Application Requirements, Deadlines & Admissions Timeline
Early Decision Deadline: Friday, April 24, 2015
Regular Decision Deadline: Friday, June 12, 2015
Pittsburgh Filmmakers will continue to accept applications on a rolling admissions basis after the Regular Decision Deadline, until the cohort is full.
Contact admissions@pghfilmmakers.org for more information about the 2015 admissions process.
Application Requirements:
- Completed, signed application and application fee
- Official high school transcripts or proof of G.E.D.
- Official transcripts for all college/university level work completed in an undergraduate or graduate-level program
- Official SAT scores (1,200 minimum score) or TABE scores (11th grade minimum score). TABE can be taken at Pittsburgh Filmmakers. (This requirement is waived for those who submit college transcripts)
- Admissions essay (scroll down to see the essay prompts for both the Filmmaking Intensive and the Photography Intensive)
- One letter of recommendation
- Creative work sample in any medium
- Mandatory for early decision candidates
- Optional for those applying June 12 or later
- Personal interview
Because these are creative programs, applicants with lower test scores but a strong overall application may be considered. All aspects are weighed in making admission decisions. Only applicants the School believes have a likelihood of success in the program will be admitted.
Where to send your application materials:
Pittsburgh Filmmakers
Admissions Office
477 Melwood Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Admissions Timeline:
Early Decision Candidates:
- Early decision candidates must submit all application material by Friday, April 24
- Early decision candidates will be notified of their interview status by Friday, May 5
- Candidates will receive their admissions decision by Friday, May 29
- Admitted students from the early decision deadline must accept or decline by Thursday, June 11
Regular/Recommended Deadline Candidates:
- Regular deadline candidates will be notified of their interview status in 7 - 10 days after the completion of their application
- Students who interview for the program will be advised of an admissions decision in one to two weeks
- Admitted students will have two weeks to accept the admissions offer after notification
Filmmaking Intensive Applicants Essay:
1. Part one (500-600 words):
Describe your personal and career goals. How will this program contribute to them and where do you see yourself five years after your graduation?
2. Part two (500-600 words):
Choose one of the scenarios below, and write a scene that includes that moment. You may tell an entire story, or write a scene that would be part of a larger story. Write vividly, in paragraphs—that is, use prose, not screenplay form.
- a) Two men are in a car. One is driving, the other on the floor of the back seat.
- b) A woman is struggling to climb over a fence between two suburban back yards.
- c) A child is lying awake at night in a cot, in a tent, in a refugee camp.
Photography Intensive Applicants Essay:
1. Part one (500-600 words):
Describe your personal and career goals. How will this program contribute to them and where do you see yourself five years after your graduation?
2. Part two (500-600 words):
Choose one of the scenarios below. Describe the scene visually as if it were a photograph; include time of day, weather, landscape, objects, and the physical and emotional appearance of the characters. Include any other details necessary to illustrate your vision
- a) Two men are in a car. One is driving, the other on the floor of the back seat.
- b) A woman is struggling to climb over a fence between two suburban back yards.
- c) A child is lying awake at night in a cot, in a tent, in a refugee camp.
Please feel free to contact us if you have questions about the admissions essay at admissions@pghfilmmakers.org.