Work Sample Requirements

Whenever possible, please include a visual representation of the work you are proposing to do at MacDowell.

If proposing design work:

• Upload 10 images of work completed within the past two years, along with an explanation of significant features. Please include details of equipment and methodology of the final product in the additional details field for each image.
• Upload a PDF file of a one-page Executive Summary of your C.V.

If proposing a writing project:

• Upload a PDF file of a 10-page writing sample completed within the past two years, related as closely as possible to the proposed project.
• Upload a PDF file of a one-page Executive Summary of your C.V.

If you are proposing to write a screenplay, follow the screenwriting requirements. Otherwise, follow the film/video requirements. Video samples not in English must have English subtitles.

Screenwriting:

• Upload a PDF file of a full screenplay (in English).
• Upload a PDF file of a one-page summary of the same screenplay.
• If available, upload one moving image sample from the same, or different, project. Do not submit pitch decks, look books or mood boards.

Film/Video:

Submit two different film or video samples: one from your work-in-progress (if available) and the other from a previously completed work. We encourage works produced in the past five years, but understand the demands of long-form filmmaking. If you are submitting work older than five years, please explain why you have selected this sample to support your application.

• Do not submit trailers, director's reels, or teasers.
• Video work intended for gallery installation should be submitted through the visual arts discipline.
• For short films (less than five minutes), please upload three different samples.
• For longer films, upload or link to the full film, and indicate a seven-to ten-minute excerpt for the panel to watch.
• Please ensure all links are correct, working and continue to be linked for 12 weeks after the application deadline. For password-protected work, upload a PDF of the URL and password.

Submit documentation of two different projects completed within the past four years. If your work involves time-based elements such as movement or dance, video documentation of the work is strongly preferred. Work samples should demonstrate the interdisciplinary nature of your work and clearly convey the context in which the work was presented.

You may submit up to five items per project. The following types of documentation are allowed:

• Images
  
• Scripts, work plans or story boards as PDF files. Press kits, reviews and CV’s are not appropriate.
  
• Audio files
  
• Videos. Submit a continuous clip of not more than 10 minutes per video. Do not send a highlight reel. Whenever possible, include the original music or soundtrack of the video excerpt.

If the full work is available online through Vimeo, YouTube or SoundCloud, add the location in the URL field of the Label Media step on the Portfolio Page. Please include passwords for password protected works. Give a brief description of each work sample in the additional details box.

• Submit a writing sample in the same genre as your proposed project and from only one genre.
• Work-in-progress from your proposed project is strongly recommended. If you have a prior body of work and are proposing a project in its infancy, we recommend submitting a sample from a recently completed work.
• Book proposals do not qualify as a writing sample.
• Work samples must be in English and completed within the last four years.

Upload a PDF file in manuscript format, double-spaced, and in an easily readable, 10- or 12-point font. Files cannot exceed 10 MB each. Your name and title of the piece should appear on the first page of each file.

• Fiction and Nonfiction: 15 pages minimum, 20 pages maximum. Total page count cannot exceed 20.
• Poetry: 6-10 poems in ONE PDF document. Poets do not need to double-space their submissions. Total sample should not exceed 15 pages.
• Podcasts: One script (text) with one accompanying audio.
• Graphic work: up to 35 pages which shows the work in its graphic form.
• Translation: Only work being translated into English is allowable. Following the guidelines above, upload an excerpt of the work in its original language along with the English translation.

Upload an audio recording or an original composition and accompanying score (if applicable) of three representative works, at least one of which was completed within the last four years and in the same musical genre as your proposed project.

• Title the audio file to correspond with the title (and movement) of the score. For works with multiple movements, limit movements to three.
• Audio files are limited to 30 MB. Larger files may be excerpted. In the additional details box, please note where the excerpt location can be found in the corresponding score.
• Title the PDF of the score or lead sheet to correspond with the title of the audio file.
• If video documentation is central to the evaluation of your work, you may provide a link to an online video by uploading a PDF with the pertinent information.
• Composers who do not use traditional scores must include an explanation of the transmission or performance method of their work. Use the additional details box to explain how your work is transcribed and relayed to those who perform it. Do not upload screenshots of software applications (DAWS).
• Presentation and professionalism of scores is important. Improvisational scores are not required but can be helpful to the panel.

Submit a completed work from one of the categories below, whichever is most closely aligned with your proposed project. Do not submit work-in-progress or reviews of your work. Writing samples must be in English.

Plays:

• Upload a PDF of a full script.
• Upload a PDF of a 30-page excerpt from the same script.

Libretto/Musical Theatre:

• Upload a PDF of a full book.
• Upload a PDF of a 30-page excerpt from the same book.
• Upload an audio recording from the same work: limit of three audio tracks. Please note where the audio is located in the corresponding book. If applicable, list the URL in the description field.

Performance/Devised Theatre/Generative Theatre:

• Upload video documentation of a completed work, along with the text or transcript of this same work. If not text-based, include an explanation of how the work unfolds in time.
• Upload a PDF of a comprehensive work plan for your time at MacDowell. If working collaboratively, each member of the collaboration should specify their role in the project.
• For adaptations, upload a 30-page except from the original source material.

Submit examples of your visual artwork.

Upload eight digital images:

• Preferred file size for still images is less than 3 MB each, though SlideRoom will allow up to 5MB per image.
• Only one artwork per image, unless it is an installation view.
• Two of the eight images may be detail shots, installation views (to show scale), or video, when appropriate.