Who are we looking for?
At the very core of our students is an enjoyment of storytelling and personal expression. The ideal student for the diploma program is an individual who wants to learn the craft of voice-over and is focused on the long term pursuit of becoming a voice-over professional.
Although a background in acting or broadcasting is an asset, it’s not a requirement. When preparing for the interview please be ready to tell the story of YOU, it might sound silly but if we can hear passion when you talk about what’s important to you and what you could bring to the school then it’s likely you’ll be able to bring the same energy and storytelling to your performances and development.
Student Requirements
- Completion of a High School Diploma or equivalency.
- Students must be at least 18 years old at the time of the start of the program, if a student is applying as a minor they will need their parents to fill out the ‘Parental Consent’ section of the admissions application form.
- Students must show an English proficiency meeting one of the following criteria: A grade of C or higher in senior level English e.g. English 12, A 4 or higher in International Baccalaureate English, post secondary course completion with a C or higher in English, or a 5 or higher average on the IELTS test, or a minimum of 75 points on the TOEFL English proficiency test or equivalency.
- Payment of student application fee (CAD$150) via e-transfer or by credit using the button on the apply now page.
- Completion of application form with all mandatory fields completed.
- Submission of an Essay of Intention, Audition Recordings, and an Interview. (see below)
Essay of Intention
- Students will submit a typed 250 – 500 word personal essay submitted as a PDF covering the following 4 topics:
- ‘Why I want to have a career in voice-over’.
- ‘A time when I was challenged personally in my life and how I pushed through to overcome it’.
- ‘Why I am suited to a career in voice-over and I am most interested in one of the following: animation or commercial voice-over’.
- ‘My dream job in voice-over’.
Audition Recordings
- Students will submit an MP3 recording of a 30 second animation character voice and a 30 second commercial read.
- Commercial read: We suggest either transcribing a commercial that you like or you think works for your voice. Please perform this read in your natural voice, we want to hear as much of the real you as possible.
- Character read: This is your chance to show off your acting, creativity and vocal range. We recommend either doing your version of an existing scene, writing a scene for a character you do, or improvising something where you can show off your scene work.
- These recordings should be in MP3 format.
- These recordings should be labeled with the following information; student name, content of recording, and program period being applied to. Here are two examples: StudentName_Animation_Fall or StudentName_Commercial_Spring
Interview
If a student meets all the admissions requirements and properly sends the essay and recordings, we will organize a Skype or Zoom video interview to further evaluate the student. Students will be interviewed by the Program Coordinator, interviews will be 20 – 45 minutes long and feature 10 questions. Students can better prepare for this interview by thinking about their background and their interests, be prepared to tell stories and think on their feet. Students will need access to the following to complete the interview:
- A computer with Webcam and microphone or a smartphone or tablet with a camera and microphone included.
- A Skype or Zoom account
