Brooks Institute of Photography
Encyclopedia
Brooks Institute is a system of two for-profit private arts colleges based in Santa Barbara, California
and Ventura, California
, owned by Career Education Corporation
. Formally known as "Brooks Institute of Photography," Brooks Institute offers four majors, two certificate programs and two graduate programs. The Professional Photography and Masters of Fine Arts in Photography programs are based in Santa Barbara. The Design, Film and Video Production, Digital Cinema, Visual Journalism, Wedding Photography and Master of Fine Arts in Screenwriting programs are based in Ventura.
was founded in 1945 by Ernest H. Brooks, Sr. over a bakery on State Street in Santa Barbara, California. The school's first photography students were primarily World War II veterans supported by the GI Bill.
In 1952, the Brooks family acquired the Graholm Estate in present-day Montecito, California. This served as the home of Brooks Institute of Photography, as well as for Ernest H. Brooks, Sr.'s growing family.
Ernest H. Brooks, Sr. stayed on as president of the school until 1971 and died in 1990. At the time of his retirement as president, his son, Ernest H. Brooks, Jr. stepped into his father's shoes and served as the school's president.
During his tenure as president, Ernest Brooks, Jr. continued to expand the school. His personal passion for underwater photography inspired the underwater video and still photography courses that started in the late '60s and continue to this day.
Brooks Institute has been involved in many extraordinary projects in recent years, but this forward vision and involvement was happening even in the 1980s when the Institute was permitted to photograph the Shroud of Turin
. Professor Vernon Miller, then head of the Industrial/Scientific program, led a team of photographers as they photographed the cloth for documentation and study.
The school was sold by Ernest H. Brooks, Jr. to Career Education Corporation
(CEC) in 1999. Since then, CEC has expanded the school, including the acquisition of a former production studio in which to base the school's motion picture program. In 2007, the school changed its name from Brooks Institute of Photography to Brooks Institute.
Programs:
Professional Photography, based in Santa Barbara, focuses on the following areas of specialization: Digital Imaging
, Commercial, Advertising
, Industrial/Scientific, Portrait
ure and Digital Media
.
Film and Video Production, based in Ventura, is a study of filmmaking
and production techniques, including proposals and budgeting, scripting, directing
, and editing
. Majors include, Feature Filmmaking, Commercial Filmmaking, Visual Effects
and Animation
.
Visual Journalism, based in Ventura, concentrates on teaching photojournalism
.
Design is based in Ventura.
Master of Fine Arts in Photography, based in Santa Barbara, is a 61 credit, two year program. The MFA program allows students to benefit from higher technical, aesthetic and practical knowledge.
Master of Fine Arts in Screenwriting, based in Ventura, the new graduate program established in 2009 focuses on Hollywood standard screenwriting.
Digital Cinema Certificate Program, based in Ventura. The new certificate 8 month program focuses on 16mm film and emerging digital filmmaking.
Wedding Photography Certificate Program, based in Ventura. This new 8 month certificate program teaches students the art of Wedding Photographer including marketing strategy and tools.
and Ventura, California
. The Professional Photography Program facilities are located at the Santa Barbara campus. The Visual Journalism
, Film and Video Production
and Graphic Design
classes are located at the facilities in Ventura.
Brooks also has two libraries, one in Santa Barbara and one in Ventura, that contain thousands of books, journals and other publications.
Brooks Institute also has two public art galleries that display student, faculty, alumni, and guest photographer work. Brooks Institute's Gallery 27 is located at the Cota Street campus in Santa Barbara. The Visions Gallery is operated in conjunction with the Marriott Ventura Beach in Ventura.
Brooks Institute graduations are held in the historic Arlington Theater
in Santa Barbara.
Before Brooks Institute established the Ventura campus and renovated the property into a school, the lot was used by Hollywood production companies to shoot motion pictures. Scenes from both Titanic
and Cast Away were shot on this location. The Ventura campus contains three professional Hollywood style sound-stages, a 'Mexican Village' movie set, and the 'Brock House'; the actual set used as the interior house in the film Erin Brockovich
.
In June 2010, the "Mexican Village" was used for the production of the feature film "Without Men" directed by Gabriela Tagliavini; it stars Eva Longoria
, Christian Slater
, Oscar Nunez
, Paul Rodriguez and Monica Huarte.
With the creation of the Master of Fine Arts in Screenwriting program, many notable industry specialists have come to the Ventura campus to participate in screenings, lectures and seminars. During 2010, Brooks hosted screenings along with Q&A sessions with notable professionals, including: Mark Fergus
, writer of Children of Men and Iron Man
, David Sheffield
, writer of Coming to America
and The Nutty Professor
and Brian Nelson
, writer of Hard Candy
and Devil
. These sessions are open for students of all Brooks Institute programs to attend.
The Visual Journalism Program at Brooks hosts a Documentary
Program. This is a class based program that all Brooks undergraduates are invited to participate in. This documentary class takes students all over the globe to document various cultures. Students spend an entire scholastic session (approximately 2 months) in another country and return back to California to edit a multimedia
presentation. The Brooks Institute documentary class has taken students to countries such as Ireland
, India
, Mexico
, Cuba
, West Africa
, Czech Republic
, Costa Rica
, Australia
, Argentina
, China
and Chile
. In 2010, the students of the documentary program ventured to Vietnam
and were guided by world renowned photographer Nick Ut.
The Chile documentary group of 2010 raised nearly $7,000 for the Chile Earthquake Relief Program.
In 2011, Brooks Institute removed its facilities from the Jefferson campus and is now primarily located in the Cota and Mason Street campuses. Respectively, the Ventura campus is still running its usual programs.
which offers accreditation to mostly vocational schools. Most public and private universities in the United States are regionally accredited.
National accreditation should not be confused with regional accreditation
. Regionally accredited public and private colleges, such as UCLA, USC
, UC Santa Barbara
, Harvard
and Stanford University
, often do not accept transfer credits from nationally accredited schools. Credits earned at a nationally accredited school are not transferable to most four year institutions.
In August 2008, Brooks Institute successfully completed, "Eligibility," the first step to receiving regional accreditation by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). This application process takes several years and is not a guarantee that the school will ever receive regional accreditation.
of persuading prospective students to enroll by "willfully misleading" them, "falsifying and omitting critical information." Brooks was given only a conditional approval to operate for the next two years with a hearing scheduled for February 2006, and ordered to provide "equitable restitution" to students going back to 1999. However, Brooks appealed the decision and at the hearing the judge determining that BPPVE had not complied with the mandatory provisions of the Education Code, and that it had wrongly denied Brooks Institute an opportunity to contest the Bureau's action prior to the time it was imposed. The California Department of Consumer Affairs (which oversees BPPVE) later reached the same conclusion. Although Brooks ultimately received unconditional renewal of its license, it settled with a class action lawsuit for $12,250,000.
In May 2010, Roger Anderson left his post as president of Brooks Institute. Respectively, Sue Kirkman was hired shortly after. As of late 2010, Kirkman plans to continue the reconstruction of Brooks, which includes the transition of accreditations and repairing the school's public reputation to the prestigious title it once held.
for The Muppet Movie
and Somewhere in Time
; Dominick Palmer, Cinematography on the TV series M*A*S*H; Robert Legato, Academy Award winner for Best Effects (Digital Domain) on the movie Titanic
, Visual Effects Supervisor for The Aviator and Visual Effects on Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone
; and most recently, graduate Boris Undorf, Best Cinematography at Visionfest
for his film Sonata.
Some notable alumni and faculty include:
Faculty:
Alumni:
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
and Ventura, California
Ventura, California
Ventura is the county seat of Ventura County, California, United States, incorporated in 1866. The population was 106,433 at the 2010 census, up from 100,916 at the 2000 census. Ventura is accessible via U.S...
, owned by Career Education Corporation
Career Education Corporation
Career Education Corporation , founded in 1994, is a postsecondary education provider with campus-based and online curricula. On July 1, 2003, Career Education Corporation merged with competitor Whitman Education Group, Inc., gaining control over the latter's Sanford-Brown Colleges, Ultrasound...
. Formally known as "Brooks Institute of Photography," Brooks Institute offers four majors, two certificate programs and two graduate programs. The Professional Photography and Masters of Fine Arts in Photography programs are based in Santa Barbara. The Design, Film and Video Production, Digital Cinema, Visual Journalism, Wedding Photography and Master of Fine Arts in Screenwriting programs are based in Ventura.
History
Brooks Institute of PhotographyPhotography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
was founded in 1945 by Ernest H. Brooks, Sr. over a bakery on State Street in Santa Barbara, California. The school's first photography students were primarily World War II veterans supported by the GI Bill.
In 1952, the Brooks family acquired the Graholm Estate in present-day Montecito, California. This served as the home of Brooks Institute of Photography, as well as for Ernest H. Brooks, Sr.'s growing family.
Ernest H. Brooks, Sr. stayed on as president of the school until 1971 and died in 1990. At the time of his retirement as president, his son, Ernest H. Brooks, Jr. stepped into his father's shoes and served as the school's president.
During his tenure as president, Ernest Brooks, Jr. continued to expand the school. His personal passion for underwater photography inspired the underwater video and still photography courses that started in the late '60s and continue to this day.
Brooks Institute has been involved in many extraordinary projects in recent years, but this forward vision and involvement was happening even in the 1980s when the Institute was permitted to photograph the Shroud of Turin
Shroud of Turin
The Shroud of Turin or Turin Shroud is a linen cloth bearing the image of a man who appears to have suffered physical trauma in a manner consistent with crucifixion. It is kept in the royal chapel of the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Turin, northern Italy. The image on the shroud is...
. Professor Vernon Miller, then head of the Industrial/Scientific program, led a team of photographers as they photographed the cloth for documentation and study.
The school was sold by Ernest H. Brooks, Jr. to Career Education Corporation
Career Education Corporation
Career Education Corporation , founded in 1994, is a postsecondary education provider with campus-based and online curricula. On July 1, 2003, Career Education Corporation merged with competitor Whitman Education Group, Inc., gaining control over the latter's Sanford-Brown Colleges, Ultrasound...
(CEC) in 1999. Since then, CEC has expanded the school, including the acquisition of a former production studio in which to base the school's motion picture program. In 2007, the school changed its name from Brooks Institute of Photography to Brooks Institute.
Programs of study
Brooks Institute has eight separate academic programs. All undergraduates participating in the Bachelor of Fine Arts programs (Bachelor of Science in Visual Journalism) must attend General Education courses on the campuses, including classes in economics, science, humanities, speech and business. The business classes are tailored to each program of study. Business Launch Seminars are held bi-monthly to prepare students in the professional management of their careers. Transfer credits are evaluated by the Registrar based on official college transcripts from accredited colleges and universities.Programs:
Professional Photography, based in Santa Barbara, focuses on the following areas of specialization: Digital Imaging
Digital imaging
Digital imaging or digital image acquisition is the creation of digital images, typically from a physical scene. The term is often assumed to imply or include the processing, compression, storage, printing, and display of such images...
, Commercial, Advertising
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
, Industrial/Scientific, Portrait
Portrait
thumb|250px|right|Portrait of [[Thomas Jefferson]] by [[Rembrandt Peale]], 1805. [[New-York Historical Society]].A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expression is predominant. The intent is to display the likeness,...
ure and Digital Media
Digital media
Digital media is a form of electronic media where data is stored in digital form. It can refer to the technical aspect of storage and transmission Digital media is a form of electronic media where data is stored in digital (as opposed to analog) form. It can refer to the technical aspect of...
.
Film and Video Production, based in Ventura, is a study of filmmaking
Filmmaking
Filmmaking is the process of making a film, from an initial story, idea, or commission, through scriptwriting, casting, shooting, directing, editing, and screening the finished product before an audience that may result in a theatrical release or television program...
and production techniques, including proposals and budgeting, scripting, directing
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, and editing
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
. Majors include, Feature Filmmaking, Commercial Filmmaking, Visual Effects
Visual effects
Visual effects are the various processes by which imagery is created and/or manipulated outside the context of a live action shoot. Visual effects involve the integration of live-action footage and generated imagery to create environments which look realistic, but would be dangerous, costly, or...
and Animation
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
.
Visual Journalism, based in Ventura, concentrates on teaching photojournalism
Photojournalism
Photojournalism is a particular form of journalism that creates images in order to tell a news story. It is now usually understood to refer only to still images, but in some cases the term also refers to video used in broadcast journalism...
.
Design is based in Ventura.
Master of Fine Arts in Photography, based in Santa Barbara, is a 61 credit, two year program. The MFA program allows students to benefit from higher technical, aesthetic and practical knowledge.
Master of Fine Arts in Screenwriting, based in Ventura, the new graduate program established in 2009 focuses on Hollywood standard screenwriting.
Digital Cinema Certificate Program, based in Ventura. The new certificate 8 month program focuses on 16mm film and emerging digital filmmaking.
Wedding Photography Certificate Program, based in Ventura. This new 8 month certificate program teaches students the art of Wedding Photographer including marketing strategy and tools.
Campus and student life
Brooks Institute has two main campuses, both located in Santa Barbara, CaliforniaSanta Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
and Ventura, California
Ventura, California
Ventura is the county seat of Ventura County, California, United States, incorporated in 1866. The population was 106,433 at the 2010 census, up from 100,916 at the 2000 census. Ventura is accessible via U.S...
. The Professional Photography Program facilities are located at the Santa Barbara campus. The Visual Journalism
Visual journalism
Visual journalism is the practice of strategically combining words and images to convey information.-Universal:Visual journalism is premised upon the idea that at a time of accelerating change, often words cannot keep pace with concepts. Visual journalism incorporates ancient symbols that resonate...
, Film and Video Production
Video production
Video production is videography, the process of capturing moving images on electronic media even streaming media. The term includes methods of production and post-production...
and Graphic Design
Graphic design
Graphic design is a creative process – most often involving a client and a designer and usually completed in conjunction with producers of form – undertaken in order to convey a specific message to a targeted audience...
classes are located at the facilities in Ventura.
Brooks also has two libraries, one in Santa Barbara and one in Ventura, that contain thousands of books, journals and other publications.
Brooks Institute also has two public art galleries that display student, faculty, alumni, and guest photographer work. Brooks Institute's Gallery 27 is located at the Cota Street campus in Santa Barbara. The Visions Gallery is operated in conjunction with the Marriott Ventura Beach in Ventura.
Brooks Institute graduations are held in the historic Arlington Theater
Arlington Theater
The Arlington Theater is the largest movie theater and principal performing arts venue in Santa Barbara, California, USA. In addition to regular screenings and artists, it is home to many events associated with the annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival.- History :Located at 1317 State...
in Santa Barbara.
Before Brooks Institute established the Ventura campus and renovated the property into a school, the lot was used by Hollywood production companies to shoot motion pictures. Scenes from both Titanic
Titanic (1997 film)
Titanic is a 1997 American epic romance and disaster film directed, written, co-produced, and co-edited by James Cameron. A fictionalized account of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, it stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack Dawson, Kate Winslet as Rose DeWitt Bukater and Billy Zane as Rose's fiancé, Cal...
and Cast Away were shot on this location. The Ventura campus contains three professional Hollywood style sound-stages, a 'Mexican Village' movie set, and the 'Brock House'; the actual set used as the interior house in the film Erin Brockovich
Erin Brockovich (film)
Erin Brockovich is a 2000 biographical film directed by Steven Soderbergh. The film is a dramatization of the story of Erin Brockovich, played by Julia Roberts, who fought against the US West Coast energy corporation Pacific Gas and Electric Company. Roberts won the Academy Award, Golden Globe,...
.
In June 2010, the "Mexican Village" was used for the production of the feature film "Without Men" directed by Gabriela Tagliavini; it stars Eva Longoria
Eva Longoria
Eva Jacqueline Longoria is an American actress, best known for portraying Gabrielle Solis on the ABC television series Desperate Housewives...
, Christian Slater
Christian Slater
Christian Michael Leonard Slater is an American actor. He made his film debut with a small role in The Postman Always Rings Twice before playing a leading role in the 1985 film The Legend of Billie Jean...
, Oscar Nunez
Oscar Nunez
Oscar Nunez , sometimes credited as Oscar Núñez, is a Cuban American actor and comedian.He currently appears as Dunder Mifflin's paper supply accountant, Oscar Martinez, on NBC's The Office.-Career:...
, Paul Rodriguez and Monica Huarte.
With the creation of the Master of Fine Arts in Screenwriting program, many notable industry specialists have come to the Ventura campus to participate in screenings, lectures and seminars. During 2010, Brooks hosted screenings along with Q&A sessions with notable professionals, including: Mark Fergus
Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby
Mark Fergus and Hawk Otsby are American screenwriters, known for their work on Children of Men and Iron Man. Their other work includes First Snow, which was also directed by Fergus, and rewrites on Cowboys & Aliens.-External links:...
, writer of Children of Men and Iron Man
Iron Man (film)
Iron Man is a 2008 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. Directed by Jon Favreau, the film stars Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark, an industrialist and master engineer who builds a powered exoskeleton and becomes the technologically advanced superhero, Iron...
, David Sheffield
David Sheffield
David Sheffield is an American comedy writer best known for his writing on Saturday Night Live and the screenplays for The Nutty Professor and the Nutty Professor II: The Klumps, in which he collaborated with Barry W...
, writer of Coming to America
Coming to America
Coming to America is a 1988 comedy film directed by John Landis. The screenplay was written by David Sheffield and Barry W. Blaustein, from a story by Eddie Murphy, who also stars in the film. Murphy plays an African prince, who heads to the United States in hopes of finding a woman he can marry...
and The Nutty Professor
The Nutty Professor
The Nutty Professor is a 1963 Paramount Pictures science fiction comedy feature film produced, directed, co-written and starring Jerry Lewis...
and Brian Nelson
Brian Nelson (screenwriter)
-Early life:Nelson holds degrees from Yale University and from UCLA. He worked as a drama instructor at Langley High School in McLean, Virginia in the early 1980s, where he taught Gilmore Girls actress Lauren Graham, Little Miss Sunshine screenwriter Michael Arndt, and UCLA screenwriting...
, writer of Hard Candy
Hard Candy (film)
Hard Candy is a 2005 psychological thriller film focusing on the confrontation between an assumed sexual predator and a not-so-innocent 14-year-old girl....
and Devil
Devil (film)
Devil is a 2010 American supernatural horror film directed by John Erick Dowdle and written by Brian Nelson based on a story by M. Night Shyamalan. The film stars Chris Messina, Bojana Novakovic, Bokeem Woodbine, Logan Marshall-Green, Jenny O'Hara and Geoffrey Arend...
. These sessions are open for students of all Brooks Institute programs to attend.
The Visual Journalism Program at Brooks hosts a Documentary
Documentary
A documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:...
Program. This is a class based program that all Brooks undergraduates are invited to participate in. This documentary class takes students all over the globe to document various cultures. Students spend an entire scholastic session (approximately 2 months) in another country and return back to California to edit a multimedia
Multimedia
Multimedia is media and content that uses a combination of different content forms. The term can be used as a noun or as an adjective describing a medium as having multiple content forms. The term is used in contrast to media which use only rudimentary computer display such as text-only, or...
presentation. The Brooks Institute documentary class has taken students to countries such as Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, West Africa
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
, Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
, Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
. In 2010, the students of the documentary program ventured to Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
and were guided by world renowned photographer Nick Ut.
The Chile documentary group of 2010 raised nearly $7,000 for the Chile Earthquake Relief Program.
In 2011, Brooks Institute removed its facilities from the Jefferson campus and is now primarily located in the Cota and Mason Street campuses. Respectively, the Ventura campus is still running its usual programs.
Accreditation
Brooks is nationally accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and SchoolsAccrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools
The Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools is a non-profit education corporation recognized by both the United States Secretary of Education and Council for Higher Education Accreditation as an independent and autonomous national accrediting body that accredits institutions of...
which offers accreditation to mostly vocational schools. Most public and private universities in the United States are regionally accredited.
National accreditation should not be confused with regional accreditation
Regional accreditation
Regional accreditation is a term used in the United States to refer to educational accreditation conducted by any of several accreditation bodies established to serve six defined geographic areas of the country for accreditation of schools, colleges, and universities...
. Regionally accredited public and private colleges, such as UCLA, USC
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
, UC Santa Barbara
University of California, Santa Barbara
The University of California, Santa Barbara, commonly known as UCSB or UC Santa Barbara, is a public research university and one of the 10 general campuses of the University of California system. The main campus is located on a site in Goleta, California, from Santa Barbara and northwest of Los...
, Harvard
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
and Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, often do not accept transfer credits from nationally accredited schools. Credits earned at a nationally accredited school are not transferable to most four year institutions.
In August 2008, Brooks Institute successfully completed, "Eligibility," the first step to receiving regional accreditation by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). This application process takes several years and is not a guarantee that the school will ever receive regional accreditation.
Controversy
In July 2005, the California Bureau for Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education (BPPVE) accused Brooks Institute of Photography and its parent corporation Career Education CorporationCareer Education Corporation
Career Education Corporation , founded in 1994, is a postsecondary education provider with campus-based and online curricula. On July 1, 2003, Career Education Corporation merged with competitor Whitman Education Group, Inc., gaining control over the latter's Sanford-Brown Colleges, Ultrasound...
of persuading prospective students to enroll by "willfully misleading" them, "falsifying and omitting critical information." Brooks was given only a conditional approval to operate for the next two years with a hearing scheduled for February 2006, and ordered to provide "equitable restitution" to students going back to 1999. However, Brooks appealed the decision and at the hearing the judge determining that BPPVE had not complied with the mandatory provisions of the Education Code, and that it had wrongly denied Brooks Institute an opportunity to contest the Bureau's action prior to the time it was imposed. The California Department of Consumer Affairs (which oversees BPPVE) later reached the same conclusion. Although Brooks ultimately received unconditional renewal of its license, it settled with a class action lawsuit for $12,250,000.
Restructuring
In November 2008, Brooks laid off five faculty members and 12 staff members as part of a restructuring. The school reports that its enrollment dropped from 2,300 in 2004 to 1,200 in 2008. This recent restructuring is in addition to the faculty who had been 'seemingly dismissed' in recent years; together these created tensions at Brooks tracing back to about January 2007.In May 2010, Roger Anderson left his post as president of Brooks Institute. Respectively, Sue Kirkman was hired shortly after. As of late 2010, Kirkman plans to continue the reconstruction of Brooks, which includes the transition of accreditations and repairing the school's public reputation to the prestigious title it once held.
Notable alumni, faculty, and students
The film program at Brooks Institute began in the mid 1950s. Graduates include: Isidore Mankofsky, CinematographyCinematography
Cinematography is the making of lighting and camera choices when recording photographic images for cinema. It is closely related to the art of still photography...
for The Muppet Movie
The Muppet Movie
The Muppet Movie is the first of a series of live-action musical feature films starring Jim Henson's Muppets. Released in 1979, the film was produced by Henson Associates, Children's Television Workshop and ITC Entertainment....
and Somewhere in Time
Somewhere in Time (film)
Somewhere in Time is a 1980 romantic science fiction film directed by Jeannot Szwarc. It is a film adaptation of the 1975 novel Bid Time Return by Richard Matheson, who also wrote the screenplay...
; Dominick Palmer, Cinematography on the TV series M*A*S*H; Robert Legato, Academy Award winner for Best Effects (Digital Domain) on the movie Titanic
Titanic (1997 film)
Titanic is a 1997 American epic romance and disaster film directed, written, co-produced, and co-edited by James Cameron. A fictionalized account of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, it stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack Dawson, Kate Winslet as Rose DeWitt Bukater and Billy Zane as Rose's fiancé, Cal...
, Visual Effects Supervisor for The Aviator and Visual Effects on Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, released in the United States and India as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, is a 2001 fantasy film directed by Chris Columbus and based on the novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling. The film is the first instalment in the Harry Potter film series,...
; and most recently, graduate Boris Undorf, Best Cinematography at Visionfest
Visionfest
Visionfest showcases creations of U.S. filmmakers and by production entities that are based solely in the U.S. Visionfest provides an exhibition forum for the American amateur that is specialized and focused; one that does not dilute the presence of U.S. films within a sea of international product...
for his film Sonata.
Some notable alumni and faculty include:
Faculty:
- Brian David PriceBrian David PriceBrian Price is an American screenwriter and screenwriting teacher as well as an independent film and commercial director. He sold his first screenplay, "The Many Lives of Bobby Ivers" to Universal Pictures while still a student at UCLA...
, Screenwriter - Lois Freeman-Fox, Editor for Osmosis JonesOsmosis JonesOsmosis Jones is a 2001 live-action/animated comedy film directed by Tom Sito and Piet Kroon for the animated segments and the Farrelly brothers for the live-action segments...
, Fantasia/2000, K-9K-9 (film)K-9 is a 1989 American action comedy film starring James Belushi and Mel Harris. Directed by Rod Daniel and written by Steven Siegel and Scott Myers, it was produced by Lawrence Gordon and Charles Gordon, and released by Universal City Studios...
, Turner and Hooch. - Paul F. RyanPaul F. RyanPaul F. Ryan is a film producer, director, and teacher. He is best known for writing, directing and producing the 1998 short film The List, and the 2002 independent film Home Room. He also teaches film and video production at the Brooks Institute in Ventura, California. as well as Chapman...
, Film faculty, director of Home RoomHome Room (film)Home Room is an independent film starring Erika Christensen, Busy Philipps and Victor Garber. It premiered in the Taos Talking Pictures Film Festival on 12 April 2002, and made its limited theatrical release on 5 September 2003.- Plot :... - Paul B. Margolis, writer of MacGuyver and The SentinelThe Sentinel (TV series)The Sentinel is a Canadian-produced television series that aired on UPN in the United States from 1996 to 1999. It premiered on March 20, 1996, and ran for 65 episodes . The series later reaired on Syfy.-Plot and characters:...
. - Tracy Trotter, Film faculty member and principal of Trotter Productions, received his third Emmy in 2008 for directing the Public Service Announcement, "Voter."
- Bill Robbins, Pro Photo Faculty, award winning advertising photographer based in Los Angeles, see CA Magazine Photo Awards (www.commarts.com)
Alumni:
- Douglas Bizzaro, Fashion photographer, clients include Jean Paul Gautier and Chrome HeartsChrome HeartsChrome Hearts is an American luxury brand, founded in 1988 by motorcycle enthusiast Richard Stark, that specializes in high-end silver jewelry, leather clothing and furniture with gothic rock motifs. It is known for its luxury items which feature fleur-de-lys, dagger and floral cross designs...
- Ron Greer, 1986, street photographer
- Jacob Chase, director of The Four-Faced LiarThe Four-Faced LiarThe Four-Faced Liar is a 2010 comedy-drama-romance film by director Jacob Chase. The title is a reference to a four-faced clock that displays four different times, all wrong, and to a bar with that name that features prominently as a location in the film.- Plot :Greg has just moved in with his...
. - Stephen McGee, Visual Journalism alumnus, earned his third Emmy in 2008 for his project, "Forty Years of Respect."
- James NeihouseJames NeihouseJames Lawson Neihouse is a United States cinematographer who has been involved with many of the most successful IMAX and IMAX 3D films to date.-Early life:Neihouse was born in Paris, Arkansas...
, 1976 Professional Photography graduate, works with IMAXIMAXIMAX is a motion picture film format and a set of proprietary cinema projection standards created by the Canadian company IMAX Corporation. IMAX has the capacity to record and display images of far greater size and resolution than conventional film systems...
as their Director of Photography. - Othman KarimOthman KarimOthman Karim is a Swedish film director, documentary producer, television presenter and photographer.Karim came to Sweden from Uganda in 1975 when his family fled Idi Amin's reign...
, Award winning Swedish film director and TV personality. - Marty Thomas, music video director of more than 80 MTVMTVMTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
music videos, winner of MTV's VMA, founder of Ridiculous Pictures Film Company. - Michael ThompsonMichael ThompsonMichael Thompson may refer to:*Mike Thompson , United States Representative from California's 1st congressional district*Michael Thompson *Michael Thompson , American guitarist...
, clients inclde W, Details, Allure, Harper's Bazaar, Vogue, Tiffany & Co., and DeBeers. - Emy KatEmy KatEmy Kat is an American photographer working in the fields of fashion, advertising, and Fine art photography.-Career and life:Emy Kat was born in 1959. He is a US citizen with a Middle Eastern descent. He started photography when his father gave him his first camera at age 12...
, 1997, photographer
See also
- PhotographyPhotographyPhotography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
- FilmmakingFilmmakingFilmmaking is the process of making a film, from an initial story, idea, or commission, through scriptwriting, casting, shooting, directing, editing, and screening the finished product before an audience that may result in a theatrical release or television program...
- Film SchoolFilm schoolThe term film school is used to describe any educational institution dedicated to teaching aspects of filmmaking, including such subjects as film production, film theory, digital media production, and screenwriting. Film history courses and hands-on technical training are usually incorporated into...
- List of art schools
- USCUniversity of Southern CaliforniaThe University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
- UCLA
- California Institute of the ArtsCalifornia Institute of the ArtsThe California Institute of the Arts, commonly referred to as CalArts, is located in Valencia, in Los Angeles County, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the United States created specifically for students of both the visual and the...
- New York Film AcademyNew York Film AcademyNew York Film Academy - School of Film and Acting is a film school andacting school based in New York City, Universal City, California, USA and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. NYFA offers short-term film-making and acting courses, as well as one- and two-year conservatory and Master of Fine Arts...
- Academy of Art UniversityAcademy of Art UniversityThe Academy of Art University , a for-profit university owned by the Stephens Institute, was founded in San Francisco, California in 1929 by Richard S. Stephens...
External links
- Brooks Institute of Photography - official web site
- Alumni Association of Brooks Institute - Alumni web site
- NPPA - Brooks Student Chapter - Student chapter of the National Press Photographers Association
- Brooks Institute YouTube Page - Official You Tube Link
- Brooks Institute MySpace Page - Official MySpace Page
- Student Portal - Brooks Student Portal