Film Schools

Is humanism in film dead? If you consult box-office wonder "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" -- with its crush of ultra-violent, heavy-metal robots -- maybe so. If you talk to Teri Schwartz, the new dean of the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, the answer is hopefully not.

With a rich history and a promising future, the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts will celebrate its 80th birthday Sunday with a dedication ceremony of its new $175-million home on campus. The school's most famous alum, "Star Wars" creator George Lucas, whose Lucasfilm Foundation provided $75 million for the new digs, plus $100 million for the school's endowment, will be on hand.

Emerson College, seeking to upgrade its film and television training center, is relocating the program to Hollywood from Burbank. The Boston-based school, known for its communications and acting curriculum, will build a facility on the former Tribune Studios lot in Hollywood to teach and house the 95 Emerson students who pass through its Los Angles Center program each semester.

The gig: Inaugural dean of the Loyola Marymount University School of Film and Television. Before that, Schwartz, 58, produced movies, including "Beaches," "Joe Versus the Volcano" and "Sister Act." Education: Bachelor's in English literature, UCLA. Master's in film, University of London. First job: Production and camera assistant on a documentary filmed in London. Big break: In 1973, Schwartz was being paid $50 a week to be a gofer on a low-budget film.

Scriptland, a column about the work and lives of professional writers, relaunches this week with an expanded focus on TV as well as film. -- As most Angelenos know, the crosstown rivalry between Bruins and Trojans isn't limited to football. Each camp of alumni wants to help its own get ahead -- in sports, in law, even in writing. In the case of screenwriting programs where bundles of money are at stake, it has taken something of a desperate turn.

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- The Main Street set is fake, of course. A movie back lot built with a little bit of local flavor (the doughnut shop storefront is Krispy Kreme, native to North Carolina, ditto the Wachovia Bank). A female mannequin looks out from a curtained second-floor window on the quiet set; in the distance is the skyline of a small southern city. The skyline is real.

When "Star Wars" creator George Lucas talks about the way academia regards his craft, he sounds more like the late comedian Rodney Dangerfield than a bold Jedi knight. The filmmaker is convinced that colleges and universities don't give the world of cinema serious respect, despite the spread of programs, departments and schools focused on the field.

PEOPLE in Hollywood often are accused of acting like spoiled children. That may sting for some (eh, Lindsay?) but would only elicit an ennui-laden "duh" or, perhaps, "whatever" from Movies by Kids' participants who are, in fact, actual kids. "Wouldn't it have been great," says Greg Kindseth, a professional film editor, "if they had a film school for kids when we were younger?" That was the proverbial klieg light going off over his head.

The USC School of Cinematic Arts celebrated its 80th birthday Sunday with a dedication ceremony of its new $175-million campus home. Oh, and George Lucas and Steven Spielberg were there too. The veteran filmmakers both made brief remarks and were joined by university officials, alumni and hundreds of supporters at the celebration, which also featured a performance by the USC Trojan Marching Band. "We're now officially a legitimate school . . .