Crafting Your Portfolio: Advice from the Weta Workshop School at Massey University
Want to create imaginary worlds for film, TV and gaming? Applications for the Weta Workshop School at Massey University – Master of Design programme close on May 31. The course focuses on the key areas of idea creation, storytelling, and concept design. Students study at Massey’s vibrant creative campus and undertake an internship at world-renowned concept design and manufacturing facility, Weta Workshop. This immersive programme accepts only a limited number of students each year – so competition is fierce. The key to a successful application: an incredible portfolio.
Your Work. Your Voice.
The purpose of a portfolio is to showcase the depth and breadth of your conceptual design skills. It should contain strong conceptual thinking, original ideas, and a high level of technical ability in one cohesive package. Always feature the best examples of your work, tailored for your audience.
Think of your portfolio as a communication tool. You are saying, “This is what I can do. This is how I think. This is what I am passionate about.” By making careful choices about what to include in your portfolio, you are curating a sense of yourself as Designer, as Artist, and as Creative Thinker.
Create Your Own Brief
“Concept design is not just about aesthetic. It’s about form and function.”
-Course Co-Supervisor & Weta Workshop Art Director, Paul Tobin.
Conceptual design for the entertainment industry is about visual storytelling. Think characters and costumes, creatures, environments, and key scene illustrations. Says Paul, “Entertainment is, at its heart, an experience. We’re looking to see the concept and how it relates to the brief, as well as the story behind it.”
Create a brief for yourself that allows you to evolve a series of designs. Play to your strengths. If you shine in character design, pick a hero or villain to explore. If environments are your passion, focus on developing evocative scenes that tell a story.
There are many ways to express your conceptual thinking. Start with an exploration through schematics, sketches, mood boards, and pre-visuals. Evolve these through options and variations. Tie it all together with a final design that summarizes your journey and answers your brief in one highly visual image.
When you put it all together, it’s wise to lead with your final image and follow with designs that show your process. Don’t be afraid to annotate your work, either. Explaining your process will help highlight how you think and how well you can articulate your thoughts.
Where Artistry Meets Ability
“Being able to imagine incredible things is just the beginning. You need a high level of design ability to execute that amazing idea in your head.”
Alongside originality of thought, an effective portfolio should showcase your technical ability. Pick only your very best work. Examples that accurately highlight the soft folds of fabric, a machine’s intricate mechanics, and the complex anatomy of humans and animals, will help demonstrate to a client that you are capable of fulfilling their brief.
Don’t underestimate the value of personal work in a portfolio – particularly if you have not yet built up a professional body of work. Personal artwork is an expression of your creativity and a chance to demonstrate the range of your artistic skills, as well as the depth and breadth of your ideas.
Include a selection of personal artwork that you are particularly proud of, from life-drawing and painting (traditional and digital), graphic design and animation, to 3D art forms like sculpture and model-making. Self-driven learning is a key feature of the Massey programme, so use your personal work as a chance to put your passion and drive on show.
The Magic Combination
Ultimately, design for the entertainment industry is about more than technical proficiency. It’s also about emotional engagement. The most effective portfolios showcase design that sings on the screen. Says Paul:
“It all comes back to that magic interweaving of form, function, and aesthetic. Taking a design and elevating it through staging, lighting, and pose, so that you engage with it emotionally – that is the winning combination. That is also, incidentally, the hardest part.”
Applications Closing Soon
Up for the challenge? Applications for the Master of Design: Weta Workshop School at Massey University close on May 31. The twelve-month, full-time programme begins on September 16 in Wellington, New Zealand. Successful students will graduate with the diverse range of skills needed to start a career in concept design and visual storytelling for the entertainment industry. To learn more about the entry criteria and to apply, visit their website.
