HSCA Chapters
An HSCA Chapter is an invaluable addition to any school’s curriculum. Affiliation with HSCA brings credibility and distinction to students, schools, and their film programs; it is a prominent, positive symbol of the quality and breadth of a school’s educational program.
Chapter Director Benefits
Chapter Directors, the educator(s) supervising their school's Chapter, gain access to the following benefits in addition to the benefits their students receive.
A program to enhance your curriculum,
encouraging your students to actively participate in your school's film community, all while developing core competencies like organization, communication, leadership, and technical-filmmaking skills.
A collection of educator resources
for teaching film production and film studies to high school students, curated by teachers and our educational partners.
A library of exemplary student film work
giving you and your students access to a plethora of hand-picked exemplars from our annual film festival and periodic competitions.
A digital Chapter management portal
allowing Chapter Directors and Student Officers to ditch archaic spreadsheets and streamline bookkeeping.
Chapter Responsibilities
Beyond regular meetings, a Chapter's leadership team, typically comprised of four Student Officers and one Chapter Director, is required to provide Members with opportunities to fulfill induction requirements by organizing activities for Members to earn points, present opportunities to screen Member-produced films, and facilitate the collaborative production of films. Chapter leadership is also tasked with bookkeeping; each Chapter is expected to ensure the digital Chapter Management page is accurate and up to date.
Eligibility
Any in-person secondary level educational institution with the equivalent of the United States grade nine, grade ten, grade eleven, and grade twelve is eligible to start a Chapter. In some cases, school districts or their equivalent may also be eligible to become a singular Chapter. Each Chapter requires a permanent physical address and a Chapter Director, either an educator or an administrator, who will manage the Chapter. A film production program or an extracurricular organization dedicated towards film production and appreciation is recommended but not required.
Annual Dues
Unlike other honor societies, which require a Chapter Director to pay multiple fees and manage their own inventory of regalia, we simplify the payment process by requiring Chapters to pay only one invoice a year. All educational resources, benefits, and regalia are included in these annual dues, allowing Chapter Directors to focus more on what’s important: developing the next generation of cinematic storytellers.
HSCA requires a Chapter to pay annual dues. During a typical year, each Chapter is expected to pay an annual Chapter Fee of $150 by October 1st; each Chapter is expected to pay annual Member Fees of $25 for every inducted Member by November 1st. New Chapters are also required to pay a $100 Startup Fee.
All fees are allocated to the direct operation of the Society and the resources Members rely on throughout the year. Beyond the manufacturing and shipping of regalia and other merchandise, a portion of these funds supports the maintenance and ongoing development of the Member Portal, including hosting costs, software updates, data security infrastructure, and technical support. Dues also primarily fund the acquisition and licensing of the externally-produced educational resources, production of our quarterly magazine, and the continued expansion of the interview archive and other materials. At the organizational level, dues contribute to administrative costs, compliance oversight (notably legal guidance, filings, and insurance), and the processing of Chapter audits and accreditation reviews. They also help underwrite our annual film festival and other events. Collectively, these funds ensure that Members receive consistent, high-quality programming, reliable infrastructure, and a professionally managed Society experience. There are currently no paid employees at HSCA; all funds are reinvested back into the organization.
Should these costs be prohibitive to your school, please refer to our Chapter Grant Initiative, where we provide waivers or reductions to schools that cannot traditionally afford our annual dues.
You can find more information in our Chapter & Membership Handbook.
