Arts, Media and Creative Technology interviews

What do I need to do?

Attend an interview on campus, to discuss your work. We would like you to bring along either a portfolio of work, or you can complete a live brief, as below. Please choose one to bring to your interview.

If you choose to bring along a portfolio, these are the requirements

The purpose of a portfolio is for you to tell us more about your experience, skills and interest in the course. We are looking to see strong examples of an applicant’s creativity. This can be from: 

• Sketchbooks from previous study of the subject area which show developmental thinking and reasonable interest and ability in traditional drawing skill.A small selection of examples of any garments and/or accessories you’ve made.

We are looking for applicants to have: 

• Enthusiasm for costume and related subjects e.g. art, literature, performance, theatre, history/conservation.Evidence of technical knowledge or design skill: this may be within previous costume/textile art & design projects, work-experience or personal projects undertaken.

If you choose to complete and bring along the live brief, these are the requirements

Find two written descriptions of characters from literature and write a short character profile for each. Your character profile should outline any notable features/characteristics e.g. age, gender.

Illustrate the characters using your own interpretation, you can use any drawing medium (Digital, inks, Pro-markers, collage, pencil, charcoal) however, you must use two different mediums.

The task is not about how well you can illustrate, it's about exploring different creative processes.

Some techniques you will enjoy, while others you may not. Experimenting is how you will find your style as a designer.

Unsure about the live brief?

You can find some examples of what kind of work we are expecting to see from the live brief.

What format does this need to be in?  

You will need to bring your portfolio or live brief to your interview as this will be viewed by the Admissions Tutors and used for further discussion, please take this into consideration when preparing your work.

What am I being assessed on?   

• Level of interest and reasonable subject knowledge
• Creative ability
• Suitability for the subject

Further information can be found in the FAQs below.

What do I need to do?

Attend an audition on campus, followed by an interview to discuss your work further. Please allow four hours for the audition.  

Audition

Please make sure that you are dressed appropriately for class. Remove all jewellery, wear clothes that are comfortable to move in and shows a clear bodyline and bare feet. If you own ballet shoes you can wear these for the ballet barre, but do not worry if not. You can continue with bare feet or socks.

Following a session at the barre you will move into the space to do a contemporary class. This will involve you learning a number of short phrases. Finally, you will be set a creative task with instruction about how to develop a motif.

For your solo performance, we would like you to prepare a contemporary or dance fusion piece (incorporating contemporary and other styles) of one minute long. If you choose to use music or sound, please bring this with you as an MP3 on a device like a smartphone, tablet or MP3 player. Please do not rely on streaming music via the internet as this is not always reliable. 

Please do not worry if there are any of the above elements that you do not feel confident in. We cover a wide variety of dance styles so everyone has the opportunity to show strengths, but it is not integral to gaining a place that you must be proficient in all areas.

Interview

After your practical audition you will be invited to take part in individual or group interview discussions with our tutors. Dance staff will be interested to know why you have applied for your course, what your aspirations are for the future and which choreographers and/companies influence you most.

What am I being assessed on? 

• Level of interest and reasonable subject knowledge
• Creative ability
• Suitability for the subject

Further information can be found in the FAQs below.

What do I need to do?

Attend an interview on campus, to discuss your work. We would like you to bring along either a portfolio of work, or you can complete a live brief if you currently don’t have an up to date portfolio, as below. Please choose one to bring to your interview.

If you choose to bring along a portfolio, these are the requirements

We are looking to see strong examples of your creativity, this could come from a number of sources and disciplines which engage with research, drawing, 3D work and use of materials. We understand you may not have had a fashion specific focus on previous courses so we are happy to see examples from outside of the discipline. In general terms, we would like to see some work that considers how a fashion design mindset could be approached, perhaps through application to the body or clothing. 

If you choose to complete the live brief, these are the requirements

We would like you to pick a specific group of workers from any trade/profession to research (this could be anything from uniforms, sports costumes, historical, contemporary, police officers, refuse collectors, ice skaters, ice cream van drivers). Find research of this group of people from a number of sources, ideally primary (firsthand photos) and secondary (from books/the web). Consider a variety of time periods, countries to help you consider the clothing and garments they wear.

Once you have selected your group of workers to research, then pick a fashion designer to research, think about how this designer approaches fashion. Are they minimal? Maximalist? Bold? Feminine? Conceptual? Show us key images, a short statement (100 words approx.) that discusses their style.

With the information you have gained from your research, sketch, collage, illustrate a range of development ideas and design work that can turn the perhaps mundane workers’ outfits into something fashion-related by considering how that designer might do it if they were basing a collection on the research. 

As an example

What would a collection by Yohji Yamamoto using lumberjacks look like? A collection by Off-White using cycle couriers? or if Prabal Gurung did Dive Instructor. The list is endless, have some fun.

This brief is to aid you in showing the research and design process with access to things you should be able to easily find online or in books.

What format does this need to be in? 

You will need to bring your portfolio or live brief to your interview as this will be viewed by the Admissions Tutors and used for further discussion, please take this into consideration when preparing your work. As a rough guide, we would like to see:

• 1-2 pages of visual research on the worker.
• 1-2 pages of visual research on the designer.
• 6-8 pages of creative sketching/collage/design development.
• 1 page of a final idea, illustrated on someone you think would wear it, show us your creativity.

What am I being assessed on?   

• Level of interest and reasonable subject knowledge
• Creative ability
• Suitability for the subject

Further information can be found in the FAQs below.

What do I need to do?

Attend an interview on campus, to discuss your work further. Please bring a physical or digital portfolio with you to the interview.

Portfolio requirements

Within your work we are looking for the following: 

• Examples of concept and idea development, how you start with a concept and see it through to completion, the processes involved in this, it’s not all about the final image we need to see evidence of the journey.
• Examples of photography.
• Research, this is key to backing up concepts and ideas.
• Evidence of experimentation. We are a directional course that works at the cutting edge of what fashion image making represents. We would love to see evidence of you striving forward and creating unique and contemporary images.
• Essays, written reports or blogs etc. demonstrating an interest in fashion, photography and contemporary culture that influences our creative outputs – art, politics, sustainability etc.

What format does this need to be in? 

You will need to bring your portfolio to your interview as this will be viewed by the Admissions Tutors and used for further discussion, please take this into consideration when preparing your work.

What am I being assessed on?   

• Level of interest and reasonable subject knowledge
• Creative ability
• Suitability for the subject
• Motivations for the course

Further information can be found in the FAQs below.

What do I need to do?

All materials required will be provided at the interview. If you have a tech device that helps you with a learning challenge, it may be useful to bring that with you. It may also be useful to bring a pen! 

There is no need to bring a portfolio as you have already submitted this and had it reviewed prior to interview. Our interviews take place in a group setting and we will allocate you a group and seat on arrival to the interview session.

At the interview you will…

• Complete a short individual analysis task. This is a handwritten task and will be timed (20 minutes writing time). We will show you the clip we would like you to analyse and we will also discuss analysis with you and the rest of the interview group, prior to the timed section. If you have any learning support needs and usually receive extra time or require technology to assist you, please do let us know and this will be organised for you. If you can let us know prior to the day it would be beneficial, but you can also inform us on arrival.
• Participate and contribute to a collaborative activity. We will discuss storytelling and the conceptualisation of film style. The group activity will consist of you and other interviewees working collaboratively, in small groups, to create a concept and style for a short film. You will present this, as a group to staff members conducting the interviews. You will not present in front of other groups – just to staff members. The presentation will be verbal with any visual aids created in a non-digital format.
• Review and discuss work created by University of Film Production Students. You will also be given the opportunity to ask questions about the course and (if you wish) a short tour of the building and facilities at MediaCity prior to leaving.

What are applicants being assessed on in the interview?

We are assessing your ability to:

• Interpret and present ideas in response to creative work
• Collaborate with others
• Respond to and develop creative ideas

Overall, the aim of the day is to give you a better idea as to the expectations and demands of the Film Production Course, as well as allow us to get to know you better and ensure or course is the best fit for you. We look forward to meeting you.

Further information can be found in the FAQs below. 

What do I need to do?

Attend an interview on campus, bringing along a portfolio of your work, which will be used as discussion points.

Portfolio requirements

This year we are looking for applicants to provide us with a portfolio. Your work says a lot about you and your motivations. We understand that you may not have completed pieces of work, this is not a problem. We are keen to see pieces of work which show your thought processes, plans, through to final pieces.  More importantly we would like to see evidence of aptitude in either creative arts practice or computer science.  

Our guidance is not meant to limit your creative statement but to allow you to demonstrate your creative potential. In general terms however we would expect to an assortment of the following examples:

If your background is in Creative Arts

• Painting, drawing sketching
• Photography
• Traditional art and design
• Animation

If your background is in Computer Sciences 

• Evidence of computer programming
• Programming tests or experiments
• Web development 
• Application development 
• Network or database programming 
• Experimentation with technologies such as Arduino or Raspberry Pi 
• Any evidence of HCI and Interaction design work 

Foundation Year

If you have applied for our foundation year, we ask for some samples of work to get a better understanding of your artist or technical talent and interests. This doesn't have to be a detailed professional portfolio; all we need to see are some examples of creative or technical work you are currently undertaking or have done in the past. This could be painting, drawing, graphics, photography or even some craft-based work. If you are more of a technical person, maybe you have experimented with some games engines or developed some programs at school or college, maybe you have done some web design. Please try and put together 5 pages that demonstrate your ability to include with your application.  

What format does this need to be in?  

You will need to bring your portfolio to your interview as this will be viewed by the Admissions Tutors and used for further discussion, please take this into consideration when preparing your work. 

As a rough guide we would expect to see around a dozen pages of work featuring any or a mixture of the above-mentioned themes and media.  

What am I being assessed on?    

You will be assessed on your attitude, creative potential and ability to flourish in the multi-disciplinary area of games design and production. 

Further information can be found in the FAQs below.

What do I need to do?

Attend an interview on campus. 

Interview

You will be invited to a group interview with our tutors. The tutors will be interested to know why you have applied for your course, what your aspirations are for the future and what motivates you.

What am I being assessed on? 

• Level of interest and reasonable subject knowledge 
• Skills and attributes
• Suitability for the subject

Further information can be found in the FAQs below.

What do I need to do?

Attend an interview on campus. 

Interview

You will be invited to a group interview with our tutors. The tutors will be interested to know why you have applied for your course, what your aspirations are for the future and what motivates you.

What am I being assessed on? 

• Level of interest and reasonable subject knowledge 
• Skills and attributes
• Suitability for the subject

Further information can be found in the FAQs below.

What do I need to do?

Attend an audition and seminar on campus. Your audition is comprised of two parts, an audition and seminar with group discussion.

Audition workshop

You must prepare and perform a two-minute monologue from any published play. This can be from any genre and period you choose. You must learn and perform the script you have prepared and, if asked, perform it again in a different style.

Group discussion

As well as your audition, you will be required to take part in a short production-based discussion with other candidates after watching an extract from a film or television programme.

In your group discussion, you may be asked to talk about your audition piece, your interest in media and performance and your reasons for applying to this course. You may also be asked about your monologue and questions relating to the performance.

You must bring a piece of academic writing to your audition workshop. This writing should demonstrate your ability to analyse and evaluate your work or the work of others. This can be something you have produced on your current course.

If you have not yet produced a piece of academic writing on your current course or are not currently studying, please do not worry. You can write a 500-word essay on a practitioner of your choice, discussing their key ideas and techniques. Please ensure your name is clearly visible on the document and the essay is typed and printed, so it can be viewed by the Admissions Tutors during your audition.

It is vital that you bring this to your audition workshop, as you may be asked questions related to your writing.

What am I being assessed on?

• Your ability to analyse and evaluate performance work in a written format
• Your acting ability
• Your engagement and understanding of your chosen monologue along with your interest in the course
• Your ability to contribute to a group discussion and analyse the film clip

If the admissions tutor requires additional information, you may be asked to attend a follow-up meeting online.

Further information can be found in the FAQs below.

What do I need to do?

Attend an interview on campus, to show examples of your recording and production work and/ or demonstrate your playing ability.

Interview requirements

Please arrive at the reception of the New Adelphi building for 2pm. You will be directed to the waiting area on the 3rd floor. Then you will be assigned a relevant member of the music team who will take you to one of our rehearsal rooms for an interview. This should last about 20 minutes, but there may be another one or two students who need to be interviewed by the same tutor, so allow at least an hour.

Portfolio of recording and production

Please prepare two or three examples of recording and production work which demonstrate your use of music technology. If possible, this should include: 1) an example of your own creative music production, and 2) a recording you have made of a musician or band. The combined excerpts should not exceed eight minutes long.

Audition pieces (optional)

If you do not have examples of recording and production to show, you have the option of performing audition pieces instead. You should prepare two pieces to perform, which demonstrate your level of playing ability on your chosen instrument (which can include voice).

If you would prefer to show one or two examples of production work and perform one audition piece, this will also be permitted.

What do I need to bring?

The interview room will have the following equipment: 

• Acoustic piano 
• Drum kit 
• Guitar and bass amplifiers 
• PA system and mixing console, with a 3.5mm jack cable (suitable for connecting to laptop computer) 
• Music stands 

Unless you are playing the piano or drums, you will need to bring your own instrument. Drummers should bring their own sticks. Electric guitar and bass players should bring their own cables. 

If you are showing examples of production work, you can either bring your own computer and connect it to the PA system or bring media files on a USB storage device. If you wish to bring files on a storage device, please ensure that these are audio or video files in a common format (e.g. WAV, MP3, MP4, MOV) and that the drive uses a common connection such as USB A or C. 

What am I being assessed on?  

• Performance technique – your current capabilities
• Your current level of technical and creative ability 
• Passion for the subject area, self-evaluation about gaps in personal knowledge

Further information can be found in the FAQs below.

What do I need to do?

Attend an interview on campus, to perform an audition piece and to discuss your work further. 

Interview requirements

Please arrive at the reception of the New Adelphi building for 2pm. You will be directed to the waiting area on the 3rd floor. Then you will be assigned a relevant member of the music team who will take you to one of our rehearsal rooms for an interview. This should last about 20 minutes, but there may be another one or two students who need to be interviewed by the same tutor, so allow at least an hour.

Audition piece

Please prepare and submit two contrasting works to perform on your principal instrument. You may draw on repertoire from any genre or style to perform but the works chosen should demonstrate the best of your ability as an instrumental performer or vocalist. You may perform original material if you wish but please make us aware that you are doing this at the beginning of your audition. If you are a multi-instrumentalist then please feel free to provide a short extract on your second instrument alongside this. 

For the performance component of the audition, we are reviewing your performance based on your principal instrument. It is expected that you will continue in this line of study should you be successful in your application.

You are welcome to provide us with examples of other musical projects, such as compositions should you wish to, however this is optional.

What do I need to bring?

The interview room will have the following equipment: 

• Acoustic piano 
• Drum kit 
• Guitar and bass amplifiers 
• PA system and mixing console, with a 3.5mm jack cable (suitable for connecting to laptop computer) 
• Music stands 

Unless you are playing the piano or drums, you will need to bring your own instrument. Drummers should bring their own sticks. Electric guitar and bass players should bring their own cables. 

If you are showing examples of production work, you can either bring your own computer and connect it to the PA system or bring media files on a USB storage device. If you wish to bring files on a storage device, please ensure that these are audio or video files in a common format (e.g. WAV, MP3, MP4, MOV) and that the drive uses a common connection such as USB A or C. 

What am I being assessed on?  

• Performance technique – your current capabilities
• Your current level of technical and creative ability
• Passion for the subject area, self-evaluation about gaps in personal knowledge

Further information can be found in the FAQs below.

What do I need to do?

Attend an interview on campus.

Interview

You will be invited to a group interview with our tutors. The tutors will be interested to know why you have applied for your course, what your aspirations are for the future and what motivates you.

What am I being assessed on?

• Level of interest and reasonable subject knowledge
• Skills and attributes
• Suitability for the subject

Further information can be found in the FAQs below.

What do I need to do?

Attend an audition and workshop on campus. Your interview is comprised of two parts, an audition workshop and group discussion.

Audition workshop

You must prepare and perform a two-minute monologue from any play of your choice – tragedy or comedy, classical or contemporary. Your monologue will be used as text in an ensemble workshop, where you will have the opportunity to demonstrate your collaborative working and ability to experiment with text and movement in response to instructions from your interviewer or workshop leader. You will be asked to incorporate some of your rehearsed piece within the collaborative workshop, so come prepared to improvise. Please wear suitable clothing.

You must also bring a piece of academic writing to your audition workshop. This writing should demonstrate your ability to analyse and evaluate your work or the work of others. This can be something you have produced on your current course.

If you have not yet produced a piece of academic writing on your current course or are not currently studying, please do not worry. You can write a 500-word essay on a practitioner of your choice, discussing their key ideas and techniques. Please ensure your name is clearly visible on the document and the essay is typed and printed, so it can be viewed by the Admissions Tutors during your audition.

Group discussion

Your audition will be followed by a group question and answer session, where you will be asked to discuss your experience of taking part in the workshop and the skills employed. You may also be asked about your choice of audition piece, your interest in performance and your reasons for applying to this course. You may also be asked about your monologue and questions relating to the character and the themes of the play.

What am I being assessed on?

• Your ability to analyse and evaluate performance work in a written format
• Your acting ability
• Your engagement and understanding of your chosen monologue along with your interest in the course content
• Your ability to contribute to a group workshop and discussion

If the admissions tutor requires additional information, you may be asked to attend a follow-up meeting online.

Further information can be found in the FAQs below.

What do I need to do?

Attend an audition at your chosen venue, followed by a small group interview to discuss your work further.

Audition Dates

London: Saturday 22nd February 2025 - Location: Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance, Clifton Lodge, St. Margarets Dr, Twickenham TW1 1PY (Weston Studio).

Salford: Saturday 1st March 2025 - Location: New Adelphi Building, University of Salford, University Road, M5 4BR.

Online: Saturday 1st March 2025 - at 10:00-11:15am and a second option at 5:00pm-6:15pm. The online auditions are reserved for applicants from outside of the UK. Your audition will take place on Zoom.

We will send more information about your audition by email to you ahead of your chosen date.

Interview

After your practical audition, you will be invited to take part in a group interview discussion with the Artistic Director and Programme Leader.  The Emergence team will be interested in knowing why you have applied for the programme, what your aspirations are for the future, and what your creative and performance influences are.

What am I being assessed on?

• Technical aptitude
• Ability to work creatively from choreographic tasks
• Suitability for the choreographers on the programme for the year of entry.

On the day, bring food and refreshments with you as there is limited time for you to leave to purchase refreshments. There are water fountains to fill reusable bottles.

If you have any access requirements, please let us know in advance by contacting Debbie Milner: d.l.m.milner@salford.ac.uk.

Further information can be found in the FAQs below.

Firstly read the information on this page and that we have sent you by email, this will tell you exactly what to expect.

Secondly, review your personal statement, think about why you applied for this course and why you think you'd be good in your chosen profession.

Finally, tell us why you're passionate about the subject you've applied for. 

Please have a read through the course specific information above clearly. This information will guide you through the next steps of your application.

Interviews will be taking place on the Peel Park campus and MediaCity, depending on which course you have applied for. The location of your interview will be in the email we sent to you, please read this carefully.

For more info on how to find us, have a look at our travel page to plan your journey.

1. Your email confirmation will contain a link to join on your computer or mobile app. It’s important that the devices you use have a built-in camera, microphone and secured internet connection.

2. Please DO NOT log in the Microsoft account you already have as you will be required to join as a guest.

3. On the day of your session simply click the link to join. Don’t worry if you’re early, you will be placed into a ‘lobby’ and admitted when the session starts. Please ensure you have your photographic ID ready. Please ensure your Teams displays the same full name you use in your application.

4. We will need to be able to see and hear you, so please make sure your microphone, speakers and camera are all turned on. It is a good idea to test these before your session.

5. If on the day you have any technical issues, please contact us as soon as possible by ringing +44 (0)161 295 4545 selecting option 2 then option 2. We will try to solve the problem for you on the phone or rearrange the interview for you.

Don't worry if you have never had an online interview before. We have a video with helpful tips of how to prepare for an online interview.

If you have a disability and need support during your interview, please contact us by calling +44 (0)161 295 4545 or email enquiries@salford.ac.uk to discuss your needs. Please ensure you have your UCAS ID number and date of birth to hand when contacting the team.

Although the majority of our assessments and interviews are online you may like to find out further information on the accessibility of our campus. If so, please visit the accessibility section of our website. We have also worked closely with AccessAble to produce an assessment of our campus and facilities; you can find out more about access guides and routes across our campus on the AccessAble website.

If you are unable to attend your interview  and would like to reschedule, you will need to log in to the applicant portal. Within the portal, you can view your upcoming interview and reschedule.

Please note, you will only be able to reschedule once. If you need to reschedule more than once or to a later date, you will need to contact the Enquiries team as soon as possible. We may be able to reschedule this for you, subject to UCAS deadlines.

The Enquiries team can be contacted at enquiries@salford.ac.uk, +44 (0)161 295 4545. Please ensure you have your UCAS ID number and date of birth to hand when contacting the team.

See further guidance on how to reset your password.

If you are still unsure, please contact the Enquiries team at enquiries@salford.ac.uk,  +44 (0)161 295 4545 and we will be happy to help. Please ensure you include your UCAS ID number and date of birth when contacting the team.

We aim to have decisions back to applicants within three weeks of your interview, subject to UCAS deadlines.  

We receive a large volume of applications for our courses. As a result, we may experience a slight delay in responding to you which we do apologise for. If it has been over three weeks since you submitted your work or attended an interview and you have not received a decision, please contact the admissions team on ArtsAdmissions-UG@salford.ac.uk quoting your UCAS number and date of birth and the team can look into this for you.

The University has a range of Foundation Year programmes available and if your interview or portfolio score falls below the standard that we are looking for then we will look to see if we can offer you a Foundation Year. The decision will be updated on UCAS.

If you have applied for more than one course within the School of Arts, Media and Creative Technology you will receive a decision for each course. Please ensure you submit your work tailored to the course or courses that you have applied for.

If you have changed your mind and wish to be considered for a different course, within the School of Arts, Media and Creative Technology please contact the admissions team on ArtsAdmissions-UG@salford.ac.uk quoting your UCAS number and date of birth. 

If you would like to withdraw your choice at Salford you can do this through UCAS. 

Please contact the team on enquiries@salford.ac.uk with your enquiries. We are here to help.

Please ensure you include your UCAS ID number and date of birth when contacting the team.