Hi hi. This is my first time posting here. I'm just finishing my UCLA application up, and am about to move on to USC but I'm finding that USC's website isn't very intuitive and I'm having trouble figuring out how the program works.

I'm interested in both schools' producing programs, but I still want to learn more about film production. It doesn't make much sense to me to learn producing if you don't know everything else. I'm currently finishing up a liberal arts undergrad program, and I'm really big on interconnectedness of study and collaboration between departments. I'm not too concerned about the quality of the facilities, as I've been scraping by on next to nothing for the past 4 years.

I really want to know what the community and faculty/student relations are like between the two schools? How connected is the student body between different disciplines? I'm getting this weird vibe from USC as I read more into them, I'm wondering if anyone has more information?

FYI, I am applying to Chapman too.

PM me with less vague questions, and I'll see what I can help you with...since I don't know what exactly you mean by "vibe."

And the Stark students have to take at least one production class, this I know. Probably more than that, like screenwriters....in addition to other cross-disciplinary courses. USC is really all about everyone having, at the minimum, working knowledge of production.

Take a look at the program's requirements...

Apply at Chapman U, if you want to be a producer w/production training. MFA Producers here at Chapman are required to take 2 Production workshop classes (hands-on stuff, you go out and shoot - to theory), plus you gotta crew on 16 and 35mm graduate shorts. We have productions going on all the time, and you can volunteer to be on any crew, and you'll be accepted, because we need people who want to work... Thanks.

Just to add another illustrative comment about Chapman's hands-on attitude: I'm in the Producing program, and in the last 3 days I worked on about 4 different short films... I shot my short in a local house w/2 local actors, I UPMd and did grip-work on a 35mm thesis, I'm about to act in 16mm short, and I'm doing preproduction work on another 16mm short. There is so much here to do, plus this place is open 24/7. So, if you're a CineFanatic, Chapman is the place to be! Peace.