The UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, is one of the 11 schools within the University of California, Los Angeles located in Los Angeles, California. Its creation was groundbreaking in that it was the first time a leading university had combined all three of these aspects into a single administration. The undergraduate program is often ranked among the world's top drama departments. The graduate programs are usually ranking within the top three nationally, according to the U.S. News & World Report. Among the school's resources are the Geffen Playhouse and the UCLA Film & Television Archive, the world's largest university-based archive of its kind, celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2015. The Archive constitutes one of the largest collections of media materials in the United States — second only to the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. Its vaults hold more than 220,000 motion picture and television titles and 27 million feet of newsreel footage. The film, television, and digital media program is one of the most prestigious film programs in the world. It is the most selective film school as the film and television major selects about only 15 freshman out of thousands of applicants and a handful of transfer students. The School's enrollment, in 2014, consisted of 631 students. For Fall 2014, the School received 4,442 applications and offered admission to 346 applicants. With 140 faculty members teaching 335 undergrads and 296 graduate students, the teacher to student ratio is about 1:5.
History
The roots of the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television go back to 1947 when the Theater Arts Department was created at UCLA and chaired by German theater director William Melnitz. When the department became the UCLA College of Fine Arts in 1961, Melnitz was named the founding dean, and drama critic and film producer Kenneth Macgowan became the chair of the Department of Theater Arts. The College of Fine Arts grew in standing and within seven years, its two departments had moved into their own facilities: Macgowan Hall became home to Theater in 1963, and the Department of Motion Pictures, Television and Radio moved into Melnitz Hall in 1967. Twenty years later, in 1987, The College of Fine Arts was disbanded. The School of Theater, Film and Television was created in 1990, and Gilbert Cates, a renowned film, television and Broadway director, became its founding dean. The curriculum was expanded, new faculty was hired, and entertainment industry connections were strengthened. In 1999, Robert Rosen became UCLA TFT’s second dean. A professor and film historian, Rosen had earlier spearheaded the expansion of the UCLA Film & Television Archive into one of the largest collections of moving image material. As dean, Rosen expanded the School’s international influence with strong alliances, particularly in China. UCLA alumna Teri Schwartz became the dean of UCLA TFT in 2009. A former award-winning feature film producer, she was previously the founding dean of the School of Film and Television at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. In 2020, established and award-winning theater director Brian Kite has been named the interim dean of TFT. Kite is the recipient of the 2018 Joel Hirschhorn Award from the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle, for distinguished achievement in musical theater. He is a Los Angeles Ovation Award winner for Best Direction of a Musical for his production of Spring Awakening and was again nominated for his productions of Les Misérables and American Idiot. Kite is a chair emeritus of the Board of Governors of the L.A. Stage Alliance, holds an appointment as a visiting professor at the Shanghai Theatre Academy and is the artistic director of the award-winning Buffalo Nights Theatre Company.
The Skoll Center for Social Impact Entertainment at UCLA TFT was created in partnership with Participant Media founder and CEO Jeffrey Skoll in 2014. Skoll donated $10 million for the center, the first of its kind dedicated solely to advancing entertainment and performing arts to inspire social change. The idea for the center came to Teri Schwartz, later Dean of the UCLA TFT, in 2003; after meeting Skoll in 2007, she shared the idea for the center with him, and 7 years later the center was founded. The work of the Center is organized around three pillars: research, education and special initiatives, and public programming and exhibition. The Skoll Center for SIE is one of about a dozen dedicated research institutions focusing on Social impact entertainment.
Department of Theater
The different areas of studies in the Department of Theater consist of:
Acting
Design/Production
Directing
Musical Theater
Playwriting
Integrated studies
Undergraduate program
The undergraduate program requires an interview/audition process for all applicants. The program teaches the general studies of theater broadly, before allowing the student to study their specified area of study.
Graduate program
Offering Master of Fine Arts and Doctor of Philosophy degrees, the graduate program requires an audition for all acting applicants and a possible interview for other candidates. Each applicant must apply for a specific area of study.
The undergraduate program in Film, Television and Digital Media gives students the opportunity to learn about the history and theory of film and television while also teaching practical, creative and technical skills. Students must concentrate on one of the following areas:
Film production
Producing
Documentary
Screenwriting
Animation
Digital Media
Critical Studies
Cinematography
Students must all complete one internship during their senior year.
Graduate program
Offering Master of Arts, Master of Fine Arts and Doctor of Philosophy degrees, the graduate program offers two main areas of study. A Master of Arts and a Doctor of Philosophy degree are available for critical studies. The Master of Fine Arts degree can be obtained with the choice of five specializations:
Production/Directing
Production/Cinematography
Screenwriting
Animation
Producers Program
Professional Programs
The School also offers non-degree certificate programs modeled after the MFA curriculum. The UCLA Professional Programs in Screenwriting, Video Game Writing, Producing and Acting for the Camera are the only non-degree screenwriting and producing programs that have oversight by the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, and the only viable alternatives to the UCLA MFA Screenwriting and Producing programs. In the UCLA Professional Program in Screenwriting, students focus on the theory and craft of professional screenwriting, without having to take the critical studies seminars and related electives that are required to obtain a degree. The goal of this graduate-level program, which takes place over one academic year, is for the student to start and complete two original feature-length screenplays. The UCLA Professional Program in Producing is a 10-week program that provides an intensive overview of the contemporary film and television industries and introduces students to the tools needed to navigate the studio and independent marketplace. The program consists of a series of lectures, discussions, and appearances by entertainment industry guests.
Facilities
The School of Theater, Film and Television consists of a linked network of professional theaters, sound stages, and television studios.
Made possible by a $5 million gift from Audrey L. Wilder and designed by Michael Maltzan Architecture, the 295-seat Billy Wilder Theater is situated on the Courtyard level of the Hammer Museum in Westwood Village.
Geffen Playhouse
The Geffen Playhouse was founded in 1995 by former UCLA TFT Dean Gilbert Cates. The theater is owned by UCLA and named after entertainment executive and philanthropist David Geffen, who gave a substantial initial gift for the restoration of the theater’s building, originally constructed in 1929.
