 2, 1979) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is best known as the director of 2018's ''Crazy Rich Asians'', the first film by a major Hollywood studio to feature a majority cast of Asi ...

* Art Clokey * Ryan Coogler * Ericson Core *

Jack Couffer Jack Craig Couffer A.S.C. (December 7, 1924 – July 30, 2021) was an American cinematographer, film and television director, and author. Couffer has specialized on documentary films, often involving nature and animal cinematography. Couffer was ...

R. J. Cutler R. J. Cutler (born 1962) is an American filmmaker, documentarian, television producer and theater director. His work includes the documentary films '' The War Room'', '' A Perfect Candidate'', ''Thin'', '' The September Issue'', ''The World Acco ...

* Mark Z. Danielewski * Thomas Del Ruth * Scott Derrickson * Caleb Deschanel * Trygve Allister Diesen *

Craig Detweiler Craig Detweiler (born 1964) is a writer, filmmaker, and cultural commentator. He is dean of the College of Fine Arts and Production at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona. Early life and career Detweiler grew up in Charlotte, North Caro ...

Susan Downey Susan Nicole Downey (née Levin; born November 6, 1973) is an American film producer. Until February 2009, she was co-president of Dark Castle Entertainment and executive vice president of production at Silver Pictures, Joel Silver's production ...

* Daniel Dubiecki * Richard Edlund *

Lindsay Ellis Lindsay Ellis (born 1984/1985) is an American author, film critic, video essayist, and former YouTuber. Her debut novel, ''Axiom's End'', published in July 2020, became a ''New York Times'' Best Seller. Education and career Ellis received he ...

* Kevin Feige * Bobby Florsheim *

Frank E. Flowers Frank Ewen Flowers Jr. (born 1979) is a Caymanian independent filmmaker, film director and screenwriter, writer and director of the award-winning 2003 short film ''Swallow'' and the 2004 feature motion picture '' Haven'', the latter photographed ...

* Tyler Fredrickson * David Gallagher *

Bob Gale Michael Robert Gale (born May 25, 1951) is an American screenwriter, comic book writer, film producer and director. He is best known for co-writing the science fiction comedy film ''Back to the Future'' with his writing partner Robert Zemecki ...

* Gavin Garrison *

Douglas Gayeton Douglas Gayeton is an American multimedia artist, filmmaker, writer, and photographer who divides his time between a farm near Petaluma, California and Pistoia, a medieval Tuscan town. Along with his wife, Laura Howard-Gayeton, he directThe Lex ...

* Scott Gimple * Alfred Gough *

David S. Goyer David Samuel Goyer (born December 22, 1965) is an American filmmaker, novelist and comic book writer. He is best known for writing the screenplays for several superhero films, including '' Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' (1998), the '' Blade'' ...

James Gray James, Jim, or Jimmy Gray may refer to: Politicians * James Gray (Australian politician) (1820–1889), member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly * James Gray (British politician) (born 1954), British politician * James Gray (mayor) (1862–1916) ...

* Macy Gray * Brian Grazer * Luke Greenfield * Kevin Greutert *

Ashley Greyson Ashley Greyson (sometimes credited as Ash Greyson) is a film and music video director, cinematographer, editor, and producer, who usually works with the band Hanson. He attended the USC School of Cinematic Arts. Greyson worked with Hanson on ...

* Javier Grillo-Marxuach *

Lawrence Guterman Lawrence Guterman (born July 18, 1966) is a Canadian film director known for his work in companies like DreamWorks, Warner Bros., New Line Cinema and Universal. He directed the feature films ''Cats & Dogs'' (2001) and ''Son of the Mask'' (2005) ...

* Conrad Hall *

Jane Hamsher Jane Hamsher (born Jane Murphy; July 25, 1959) is a US film producer, author, and blogger best known as the author of ''Killer Instinct'', a memoir about co-producing the 1994 movie ''Natural Born Killers'' with Don Murphy and others, and as the ...

* Ray Harryhausen * Grant Heslov *

Matthew Ryan Hoge Matthew Ryan Hoge (born 1974) is an American writer and film director, known for writing and directing ''The United States of Leland'' (2003). Biography Hoge was raised in the northern Denver suburb of Thornton, Colorado. He attended Horizon ...

Sean Hood Sean Hood (born August 13, 1966) is an American screenwriter and film director. Early life Hood graduated from Brown University, with a double major in pure mathematics and studio art, and then spent several years working in Hollywood as a set dr ...

Ron Howard Ronald William Howard (born March 1, 1954) is an American director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. He first came to prominence as a child actor, guest-starring in several television series, including an episode of '' The Twilight Zone''. ...

Martin Hynes Martin Hynes is an American screenwriter, film director, actor, and film producer. Life and career Hynes was born and raised in Eugene, Oregon, and has a bachelor's degree in history from Columbia University. Hynes wrote and directed '' The ...

James Ivory James Francis Ivory (born June 7, 1928) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. For many years, he worked extensively with Indian-born film producer Ismail Merchant, his domestic as well as professional partner, and with scree ...

* O'Shea Jackson Jr. * Joe Johnston *

Rian Johnson Rian Craig Johnson (born December 17, 1973) is an American filmmaker. He made his directorial debut with the neo-noir mystery film ''Brick'' (2005), which received positive reviews and grossed nearly $4 million on a $450,000 budget. Transitio ...

* Larry Karaszewski *

Jonathan Ke Quan Ke Huy Quan (born August 20, 1971), also known as Jonathan Ke Quan (), is a Vietnam-born American actor and stunt choreographer. Quan played Short Round in ''Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom'' (1984) and Data in ''The Goonies'' (1985)''.' ...

* Richard Kelly * Nahnatchka Khan * Karey Kirkpatrick * Randal Kleiser *

Tim Kring Richard Timothy Kring (born July 9, 1957) is an American screenwriter and television producer, best known for his creation of the drama series '' Strange World'', ''Crossing Jordan'', ''Heroes'', and ''Touch''. Early life Kring was born in El Do ...

Eric Kripke Eric Kripke (born 1974) is an American writer and television producer. He came to prominence as the creator of the fantasy drama series ''Supernatural'' (2005–2020) which aired on The CW. He served as the showrunner during the first five seasons ...

* Kurt Kuenne * Ken Kwapis * Brandon Laatsch *

Jon Landau Jon Landau (born May 14, 1947) is an American music critic, manager, and record producer. He has worked with Bruce Springsteen in all three capacities. He is the head of the nominating committee for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and rec ...

* Alexander Sebastien Lee *

Chris Chan Lee Chris Chan Lee (born in San Francisco, California) is an American filmmaker. After graduating from the USC School of Cinematic Arts in Los Angeles, California, Lee wrote/directed ''Yellow,'' an independently financed feature film about the har ...

* Shawn Levy * R. Eric Lieb * Doug Liman *

* Albert Magnoli * Gregory Markopoulos * Richard Martini * Joseph Mazzello * John Milius * Miles Millar * F. Hudson Miller *

John Lloyd Miller John Lloyd Miller is an American filmmaker who has directed, produced and/or written music videos, short films, features, documentaries, commercials and television programming. Career Miller has worked in virtually every aspect of the film a ...

* Derek Mio * Stephen Mirrione * Raamla Mohamed * Walter Murch * Don Murphy *

Tab Murphy Tab Murphy is an American screenwriter, film producer, film director, and television writer. Biography Murphy's theatrical debut, '' Gorillas in the Mist'', was nominated for an Academy Award for his writing. In 1995, Murphy made his directoria ...

Tom Neff Thomas Linden Neff (born 1953)-, known as Tom Neff, is an American film executive, director and producer, born in Chicago, Illinois. He lives in Nashville, Tennessee. Education Neff received his Bachelor of Arts from Lawrence University with a ...

* Laura Neri * Eric Newman *

Doug Nichol Doug Nichol is an American filmmaker and commercials/music video director. Biography A graduate of the USC School of Cinematic Arts, he started his career as a cinematographer working with David Bowie, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen and U2 and w ...

* Dan O'Bannon *

Tracy Oliver Tracy Y. Oliver is an American film and television writer, producer, director, and actress. Oliver originally starred in the web series '' The Mis-Adventures of Awkward Black Girl,'' before serving as a staff writer on ABC's '' The Neighbors'' an ...

* Randy Olson *

Tom Oesch Tom Oesch (born September 27, 1980) is a Swiss filmmaker working in Hollywood, California. Biography Tom Oesch grew up in Rebstein, a small rural town in Switzerland. After his mother had taken him to see ''Jurassic Park'' at the local movie ...

Richard Outten Richard Outten is an American screenwriter who works in both motion pictures and television. Among his writing credits is the 2012 Warner Bros. adventure film '' Journey 2: The Mysterious Island'', starring Dwayne Johnson. Career After receiving ...

Chris Parson Christopher L. Parson is an American voice actor and a 2001 graduate of the USC School of Cinema Television (now USC School of Cinematic Arts). Career Parson began his career working primarily as an assistant in talent management while still a ...

* Paula Patton *

Sam Peckinpah David Samuel Peckinpah (; February 21, 1925 – December 28, 1984) was an American film director and screenwriter. His 1969 Western epic ''The Wild Bunch'' received an Academy Award nomination and was ranked No. 80 on the American Film Institut ...

(drama major) *

Charlie Pecoraro Charlie Pecoraro (born November 9, 1980) is an American stage, television, and film actor. Biography Pecoraro was born into a family of noted performers and musicians. He is the son of jazz guitarist Charles P. Pecoraro, the nephew of Actor/Da ...

Michael R. Perry Michael R. Perry (born April 15, 1963 in Columbus, Ohio) is an American television producer, television writer and screenwriter. . His television credits include '' Eerie, Indiana'', ''New York Undercover'', ''American Gothic'', ''The Practice ...

Brian Wayne Peterson Brian Wayne Peterson (born c. 1971/1972) is an American screenwriter, television producer, and showrunner. After finding success writing the script for 1999 film '' But I'm a Cheerleader'', he and his writing partner Kelly Souders wrote and produc ...

Shawn Piller Shawn Piller is a principal and executive producer at Piller/Segan, an independent content production company. Career In 1997, Shawn Piller produced his first film, ''Oakland Underground'', and, in the following two years, he produced ''The Lone ...

* Stu Pollard * Dan Povenmire *

Santiago Pozo Santiago Pozo is a Spanish-American film producer, writer, director, and marketing executive. In 1988, he founded Arenas Entertainment, LLC. Life Pozo was born in Santo Domingo de la Calzada, La Rioja, Spain. He grew up in Madrid where his fathe ...

* Ben Proudfoot *

Ben Queen Benjamin Queen is an American writer and producer. He was the creator/showrunner for the NBC television show ''A to Z''. He wrote the screenplays for MGM's ''The Addams Family 2'', and the Pixar animated movie ''Cars 2'', and co-wrote the story f ...

* Kevin Reynolds *

Ben Ripley Ben Ripley is an American screenwriter best known for writing the science-fiction thriller ''Source Code'' directed by Duncan Jones. Ripley is a graduate of Stanford University and the University of Southern California's USC School of Cinema-Telev ...

* Shonda Rhimes *

Jay Roach Mathew Jay Roach (born June 14, 1957) is an American filmmaker. He is best known for directing the ''Austin Powers'' film series, '' Meet the Parents'', '' Dinner for Schmucks'', '' The Campaign'', '' Trumbo'', and '' Bombshell''. Roach also e ...

* Steven Robiner * Barry Rubinow *

Jason Russell Jason Russell (born October 12, 1978) is an American film and theater director, choreographer, and activist who co-founded Invisible Children, Inc. He is the director of ''Kony 2012'', a short documentary film that went viral in the beginning o ...

* Gary Rydstrom *

Walter Salles Walter Moreira Salles Júnior (; born 12 April 1956) is a Brazilian filmmaker. Early life Salles was born on 12 April 1956 in Rio de Janeiro and attended the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts. He is the son of Braz ...

Josh Schwartz Joshua Ian Schwartz (born August 6, 1976) is an American screenwriter and television producer. Schwartz is best known for creating and executive producing the Fox teen drama series '' The O.C.'' which ran for 4 seasons. Schwartz is also known for ...

Ben Shedd Ben Shedd is an American director, producer, and writer of film and video. He shared the 1978 Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Film. Education He earned a BA from San Francisco State University in 1968 and an MA from the University o ...

Stacey Sher Stacey Sher (born November 30, 1962) is an American film producer. Early life Sher was born to a Jewish family in New York City and raised in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She graduated and got her bachelor's degree from University of Southern Ca ...

* Robert Sherman * Christine Shin *

Sofia Shinas Sofia Shinas (born January 17, 1968) is a Greek Canadian singer, songwriter, actress and director."Dream comes true for Shinas". '' Windsor Star'', May 28, 1994. Shinas entered the entertainment industry as a recording artist and later pursued ...

* Sigurjón Sighvatsson *

John Singleton John Daniel Singleton (January 6, 1968 April 28, 2019) was an American director, screenwriter, and producer. He made his feature film debut writing and directing ''Boyz n the Hood'' (1991), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for B ...

* Bryan Singer * Stephen Sommers *

Dror Soref Dror Soref (Hebrew: דרור סורף) is a filmmaker and social reformer who made his directorial debut with the I Love Rocky Road music video for a then unknown "Weird Al" Yankovic in 1983, after attending USC School of Cinema. Soref later ...

Guido Mina di Sospiro Guido Mina di Sospiro is a novelist, essayist, and author of narrative nonfiction. Early life and education Guido Mina di Sospiro was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, into an ancient Italian family, which relocated to Italy three months after his ...

Kevin Stea Kevin Alexander Stea (born October 17, 1969) is an American dancer, choreographer, actor, singer, director and model. He has worked as a dancer and choreographer with a number of high-profile artists, including Madonna, Lady Gaga and Michael Ja ...

Adam Stein Adam Stein is an American film director and screenwriter working in Los Angeles, California. Stein graduated from Harvard University and the directing program at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. He co-directed the Disney live-action movie ''Ki ...

David H. Steinberg David H. Steinberg is an American writer, director, and producer for film and television. He wrote the screenplays for ''American Pie 2'', '' Slackers'', ''National Lampoon's Barely Legal'', and '' American Pie Presents'': '' The Book of Love'' ...

Tim Story Timothy Kevin Story (born March 13, 1970) is an African American film director. He is best known for '' Barbershop'' (2002), the ''Fantastic Four'' (2005) and the ''Ride Along'' franchise. He has been nominated for two NAACP Image Awards for Ou ...

* Chris Terrio * Jon Turteltaub * Ron Underwood *

Lee Unkrich Lee Edward Unkrich (born August 8, 1967) is an American film director, film editor, screenwriter, and animator. He was a longtime member of the creative team at Pixar, where he started in 1994 as a film editor. He later began directing, first as ...

* Christopher Vogler * Matthew Weiner * John Wells *

Alexander Winn Alexander Winn (born September 24, 1986) is an American writer, producer, and director of mobile games, live-action and machinima films. Winn is best known as one of the two founding members of Edgeworks Entertainment, and as the creator of ''Terra ...

* Freddie Wong * Marianna Yarovskaya * Robert Yeoman * Rayka Zehtabchi *

Laura Ziskin Laura Ellen ZiskinGale Research Company (2002). ''Contemporary theatre, film, and television,'' p. 388. Gale Research Co., (March 3, 1950 – June 12, 2011) was an American film producer, known as the executive producer of '' Pretty Woman'' (199 ...

Bradley Steven Perry Bradley Steven Perry (born November 23, 1998) is an American actor. He played the role of Gabe Duncan on the Disney Channel family sitcom ''Good Luck Charlie'', and the role of Roger Ellison in Disney's ''High School Musical'' spin-off film '' ...

Other notable faculty members and instructors (past and present)

Danny Bilson Daniel Bilson (born July 26, 1956) is an American writer, director, and producer of movies, television, video games, and comic books. Together with his frequent collaborator, Paul De Meo, he is best known as the writer for the film '' The Rock ...

* Mitchell Block * Mark Bolas * Peter Bonerz * Todd Boyd * Trey Callaway *

Drew Casper Joseph Andrew "Drew" Casper is a Professor of Critical Studies who previously worked at the School of Cinematic Arts as part of the University of Southern California and considered to be an authority on American film from World War II to the pres ...

Peter Chung Peter Chung (born April 19, 1961) is a Korean American animator. He is best known for his unique style of animation, as the creator and director of ''Æon Flux'' and '' Reign: The Conqueror (Alexander Senki)''. Early life and career Peter Chung ...

* Frank Daniel * Edward Dmytryk * Duwayne Dunham * John A. Ferraro * Verna Fields * Scott Fisher * Rachel Feldman * James Franco *

Robert L. Freedman Robert L. Freedman (born July 27, 1957) is an American screenwriter and dramatist. He is best known for his teleplays for '' Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella'' (1997) and '' Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows'' (2001), and for his Tony ...

* Anne Friedberg * Nina Foch * Tracy Fullerton * Maureen Furniss * Eric Goldberg * Dan Gordon *

Mark Jonathan Harris Mark Jonathan Harris (born 1941) is an American documentary filmmaker probably best known for his films '' Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport'' (2000) and '' The Long Way Home'' (1997). He has directed three documentaries ...

* Ray Harryhausen * Tomlinson Holman *

Gordy Hoffman Gordon Richard Hoffman (born ) is an American screenwriter and director. He is the older brother of actor Philip Seymour Hoffman. Biography Early life His mother, Marilyn O'Connor (née Loucks), a native of Waterloo, New York, is a family c ...

Jerry Lewis Jerry Lewis (born Joseph Levitch; March 16, 1926 – August 20, 2017) was an American comedian, actor, singer, filmmaker and humanitarian. As his contributions to comedy and charity made him a global figure in popular culture, pop culture ...

David Kehr
Jerry Lewis, Mercurial Comedian and Filmmaker, Dies at 91
''The New York Times'', August 20, 2017. * Leonard Maltin *

Robert McKee Robert McKee (born January 30, 1941) is an author, lecturer and story consultant who is known for his "Story Seminar", which he developed when he was a professor at the University of Southern California. McKee is the author of ''Story: Substa ...

* Michael Naimark * Christine Panushka * Mark Pesce * Gene Polito * Abraham Polonsky *

Bill Prady William Scott Prady (born June 7, 1960) is an American television writer and producer who has worked on American sitcoms and variety programs, including '' Married... with Children'', '' Dream On'', '' Star Trek: Voyager'', ''Dharma & Greg'', ' ...

* Howard Rodman * Howard Rosenberg * Tom Sito * Kathy Smith * Chris Swain * Larry Turman * Jordan Weisman * Paul Wolff *

Slavko Vorkapić Slavoljub "Slavko" Vorkapić ( sr-Cyrl, Славољуб "Славко" Воркапић; March 17, 1894 – October 20, 1976), known in English as Slavko Vorkapich, was a Serbian-born Hollywood montagist, an independent cinematic artist, chair ...

References

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School of Cinematic Arts The University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts (SCA) houses seven academic divisions: Film & Television Production; Cinema & Media Studies; John C. Hench Division of Animation + Digital Arts; John Wells Division of Writing for S ...

Film schools in California Animation schools in the United States Educational institutions established in 1929 1929 establishments in California