Digital portfolio guidance (Showreel)

Once you have made an application to the University of Derby you are required to submit a showreel for the following courses:

Your showreel is your opportunity to show us who you are, your creative ability and your potential.

Showreel information

Total running time must be no more than five minutes. We will not be able to accept anything longer. It doesn’t matter if it’s shorter than five minutes. Students should upload a slideshow of still images from their portfolio converted into an AVI or QuickTime file. If work is sound or radio based they can upload an AVI or WAV file. This should be accompanied by a Word document in PDF form, giving a written commentary of 750–1,000 words to accompany the showreel.

The show reel and PDF will then be reviewed by course academics who may contact the student for further work/information if necessary. If a showreel is not suitable for the course you have applied for you may be asked to attend an interview and/or be considered for a similar course of interest.

Your showreel should be a collection of your best work and can either be fiction, documentary and/or experimental. It can be short films or a montage of clips but should demonstrate that you can develop an original idea through to production. It should be interesting and engaging and show your passion for the subject.

Your show reel should be accompanied by a written commentary in PDF format. This should be around 800–1,000 words and include a list with titles and short descriptions of all your clips/films and a description highlighting what you hope to achieve and sources of inspiration. It should be your own work. If it has been produced in partnership with others you should mention this and provide an explanation of your personal contribution. You should also include a short paragraph on why you want to study this course at the University of Derby.

To help you understand how we will be assessing your work and your suitability for the course, we have pulled together a list of things we will be looking for:

  • A creative and imaginative approach
  • A submission which draws upon your own experiences
  • An understanding of the techniques and processes used in digital media
  • The potential to develop practical, conceptual and analytical skills
  • An ability to identify and discuss the sources of your inspiration

While technical skill will be taken into account, an ability to tell a story and/or provoke a reaction in the viewer is more important than production value at this stage.

Submit your showreel

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Portfolio form.