Study option-specific Admission Procedure and Evaluation Criteria
What we look for in an applicant?
We seek for applicants with a previous university degree or equivalent suitability for the field and basic studies completed in an acceptable manner. Continuing on to master’s studies after completing a bachelor’s degree is a natural way to enter the programme. Necessary capabilities for the profession of a film editor include the following: ability to construct an unfolding and expressive storyline via images, ability to express the essential in a compact form, ability to find a point of view within the material, ability to understand and construct the role and meaning of sound elements, a sense of rhythm, communication skills, ability to discover psychological tensions and their relationship to image construction, ability to empathise, ability to make interesting observations and analyze the cinematic means of expression, ability to express your personal view clearly and ability to work under pressure.
Evaluation criteria
Applicants meeting Aalto’s general eligibility criteria for master's studies will be evaluated and ranked according to the evaluation criteria that has been decided in advance for each study option. The applications to Master’s Programme in Film and Television - Film Editing will be evaluated based on the following criteria.
Phase I
Academic performance
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What is evaluated
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Grades of the previous degree(s)
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What we look for in an applicant/Admission requirements
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Accepted BA in Film Editing or equivalent skills.
The applicant must have previous studies of specifically Film Editing. NB Studies in other areas of film making are not acceptable. An alternative is to show other studies and/or have an extensive working experience.
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Method of demonstrating competence
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Transcript(s) of records, degree certificate(s)
Official working experience records, and a personal entry at www.elonet.fi or at www.imdb.com
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Artistic and/or design practice
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What is evaluated
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Demonstrations of artistic and/or design work or assignments
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What we look for in an applicant/Admission requirements
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The applicant must show a portfolio of at least three samples of professional, publicly screened works as principal editor.
The professional and artistic level of the works will be assessed. The applicant should show skills in storytelling, audiovisual dramaturgy and mastering of editing techniques.
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Method of demonstrating competence
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Portfolio
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Relevance of previous studies
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What is evaluated
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Content and quantity in relation to the applied study-option-specific requirements
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What we look for in an applicant/Admission requirements
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The previous studies must be on Film Editing. Simply studies on Film production or Film directing are not acceptable, as the MA studies on Film Editing are on a level that needs previous knowledge of the specific field.
An alternative is to show mastering professional equipment and skills.
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Method of demonstrating competence
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Transcript(s) of records, degree certificate(s)
Official working experience record, as to have a personal entry at www.elonet.fi or at www.imdb.com
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Suitability
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What is evaluated
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Applicant’s further suitability to the study option, motivation, and commitment for studies/communication skills
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What we look for in an applicant/Admission requirements
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Write a letter of motivation of at least 4000 characters in length explaining your reasons for applying to the Master’s programme with a specialization in film editing and telling of your particular interest(s) in the field as well as your goals and expectations for film editing studies at the School of Arts, Design and Architecture. Describe your strengths, your areas of interest, your views of cinematographic art, filmmaking and television, your artistic goals and other aspects relating to your work.
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Method of demonstrating competence
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Motivation letter
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Other areas of competence
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What is evaluated
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Work experience and other acquired knowledge/achievements e.g. publications, non-formal education, competitions
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What we look for in an applicant/Admission requirements
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Your application must include a CV containing your personal details and information of your education, work experience, released films and TV programmes and your work in them, awards, grants, study trips and positions of trust.
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Method of demonstrating competence
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Curriculum vitae
The study option does not consider recommendation letters.
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Phase II
Suitability
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What is evaluated
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Applicant’s further suitability to the study option, motivation, and commitment for studies/communication skills
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What we look for in an applicant/Admission requirements
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Personal interview to assess motivation, commitment for studies and communication skills
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Method of demonstrating competence
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Interview by selection committee
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Evaluation process
The applicants will be first evaluated based on Aalto’s general eligibility requirements. Applicants meeting the general eligibility criteria for master's studies will be evaluated and ranked according to the evaluation criteria that has been decided in advance for each study option.
The selection process for applicants who meet the general eligibility criteria comprises of two phases:
Phase I
In Phase I, the applicants are evaluated based on the following criteria
- Previous degrees
- Relevance of previous studies
- Artistic and/or design practice
- Suitability/Motivation letter
- Other Areas of Competence
Only the applicants who fulfill the requirements and are ranked highest in the preliminary evaluation will be invited to phase II in the selection process.
Phase II
In Phase II, the evaluation is based on the following criteria
- Suitability/Personal interview
The Applicants who have gone further in the application process, are called to personal interviews conducted by the selection committee.
The final selection decisions will be made based on the evaluation conducted in Phase II.
Study-option-specific documents requested
The documents requested from all applicants are listed on the Aalto University website (https://www.aalto.fi/en/study-at-aalto/applying-to-masters-programmes). In addition, applicants to this study-option are requested to provide the following study-option-specific documents:
Work Portfolio
Your portfolio must include at least three samples of your work as a principal editor. The works must be complete and at least two need to have been screened publicly. A simple showreel with only examples or scene excerpts from your work is insufficient. The samples must be as links on Vimeo.
Include a brief account of how the productions were carried out. This must include the names of the production companies, the production dates, the main artistic contributors and where the works have been publicly screened. Provide a brief description of how the production was executed, what was your contribution in it and an assessment of your own work. Upload your digital portfolio as a single PDF file to the application system.
The file should contain links to your samples. maximum size for the portfolio is 1.0 GB. Name the file Name the file Portfolio-lastname-firstname.pdf. The lack of this application document will adversely affect the evaluation of your application.
Before sending your application, upload your digital portfolio as a single PDF file to the application system. The file should contain links to your samples. If the language of your work samples is some other language, they must have Finnish, Swedish or English subtitling. NB school productions or such are not acceptable.
Motivation letter
Write a letter of motivation of at least 4000 characters in length explaining your reasons for applying to the Master’s programme with a specialization in film editing and telling of your particular interest(s) in the field as well as your goals and expectations for film editing studies at the School of Arts, Design and Architecture. Describe your strengths, your areas of interest, your views of cinematographic art, filmmaking and television, your artistic goals and other aspects relating to your work. The lack of this application document will adversely affect the evaluation of your application.
Curriculum Vitae
Your application must include a CV containing your personal details and information of your education, work experience, released films and TV programmes and your work in them, awards, grants, study trips and positions of trust. It should also contain links to www.elonet.fi and www.imdb.com, especially if you do not have Bachelor’s degree. The lack of this application document will adversely affect the evaluation of your application.
The study option does not consider recommendation letters.
Language of the application documents
Finnish, Swedish or English in written documents. If the language of your work samples is some other language, they must have Finnish, Swedish or English subtitling.