The Portfolio Process

Applying for admission into the Film Production Option requires the student to submit the Film Portfolio ONLINE. No paper or email submissions of any kind will be accepted.  Submission of an online Film Portfolio assumes that you have read and agree to ALL of the terms and conditions of the Film Production Option, which are outlined below.  Because of the tremendous demand for film production courses, and due to the fact that there is a limit to the number of people the Film Option can effectively serve, we use the portfolio requirement to identify those people who are most likely to benefit from the program.  The following are requirements for eligibility and acceptance into the Film Production Option:     
 

  • The Film Production Option requires a personal financial commitment from each student accepted into the Film Option of approximately $300 for the CTVA 355 Intermediate Film Production Class and $1,500 for the CTVA 452 Senior Thesis class. The time commitment in the production classes is greater than other CTVA non-production options.

 

  • Candidates MUST have completed all CTVA Film Production requisite courses with a grade of “C” or better in ART 250, CTVA 100, CTVA 210 and CTVA 220, plus a minimum grade of “B-” in CTVA 250 or be in progress for the remaining courses during the semester of submission. THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS. Final acceptance into the Film Production Option is conditional until all grades for pre-requisite courses in progress are finalized and verified.

 

  • To remain in the program the student must maintain a 3.0 GPA in the required major courses.

 

  • The student is expected to have official Junior standing prior to entering the Film Production Option with 60 units, although being slightly under this number by up to 5 units is acceptable.

 

  • Students who have taken a course at another college that is not recognized by SOLAR as being the equivalent of a required lower division course, must contact the Film Production Option Head, Prof. Nate Thomas, in order to get course substitution approval. Please provide him with a course description and syllabus for the course in question. Include any documentation of email correspondence with Prof. Thomas in the "Email Correspondence" section of the online Film Production Option Portfolio Review Application.

 

  • It is the students’ responsibility to indicate any substitutions or irregularities regarding these requirements in the Film Portfolio online application.  If a substitution was accepted by Prof. Thomas or other CTVA faculty member, please attach a PDF copy of the faculty member's email correspondence in the "Email Correspondence" section of the online application. Film Production Option Head, Prof. Nate Thomas reserves the right to accept or reject all requested course substitutions.

 

  • The best candidates will have opportunity to express themselves in script form and be able to demonstrate visual literacy through their learned skills in class team-based course projects.

 

  • Upon acceptance into the Film Production Option, the student is expected to begin their program of study when admitted and continue without a break in enrollment or attendance until the program is completed.  Failure to do so relinquishes their place in the program. Student are expected to attend all classes and show up on time.

 

  • For a student to successfully participate in the program requires an independent  proficiency in their critical and creative thinking and to be able to proficiently perform in the audio-visual medium of film production as is expected in the industry because the film production practice requires it. 

 

  • The program requires that a student’s social skills will allow for the needed collaborative interactions inherent to film production practice as a collaborative cooperative social ability is at the heart of team interactions. Knowing how to collaborate is essential to student success.

 

  • If you are not accepted into the Film Option after your first submission, you may submit a portfolio a second time for consideration in a future semester. If you are not successful after two submission attempts, you may not submit again.


DEADLINES for submitting your online Film Portfolio Online Application:    
 

  • Fall 2026 for entry starting in the Spring 2027 Semester:  11:59 p.m. on Sunday, October 5, 2026.

NOTE: All applicants will be contacted via email regarding the status of their film portfolio (Accepted or Rejected) in the evening on October 22, 2026.


You MUST answer all questions and provide all information requested. Applications that are not completed by the application deadline or deemed to contain intentionally inaccurate or misleading information will NOT be considered.  For online Film Portfolio submission, in addition to providing general information about yourself, you will be required to submit/upload the following:  
 

  • A recent copy of your CSUN Degree Progress Report (DPR) in PDF format.

 

  • Copies of your transcripts from other colleges/universities that are not included on your CSUN DPR in PDF format.

 

  • Upload an original ONE-PAGE essay describing a single personal experience that formed who you are as a person today (in Microsoft Word or PDF file format).

 

  • Create/Upload an original photo story containing a character with a moral dilemma or problem and a resolution to the dilemma or problem that demonstrates the power of your visual storytelling. (Please, no stories about lost money/wallets or pregnancy.) Your photo story must use live human subjects (for example, no dolls, puppets, stuffed animals, mannequins, stick figures, animated characters, etc.) and no guns, knives, or gratuitous violence.  Upload up to (12) separate 5" x 7" total images (or other standard photo size) in JPEG file format, naming each photo in your story in chronological order using the following sequential file naming method: Each separate JPEG file MUST be named in chronological order using the following sequential file naming scheme: (LastName_01.jpg, LastName_02.jpg, LastName_03.jpg, etc.). No single JPEG image file should exceed 2 GB in size.

 

  • Submit a 30–60 second video of yourself, speaking directly to the camera in a single take with no edits, introducing yourself and addressing the following prompt:

 

Achieving a successful career as a filmmaker, whether as a crew member, screenwriter, or director is difficult. What are your personal strengths that would help make you a successful filmmaker in the program?

 

NOTE: This personal video is your interview with the committee in lieu of a real live personal interview. Videos not adhering to the specified length restrictions of 30-60 seconds will have points deducted. For this personal video submission, we are most interested in the content and organization of your thoughts, although we will also be considering things like sound quality and audio levels, video quality, shot composition, and lighting.

 

Acceptable video file formats (up to 500 MB in size) include files with the extensions:  .m4v,  .mov, .mp4.

 
After the close of submissions, applicants will be notified regarding their admission status via email within 3–5 weeks. The email will be sent to your CSUN email account. If you do not receive an email prior to the mandatory Film Advisement meeting, please contact the CTVA Main Office to check your status.  You can save your online work as a draft version by using the Save Draft button until everything is uploaded and complete. Once you have checked your work and completed/submitted all required portfolio information, press the Submit button. Once you press the Submit button, your portfolio submission is finalized, and you will no longer be able to make changes. Note that applications are NOT considered complete and cannot be considered for admission into the Film Option until you press the Submit button. If this is your first time using Submittable.com, you MUST first create a new account using your full name and CSUN email address (below). If at any time you forget your account login password, you can request a password reset on the Submittable.com login page by entering your email address and then clicking the Forgot? text. A tutorial video for submitting your online portfolio can be found here:    

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZBoMeakjIc&feature=youtu.be
 

If you encounter any problems or issues with your online portfolio submission, please contact Prof. Joel Krantz.