Study cinematography at one of the most prestigious film schools in the world

Students will participate in person at UCLA, experiencing all that our campus has to offer during their summer program.

For participants in the Film and Television Summer Institute – Cinematography, living in on-campus housing is optional. Students who wish to live in UCLA residence halls alongside other program participants may sign up for housing at the time of registration. The total cost for housing, which includes room, board (two meals per day), student supervision, and evening and weekend activities, is an additional $702.

For more information on UCLA housing precollege programs, please see the Housing for Minors page.

Participants of the Film and Television Summer Institute – Cinematography will receive UCLA credit for the following course:

• Film and Television 75 – Lighting for Film and Television (2 Units)

This program offers an introduction to the concepts and practices of lighting for film and television through discussion and intensive hands-on, laboratory experience. Through lectures, discussions, workshops and group exercises, students will form a basic understanding of the aesthetic, creative, and logistical decisions involved in lighting for film and television. This includes composition, framing, blocking, lens choice, camera movement/placement, exposure, lighting techniques/equipment, shot design, and set protocol. Letter grading.

Eligibility

To participate for the Film and Television Summer Institute – Cinematography, you must meet the following qualifications:

• Open to students enrolled in grades 10th – 12th in Spring 2022 and Spring 2022 High School Graduates.

Students who do not meet the minimum program requirements should not register and should consider other summer opportunities.

All students will be required to successfully complete a safety training course before the first day of the program to ensure safe practices while using film equipment and sound stages. Students will be provided ample time to complete this training before the start of the program, and more information will be sent to students once enrolled.

Admission

The program has application requirements for admission. Applicants who successfully submit all requirements will be reviewed and notified via email of an admission decision within 3 weeks. See Application Requirements below for more details.

Applicants are required to provide the following during the online registration process:

• Responses to all of the following essay prompts:
  • Why would you like to participate in this program, and what do you expect to gain from this experience? (150-200 words)
  • What prior experience, if any, do you have in cinematography? Include both academic coursework and extracurricular activities. (Previous experience in cinematography is not a requirement. 150-200 words)
  • Filmmaking requires creative collaboration at every stage. What qualities do you possess that make you a good collaborator? (150-200 words)
• An unofficial transcript confirming a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.
• Optional: one letter of recommendation from a high school instructor verifying your ability to successfully participate in a disciplined and rigorous program.

Applying for the Film and Television Summer Institute – Cinematography can be done conveniently online with the following steps:

1. Prepare all “Application Requirements” prior to starting the registration process.
2. Access the Summer Institute Online Registration Form starting February 15 at 8am Pacific Standard Time (PST). Read all terms and conditions, then scroll to the bottom and select “Yes, Continue to Registration.”
3. Provide responses to all required questions on both pages of the registration form and then “Submit”.
4. Once your form is submitted, you will be directed to the Retrieve Registration page. Select “File Uploads” to upload application materials (see Application Requirements above for more information).
5. Allow up to two weeks for the program instructor(s) to review your application after submission. An email will be sent to you with the official decision.
6. If accepted to the program, follow the steps in your acceptance email to make payment of the $350 non-refundable registration fee* to reserve your space in the program.

A space in the program is not reserved until a valid payment of the $350 non-refundable registration fee* is made. If you are not prepared to pay after submitting the registration form, you may retrieve your registration at another time to make payment; however, this risks losing a space in the program if it reaches capacity prior to payment being submitted. An email with instructions to retrieve registration with your five-digit registration number will be sent within an hour after submitting your registration.

*The registration fee is required for each program and is not refundable under any circumstances including, but not limited to, drop for non-payment and withdrawal, even if you withdraw from the program before it begins.

If the program is full, you will not be prompted to make payment. If the program offers a waitlist and your application is accepted from the waitlist, you will be notified by email with instructions for how to submit payment. Please note if the payment is not submitted within 24 hours of receiving the email, you will be moved to the end of the waitlist.

If registering after May 1, full payment of the program fee and non-refundable registration fee will be required to reserve your space in the program. Additional fees, such as the document fee and IEI fees, will be assessed after enrollment.

For questions and assistance, please contact us at info@summer.ucla.edu.

Please have the following supplies for your Summer Institute:

UCLA Summer Sessions Summer Scholars Support

Qualified students attending grades 8th – 11th in Spring 2022 in the state of California may be eligible for Summer Scholars Support, a need- and merit-based scholarship offered by the UCLA Summer Sessions Office. A limited number of full and partial scholarships are available to support enrollment in SCIP/eSCIP, one Summer Course, or a Precollege Summer Institute.

The Nicholas Endowment Scholarship

The Nicholas Endowment TFT Summer Institute Scholarship for Film & Television is a need and merit-based scholarship opportunity for underserved/ underrepresented high school students enrolled in grades 9-12 in Spring 2022 who would benefit significantly from a UCLA Film and Television Summer Institute experience.

Both partial and full scholarships are available for high school students enrolled in UCLA Film and Television Summer Institutes including Digital Filmmaking, Writing for TV: Big Ideas for the Small Screen, Cinematography, Traditional Animation, and Media Parks: The Cinematic and Televisual History of Theme Parks.

For deadlines, eligibility requirements, and application information, please visit the Nicholas Endowment TFT Summer Institute Scholarship page.

Nicholas Endowment TFT Summer Institute Scholarship Application Online Form will be available February 15, 2022. Deadlines and acceptances are on a rolling basis.