UCLA, 2 Partners to Create Global Film School Online

Three leading theater, film and television educational institutions have teamed up to launch a global film school in cyberspace.

UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, the National Film and Television School of Great Britain and the Australian Film, Television and Radio School are targeting a late 2000 start date for their joint profit-making venture, at https://www.globalfilmschool.com.

At a small news media gathering Thursday morning, the partners said they are putting together a business plan and budget, creating a curriculum and seeking funding for the new venture.

Former Sony Pictures Chairman Peter Guber, a 30-year faculty member and founding chairman of the school’s independent producers program, said the venture’s capital investment requirements “will grow out of our business plan.”

“This is a commercial undertaking,” Guber said. “An economically driven enterprise,” one which he and his colleagues expect to be highly profitable with revenue generated from advertising, e-commerce and subscriptions.

Stephen Bayly, dean of the National Film and Television School of Great Britain, said, “Our share of profits will go back into education.”

Robert Rosen, dean of UCLA’s film school, said a motivating factor for the venture was the realization that “one of the killer applications for the Internet is going to be education.”

Rosen outlined the four programs intended for development:

* The Global Conservatory--”an incubator for talent”--will offer instruction for those who aspire to be industry professionals.

* The Center for Advanced Studies will provide retraining in evolving technologies for working professionals;

* The Youth Program for Media Literacy will help students at primary and secondary education levels.

* The Life-Long Learning Program will supply broad-based continuing education in contemporary media.