UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television

TheUCLA School of Theater, Film and Television(UCLA TFT), is one of the 12 schools within theUniversity of California, Los Angeles(UCLA) located inLos Angeles, California.Its creation was groundbreaking in that it was the first time a leading university had combined the study oftheater,filmmakingandtelevision productioninto a single administration.

UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television

Type	Public university
Established	1947
Parent institution	University of California, Los Angeles
Dean	Brian Kite
Academic staff	140
Students	315 graduate, 328 undergraduate
Location	Los Angeles , California , United States 34.076°N 118.440°W/34.076; -118.440
Website	tft.ucla.edu

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 (7.8%).

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 producerKenneth Macgowanbecame 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. Melnitz Hall is one of the few film theaters in the country with the capability of projectingnitrate base motion pictures.Nitrate films were the standard of pre-talkie motion pictures.

Twenty years later, in 1987, The College of Fine Arts was disbanded. The School of Theater, Film and Television was created in 1990, andGilbert Cates,a 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 atLoyola Marymount Universityin Los Angeles.

In January 2020, established and award-winning theater directorBrian Kitebecame 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 ofSpring Awakeningand was again nominated for his productions ofLes MisérablesandAmerican 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 theShanghai Theatre Academyand is the artistic director of the award-winning Buffalo Nights Theatre Company.

The Skoll Center for Social Impact Entertainment

The Skoll Center for Social Impact Entertainment at UCLA TFT was created in partnership withParticipant Mediafounder and CEOJeffrey Skollin 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 seven years later the center was founded.The work of the Center is organized around three pillars: research, education, and public programming and exhibition. The Skoll Center for SIE is one of about a dozen dedicated research institutions focusing onSocial impact entertainment.

Department of Theater

The different areas of studies in the Department of Theater consist of:

• Acting
• Design for Theater and Entertainment
• Directing
• Musical Theater (Roy Bolger Musical Theatre Program)
• Playwriting
• Theater and Performance Studies

Undergraduate program

The program teaches the general studies of theater broadly, before allowing the student to study their specified area of study.

Graduate program

OfferingMaster of Fine ArtsandDoctor of Philosophydegrees, the graduate program requires an audition for all acting applicants and a possible interview for other candidates.

Department of Film, Television and Digital Media

The different areas of studies in the Department ofFilm,TelevisionandDigital Mediaconsist of:

• Critical Studies: Thehistory,theoryand aesthetics of film and television
• Film and televisionproduction(study and field): Digital, experimental andanimation
• Film and television writing,film directing,television directing,cinematography,sound recordingandediting

Undergraduate program

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(Directing)
• Producing
• Documentary
• Screenwriting
• Animation
• Digital Media
• Critical Studies
• Cinematography

Students must all complete one internship during their senior year.

Graduate program

OfferingMaster of Arts,Master of Fine ArtsandDoctor of Philosophydegrees, the graduate program offers two main areas of study. A Master of Arts and a Doctor of Philosophy degree are available for Cinema and Media Studies. The Master of Fine Arts degree can be obtained with the choice of five specializations:

• Animation
• Cinematography
• Producers Program
• Production/Directing
• Screenwriting

Professional programs

Taught by top experts and leaders working in the entertainment industry, the Professional Programs at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television offers graduate-level, competitive admission, yearlong, non-degree programs in Screenwriting, Producing, Writing for Television, Acting for the Camera and Directing.

Facilities

The School of Theater, Film and Television consists of a linked network of professional theaters, sound stages, and television studios.

The Billy Wilder Theater at the Hammer Museum

Hammer Museum on Wilshire and Westwood Blvds.

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 theHammer Museumin Westwood Village.

Geffen Playhouse

TheGeffen Playhousewas founded in 1995 by former UCLA TFT Dean Gilbert Cates. The theater is named after entertainment executive and philanthropistDavid Geffen,who gave a substantial initial gift for the restoration of the theater’s building, originally constructed in 1929.

Distinguished alumni

Main article:List of UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television alumni

See also

• Film
• Glossary of motion picture terms