THE SECRETS TO BUILDING A STRONG PORTFOLIO
What the sea is to a fish, what the sky is to a bird; For those working in animation, visual effects and design, portfolio means that... Portfolio works, which are the places where talents come to life, are our most important treasure, as they are the bloodiest living indicators of our skills and our trump card that will set us apart and differentiate us from others.
So, is it possible to make this unique treasure more valuable? Of course its possible! By keeping some tips and tricks in mind, you can present your work much more effectively, convey your talents in a healthier way and market your skills much better.
Let's examine the secrets and tricks of creating a strong portfolio together.
Consider Time and the Amount of Work You Share
You will want to add many works that bear your signature to your portfolio, but it is important to resist this desire when creating your portfolio. Otherwise, it is highly possible that you will bore the reviewer by providing more than necessary data and cause many of your skills to be overlooked. It is important that you stick to the "concise and concise" philosophy, especially when preparing a demo reel. The ideal duration for the length of the video you present your portfolio will be 1-2 minutes, maximum 3 minutes. Remember; Sometimes less is more!
Put Your Best, Not All Your Work
Another point you should definitely remember while preparing your portfolio is to give importance to quality before quantity. There may be hundreds of works that you have given life since your university or even high school periods, but this does not mean that you should add all your works to your portfolio. The works you want and need to display in your demo reel works or any of your portfolio works should always be your best works.
Show the Best First
When preparing works that present your work as a demo reel, always make sure that the works you show first are your best works. Just as the first impression is of great importance when we meet a person, the first works displayed in your portfolio are equally important. Another advantage of starting with the best and going with the less good is that it shows the reviewer your own definition of "best" and your judgment and reflects your ability to be self-critical.
Identify Your Target Audience
Keeping your target audience in mind while sharing your portfolio will take you a few steps ahead. If you want to make a career in the game industry and game animation, it will be beneficial for you to use the game-related parts of your studies more intensively in your portfolio.
Highlight Your Storytelling Side
If you want to showcase your 2D / 3D animation skills in your portfolio, it is recommended to focus on your storytelling side as well as your animation techniques. Andrew Gordon, one of Pixar's directors, explains: “I like to see lots of different shots and continuous sequences. Show me a character that's well-posed, has a small, funny story, that I can relate to while watching. So I can see what you think and want to entertain the audience. People just don't want to see animations. They also want to see if you can tell a story.”
Consider Diversity
Another point to consider when creating a portfolio is the diversity of the works you will include. Instead of focusing on a single type of animation and showing similar shots over and over; Offering different techniques, styles and shots helps make your portfolio much more effective. Of course, when determining the works that your portfolio will include, you should also consider the discipline you work in. If you are planning to prepare a portfolio on character animation, you must show that you can successfully apply 12 disciplines of animation (such as squash and stretch, staging); If you want to demonstrate your skills in game animation, you will be expected to include movements (such as jumping, climbing, jumping, walking and running cycles) and relevant styles in your portfolio.
Focus on Characters
Doyens agree that focusing on the characters while creating your portfolio will differentiate you. Oscar-nominated director Aaron Blaise puts it this way: “Good character animation isn't about dragging characters around, it's about literally bringing characters to life. Most of the time, very little movement is enough for a shot to reflect the emotion of the character, and sometimes it is not necessary at all. It could be just an eye movement or even a blink. My other advice to animators is to add performances that experience a change of mood or thought (from angry to happy or from cowardly to brave) to their portfolios… Only when this happens, your character becomes real and attracts the audience.”
Add Your Personality to Your Portfolio
Professionals argue that you should especially add works that reflect your own personality to your portfolio. Lisa Allen, one of the Blue Sky Studios animators, emphasizes that one should not forget that one is an artist and that one should not hesitate to reflect their own personality while creating a portfolio. Allen supports this idea with these words: “You can watch a reel with everything perfect, with great animation techniques. But the only thing I will remember from this reel is that single, different choice you prefer in your work. It might be an unexpected role technique or a surprise and interesting timing… Small nuances like these will make me say, 'So this animator can think of ideas that others can't.'”
Avoid Unnecessary Transitions and Effects
Avoiding exaggerated transitions, titles and accent effects while showing your work is also a point to be considered. Overwhelming the viewer with unnecessary effects will distract attention from the work you offer and the skills you want to showcase. Of course, that doesn't mean you won't use transitions at all. When displaying your work (especially in demo reel and showreel videos), putting a black transition between each different clip or separate work will facilitate the viewing experience of the viewer.
Don't be afraid to share what you do and always stay up to date
Just as love increases as it is shared, your name is heard more depending on the degree of sharing your portfolio… Jonathan Cooper, one of the brains behind Game Anim, summarizes this point as follows: “A personal site is of course the easiest way to share your work when applying to a hiring studio, but keep your resume up-to-date. it is enough to add the link of your reel. I prefer Vimeo to YouTube in terms of final rendering quality and layout of the site. ArtStation is also an ideal platform for ready-made portfolios. But my suggestion would be to add your reel everywhere, even on LinkedIn.”
