The pre-production & concept development section is the area that the assessors typically have concerns about when it comes to marking the final projects. In general, a studio project will expect a lot more in this area than students tend to provide in their portfolio.
Based on the assessment criteria, I've written out a guide to improving your scores in this important first section.
You don't have to cover everything here, but if you manage to then you're operating at a higher level than the majority of students that apply for games industry jobs.
PROTIP You can come back to add detail to any section later on. Ideas don't always work in the same linear way that documentation demands.
Written intro
Explain what you're illustrating with your VFX sequence and why you've chosen to do so. What type of effect is this? Where would it be used in a game setting? Is there something that appeals to you about creating a sequence like this. Talk about any style and tone considerations and how you can represent that in the sequence. Explain what the stages of your effect sequence is. Write some detail on any direct inspiration or influence that led to your decisions.
Influences
This is your visual intro - use it to illustrate your decision making process in the written intro
Include short annotations/captions on images explaining relevance / why this is an influence on you
It doesn't necessarily have to be direct link to VFX or the final concept, but should be broadly linkable to the overall theme/style
e.g. You're fascinated by snow and ice weather effects and have decided to create an effect sequence with that in mind. Your visual influences might be entirely based on your own personal and favourite interpretations, such as :
- Blizzard weather effects in Skyrim
- A VFX breakdown video from Game of Thrones
- The Sub-Zero goal explosion from Rocket League
- The Scrat sequence from Ice Age 2
- Playing as Tusk in DOTA 2
*Written intro & visual influences don't have to be separate sections*
Mood board(s)
This is where you begin refining your influences into a visual guide. Bring in as much as you can to show the styles, feelings, visual cues, themes, etc. you want to associate with the type of effect you want to create. Use the board to help the viewer understand the creative direction you're taking, bringing in the key influences that you want to develop further.
Group linked sections for clarity & annotate where appropriate; what links the items in a group? Use clear choices that are relatable to your intro and influences. Colours, shapes, layout and composition matter - create a visual journey that goes beyond an ideas scrapbook.
Curated References
Provide references and resrouces for relevant key art and VFX studies that can be incorporated into your concept development. e.g.
- Style and aesthetic studies
- Material and particle studies
- Clothing and fabric studies
- Structure and composition study
- Supporting props or objects
- Existing VFX studies
- Existing game VFX studies
Concept design
This is a development of the work done in the referencing and mood board sections, bringing it together to create a coherent idea for a full sequence, refining the elements of what you have into a working plan. Mix in elements from your referencing and boards to show how your sequence comes together, showing your own personal influence in its creation.
This is where narrative comes in heavily as well, solidifying the tone and style associated with the effect. What's the purpose behind this sequence - who or what's caused this? why does it exist?
- This narrative should be used to form part of your written intro.
Composition exploration
Layout sketch(es) for your movements, working from your concept. Include composition thoughts/notes including:
- Visual balance
- Spatial balance (lateral and vertical)
- Camera positions, focal points & framing
Storyboarding
This is your initial storyboard for your effect sequence, combining the work done in your concept design & composition exploration sections. This should give a clear visual idea of each stage of your effect as well as the full sequence. This storyboard will act as your reference for all subsequent production work.
At this point, it should be possible for someone to go through all of the above and, without ever seeing your effects sequence, have a pretty accurate visual idea of what your final piece is intended to look and feel like.