School of Theater, Film and Television
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| School of Theater, Film and Television | |
|---|---|
| Name | School of Theater, Film and Television |
| Established | 1947 |
| Type | Public professional school |
| Parent | University of California, Los Angeles |
| Location | Los Angeles, California |
| Campus | Westwood, Los Angeles |
School of Theater, Film and Television is an arts professional school of University of California, Los Angeles located in Los Angeles, California. The school trains practitioners in theater and film through conservatory-style instruction and university-based scholarship, engaging with institutions such as Broadway, Sundance Film Festival, Cannes Film Festival, Academy Awards, and British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Faculty and alumni have collaborated with organizations including Warner Bros., Netflix, Paramount Pictures, Metropolitan Opera, and National Endowment for the Arts.
History
The program traces origins to drama and film courses at University of California, Los Angeles in the mid-20th century, influenced by figures associated with Hollywood studios, New York City theater, British theatre, Method acting practitioners, and critics from The New York Times and Variety. Early developments involved partnerships with Columbia Pictures, RKO Pictures, MGM, Samuel Goldwyn, and pedagogues linked to Lee Strasberg, Stella Adler, Sanford Meisner, and Jerzy Grotowski. Expansion during the 1960s and 1970s synchronized with festivals such as Venice Film Festival, Berlin International Film Festival, and funding from foundations like Ford Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, and Guggenheim Foundation. Later curricular reforms reflected industry shifts tied to digital cinema, streaming media, and unions such as Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, with alumni achieving recognition at Tony Awards, Emmy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, and César Awards.
Academic programs
Programs include undergraduate and graduate degrees offering conservatory-style training and research degrees tied to departments that mirror collaborations with School of Cinematic Arts, Yale School of Drama, Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and London Film School. Degree tracks commonly cover directing, producing, screenwriting, cinematography, design, acting, and stagecraft, with courses referencing techniques from Stanislavski, Brecht, Chekhov, Tennessee Williams, and Arthur Miller. Graduate credentials include Master of Fine Arts and PhD pathways, with students pursuing projects eligible for submission to Tribeca Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, SXSW, and juried awards such as National Film Registry recognition. Interdisciplinary offerings promote partnerships with UCLA School of Law, UCLA Anderson School of Management, UCLA Department of Music, and research centers linked to Getty Research Institute.
Facilities and resources
Facilities comprise sound stages, screening rooms, design shops, and rehearsal studios situated near Westwood Village, featuring theaters analogous to venues like Mark Taper Forum, Ahmanson Theatre, and technical resources comparable to those at Pantages Theatre and Dolby Theatre. On-campus resources include post-production labs equipped with industry-standard cameras produced by ARRI, RED Digital Cinema, and lenses from Zeiss, plus editing suites running software comparable to Avid Technology, Adobe Systems, and color grading panels used in post houses like Company 3. Archives and special collections collaborate with institutions such as Library of Congress, Museum of Modern Art, and Academy Film Archive to provide primary materials, while partnerships with American Film Institute and National Film Board of Canada augment preservation and exhibition.
Notable alumni and faculty
Faculty and alumni have encompassed directors, actors, writers, designers, and producers who went on to work with Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, Christopher Nolan, Greta Gerwig, Meryl Streep, Denzel Washington, Viola Davis, Tom Hanks, Natalie Portman, Al Pacino, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Jodie Foster, Sidney Poitier, Harrison Ford, Frances McDormand, Wes Anderson, Spike Lee, Ron Howard, Guillermo del Toro, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Pedro Almodóvar, Kathryn Bigelow, James Cameron, Clint Eastwood, Peter Jackson, Ang Lee, Paul Thomas Anderson, Sofia Coppola, Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, Robert Zemeckis, David Lynch, John Williams, Ennio Morricone, Hans Zimmer, Roger Deakins, and Emmanuel Lubezki through teaching, guest workshops, mentorships, and alumni networks. Playwrights, composers, and designers associated with the school have collaborated with Royal Shakespeare Company, New York Theatre Workshop, Lincoln Center Theater, Shakespeare's Globe, and orchestras such as Los Angeles Philharmonic.
Productions and festivals
The school mounts annual seasons of plays, films, and new works that screen at campus venues and travel to festivals including Sundance Film Festival, Cannes Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, South by Southwest, Berlinale, and AFI Fest. Student films and theater productions have won awards at Student Academy Awards, NAACP Image Awards, Peabody Awards, Pulitzer Prize shortlists for drama, and festival juried prizes tied to Directors Guild of America recognition. The institution also sponsors symposiums and masterclasses featuring artists affiliated with American Conservatory Theater, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Royal Court Theatre, Old Vic, Metropolitan Opera and industry gatherings like Produced By Conference.
Admissions and tuition
Admission is competitive, requiring portfolios, auditions, interviews, and academic records evaluated against benchmarks established by University of California system policies and standards used by peer institutions such as Juilliard School, Tisch School of the Arts, California Institute of the Arts, and Columbia University School of the Arts. Tuition and fees follow public university schedules with differential rates for residents and nonresidents, supplemented by scholarships, fellowships, and grants from sources like National Endowment for the Arts, Fulbright Program, Getty Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, and private donors including foundations tied to SAG-AFTRA Foundation.