Declassified SCAD Survival Guide

MOME Masters

MFA Candidacy Review

Abstract

This guide, produced by Desmond Du (M.F.A., 2023), outlines how to prepare for the MOME Graduate Candidacy Review, based on the MFA candidacy review guidelines and the MOME Graduate Candidacy Review Meeting Winter 2022.

It is important to verify the information provided here for your own use and to follow these guidelines at your own risk. If you would like to make edits or contribute to this guide, please reach out to Desmond on Discord (Desmond Du#5528) or IG (@thedesmonddu).

Candidacy Review Brief

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Prepare a 15 to 20 minutes presentation in a Keynote, PowerPoint, or interactive forms such as websites or Flash projects.

For MFA

From the guidelines, your presentation should consist of the following:

Provide their thesis statements and abstract for their thesis projects.

Present two to four examples of exploration and research on their thesis (e.g. research documents, pre-visualizations, animatics, prototypes, etc.).

Contextualize their thesis projects in relation to their academic research, production goals, and wider career goals.

Outline proposed thesis timelines, suggest thesis committee members and defend choices. Students will be asked what, if any, external resources will or may be required (e.g. collaborations, downloaded models, stock photography, programming, sound design, etc.).

Discuss their career goals and creative objectives for their remaining coursework.

Present six to eight fully developed projects

Requirements

completed since starting the M.F.A. program at SCAD,

at least half of which should be from their course work that demonstrates mastery of skills required to complete their thesis project.

SCAD course projects may contain revisions reflecting feedback received in class.

No work from any assigned conditional courses or intensive courses (500-level Motion Media Design courses) should be presented.

What to present

Students should prepare to present style books, boards, or collections of design treatments in support of all presented projects.

Students must also include breakdown sheets with brief descriptions explaining what they were responsible for, tools that were used, and how many other people were involved in all presented projects.

Students should be prepared to discuss their remaining coursework

Presentation Format

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Sample of Maria Sanchez presentation with video capture screen

Specifications

Your recording should be a screen capture with your voice talking over it

While it is recommended to include a video capture of yourself, it is not required

Editing of the recording is permitted

Considerations

Avoid reading off a script and aim to sound more natural and personal, as if you were giving an in-person presentation

Be sure to showcase your animation work and the process behind it after presenting

Submission guidelines

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Checklist for submission

Item

Format

Transcript saved/copied from MySCAD.

PDF

Resume/vita

PDF

Review Presentation document

PDF or PPT

Record of your presentation

MP4 movie file - H.264

Project files - Final only, no process evidence

MP4 movie file - H.264

Thesis prep materials (for MFA)

This must be contained in the presentation file

Delivery instructions

You can deliver hard-copy in person or use Dropbox or Google Drive to send to Professor Minho. Please be prepared well and submit them on time.

There are no rows in this table

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How to organize and name your files

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Sample of Maria Sanchez’s submission

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Sample of Desmond Du’s submission

Sample folder structure submission

[YEAR][QUARTER]_[First name]_[Last name]_[ID]

01_documents

[firstname]_[last name]_transcript

[firstname]_[last name]_resume

[firstname]_[last name]_degree_planner

02_presentation

[firstname]_[last name]_MFA_MOME_candidacy_review_presentation.mp4

[firstname]_[last name]_MFA_MOME_candidacy_review_presentation.ppt

03_projects

project 1 name

project 2 name

...

The above naming convention is a standardized way of labeling and organizing files related to an MFA candidacy review.

It includes the year and quarter of the review (2021WINTER), the first and last name of the presenter (firstname_lastname), and a unique identification number for the presenter (ID).

The files are then organized into different folders based on their type (documents, presentation, projects, etc.).

Within each folder, the files are further organized and labeled based on the presenter's name and the specific content of the file (transcript, resume, degree planner, presentation, etc.).

This standardized naming system is vital for the committee because it makes it easy to find files, keeps things organized, helps compare presenter work, and tracks progress effectively.

Best practices

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Presentation design

Keep your presentation concise and to the point, aim for a duration of 20 minutes or less

Ensure that the context and content of your presentation documents are clear and organized

Use a cohesive slide design that is visually appealing and easy to follow

Make sure that the identity and purpose of your document is clearly conveyed

Use a title card for each project to clearly identify and introduce it to the audience

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Project title card sample

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Desmond’s project title card that gives visual and information context on what the project will feature

Presentation content

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Begin with a Statement of purpose

Firstly, establish who you are, what you are trying to achieve and accomplish in your program, and your goals and path. This is equivalent to an interview question: “Tell me about yourself”, but you need to give a succinct answer that captures what you have done, what you are doing, and what you plan to do next. I highly recommend watching Jodi Glickman's free short online videos on

Pitching Yourself⁠

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to craft your statement of purpose.

Sample statement of purpose by Matt Van Rys

Today I aim to show you that I am the caliber of student that should continue study in the Motion Media MFA program. I will show my commitment by demonstrating my growth in aesthetic knowledge and technical skills (as exemplified in the following five works), and by explaining through a discussion of my topic my seriousness in pursuing an MFA thesis.

Project process

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What you can present for your project

project description

creative treatment — design & motion

styleframes

//SAMPLES of what you can potentially showcase

brainstorming

research

art direction - visual references, style development

storyboarding - thumbnail, animatic

shooting process

style development

compositing & music

typography

Notes: drawing the relationship between your work AND your process

Make sure to clearly demonstrate your creative process and its relevance to your final product and future goals. The committee will be looking for evidence of your process and how you arrived at the final outcome, whether it be through conceptual development, design choices, technical skills, or other approaches.

Focusing on depth and specialization, rather than breadth, can help to showcase your expertise and highlight your potential as an art director or other leader in your field. Consider sharing examples of your work and how you used your skills and knowledge to create it, and explain how these experiences have prepared you for a leadership role in the future. If you're interested in becoming an art director in the future, consider focusing on concepts, art direction, stylistic choices, designs, etc. As for me, I utilized my expertise in technical and software skills to demonstrate how I create designs via algorithms and also to manage the pipeline and workflow for collaborative projects because I want to take on a leadership role (animation/art director) in the future. See my

Candidacy Review recording⁠

here.

Ultimately, the key is to be authentic and showcase your unique value and potential as a creative professional. So don’t imitate people, showcase who you are, the value you offer, and who you want to be.

Thesis

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Sample of Matt Van Rys’s Bibliography

What to include

Thesis (optional: abstract or description)

Bibliography & references

Primary sources

End with the conclusion of your career goals

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Sample of Keith Johnson’s career goals

FAQs

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Can I present a group project that I participated in?

Yes, you will have to make clear your role and responsibilities, how you worked with everyone, what you primarily created for that project. However, try to present group projects at the back.

Can a project feature design/animation only?

Yes, you may present static design boards if they are not animated.

Conversely, you can present your animation process if your role for a project was an animator

Must I only showcase design or animation skills? What about skills such as project and team management, or developing a pipeline

Yes, you can present whatever that demonstrates your process and mastery the best.

Can/must I present personal projects?

Yes, you can put personal projects. It is not required but recommended if it’s a good piece.

Can I get professors to review the presentation slides?

Yes, it is recommended to seek your professors to review your content and get feedback before you do your recording.

Can I modify my thesis statement after the review?

Yes, you do have the option and flexibility to change or modify your thesis to a certain extent after Studio I. Please consult your thesis committee members on how you plan to so. Remember, communication is key to succeeding for your Review and your MFA Thesis.

When will I get my Candidacy Review results?

About 1 week after submission