Milestone map
Milestone map
3 milestones
Curate portfolio reel and write director statements
2–3 weeks (2 hrs/day)
Curate a portfolio of two to four completed films or significant excerpts demonstrating range of form, genre, or approach. For each film, write a director's statement (300–400 words) covering: the central creative intention, the key craft decisions made to serve that intention, and what the work taught you about your filmmaking practice.
Proof required
Submit your portfolio reel (minimum two films or excerpts, total 10–30 minutes, shared as links or files) plus director's statements for each work.
What gets checked
- Two to four works with genuine range — not two similar short dramas
- Each director's statement names specific craft decisions (not 'I wanted to tell a human story')
- Director's statements include honest reflection on what the work taught — not only what succeeded
Common mistakes
- Portfolio includes only the most polished work — no range and no risk visible
- Director's statements are plot summaries rather than craft analysis
- Reflection is absent or generic — 'I learned a lot from this project'
Resources
Foundationstart here
Depthgo deeper
What a verifier looks for
- Verify portfolio contains two to four works with genuine range — multiple similar works don't demonstrate range
- Check director's statements name specific craft decisions — not plot summaries
- Ask student: which work in your portfolio represents the biggest creative risk you took? Inability to identify one suggests portfolio is playing safe
Prepare screening package and audience presentation
1 week
Prepare a screening package for your portfolio presentation: exhibition notes for each film (100–150 words, audience-facing), a screening order rationale (one page), and a prepared Q&A outline covering the three questions you most expect to be challenged on about your filmmaking practice.
Proof required
Submit your screening package PDF: exhibition notes for each film, screening order with rationale, and Q&A preparation notes.
What gets checked
- Exhibition notes are written for an audience, not for the panel — no jargon unexplained
- Screening order rationale explains a deliberate choice — not 'chronological order'
- Q&A preparation addresses genuine challenges to practice, not questions the student has easy answers to
Common mistakes
- Exhibition notes are director's statement extracts rather than audience-oriented introductions
- Screening order is arbitrary — no rationale for why this film precedes that one
- Q&A preparation focuses on technical execution questions rather than creative choices that are hard to defend
Resources
Foundationstart here
What a verifier looks for
- Check exhibition notes are audience-facing — if they require filmmaking knowledge to understand, they are not written for a general audience
- Ask student to justify their screening order — inability to articulate a deliberate choice shows the order was default
- Review Q&A preparation — questions should be genuinely challenging, not rhetorical
Host screening and panel review with industry professional
1 week (screening + reflection)
Host a screening of your portfolio for a panel of at least two reviewers, including one external reviewer with named professional film or screen industry credentials and one reviewer not involved in your programme. The panel session must include a live Q&A (minimum 30 minutes) following the screening. Document all significant challenges to your creative practice and produce a post-screening reflection (minimum 400 words).
Proof required
Submit: (1) screening and panel session record (date, all panel member names and roles, significant challenges raised — minimum one page), (2) post-screening reflection (minimum 400 words on what the panel revealed about your filmmaking practice).
What gets checked
- Panel record names all reviewers with roles and professional credentials
- Challenges are documented specifically — not 'the panel asked about my style'
- Post-screening reflection identifies at least two specific developments for future practice
Common mistakes
- Q&A is not documented — what was challenged and how the student responded is unknown
- Post-screening reflection describes the event rather than what it revealed about practice
- Panel did not include an external film/screen industry professional
Resources
Foundationstart here
What a verifier looks for
- Confirm panel included at least one external reviewer with named professional film or screen industry credentials — not only programme tutors
- Confirm panel included at least one reviewer not involved in the student's programme
- Confirm panel session was live (in-person or video) with date and all panel member names and roles documented
- Check post-screening reflection identifies at least two specific developments for future practice
- Verify challenges are documented specifically — 'hard questions were asked' is not a challenge record
Part of