i haven’t done any professional work (or none that i’m proud of and willing to submit) yet and im an upcoming junior in August. where should i begin to create a portfolio?
ps: i want to do film production, screenwriting, or animation
I don’t know much re film and screenwriting, but if you’re looking at traditional art schools for animation, most schools aren’t necessarily looking for a portfolio that’s strong in what your major might be since they understand that art kids can change their minds when exposed to all the arts, hence why most schools have foundation year. But they do want to see your basic drawing and painting skills and often require a certain number of your pieces to be ‘drawn from observation’.
Look up the schools you want to go to and start to get a feel for their requirements, particularly for film and screenwriting. Many of the college’s websites also provide really good links or PDFs on creating a portfolio (MassArts is one I remember as being very good for visual arts).
Most schools look for general talent and skill and some ask for specific items (RISD always wants a bicycle) or observational pieces. As one admissions director told my daughter, they don’t expect perfection because that’s why you are going to college, to hone your skills. They want to see potential. Research what film/screenwriting programs require for admission and that will help guide you. You also might want to look into a portfolio preparation class to get some pieces together. Look for the local art schools or colleges in your area that might offer portfolio prep class.
Take some of your visual work to one of the National Portfolio Days this fall and have it critiqued by the arts schools you are interested in attending - or really, any school that doesn’t have a huge line. At this point it’s all about getting some good feedback so you know what to work on this year. For animation specifically, they want to see a lot of figure drawing so that can be something specific to focus on. Also, consider attending a pre-college program in either visual arts/animation or film production/screenwriting next summer. You should emerge from that with some good material to submit with your college applications.
Good luck to you!