For college students who have been thinking about entering the
entertainment industry, a new program hosted at UCLA this summer
provides the opportunity to take a swim in Hollywood’s waters
without worrying about drowning in the process.
As part of the U.S. Performing Arts and Media Camps founded last
year, the UCLA Arts Camp this year will introduce academies that
are geared exclusively for college-level students and above.
Currently, none of the other camps offer programs above the high
school level.
The four different academies ““ Performance for the Camera,
Digital Filmmaking, Musical Theatre Performance and Presentation,
and a Certification Program for Technical Theatre ““ are open
to anyone who wishes to register. So students of all skill levels
can hone their interests and perfect their techniques by attending
one of the four sessions over the summer,
“The academies give the (film and television) department
the opportunity of extending and expanding within the UCLA
community beyond our own majors because we are such a small
school,” said Myrl Schreibman, a UCLA professor and head of
the Performance for the Camera Academy. “We have to say
“˜no’ to other students on campus participating in our
(film and television) classes. This now gives folks an opportunity
to participate in our course of study with nobody saying
“˜no,'” Schreibman said.
According to Judith Patterson, founder of the summer UCLA Arts
Camp, the academies seek to present students with a well-rounded
preparation for the entertainment industry and expose them to
Hollywood professionals. In addition, students will work
side-by-side with UCLA professors, an opportunity usually only
reserved for those majoring in theater, film and television.
The length of each program lasts between one to two weeks, with
each day consisting of eight to 12 hours of instruction and
hands-on participation.
For the Digital Filmmaking Academy, students will take part in
every aspect of the filmmaking process, attend lectures presented
by Academy Award-winning professionals, and visit local studios on
VIP tours. During the two week program, students will develop,
produce, and edit a short film.
In the acting academies, various UCLA faculty and alumni will
train students and help them improve their skills.
Students will attend presentations from seasoned veterans within
the industry and UCLA alumni, including Jerry Franks, former
president of the Casting Society of America, and Justin Lin,
director of “Better Luck Tomorrow.” Also, students will
work with Academy Award-winning professionals such as UCLA
professor Tom Denove, former head of the cinematography department
at the American Film Institute.
“I think one of the reasons why our faculty participates
is not because of the money, but they’re participating
because they’re at a point in their lives that they want to
give back to the next generation of people,” Schreibman
said.
“Anybody else on the campus (not majoring in film and
television) can’t take a film production class of any sort or
work with this faculty or these courses. “¦ So in that sense,
this is a terrific experience,” Schreibman continued.