Interviews, auditions, VDOs and portfolios!

Some of you may be preparing Fine Art/Performance/Media/Design portfolios, some may be preparing audition pieces for Drama/Music/Dance/Circus Arts College, some of you preparing Performance/Media/Design VDO pieces and some of you preparing for face-to-face interviews for a wide variety of subjects.

Portfolios can be very specific so take note of how many pieces, their sizes and in what format. Many portfolios are uploaded digitally so you will need to register to a site such as Dropbox or Flikr. Some institutions will ask you to take your portfolio along with you for an interview. If you need help devising your portfolio ask your teacher or better still sign up for a Portfolio workshop. Many Art & Design colleges offer Portfolio summer workshops.

For auditions and interviews be sure to arrive in time. Check out how to get to the college in advance. There may be some waiting time so take along refreshments and reading materials. Prepare for an interview or audition by asking adults at home or at school to practice with you. Share your application/audition piece/VDO/portfolio with them so that they can ask you relevant questions. Write a list of questions you want to ask the institution and take a tablet, notebook or phone with you to write notes of your impressions. Dress appropriately and feel comfortable and confident in what you are wearing.

For auditions some colleges will accept a VDO showcase of the prescribed audition pieces but make sure that the quality is good. VDO your pieces in a drama/music/dance studio rather than in your bedroom (in the latter there can be limited space as well as interruptions and distractions). If you are attending an audition at the college be sure to register for an audition spot by the given deadline (you may be required to pay an audition fee when registering).

Face-to-face interviews either in situ or via Skype are quite common for specialist or space-limited courses. Some may only last for 20 minutes others may take place over 2 or 3 days. Prepare by reading up on your subject/topic before your interview and re-read your application statements and essays. If you mentioned topics or assignments in your application be sure to remind yourself of their content before the interview.

Information on what universities are looking for from a portfolio, audition or interview can be found on the university’s or college’s website. Hot tip: Read the instructions carefully. If you are applying to a variety of institutions copy & paste the information onto a spreadsheet so that you can remind yourself of the specific requirements.

Check out the web for lots of VDOs on interviews, portfolios & auditions. There are some examples below.

Interviews (examples only)

https://www.ucas.com/ucas/undergraduate/apply-and-track/track-your-application/interview-invitations#

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMyD6c9Z3z8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlQ31YTo5y8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qY9icExjEw

Design Portfolios (examples only)

http://www.uca.ac.uk/study/portfolio-advice/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuwWr5EFymo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bx-58PL0oms

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lL–oxTMg0

Performance (Examples only)