George Clooney, Kerry Washington, Eva Longoria, Don Cheadle, and Mindy Kaling have teamed up to create a new public film school for underserved teenangers in Los Angeles. The Roybal School of Film and Television Production is expected to open fall 2022 and will train students for below-the-line production jobs. The aim is to help diversify what Hollywood looks like behind the scenes.
“Our aim is to better reflect the diversity of our country,” said Clooney in a statement. “That means starting early. It means creating high school programs that teach young people about cameras, and editing and visual effects and sound and all the career opportunities that this industry has to offer. It means internships that lead to well-paying careers. It means understanding that we’re all in this together.”
The school will provide an academic curriculum approved by the state of California, as well as training in the film and TV industry and access to internships. Roybal will be housed in the Edward R. Roybal Learning Center and will be a magnet school. It will open initially to ninth and 10th graders, and will expand to 11th and 12th graders over the next two years. There are also discussions to expand the school’s training program to other schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District.
30 Film Schools You Should Know “This effort will help open the doors of opportunity for a diverse group of students from underserved communities,” said LAUSD Superintendent Austin Beutner in a statement. “This groundbreaking program will help prepare students for good-paying jobs in the film and television industry by integrating practical industry experience and internships for students into the curriculum. Physics is involved in the choice of a lens by a cinematographer, math is part of the foundation for a musical score in a film, critical thinking skills are needed to design a set, screenwriters needs a foundation in literacy, and a make-up artist needs to know the chemistry of the different materials they might use—all of this will be tied into the curriculum at the school. We are excited to have the support of these extraordinary industry leaders to create opportunity for children in the Los Angeles area.”
The other founders of the school are actors Grant Heslov and Nicole Avant, Working Title Films founders Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner, and Creative Artists Agency co-chairman Bryan Lourd. The team of founders will serve on the advisory board of Roybal. The school will be overseen by Principal Blanca Cruz.
The program founders plan on involving Hollywood production companies and guilds in the school. “The combination of education and hands-on training opens up life-changing opportunities,” said Lourd in a statement. “We invite every interested and committed person and company in our industry to join this effort. We have the collective power to accelerate the academic and professional trajectories of so many students and bring about positive change.”