<p>I'm currently a sophomore in high school planning on applying to NYU Early Decision (I know, I've been thinking about it for years). For months I've been planning on what my portfolio film for my application will be. Even though it's going to be a little bit away (like summer of my junior year), I'm still nervous.</p>
<p>I have heard that the main area that the admissions personel focus on in a portfolio film is the story. While I basically know what my film will be about, I'm not exactly sure how well I will be able to condense it into a 10 minute period (its a story of a runaway). I'm sure the movie will be great looking and shot well, but I'm just worried at the strength of the story. I've seen many portfolio films on YouTube that have been accepted and many really aren't as great as I thought they had to be in order to get accepted to NYU. </p>
<p>Could I just be worrying too much?</p>
<p>So anyone who has experience with the NYU (or any film school) process in accepting portfolio films, can you tell me some of the things that the admissions officers look at when deciding on whether to accept an applicant or not?</p>
<p>I believe what people look for in a portfolio film are the following: evidence that you can tell a story visually, a story that holds the viewers attention for the duration of the piece, and hopefully leaves them wanting more, and some element of creativity.<br>
Did you notice what I left out: many technical elements. If you have the ability to be a good story teller, they can teach you the science and art of making movies. If you don’t have the ability to tell stories, they can teach you all the technical aspects in the world, but that will just make you a good technician, not a good filmmaker. Show them you can tell a story: in the best way you know how at this stage of your film knowledge.</p>
<p>As far as length: the ability to tell a story in a short amount of time in a creative way is really important. If the story you have in mind can’t be told in 10 minutes, save it for another film. Or tell a piece of the story. Or find a way to make it happen in that time.</p>
<p>My DS (was accepted to NYU, but chose USC for this coming fall) took a longer film and cut it down to 5 minutes for his submission. The longer film won awards at some festivals, but I really think the shorter version was more compelling, and in the end a better film. It forced him to choose the best parts and cut out some of the others. </p>
<p>As far as what I believe they look for to grant admission, I think you will be judged on the following: 1. Are you academically qualified? 2. Do you have a portfolio of work that demonstrates your passion for an aspect of film? 3. Can you write your application in a compelling, interesting and honest way? 4. Can you demonstrate intelligence, creativity, passion and drive for your chosen field? The better you present those aspects of yourself, the more likely a committee will accept you.</p>
<p>Hi sechlerchris,
I’d like to second maddenmd’s advice. They want to see you tell a story visually. That means concentrate on your story and your visuals. Try to avoid dialogue, the best videos seem to be the ones with little or no dialogue, but still tell a compelling story. And, for the visuals, I mean have interesting shots. The actual equipment doesn’t matter.</p>
<p>If NYU is your top school, then you should consider applying to NYU’s Tisch Summer High School Program next year. My son went last year, and that is where he made his film that he used for both his USC and NYU applications. His film came out great and it helped him get into both programs. Bonus, he had an awesome time there and learned a lot. (It was hard, but he finally chose USC after a lot of angst). </p>
<p>Also, the acceptance rate for kids who went to the NYU summer program and applied ED was really high, like 90%.</p>
<p>Hope that helps. Good luck.</p>
<p>hi can you tell me what GPA he have. I also want to go to USC.</p>