AFI BLOG: Media and Technology

By Lynn Smith, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

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.

At a recent event held to honor UCLA student writers, Richard Walter, chair of the screenwriting program, observed to the audience of parents, students and friends that UCLA-trained screenwriters had worked on the films of some of the most successful graduates of that “school across town.” Among others, he cited nine films of honorary USC alum Steven Spielberg. ..more…