Q. How do I apply to the department?

A. At VCU, all visual arts majors spend their first year in the Art Foundation Program.

Information about applying to the University and the Art Foundation Program can be accessed online. Part of the application requirements is a portfolio of original artwork, or, in lieu of a portfolio, a series of exercises can be completed. Please visit the School of the Arts website to access complete information about the application portfolio.

During their year in the Art Foundation Program students take courses in basic design, drawing, digital technology, art history and English. In some foundation classes projects can be completed using photography or video.

In the spring of their freshman year, students apply to the Department of Photography and Film with a new portfolio of artwork. Notices are posted announcing portfolio review day. Also, portfolio requirements are posted.

Q. What kind of student is accepted into the Art Foundation Program and into the Department of Photography and Film?

A. Art Foundation accepts bright students who are very creative. Especially, they are looking for students with high GPAs, high SAT scores, and demonstrated potential to become visual artists.

In Photography and Film, we prefer to accept students who have a college GPA of 3.2 or higher, combined SAT scores of at least 1100, and a portfolio of artwork that demonstrates creativity, a willingness to experiment, and appropriate technical skills for the level of education. We evaluate each applicant on the overall credentials they present. While GPA or SAT scores are very important, artistic potential is important too. Each year we accept about 65% of the students who apply, about 30 photo and 15 film students.

When you apply to this department in your freshman year, as part of your application portfolio you can submit photographs or a short video. It is important that the work in the portfolio show creativity and experimentation. Avoid submitting photographic or video work that is common or unimaginative, no matter how technically strong it is.

Students with art foundation transfer credits can be admitted directly into the department. To be considered for direct admission into the program, transfer students need at least 14 college credits of combined design and drawing foundation studio course work, or the equivalent, plus six credits of basic art history or art appreciation. Applications for transfer students are available through the School of the Arts and University websites.

Q. I don't consider myself an artist and I don't draw well. Do I have a chance of being accepted?

A. Yes! Every year the Art Foundation Program accepts students who are not experienced artists. Remember, VCU is looking for smart students who are imaginative and who show potential to become excellent visual artists. When you apply, neither the Art Foundation Program nor the Department of Photography and Film expect you to have advanced skills. That's our job to teach you. However, you MUST take the application process seriously and do your very best to complete the application exercises or to prepare the portfolio. If you feel that your art skills are very weak, it is best to take an art class or two before you apply. Most communities offer art classes in high schools, junior colleges, local art centers, and museums. Also, most towns have local professional artists who teach privately.

Q. What does one learn at VCU in photography and film courses?

A. We teach students to be artists who use photography and/or film, and we teach students practical, technical skills. The curriculum is a university education that includes study in the sciences, mathematics, and the humanities.

We offer a curriculum in still photography and one in filmmaking. The focus of both is fine art photography and filmmaking. This includes narrative, documentary, experimental, and abstract work. Also, a few of our courses deal with commercial photography and filmmaking, such as product, fashion, food, and portraiture. However, our primary emphasis is original artistic expression. Students who are especially committed to fashion or product photography augment their VCU education by enrolling in special technical workshops that are taught across the country. We do not teach photojournalism.

The primary medium of the department is digital technology. However, some of our students continue to shoot on film. We have no plans to close our darkrooms. In the future, while most of our courses will use digital media, we plan to continue to offer photography and filmmaking courses that use film.

Q. What jobs do graduates of the department hold?

A. Graduates are qualified for different types of positions. The photography graduates work as commercial photographers, event photographers, staff photographers for corporations, and as professional artists. The filmmaking graduates work in the independent film industry as directors and producers, directors of photography (cinematographers), film editors, production and post-production specialists and technicians, and as experimental filmmakers.

Q. What about your facilities and equipment?

A. We have a large black and white photography darkroom with recently updated enlargers to accommodate 35mm, medium and large film formats. In addition, we have a 18 station computer lab equipped with Apple G5 computers for digital photography and digital film editing, a six station scanning lab with a 24" digital printer, and a three room photography shooting studio. Our filmmaking program has analog animation and film editing equipment and two screening rooms. Some special still and cinema cameras and equipment are available for checkout.

Photography students purchase their own 35mm and medium format cameras. Film students purchase digital video cameras. All students are required to own a computer. Students provide all supplies and portable equipment that they use including darkroom chemicals. Film students must have a remote hard drive for file storage. Please see the photography and film equipment requirements on the website.

Q. Why should I attend VCU?

A. VCU is a large, dynamic, multicultural university that offers a wide range of programs, opportunities, and experiences. US News and World Report Magazine ranks the VCU School of the Arts as the top public art school in the nation. The school is an especially exciting and stimulating environment with teachers and visiting artists who are at the top of their fields. Richmond is a cosmopolitan city located near Washington D.C, New York, the Eastern shore, and the Shenandoah mountains and has a vital contemporary art and music scene.

Q. Who shouldn't attend VCU?

A. VCU is for open-minded, curious, and industrious people. If you want a school where everyone behaves and looks just like you, where your ways of thinking and being are never challenged or stretched and where you are spoon-fed, pampered, and provided with everything you need, you will be very unhappy at VCU.

Q. How can I get additional information about the Art Foundation Program and the Department of Photography and Film?

A. Please visit the VCU and VCU arts web sites. They contain general information about our programs and course descriptions. For additional information about Photography and Film contact us at photofilm@vcu.edu or 804-828-1695. You are welcome to visit us for a tour of the facilities. To do so, please be sure to make an appointment at least a week in advance, so we can give you our full attention.