A) HOW MANY UNITS DO I TAKE, & IN WHAT?
The Graduate Division requires that all graduate students be enrolled in 12 units to be considered full time. However, FYI: currently the Financial Aid Office considers 8 units full time. If you’re going to go below 12, good to check in with Cheri Smith, the graduate counselor for TFT. cheri@tft.ucla.edu.
To give you a measurement – a 434 is 8 credits. Many CMS classes are 6 credits (and involve a research paper at the end). Most producing classes are 4 credits, as are most TV writing classes.
Credit load is not necessarily indicative of workload. Writing a half hour spec or a dramatic pilot can be a lot more work week to week than some producing classes, but they’re the same number of credits.
In general, students take between 12 and 18 units.
Your main work here is in the screenwriting program. Screenwriters generally take a 434 every quarter except their first.
You’re welcome to take classes in other UCLA disciplines, either within or outside TFT. You just have to remember, 1) you’re here first and foremost to write. And 2) the same PTE system applies outside TFT – you still need to chase down faculty to get PTEs, and you probably need to do that long before the quarter begins. Also, since you’re not a member of their department, you’re lower in the food chain. They may ask you whether TFT allows its grad students to take undergrad or grad classes. The answer is that we are allowed to take both.
NOTE: You may be asked to enroll in a 498. This is a filler-course that shows you are enrolled in enough hours to apply for insurance, parking, awards, etc. before actually enrolling in the real classes. After enrolling in the real classes (Week Two), you will drop the 498 and receive several reminder emails to drop the "class" throughout the quarter.
Being in film school can be a little bit like being a kid in a candy store. In TFT alone, you will find so many great classes and instructors, experienced professionals bringing in other top talent in the industry. It can be easy to say yes to too much. For most people it is a good idea to go easy that first quarter, learn what works for you and also get to know your classmates.
NOTE: You can drop classes in TFT any time in the 10 weeks without grade penalty. If you do so after the second meeting there is a sliding fee. Also, a drop done after the 2nd-4th weeks, depending on the class, leaves a notation of the drop on your transcript.
B) FIRST QUARTER SCHEDULE
As already mentioned, first quarter MFA students are required to take FTV 431 (4 units). You are also required to take FTV C430 (2 units). FTV C430 is an undergraduate Introduction to Screenwriting lecture. Whether you’ve already written 100 screenplays or never picked up a pen, you are required to take FTV C430 (colloquially known as “Storytime with Richard”).
Beyond those six credits, your first quarter schedule is up to you. Your mentors will have good suggestions as to teachers and classes to keep your eyes out for. And watch the listservs.
Donor Awards (see page 38) and Showcase (page 39) glower over Winter Quarter like ravens on the bust of Pallas. (FYI: Don't ever use lines like that in your screenplay.) Keep all this in mind when deciding on classes and whether or not to continue your 431 script into the Winter Quarter.
C) REQUIREMENTS FOR GRADUATION
Again, questions about requirements can be directed to Cheri Smith, our graduate counselor.
In general, beyond 434, you have three requirements you must fulfill for graduation.
1) You must take two Cinema and Media Studies (CMS) classes. CMS classes often involve a major paper, as well as a lot of in class time (particularly if the class involves weekly viewings). CMS majors have first priority and 2nd and 3rd year screenwriters sometimes get dibs on empty spots. Do yourself a favor and get at least one CMS class out of the way your first year. And definitely ask 2nd and 3rd students for recommendations.
2) You must take one class that is either producing, animation or directing. There are challenges if you’re interested in taking a directing class that involves actually shooting something.
3) You need 72 credits within the TFT program. That’s only 12 credits a quarter over 6 quarters. This should be a no brainer to hit. The classes you’re required to take and the classes you will want to take will hit the 72 credits in no time at all.
D) WRITING IN 434
You want to ask if you're really restricted to writing original scripts, and what exactly that means. You want to know if you're expected to write commercial material, or maybe you're expected to do the opposite.
The truth about 434s is that you can write pretty much whatever you want, if you can deal with the consequences. If you want to spend ten weeks writing a story you don't have the rights to, or haven't researched, or have no hope or selling or filming, you probably can – if you're prepared to deal with all those consequences, plus potentially annoying your instructor.
Instructors vary in many ways, including how focused they are on writing for 'the industry'. Talk to your peers, attend pitch sessions, and try to find the instructor who's right for your script and/or attitude. Once you have an instructor, the best thing is often to submit to their system and try to learn what that instructor can teach.
But you are the one responsible for your script – whether you reject good notes, or let misplaced notes ruin your script, it's your choice. Instructors want to see you're learning what they're teaching, but they're not keeping score. It's not about the grade, it's about the script.
There's no specified software you're required to use at UCLA – assignments are generally delivered in paper or PDF. However, some sitcoms require specialized formats that something like Final Draft can handle, and you might get a warning from an instructor that the industry expects writers to use Final Draft.
Really, just get Final Draft.
The Graduate Division requires that all graduate students be enrolled in 12 units to be considered full time. However, FYI: currently the Financial Aid Office considers 8 units full time. If you’re going to go below 12, good to check in with Cheri Smith, the graduate counselor for TFT. cheri@tft.ucla.edu.
To give you a measurement – a 434 is 8 credits. Many CMS classes are 6 credits (and involve a research paper at the end). Most producing classes are 4 credits, as are most TV writing classes.
Credit load is not necessarily indicative of workload. Writing a half hour spec or a dramatic pilot can be a lot more work week to week than some producing classes, but they’re the same number of credits.
In general, students take between 12 and 18 units.
Your main work here is in the screenwriting program. Screenwriters generally take a 434 every quarter except their first.
You’re welcome to take classes in other UCLA disciplines, either within or outside TFT. You just have to remember, 1) you’re here first and foremost to write. And 2) the same PTE system applies outside TFT – you still need to chase down faculty to get PTEs, and you probably need to do that long before the quarter begins. Also, since you’re not a member of their department, you’re lower in the food chain. They may ask you whether TFT allows its grad students to take undergrad or grad classes. The answer is that we are allowed to take both.
NOTE: You may be asked to enroll in a 498. This is a filler-course that shows you are enrolled in enough hours to apply for insurance, parking, awards, etc. before actually enrolling in the real classes. After enrolling in the real classes (Week Two), you will drop the 498 and receive several reminder emails to drop the "class" throughout the quarter.
Being in film school can be a little bit like being a kid in a candy store. In TFT alone, you will find so many great classes and instructors, experienced professionals bringing in other top talent in the industry. It can be easy to say yes to too much. For most people it is a good idea to go easy that first quarter, learn what works for you and also get to know your classmates.
NOTE: You can drop classes in TFT any time in the 10 weeks without grade penalty. If you do so after the second meeting there is a sliding fee. Also, a drop done after the 2nd-4th weeks, depending on the class, leaves a notation of the drop on your transcript.
B) FIRST QUARTER SCHEDULE
As already mentioned, first quarter MFA students are required to take FTV 431 (4 units). You are also required to take FTV C430 (2 units). FTV C430 is an undergraduate Introduction to Screenwriting lecture. Whether you’ve already written 100 screenplays or never picked up a pen, you are required to take FTV C430 (colloquially known as “Storytime with Richard”).
Beyond those six credits, your first quarter schedule is up to you. Your mentors will have good suggestions as to teachers and classes to keep your eyes out for. And watch the listservs.
Donor Awards (see page 38) and Showcase (page 39) glower over Winter Quarter like ravens on the bust of Pallas. (FYI: Don't ever use lines like that in your screenplay.) Keep all this in mind when deciding on classes and whether or not to continue your 431 script into the Winter Quarter.
C) REQUIREMENTS FOR GRADUATION
Again, questions about requirements can be directed to Cheri Smith, our graduate counselor.
In general, beyond 434, you have three requirements you must fulfill for graduation.
1) You must take two Cinema and Media Studies (CMS) classes. CMS classes often involve a major paper, as well as a lot of in class time (particularly if the class involves weekly viewings). CMS majors have first priority and 2nd and 3rd year screenwriters sometimes get dibs on empty spots. Do yourself a favor and get at least one CMS class out of the way your first year. And definitely ask 2nd and 3rd students for recommendations.
2) You must take one class that is either producing, animation or directing. There are challenges if you’re interested in taking a directing class that involves actually shooting something.
3) You need 72 credits within the TFT program. That’s only 12 credits a quarter over 6 quarters. This should be a no brainer to hit. The classes you’re required to take and the classes you will want to take will hit the 72 credits in no time at all.
D) WRITING IN 434
You want to ask if you're really restricted to writing original scripts, and what exactly that means. You want to know if you're expected to write commercial material, or maybe you're expected to do the opposite.
The truth about 434s is that you can write pretty much whatever you want, if you can deal with the consequences. If you want to spend ten weeks writing a story you don't have the rights to, or haven't researched, or have no hope or selling or filming, you probably can – if you're prepared to deal with all those consequences, plus potentially annoying your instructor.
Instructors vary in many ways, including how focused they are on writing for 'the industry'. Talk to your peers, attend pitch sessions, and try to find the instructor who's right for your script and/or attitude. Once you have an instructor, the best thing is often to submit to their system and try to learn what that instructor can teach.
But you are the one responsible for your script – whether you reject good notes, or let misplaced notes ruin your script, it's your choice. Instructors want to see you're learning what they're teaching, but they're not keeping score. It's not about the grade, it's about the script.
There's no specified software you're required to use at UCLA – assignments are generally delivered in paper or PDF. However, some sitcoms require specialized formats that something like Final Draft can handle, and you might get a warning from an instructor that the industry expects writers to use Final Draft.
Really, just get Final Draft.