The Dirty Dozen is the nickname for a group of filmmaking students at the USC School of Cinematic Arts within the University of Southern California during the mid-late 1960s. The main group consisted of budding directors, screenwriters, producers, editors, and cinematographers. Through innovative techniques and effects, they ended up achieving great success in the Hollywood film industry.
Also known as the "USC Mafia", the group's name was a reference to the 1967 Robert Aldrich-directed war film The Dirty Dozen.[1]