Before ever enrolling at UCLA, Kyle Bown always imagined that
coming to a school practically in the depths of Tinseltown would
allow him the opportunity to get involved in the world of
filmmaking. Now, as a third-year political science student,
he’s finding that learning the ins and outs of Hollywood
might be limited for non-film majors.
UCLA’s prestigious film school, while mainly a graduate
program, also has an equally selective undergraduate program. Many
students who get cut from the admissions process, like Bown, are
still interested in film, but have no formal way to study it.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that there should be (a
way to study it), because (film) is the literature of this
century,” said Barbara Boyle, chairwoman of the UCLA
Department of Film, Television and Digital Media. “I’m
not just talking about the 100 series, I’m talking about
those that go a little deeper.”
Currently, there are a few film classes open to students outside
the School of Theater, Film and Television, such as the popular
Film and Television 106A-B-C series or Film and Television 110A,
but a minor with a comprehensive set of courses does not exist.
“Having a minor for those who don’t make it into the
film school at UCLA would be great,” Bown said. “No
matter what else you have going for you, like a film internship, it
can’t hurt to learn that much more.”
Julie Kaufman, a second-year undeclared student in the process
of applying to the film major, agrees.
“A film minor would help when applying to graduate school
in film or preparing for the industry,” said Kaufman. Many
students cited introductory screenwriting, directing and editing
classes as subjects they would like to see available to all
students, regardless of their majors. The addition of a film minor
would also benefit students from other colleges, like the UCLA
College or School of Engineering and Applied Science, who may
choose to study another subject but still want the chance to take
in-depth film classes to enhance their knowledge.
Such was the case with Hank Friedmann, a second-year Russian
studies student. Friedmann chose not to apply to the film school in
order to learn about various topics that he could include in his
films.
“I believe that I am opened up to more creative
opportunities with my non-film major. With a film minor, though, I
could adapt these other concepts and put them into a film,”
Friedmann said. “A minor would open it up to people who would
love to take a class here and there in film.”
While most agree that the idea of a film minor is a good idea,
creating one is another issue. According to Boyle, the main
obstacles are finances and time.
“We’re a graduate program, and we want to do a good
job for our graduate students, but that doesn’t preclude at
all attention to an undergraduate need that we could
fulfill,” Boyle said. “It isn’t that anyone is
resistant to new ideas and new programs. The problem is just the
time and the resources.”
Boyle also believes that having enough faculty to teach classes
in the minor is an important issue. Patricia O’Brien, dean of
the UCLA College, agrees.
“Every time you create a new program, it competes with an
existing program, so the issue is, do we have enough faculty to
staff new programs as well as the existing ones?” she said.
“Sometimes we can make it clear that these are courses that
we teach anyway, and that we’re organizing them into a
coherent program that makes sense."
Some students, like Bown, believe the main challenge to the
creation of a film minor would be making sure the class size still
allows for adequate learning.
“The biggest thing would be expanding the classes
available to an extent that it doesn’t impede on the
professor, the one-on-one attention and the students in the
major,” said Bown. “The film school doesn’t have
to create many new classes.”
One thing remains certain: Despite the lack of a film minor,
studying film can offer invaluable knowledge for UCLA students.
“The population at large at the university should know as
much as they can about film, just so they can enjoy it more and
understand it more,” Boyle said.