Welcome to UCLA TFT

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Melnitz Hall

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Welcome to the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, UCLA TFT for short. We're a premier interdisciplinary global professional school that develops humanistic storytellers, industry leaders and scholars whose diverse voices enlighten, engage and inspire change for a better world. Before we get started, let me explain how you can explore our facilities. - Click on the Next button to start walking around our campus - If you know where you want to go, you can select any location by using the list OR by clicking on the map - You can explore any location in detail by clicking on the 360, Photos, or Video icons Melnitz Hall houses our production and teaching facilities. The building is named for William Melnitz, a theatrical authority and educator who was Dean in the 1960s. The west lobby displays nearly 100 movie posters, representing our outstanding alumni and their work. From here, you enter our James Bridges Theater, considered one of the finest screening rooms in the world. The projection booth accommodates the entire span of film history, from the earliest nitrate stocks to safety film and the latest in digital projection.

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The Scoring Stage is a multipurpose room used for audio recording and mixing. This facility can house a medium-sized orchestra and features a grand piano. Many of our students come here to master audio techniques and record original work for their coursework and portfolio development. This space is most often used for very simple Additional Dialogue and Foley recording for student projects and classes. The control room and machine room of the Scoring Stage have recently been upgraded with all new wiring, acoustical wall treatments and studio gear.

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On the second floor of Melnitz Hall, students have access to private, individual editing suites. Each room features a computer installed with Final Cut Studio, Avid or Premier. Students use these rooms for project reviews, sound effects research, or exporting Quicktime movies. UCLA TFT has nearly 14,000 recorded sounds in our audio library, so you are bound to find that perfect effect for your film or television project. Our cinematographers learn to use film as well as digital technology for their projects. Because of this, we also offer several Flatbed Suites dedicated to film editing. Our philosophy is that students learn best practices in the art of editing by actually working with film.

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UCLA TFT students learn the art of television production in our television studios. Our relationships and ties with Los Angeles-area studios have garnered generous donations from the entertainment industry for these spaces. For example, our control room panel was donated by Sony Studios and one of our sets came directly from the NBC sitcom "Friends." One of the innovative and interdisciplinary courses that utilize our studios is the Advanced Dramatic Television Workshop, which has given students the opportunity to create a 42-minute, five-act TV pilot and other TV projects. Film and television students serve as the production crew while Theater students are involved as actors, costume designers and production designers.

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Our animation area serves as an instruction and production center for both traditional and CG animation. This includes 2D and 3D character animation; experimental; stop-motion; cut-out; interactive work and more. The vintage animation desks found in the Animation Workshop were donated by the Walt Disney Studios, where they were used in the production of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." Being in Los Angeles and connected to the entertainment epicenter has its benefits!

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Coral Tree Walk is a shaded area with flanking rows of coral trees located just outside the Ralph Freud Playhouse, our School's largest theater. Here you will also find a smaller venue called the Little Theater. This tree-lined walkway serves as a pleasant retreat and rehearsal space where you are likely to find students rehearsing lines with one another or putting the finishing touches on a monologue. Both the Freud and Little theaters are located in Macgowan Hall, which is named in honor of theater and motion picture producer Kenneth Macgowan, an Academy Award winner and first chairman of the UCLA Theater Arts Department.

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Most theater classrooms are located at the west wing of Macgowan Hall. One room is popularly known as the Black Box Theater because the room is, well, one big black box. This intimate setting can be arranged in any configuration to accommodate different set designs for rehearsals, classes and shows. Students have the opportunity to begin with a blank slate and can build out their set as they gain actual experience in set design, building, and production.

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The Theater Lab is an experimental performance space that was launched in 2011 when distinguished playwright Eve Ensler, author of "The Vagina Monologues," used the lab to workshop her play, "O.P.C." Her work involved an exciting collaboration with our student actors and assistants from the school. Through UCLA TFT, you will often find collaborative works between students and international artists, which will make your learning environment engaging, unique and exciting.

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The Rehearsal Room is where students take their dance, movement and combat classes. The large open space features a wood sprung floor that absorbs impact to support individual movement and insure safety. For our incoming students, this is also home to our Freshmen Experience, where new theater students are immersed in classes such as Performance, Tai Chi and Play Reading and Analysis. They also study Scenic, Costume and Lighting Design, and Approaches to Interpretation of Theater and Performance.

Welcome to UCLA TFT

Melnitz Hall

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Scoring Stage

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Editing Suites

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TV Studios and Sound Stages

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Animation Lab

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Macgowan Theaters and Coral Tree

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Black Box Theater

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Theater Lab

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Rehearsal Room

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