Portfolio Requirements for Creative Majors

Your success in our programs is important to us.

In many of the majors in the Division of Communication & Creative Media, the Portfolio Review is a required step in the Admissions process. The purpose of the Portfolio Review is to evaluate your development as a creator and assess your ability to thrive in the program you've selected. We are looking for evidence of enthusiasm for the kind of work each major requires along with some of the basic technical and cognitive skills you'll need to succeed in our fast-moving curriculum.

The following majors require a Portfolio Review submission during the Admissions process: Creative Media (BFA), Game Art & Animation, Game Design, and Graphic Design & Digital Media (BFA) majors. For Professional Writing applicants, the portfolio is optional, but students cannot be fully admitted into the program until a review of their writing is completed. This can be accomplished by submitting a portfolio or by enrolling at Champlain College and working on the portfolio submission enrolled as a Pre-Professional Writing student. For Digital Filmmaking (BFA) students, the portfolio is also optional. If a student chooses not to submit a portfolio, they must submit two (2) letters of recommendation speaking to the student's talent for filmmaking.

Portfolio Review Requirements Overview

All portfolio submissions will be reviewed by the faculty of each respective major. Students that are admissible to the college, but do not have a portfolio that meets the artistic requirement of the major, can be accepted to Champlain College as an Undeclared Division of Communication & Creative Media student. As an Undeclared student in the Division of Communication & Creative Media, you will be able to enroll in classes to strengthen their artistic or writing qualifications so you may be fully admitted to your desired major at a later date. Each year, approximately 40 students do just that and enroll as Undeclared students in the Division of Communication & Creative Media.

Creative Media (BFA)

To be fully considered for admission into the Creative Media (BFA) major, you must submit the following to Slideroom for the Portfolio Review:

1. A portfolio of (2) creative works: submissions must be in two (2) distinct media types and creativity is appreciated. As an example, you may submit several short poems and a short video; or a series of photographic images and the lyrics to a song you wrote. The goal of this review is to evaluate how creative a candidate is and can be.
2. A personal statement, between 200 and 1,000 words: the faculty want to learn about your creative process, your sources for inspiration, your goals in pursuing the arts, and anything else you feel demonstrates your creative passions.

Students applying to the Creative Media major should demonstrate creative talents and inspirations using media and words. The faculty seeks students who are willing to take creative risks, will be on the cutting edge of creative thinking and apply art to many avenues and channels. Please contact your Admission Counselor for specific questions on the Creative Media (BFA) Portfolio Review requirement.

View Acceptable File Formats.

Game Art & Animation

Your Best Work
The Game Art & Animation major at Champlain College is an art degree applied to the innovative and exciting field of interactive media and games. To be successful, students must enter into the major with a talent and a passion for visual art.

As part of your application for admission into the Game Art & Animation major, Champlain College requires the submission of a portfolio. This portfolio should consist of at least five (5) images or animations of your very best work.

All work should be original. Demonstrate your promise as an artist in both traditional art skills and in the digital space. If possible show us your process on one of your pieces. For example, include your sketches as well as the final piece.

Suggested types of work we would like to see:

• Traditionally rendered images
• Digitally rendered images
• 2D or 3D characters you have designed
• 2D or 3D environments you have created
• 3D models, with or without textures
• 2D or 3D animation
• Traditional or digital sculpture

You are allowed up upload only five files. We suggest that you put images of a like nature into a single .pdf file. For example, all your traditional drawings could come in one file and presented as a body of work. If you have a submission, like a Flash animation in .swf format, that you want to submit, provide a link in the accompanying form.

Please add a title and description for each piece. Accepted file formats:

• JPG (5MB limit)
• .PNG (5MB limit)
• .GIF (5MB limit)
• .MOV (60MB limit)
• .WMV (60MB limit)
• .FLV (60MB limit)
• .PDF (10MB limit)

Faculty members of Champlain College's Game Art & Animation program will evaluate the submissions as if they were evaluating current student work. Students should concentrate on demonstrating depth of their artistic talent, and quality is preferred over quantity. Also, please take time when filling out the form questions. Communication is an important quality and one we value.

Game Design

Game Design Challenge

Individuals that are successful in the Champlain College Game Design major, and in the game industry in general, possess strong skills in creativity, communication, technical aptitude, and innovation. As a part of the admission process into the Game Design major, we want to ensure that incoming students possess these skills so that they can be further expanded to meet the demanding needs of this exciting field.

Challenge: Modify one of the games listed below and create a new and improved experience. The modification should be creative, innovative, and clearly-communicated, but should adhere to the original gameplay style. As an example, you may modify Pac-Man and change the objectives from gobbling up dots and fruit to teaching individuals on how to save money by gobbling up coins and depositing them in a bank.

Choose from one of these three games:

• Pac-Man
• Break-Out
• Donkey Kong

To complete this application, you will be filling out a form. We suggest you copy the questions below and prepare your design in a Word document. When you are ready, copy and paste your work into the form for submission. Keep your answers concise. We are not looking for long exposition on each area.

Demonstrate the modifications of your new game by addressing the following questions:

• What is the new theme of your game?
• Describe the game environment and/or narrative associated with the game.
• Describe the player's goals in gameplay.
• Describe how you will challenge the player to meet those goals. What obstacles must they overcome?
• Describe how the game is organized. Are there levels? What defines progress?
• How does the player lose?
• How does the player win?
• Describe who you think would like to play this game? Who is the player?
• Any additional comments or materials? Include the title and briefly describe them.

How the Portfolio will be Evaluated
Creativity and Innovation - we want to see your creative mind at work. Consider going into new territory and themes with your game. Stay away from topics that are common like typical zombies or space fighters.

Successful Communication - we want to see how well you can communicate your ideas. The writing should be your best, and your ideas well organized. After reading your submission, we should be able to understand and visualize your design.

Additional Materials (Suggested)
To better illustrate your game design, you may want to include other materials with your submission. None of the suggestions below are required, but adding one or more of them will improve the communication of your design and enhance your application. You are allowed up to five additional submissions. If you have a group of images, or other like materials, you may want to consider placing them together in a .pdf to save space.

• Descriptions of characters if your game has characters.
• A written back-story if your game has a narrative.
• Flow charts of your game's flow, interactivity, or logic to gameplay.
• Diagrams of your interface or interactivity.
• Images of your characters that you have created.
• Images of your game's environment that you have created.
• A storyboard of gameplay. This is a series of images you have created that show the experience and/or story of your game.
• A prototype or mod you have created of your game captured in a video (.mov).
• Link to a website where we can watch your video or .swf. (place in a .pdf file)
• Link to a website where we can play or download your game (place in a .pdf file)

Accepted File Formats:

• .JPG (5MB limit)
• .PNG (5MB limit)
• .GIF (5MB limit)
• .MOV (60MB limit)
• .WMV (60MB limit)
• .FLV (60MB limit)
• .PDF (10MB limit)

GDES FORM
General:

1. Describe what interests you about Champlain College’s Game Design program.
2. Describe what areas of game design you have explored. For example, writing game narratives, creating mods, critiquing games, designing and building your own games.
3. List any technologies you have used. For example, GameMaker, Flash, Adobe Photoshop, any modding environment, 3DS Max, Blender, etc.
4. Do you have any other comments you would like to include with your application?

Game Modification Challenge

1. What is the new theme of your game?
2. Describe the game environment and/or narrative associated with the game.
3. Describe the player's goals in gameplay.
4. Describe how you will challenge the player to meet those goals. What obstacles must they overcome?
5. Describe how the game is organized. Are there levels? What defines progress?
6. How does the player lose?
7. How does the player win?
8. Describe who you think would like to play this game? Who is the player?

Any additional materials? Include the title and briefly describe them.

1. What is the title of portfolio item #1. Include a brief description of the work.
2. What is the title of portfolio item #2. Include a brief description of the work.
3. What is the title of portfolio item #3. Include a brief description of the work.
4. What is the title of portfolio item #4. Include a brief description of the work.
5. What is the title of portfolio item #5. Include a brief description of the work.

Students applying to the Game Design major should demonstrate a creative minds at work. The faculty suggests you challenge yourself and the boundaries of thinking by going to new territories and themes in game design. Stay away from common game topics or themes that have already been developed; stay focused, be clear and be creative. Please contact your Admission Counselor for specific questions on the Game Design Portfolio Review requirement.

Graphic Design & Digital Media (BFA)

To be fully considered for admission into the Graphic Design & Digital Media major, students must submit the following to Slideroom for Portfolio Review:

1. One portfolio consisting of 5 pieces. You may submit up to 10 pieces by making one of the files a multiple page .pdf if you wish. Please include a brief description of each piece. NOTE: Please do not submit more than 10 pieces in total.
   1. Your portfolio must include a minimum of 2 examples of drawing, rendered in pencil, charcoal or ink, or any combination. Please include a brief written description of each.
   2. The remaining pieces can be photos or scans of original works, or digital files in any of the accepted types. Please include a brief written description of each.
2. Choose 1 piece from your portfolio, and write a concise narrative statement (between 150 – 250 words) about the work that answers the following :
   1. Under what circumstances was the piece created (class project, for personal pleasure, for an art display, etc.)?
   2. Tell us about your process for creating it. Which mediums did you use? How does the piece demonstrate your passion for designing and creating?
   3. What was most enjoyable and challenging part of the process when you created the piece?
   4. What do you think the piece tells us about you as a person? How does it convey your values, your abilities and your aspirations?
      NOTE: Please be sure to indicate which piece you are writing about.

Students applying to the Graphic Design & Digital Media (BFA) major should demonstrate the depth of your artistic talent, summarize your creative experiences and endeavors, and most importantly, highlight your level of commitment to creating visual work. Please contact your Admission Counselor for specific questions on the Graphic Design & Digital Media Portfolio Review requirement.

View Available File Formats.

Digital Filmmaking (BFA) Portfolio OPTIONAL

To be fully considered for admission into the Digital Filmmaking (BFA) major, you must submit one of the following to Slideroom for the Portfolio Review:

1. A video or movie upload that is up to five minutes in length or 120MB in size, OR
2. A 5 - 10 page script of a short-story or movie that captures your storytelling abilities. OR
3. Two recommendations from Arts faculty or instructors who can speak to the student’s promise as a future filmmaker. The recommendations should reflect on the student’s visual creativity, ability to be a storyteller, their unique perspective, etc.

Students applying to the Digital Filmmaking (BFA) major should demonstrate an ability to tell or portray a great story through video or writing. The faculty will evaluate submissions based on their abilities to convey an interesting and engaging story. Please contact your Admission Counselor for specific questions on the Digital Filmmaking (BFA) optional Portfolio submission.

View Acceptable File Formats.

Professional Writing Portfolio OPTIONAL

To be fully considered for admission into the Professional Writing major, students must submit the following to Slideroom for Portfolio Review:

A Portfolio of 1-5 pieces of writing in the genre that comes most naturally to you. The pieces may be fiction, poetry, a screenplay, essays, a memoir or any other type of writing style or type. There is not any limit on word counts or lengths; students have autonomy with format, style and size. NOTE: Students can be admitted into a Pre-Professional Writing track if they choose not to submit a portfolio or learn that their writing development requires additional training after the Portfolio Review process.

Students applying to the Professional Writing major should demonstrate imagination, a willingness to take risks, an attention to detail, a very strong display of written English skills, an ability to reflect, and an eye and ear for language. Common sense and clear conversational prose are just valuable as fancy and elaborate language. Please contact your Admission Counselor for specific questions on the Professional Writing optional portfolio submission.

The preferred file format for Portfolio submissions for the Professional Writing major is .pdf with a 10MB limit.

Acceptable File Formats

Please use the following file formats to submit Portfolio Review items to Slideroom :

• JPG (5MB limit)
• PNG (5MB limit)
• GIF (5MB limit)
• MOV (60MB limit)
• WMV (60MB limit)
• FLV (60MB limit)
• PDF (10MB limit)
• MP3 (10MB limit)