Screen Arts portfolio
The Screen Arts program admission requirements include a portfolio submission. Your portfolio helps NSCC evaluate your abilities to ensure you have a reasonable probability of success and demonstrate your potential to build on your skills during your time in the program.
Important: This program uses SlideRoom, a third-party portfolio management software platform, for portfolio submissions. Once you've reviewed the requirements and prepared your materials, you'll need to create a SlideRoom account, upload your portfolio, and complete any required submission forms. An application fee of $15 USD is required for each portfolio submission in SlideRoom.
Portfolio contents
Your portfolio consists of the following items, to be submitted digitally:
- Screen Arts Program Readiness Form
- A photographic story consisting of 24 photos
Screen Arts Program Readiness Form
Complete the Screen Arts Program Readiness Form in SlideRoom, where you will provide responses that demonstrate your interest in the program, your understanding of the industry, and your readiness to succeed. Be prepared to address the following:
- Describe your interest in filmmaking, your future career plans within the film industry and how you feel our program can help you achieve your goals.
- Describe your personal commitment to our program, emphasizing how your past experiences and any formal training have prepared you to excel academically and creatively.
- Highlight any relevant skills you have acquired, such as camera operation, video editing, scriptwriting, etc., and share insights gained from any prior industry engagements.
Photographic story
Submit a story told through 24 photographs.
- You are behind the camera to demonstrate your skills in capturing and composing images to tell a story. This is an original work created for this portfolio that emphasizes narrative and visual storytelling.
- Carefully consider everything that appears in the photographs you take to tell your story, like physical setting (location), how the action is staged (blocking of actors), how your photos are framed (composition), the order of the photos (the beginning, middle and end of the story) and how they’re photographed (technical).
- The story should be clear and stand on its own. Your photos should show a complete beginning, middle, and end that viewers can understand just by looking at them. The sequence and meaning should be easy to follow without any written or verbal explanation.
- The images should not be digitally manipulated and should not contain written descriptions.
Original Work and AI Use
Portfolio submissions must be fully original and created solely by the applicant. This means:
- AI tools must not be used to generate any content (e.g., text, images, audio, or video).
- Work created by others must not be submitted.
The use of standard tools and plug-ins within audio, video, and graphic design software, including those with AI components, is permitted to support your original work. The portfolio is intended to demonstrate your individual creative ability; submissions that do not meet these requirements may not be considered.
How to submit your portfolio
Before you submit your portfolio, review this checklist to ensure your submission is complete:
| Completed | Portfolio components |
|---|---|
| Screen Arts Program Readiness Form | |
| Photographic story - 24 photographs (numbered 1 through 24) |
Portfolio Submission via SlideRoom
NSCC uses SlideRoom, an online platform, to collect portfolio submissions. There is an application fee of $15USD for each portfolio submission per program.
To submit your portfolio, follow these required steps:
- Step 1: Carefully review the portfolio requirements listed on this page.
- Step 2: Prepare, create, and gather all required files for your submission.
- Step 3: Once your materials are ready, visit the NSCC Screen Arts SlideRoom submission page to complete your portfolio submission.
- Create a SlideRoom account
- Enter your NSCC Student ID number (included in your most recent email from NSCC Admissions after applying on nscc.ca)
- Upload your portfolio according to the program requirements listed on this page
- Submit your portfolio by the posted deadline (Atlantic Time)
You may begin your submission, save your progress, and return to SlideRoom at any time before submitting. Once submitted, changes cannot be made.
Upon successful submission, a confirmation screen and submission number will be provided for your records.
For technical support, visit the SlideRoom Applicant Help Centre
For questions about portfolio requirements, contact NSCC’s School of Access, Business, Creative Industries and Education at
File types and upload requirements
Preferred Formats
- JPG / JPEG (.jpg), PNG (.png): Images and artwork
Note: .tif and .tiff are supported but are often too large—please convert them to a high-quality PDF or JPG before uploading.
Do Not Upload
- Working files (.ai, .psd, .indd) → export before uploading
- Web-only formats (.webp, .avif)
File Size Limits
- Images: ≤ 10 MB
| 9 to 10 points | 7 to 8 points | 4 to 6 points | 0 to 3 points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen Arts Program Readiness Form | ||||
| Skills and/or training | Clearly describes relevant skills and/or training related to the film and video industry. | Describes relevant skills and background related to the film and video industry. | Includes a basic list of skills and/or education. | Little to no information on related skills / training included in answer. |
| Interest in Industry | Strongly expresses a passion for filmmaking and the creative process. | Explains interest in film/video production with some specific details. | Shows some interest in film/video production, but with limited explanation. | Little to no interest in the film / video industry noted in answer. |
| Personal commitment | Provides specific and compelling details that highlight the applicant’s personal commitment to the program, learning, and growth. | Provides clear information about the applicant and their commitment to studying filmmaking. | Provides minimal detail about the applicant’s personal commitment. | Little to no personal commitment noted in answer. |
| Storytelling and organization | Photos tell an interesting story and fully follow guidelines. | Photos are organized and are telling a story in a way that makes sense., with most photos well-ordered and labeled. | Photos are not well-organized are inconsistent, with photos not clearly ordered to tell a story. | Presentation and organization are unclear, with missing or incorrectly sequenced photos. |
| Creativity and initiative | Creativity and initiative are strong, with original ideas, effective storytelling, and a clear personal vision. | Creativity and initiative are evident through original ideas and a developing sense of story and personal vision. | Creativity and initiative are somewhat evident, but the work relies on predictable ideas or lacks a clear story or personal vision. | Creativity and initiative are limited, and the images do not clearly communicate a story. |
| Technical ability | Technical quality is consistently high, demonstrating strong control of composition, framing, camera work, and lighting. | Technical quality is generally strong, though some photos show issues with composition, framing, or exposure. | Technical quality varies, with several photos out of focus, poorly exposed, or showing inconsistent formatting (such as aspect ratios). | Technical quality is inconsistent, with many photos out of focus, poorly exposed, or not presented in a standard format. |
| Adherence to application specifications (Extent to which the applicant follows all application specifications, including completing required components and submitting materials correctly) |
Fully adheres to all application specifications; all required components are complete and submitted properly with no errors. | Largely follows all specifications; only minor deviations in details that do not impact overall completeness. | Moderate inconsistencies with specifications; some minor missing elements, but core requirements are mostly met. | Does not follow key application specifications; submission is incomplete, significantly deviates from requirements, or is incorrectly submitted. |
| Total /70 |
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