Portfolio Development

Portfolio Development

Portfolio Development

© 2013 Aptech Limited

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means – graphic, electronic or
mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or storing in information retrieval system or sent
or transferred without the prior written permission of copyright owner Aptech Limited.

All trademarks acknowledged.

APTECH LIMITED

Contact E-mail: ov-support@onlinevarsity.com

Edition 1 – 2013

Disclaimer: Arena Multimedia is registered Brand of Aptech Ltd.

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 Preface

Preface

Portfolio refers to a personal collection of information describing and documenting a person’s achievements and
learning. It is a way of showcasing what you learnt and have planned in your personal, academic, and professional
life. A portfolio is as much a process as it is a product. It should be considered as an ongoing product that evolves
as you develop the portfolio.

The sole idea of this project is to introduce students with the making of an electronic portfolio and provide them
with some tips in developing their own electronic portfolio. The sample project is named as ‘Demo Portfolio’ which
includes the making of illustration, 2D, 3D, and character animation portfolios. This project is created so that students
understand how to create a portfolio for any type of media.

The ARENA Design team has designed this courseware by keeping in mind that motivation coupled with relevant
training and methodology can bring out the best. The team will be glad to receive your feedback, suggestions, and
recommendations for improvement of the book.

ARENA Design Team

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 Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Session 1: Planning and Analysis. .............................................................................................. 1

Planning..............................................................................................................................................................1

Session 2: Illustration Portfolio................................................................................................... 9

Creating an Illustration Portfolio..........................................................................................................................10
Planning..............................................................................................................................................................11
Graphic Design....................................................................................................................................................11
Production Process Flow.....................................................................................................................................12
Resume and Skills...............................................................................................................................................12

Session 3: Animation Portfolio.................................................................................................... 15

Making of 2D Animation Portfolio........................................................................................................................15
Making of 3D Animation Portfolio........................................................................................................................18
Roles...................................................................................................................................................................19
Character Animation............................................................................................................................................21

Session 4: Evaluation and Presentation....................................................................................... 25


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 Planning and Analysis

Session 1: Planning and Analysis

Learning Outcomes
In this session, you will learn to -
● Plan a development portfolio

The AAASP Multimedia Portfolio Development semester began with a vision that the students completing AAASP
course will have an opportunity to showcase their best work. Students will also be able to demonstrate their learning
and reflect their skills in a presentation portfolio. The process of portfolio making enables every student to select
work according to the set criteria and do their best. The work completed by students reflects their personal values
and improvement. After creating and showcasing their portfolios, students understand their proficiency level and
plan for their career based on the knowledge of tools.
This book is designed for students to help and provide them with some tips in developing their own electronic
portfolio. A sample portfolio named ‘Demo Portfolio’ is created. This ‘Demo Portfolio’ showcases four sample
portfolios, illustration, 2D, 3D, and character animation. The purpose of this activity is to educate students on how to
create a portfolio for any type of media. This activity will also develop their multimedia development skills.

The different ways to assemble a professional portfolio are reflective, attractive, and creative. A digital portfolio can
be presented in a CD-ROM or on a Web site. In a CD-ROM, students can have lengthier video sequences and audio
clips. Using Web site, students can access their work from anywhere in the world.

In this session, the students will learn the planning stage of the development portfolio. It includes defining of goals
and objectives, collecting artifacts, and creating a storyboard.

1.1 Planning
The Planning phase is crucial because it has a great impact on the design and production of the portfolio. Sufficient
time should be given to identify the goals and objectives. Good planning is essential for the successful outcome of
any project.

The Planning phase includes the following:

● Identifying goals and objectives for your portfolio
● Collecting artifacts
● Identifying the available resources
● Developing a flow chart
● Planning the user interface and navigation

1.1.1 Goals and Objectives of your Portfolio

A portfolio should always have objectives or goals. Else, it will be just a multimedia presentation, or a fancy electronic
resume, or a digital scrapbook. Therefore, first you should identify the goals and objectives for your portfolio.

Goals are the general statements of expected project outcomes and should be supported by specific objectives.
They should be measurable and directly related to the project evaluation.


Portfolio Development
You must ask yourself the following questions:
● What is the purpose of the portfolio?
● Who are the primary audience for the portfolio?
● What are you trying to accomplish?

The answers to these questions must be clear and considered throughout the planning and development phases of
the portfolio. By seeking the answers to these questions, you will attain the definition for the proposed application
goals and objectives.

1.1.2 Collecting Artifacts

The process of collecting artifacts is the basic activity of a working portfolio. You should collect the artifacts that
represent your efforts and achievements throughout the course.

Following steps need to be performed in the collection process:

● Identify the contents for the portfolio: Your portfolio should show multiple illustrations of your proficiency.
Items collected for portfolios are called artifacts. Collect the illustrations from each semester of your
graduation. In addition, collect illustrations from each semester of AAASP course to showcase your work.
Collecting artifacts, filtering through collected artifacts, and converting the artifacts to an electronic format
are the most time consuming steps in creating a portfolio. When presenting your portfolio to a prospective
employer, you should include items that are the best representation of your skills. After collecting the
artifacts, select appropriate illustrations. Next, review and identify the illustrations that demonstrate your
learning. Additionally, you will learn to present your achievements and exhibit your skills efficiently by using
the best out of the available medium. The project ‘Demo Portfolio’ showcases the best work done in print
media and animation media.
● Identify the presentation medium: After identifying the contents of the portfolio, you need to think how
to display your work. After collecting the artifacts for your portfolio, put them into an electronic medium.
Electronic portfolios can be made in many formats, PowerPoint or Web page formats are the two most
common formats. For the ‘Demo Portfolio’ project, Web page format is used. This format offers a variety
of choices to display your work. A good Web page portfolio will have a very professional appearance. Web
pages can be easily maintained and updated.

1.1.3 Identifying the Resources Available

Select the appropriate tools that can be used for your portfolio development.

Other equipments required to create an electronic portfolio are:

● Computer

◦ An Audio Visual (AV) computer. You will require video input and output.
◦ More the Random Access Memory (RAM), the better.
● Scanner

◦ A color flat-bed scanner (preferable)

◦ Optical Character Recognition (OCR)
● Digital Camera (Optional)

◦ Instead of digital camera, take the pictures with 35mm camera and then transfer the images to a CD.
Else, you can digitize your printed photos with the scanner or VizCam.
● Multimedia Software Program

◦ Image editing (Photoshop)

◦ Image creating (Coral Draw)

 Planning and Analysis
◦ Web page authoring (Dreamweaver, Flash)
◦ Video editing (Adobe Premiere)

Softwares used for the ‘Demo Portfolio’ project are:

● Macromedia Flash for authoring
● Adobe Photoshop for creating background and buttons
● Sound Forge and Adobe Premiere for sound recording and mixing

1.1.4 Developing a Flow Chart

After planning the presentation of the portfolio and identifying the resources and artifacts, the next step is to develop
a flow chart. Flow chart is a schematic representation of the interactive flow of a program. Before developing the
flow chart, plan the content of the portfolio. For example, the ‘Demo Portfolio’ project is planned to show four main
aspects:
● Illustration portfolio - Layout designing

Illustration portfolio displays how to design the layout using various elements required for advertising a
product. The advertisement is of a cosmetic product. The layout for the product logo, visiting card, and
packing material is designed in Coral Draw. The brochure is designed in Adobe Photoshop and the portfolio
is compiled in Coral Draw.
● 2D animation portfolio - ‘Chintu in the Jungle’

2D portfolio displays a short 2D animation film ‘Chintu in the jungle’. It also displays how the project was
completed with the help of each team member playing an equal and important role in the project. In other
words, the actual steps taken in completing a successful project are displayed.
● 3D portfolio - ‘Evolution of Mankind’

3D portfolio displays a short 3D animation film ‘Evolution of Mankind’ and the steps taken in completing
the project.
To display the different aspects of the project, a common page called as home page is created. The home
page links to the different aspects of the project.

If your application is interactive, a flow chart is required containing standard symbols. For example, a circle
represents the start and end point in a flow. The flow chart illustrates the options that the user will have
while navigating on each screen.
● Character animation - ‘Mintu the Seal’

Character animation portfolio contains the film of a mother seal and her cub living in the North Pole. It also
displays the steps taken to complete the film.

Figure 1.1 illustrates the flow chart created for ‘Demo Portfolio’.


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Figure 1.1: Flow chart

1.1.5 Planning the User Interface and Navigation

After creating a flow chart of the entire presentation, the next step is to plan the interface and navigation.

The design of your portfolio depends on how you want the portfolio to appear. This involves identification of the
colors to be used, pictures to be included, and the items to be organized in the portfolio. In addition, the design will
involve the navigation between items in your portfolio.

While designing the interface, you should consider the usability and visualization of the interface.

■ Usability
Usability refers to how spontaneously or easily your media item is navigated and processed. Navigation should
be made easy to use and understand.

Following are the tips to design the interface for your portfolio or any interactive multimedia project:
● Ensure that the user interface works consistently. For example, if you double-click the items in one list, then
you should be able to double-click the items in other lists also. Similarly, the buttons should be placed at a
particular location consistently on all your screens.
● Explain the rules to work on the application you built so that the users know how to work on them.
● Write good text links and label the sections in your site carefully. Design navigation icons that are accepted
universally. For example, create a house icon for your home page.
● Do not clutter the screen with too much information.

■ Visualization
Visualization is a creation of visually interesting and aesthetically pleasing media items. Select your visuals
carefully on the basis of age, culture, and education.

Following are the tips for designing visuals:

● Choose a color, size, shape, and font that will complement the design.
● Use same colors in your application throughout consistently, so that you have a common look and feel in
the application.
● Use Web safe colors for icons and graphics.
● Decide the location for the navigation button and be consistent from page to page.
● Optimize the graphics you use. Pay attention to color usage and file size problems.
● Use dark text on light backgrounds and light text on dark backgrounds.


 Planning and Analysis
● Reading blue text on a white background is easy, but reading blue text on a red background is difficult. This
is because enough contrast does not exist between blue and red to make it easy to read, whereas there is
a lot of contrast between blue and white.
● Avoid the usage of all capital letters for body text, but you can use it for highlighting or for titles.

Figure 1.2 displays the main interface of the portfolio created in the project. The main interface of the demo CD
contains links to the other sections.

Figure 1.2: The four different links from the main interface

On clicking the respective buttons, the pages or slides are activated, which in turn has links to Portfolio, Resume,
and Skills. Every slide whether illustration media, 2D animation, 3D animation, or character animation will have a
resume. Figure 1.3 displays how you can create different types of resume.


Portfolio Development

Figure 1.3: Collage of the four different types of resumes in four different scenes.

In general, when you create a portfolio, a main interface will be displayed. In the main interface, you can create
a common link that displays your gallery, resume, skill, and portfolio. On the Portfolio Link, you can display the
different types of artifacts created as shown in figure 1.4.

Figure 1.4: Common gallery and portfolio artifacts together


 Planning and Analysis
Figure 1.5 illustrates the navigation and the choices that the user will have in each screen for the ‘Demo Portfolio’.

Figure 1.5: Interface, branching, and navigation

In this session, you learnt the steps required to perform during the planning phase of the portfolio. In the next
session, you will learn the elements that are required for the portfolio.


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 Illustration Portfolio

Session 2: Illustration Portfolio

Learning Outcomes
In this session, you will learn to -
● Create an illustration portfolio
● Plan a project
● Define the graphic design
● List the steps for the production process flow
● Describe how to present a resume and skills of an artist

As an artist, your portfolio is an important tool in your resume. By developing and preparing a professional portfolio,
every artist is stepping towards his/her success. The design phase begins after planning and analyzing. In the
design phase, gather the material that you have collected and include it in the presentation. Then, organize it into a
sequence using suitable multimedia authoring program. When a student creates a portfolio, it is mandatory to show
his/her skills in the resume along with the portfolio. In the ‘Demo Portfolio’, every media type portfolio, whether it is
iIlustration, 2D, 3D, or character animation has the elements required for that portfolio. ‘Demo Portfolio’ contains the
skill set of the student who would be a graphic artist, or a 2D animator, or a 3D animator.

The contents of the portfolio changes depending on the career goals. For example, the portfolio for a graduate
school candidate might contain student projects and assignments. Whereas, the portfolio for a professional might
include documents and work samples that reflect their enhanced skills and talents.

Although each portfolio is different, it should be organized into sections. Each page or slide should be organized
chronologically, starting with the most recent information.

In general, a portfolio consists of various presentation materials representing both, the artist and his/her work. You
can have a very detailed and complex portfolio, but the basic items always include an artist’s resume, skills, and
work samples. The first page of your portfolio should be the introductory slide containing your picture and text. For
example, your photo along with a short introduction or biography. The introduction or biography can be in the form
of an audio. Your portfolio should also include table of contents. The table of contents will display the contents of
the portfolio. Table of contents serves as a link to all other slides. The viewer should be able to click on the button
to go to a respective slide.

In ‘Demo Portfolio’, all the three portfolios start with the introduction and table of contents. For example, If you click
the Illustration Portfolio button, the illustration portfolio interface appears. In the interface, you will notice that the
portfolio starts with the Welcome page. Refer to figure 2.1.


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Figure 2.1: Illustration portfolio interface

The following section describes the elements to be considered when making a portfolio to showcase your best
work.

2.1 Creating an Illustration Portfolio

When you are creating a portfolio, present the artwork in a professional manner. Choose only the finished artwork
for your portfolio. You should supplement your work samples with a description. The description should include all
the relevant information such as title, completion date, your role in the performance, and descriptive information
about your work. Along with the work sample, include your resume and the skills that you have. Like in ‘Demo
Portfolio’ for illustration, you can create three links:
● The first link showing work resume and skills.
● The second link showing the artwork done and the steps taken to design the artwork.
● The third link showing samples.
Refer to figure 2.2.

Figure 2.2: Links in the illustration portfolio interface

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 Illustration Portfolio
Similarly, you can also display your projects from each semester of AAASP. When displaying the work samples,
provide a short description of the work such as the title of the project, kind of project, and the steps taken to
complete the project. If you have worked on a group project, then in the description, specify the different roles
played to complete the project. In addition, specify the role played by you.

2.2 Planning
Planning is the pre-production stage of an assignment. While creating a portfolio, identify the requirements based
on the concept. For example, to create a portfolio for a cosmetic product, you will require various items such as a
logo, a visiting card, and a brochure. Based on all these requirements, the process of creating a portfolio can be
decided.

Based on the concept, you can work on the following points:

● Visualization: Every person does a certain amount of thought processing. Depending on certain needs,
the thought process varies in degree and in vision.
● Copywriting: Copywriting is all about describing your portfolio through text. This helps you communicate
ideas that you can not present through visuals. Along with the visuals, the written text also helps you create
an impact on the readers.

2.2.1 Planning a Project

The basic concept of a sample portfolio is to combine text and graphics using softwares such as Photoshop,
Illustrator, and Coral Draw. Planning can be done by deciding what you are going to create and which software you
are going to use. The design team should arrange for a brainstorming session to come up with suitable ideas for the
sample portfolio. Then, decide the materials or stationaries required to create the design.

2.2.2 Points to Remember

Before starting an assignment following steps should be performed:
● Deciding the page layout

Depending on the concept, decide an attractive layout. You can also browse through the Internet for
samples and create a layout of your own.
● Identifying the fonts

Fonts are fun to use. In a portfolio, use less fonts. It is easier to print portfolios that use less fonts.
● Determining the quality of graphics

Use high quality graphics to draw the attention of the viewer.

2.3 Graphic Design

The combination of text and graphics is called as graphic design. It helps in communicating the message effectively.
Graphic designers use desktop publishing software and other techniques to achieve the desired output.

Following are the rules for a good design:

● Design should be simple and easy to understand.
● Correct message should be conveyed through the design.
● Follow the proper design structure. For example, a storyboard where all the visualizations are written, step
by step.

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● Use the correct font type.
● Use colors according to the client’s requirement.

2.4 Production Process Flow

The four important steps that you need to consider when designing a document are:
● Message (Decide on the content)
◦ Identify audience/identify context.
◦ Choose content/compose text.
◦ Choose/compose graphics.
● Form (Decide on overall look of finished piece)

◦ Perform paper and pencil mock-ups.

◦ Determine the scope of the project.
◦ Decide on software package to be used to ensure compatibility of word processing files and graphics.
◦ Determine output requirements (printer, paper, resolution, and color).
● Craft (Composing elements)

◦ Format pages and titles.

◦ Place text and graphics.
◦ Test the output and revise.
◦ Finalize the color output.
● Evaluation

◦ Do a usability (readability) test.

◦ Evaluate content structure that requires modification.
◦ Revise the document.

2.5 Resume and Skills

Apart from the sample work, your portfolio should also include resume and skills. A resume is very necessary for
every professional artist. It includes the details of accomplishments, events, knowledge, and abilities of an artist.
Professional resumes should follow many common conventions.

Artists should present their achievements in a professional manner. Generally, resumes of an artist are organized
by headings or categories that outline his/her art making activity. Under each heading, you can list and provide the
necessary information. Headings should be bulleted, bold, or underlined and should be listed by date with the most
recent events.

The resume type of a graphic artist, 2D animator, 3D animator, or character animator will be different. The ‘Demo
Portfolio’ displays four types of resume that you can create.

You can create a separate link for skills that can include your computer and language skills. It can also include job
specific skills. For computer skills, you can list the languages, systems, and programs. For language skills, specify
the language and your level of proficiency. Also, mention about the certification and the creative projects that you
have done.

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 Illustration Portfolio
As an artist, your resume should include:
● Your name and contact information
● Objective
● A brief description about your career goals and interest in a specific job or vacancy
● Education

● Experience (list the most recent first)

● Employer name and location (city and state)
● Date of employment
● Active description of your responsibilities and accomplishments

◦ Honors and awards received: In this category, list all recognitions of merit, prizes won in competitions,
grants, fellowships, scholarships, and other special recognitions.

◦ Bibliography: In this category, place the articles, reviews, catalogues, radio and television interviews,
and so on. For visual artists, the bibliography category not only includes the material written about the
artists but also includes their artwork in books, magazines, newspapers, and catalogues.

◦ Exhibitions: In this category, you can list the titles of the exhibitions, the exhibition space, and the
city and state where the exhibition was presented. You can also divide your exhibitions into separate
categories of exhibitions such as solo shows, group shows, invitational exhibitions, touring exhibitions,
museum shows, and so on.

These are some of the important elements you need to consider when creating an illustration portfolio.

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 Animation Portfolio

Session 3: Animation Portfolio

Learning Outcomes
In this session, you will learn to -
● Create a 2D animation portfolio
● Create a 3D animation portfolio
● List the roles played in animation protfolio
● Identify the roles in character animation

In the previous session, you learnt about the various elements to be considered while creating a portfolio to showcase
the group project in illustration. In this session, you will learn about the elements to be considered during the making
of an animation portfolio.

For artists, a demo reel and a portfolio have more significance than a resume. Some companies view demo reels
only on VHS tapes, while others are open to portfolios on DVDs or Web sites. The portfolio and demo reel show
your visualization ability.

3.1 Making of 2D Animation Portfolio

Employers like to see a strong portfolio having a strong objective. Your portfolio should be clean and straight to
the point. You can include life drawings showing expressions and line style to the portfolio. Also, include examples
of your interest area such as conceptual design or storyboard. For example, if you are interested in lighting, then
include samples of your photography.

Divide the portfolio into different sections such as character design, background design, and storyboards emphasizing
your various skills. If it is a group project on animation, then include the description on how the animation is made,
the steps taken, and the roles played by the team members to complete the project.

You can create two links in the portfolio, one link showing the animation and the other link showing the description
or the steps for making the animation.
If you are displaying 2D animation in the portfolio, then include the following steps in your description:
● Concept and theme development
● Visualization basics
● Storyboarding
● Sketching and layout
● Scanning
● Tracing and character development
● Keyframes and inbetweens
● Background development
● Ink and paint
● Animation
● Sound recording
● Sound integration
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● Composition and titling
● Output

The description can be a written document added to your portfolio or you can also present it as a different link. In
‘Demo Portfolio’, these steps are shown as separate links. Refer to figure 3.1. By clicking on any of these links,
respective step will be displayed.

Figure 3.1: 2D animation steps listed in the portfolio

The following steps are described briefly:

■ Concept and theme development

This is the first step in 2D animation portfolio. Therefore, excess time should be spent in discussing the concept.
The client requires 2D animation of one minute duration. According to the requirement, brainstorming should
be done and a theme should be decided. Once the concept and the theme are decided, then the next steps
can be carried out smoothly.

■ Visualization basics
Once the concept is decided, the visualization process starts. A rough story is framed according to the concept.
Then, characters in the story are visualized. As per the story, the attributes of the characters and the various
backgrounds that will be used in the story are visualized.

■ Storyboarding
After visualizing the rough story, write and document the story, frame by frame. Toon Boom Storyboard is

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 Animation Portfolio
used to design the storyboard. Frame-by-frame instructions, related voice over, and background sounds are
documented. For every frame, graphics and illustrations are designed. The whole 2D animation is finally
documented frame by frame. In this step, a rough outline of the characters and other elements are created.

■ Sketching and layout

Sketching and creating layout is the next step after storyboarding. The rough sketches of the characters and
the background are sketched on a paper. Also, different profiles and expressions of the character are drawn.

■ Scanning
After the sketching process, the sketched images are scanned. The settings for scanning are as follows:
● Resolution: 150 dpi
● Mode: RGB

The file is saved in the .jpeg format so that the process of animating the images becomes simpler.

■ Tracing and character development

The scanned images are traced in Toon Boom Studio.

■ Keyframe and inbetweens

The next step is to animate the characters in the story. So, according to the final sketch of the character, the
inbetweens are sketched to animate the character.

■ Background development
Based on the storyboard, the backgrounds are created.

■ Ink and paint

Finally, colors are added to all the illustrations. Similarly, the inbetweens are colored.

■ Animation
When all the elements are ready, the animation process starts. As per the storyboard and the instructions, the
elements in the story are animated.

■ Sound recording
After the animation process, background sound as per the scenes is decided and recorded. Voice recording is
done to narrate the story.

■ Sound integration
After sound recording, the sound editing process is implemented with the help of Sound Forge. The sound
files are saved in the .wav format. Then, the sound is integrated with respect to the animation. The background
sound is also edited and integrated as per the scene.

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■ Composition and titling
This process is followed after the sound integration. All the necessary steps are implemented for a smooth
animation. The titling of the story is done in Premiere.

■ Output
After the titling and final composition of various movies and background sound, the final file is exported to the
.avi format in Premiere. The final .avi file is to be integrated later in Flash Interface after converting the .avi
format to the .flv format.

3.2 Making of 3D Animation Portfolio

If you are showcasing the 3D animation project, then you need to follow a slightly different process as compared to
2D. The process of 3D animation basically involves four stages:
● Modeling
● Texturing and lighting
● Animation
● Rendering

Before starting these stages, you need to follow the steps about client brief, story planning, storyboarding,
resources allocation, character development, sound recording, and background and layout as similar to 2D portfolio
development.

■ Modeling
In this stage, following important points should be covered:
● Characters made from the approved design
● Techniques used to design the model
● People involved in modeling

Display some images of the models that you and your team had prepared. Also, write a short description on
how this particular model was created and the tool used for it.

■ Texturing and lighting

In this stage, mention the different types of textures used for the model and how the textures were created.
Also, mention how the lighting was planned depending upon the scene, the type of lights used, and whether
the lights are animated.

■ Animation
In this stage, describe how the animation artist made the basic plan for animating the characters and the
different types of techniques used for animation.

■ Rendering
In this stage, mention the following points in your portfolio:
● Size in which the scenes were rendered
● Final output format

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● Method used to render the scenes
● Effects used while rendering the scenes

3.3 Roles
As mentioned in the previous session, in any multimedia application, you require a team that plays different roles.
It is also important to mention the different roles played to complete the project.

For 2D animation, the team consists of the following:

● Project manager
● Character designer
● Background and layout artist
● Keyframe artist
● Inbetween artist
● Ink and paint artist
● Digital animator
● Sound designer

■ Project manager
The role of a project manager is to define, coordinate, and facilitate the production of the multimedia projects.
The project manager is the key to a successful development of a project. Project managers are responsible for
ensuring that the development is completed to a satisfactory standard by the agreed deadline and within the
budget. They are involved in scoping and defining of the application with the client and producing the project
plan and budget. They are also responsible for assembling the other team members, and ensuring that they
have the necessary resources and skills to work effectively, according to the plan and budget.

■ Character designer
Character designer will create and design characters used within the animation. The characters are created
on paper as a rough sketch.

■ Background and layout artist

The layout artists set the stage for the animation. They sketch background layouts for each scene. They also
create camera movements. Therefore, the layout artist should have the working knowledge of perspective,
design, and the workings of the animation camera.

■ Keyframe artist
A key animator or lead animator draws the key drawings in a scene using the character layouts as a guide.
He/she can draw enough frames to get across the major points of the action.

■ Inbetween artist
The inbetween artists complete the action of a scene. They create the transition drawings between the two
key drawings that are prepared by the key animator. They are also responsible for creating clean and accurate
inbetween drawings, as specified by the key animator. They should have excellent drawing skills in order to

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adapt the style and technique of different productions. They should also be aware of their schedule in order to
deliver the drawings on time.

■ Ink and paint artist

Once the animated drawings are completed and scanned into a computer, they are colored and processed by
the ink and paint artist.

■ Digital animator
The digital animator imports all the keyframes that are scanned and colored. He/she times the animation and
adds effects to the animation. He/she is also responsible for creating the exposure sheets.

■ Sound designer
The sound designer is responsible for the design and production of audio within the application. He/she may
be involved in all the stages such as scripting, capturing the raw sound, digitizing, editing, and preparing the
final files to be incorporated into the application.

For 3D animation, the team consists of the following roles:

● Project manager
● Character designer
● Modeler
● Texturing and lighting artist
● Animator
● Character rigging artist
● Visual effects artist
● Rendering artist
● Post-production compositor
● Sound designer
The roles of a project manager, character designer, and sound designer are same as in 2D animation.

■ Modeler
Modeler is responsible to create 3D meshes such as characters and environments. A prospective modeler
should have the ability to demonstrate the skill with a commercial 3D package. His/her experience in Maya or
3D Studio Max would be an added advantage.

■ Texturing and lighting artist

The texturing and lighting artist gives proper texture to the physical features of the model and the environment.
These textures may be wood, leather, skin, hair, and so on. The texturing and lighting artist is also responsible
for applying lighting effects in the scene. This is done with shot by shot rendering. The artist places invisible
light sources in the scene and regulates the light for each shot to ensure continuity from shot to shot.

■ Animator
The animator animates the characters and objects. The animator should have a working knowledge of 3D
Studio Max, Maya, or a similar 3D package. He/she should also have the knowledge of timing and appearance
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of human and animal movements and facial expressions.

■ Character rigging artist

The character rigging artist creates a moving skeleton or structure that enables the animator to move the
model.

■ Visual effects artist

The visual effects artist creates special effects such as portraying travel to other star systems. He/she can also
create the effect by normal means such as enormous explosion.

■ Rendering artist
The rendering artist renders the scenes to produce the final imagery. Rendering takes an average of 20 to 40
minutes for each high-resolution camera frame and about four minutes for video resolution.

■ Post-production compositor
The post-production compositor does the final editing and composition. He/she is also responsible for
synchronizing the animation clips and background with the sound.

3.4 Character Animation

3D character animation is probably the fastest growing area in animation. Recent advances in 3D character
animation have opened up whole range of possibilities and have done away with most of the limitations that were
associated with 3D modeling and animation.
The creative team consists of the following roles for the production of character animation film:

■ Project coordinator and technical director

Technical director is the senior most member of the team with loads of work experience in all areas of production.
The director supervises all aspects of the film production right from the concept to the final edited output. The
project coordinator supervises the crucial aspects of making the film. For example, tracking the production
schedule, assessing the suitability of the concept, and reviewing the storyboards. The coordinator also monitors
character designing, character modeling and texturing, character rigging, animation, compositing, and the final
editing by coordinating between the various teams involved in these areas.

■ Script writer
Script writer is responsible for creating the concept of the story. He/she develops the concept based on the
feedback given by the client and the inputs from the brainstorming session of the creative team.

The script writer is also responsible for creating the script for the film. The script for the film is developed based
on the approved story concept. This includes story telling through description of the shots and the dialogues
appearing in the shots.

■ Storyboard artist
Storyboard artist works in coordination with the other members of the creative team to develop the storyboard
for the film. The various technical aspects of animation production, software considerations, and time scheduling

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should be considered while developing the storyboard.

■ Character and background visualizer

Character and background visualizer is instrumental in visualizing the character designs, first as sketches
and later as colored illustrations. He/she visualizes in coordination with the technical director, the modeler, the
rigging artist, and the animator. The designs are finalized after considering the technical aspects of animation
production.

The visualizer is also actively involved in the designing of the background sets, the color scheme, and the
visual style of the film.

■ Modeling and texturing artists

Modeling artist is responsible for developing the 3D models required for the film. 3D modeling includes creating
character models, background models, and various props as per the finalized storyboard. The models are
created using polygonal modeling and presented without texturing.

■ Character rigging artists

Rigging artists are responsible for creating the character rigs and assigning them to the finished character
models. They are also in charge of adjusting the influences of each bone on the skin so that the character could
be animated easily. They should also ensure that the expression blend channels are in place and working.

■ Character animators
Character animators are responsible for taking up the rigged characters that are textured and ready for
animation. Based on the duration of each shot and the camera angle specified in the storyboard, the animators
bring together the characters, background models, and other props to create the scene layout. The camera
is assigned as per the storyboard and the characters are animated. The animators also assign the camera
movements for the shots.

■ Lighting and compositing artists

Lighting and compositing artists light up the animated scenes according to the mood of the shot. They are
also responsible for rendering the scenes as layers. These layers are then composited by the artists in Adobe
Aftereffects to create the final animation sequences.

■ Effect animators
Effect animators are responsible for creating the various additional effects for the animated scene. They create
the effects, such as fog, hair, fur, cloth, fluid effects, and deformers such as ripples.

■ Rendering artists
Rendering artists are mostly required for large scale projects requiring high quality rendering. They are mostly
specialized high-end renderers such as Renderman, V-Ray, Mental ray, and so on.

In this project, since the final rendering was done through Maya software renderer, a specialized team was not
assigned. The effects animators and the lighting and compositing artists worked together to share the work of
the final rendering of the shots.

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■ Sound studio editor
Sound studio editor is responsible for sound and music requirements of the film. For high end animation, the
sound would be under the supervision of a team comprising of musicians, dubbing artists, sound engineers,
and editors.

■ Video editor
Video editor is responsible for editing the rendered animation clips to synchronize it with the music and voice
track. The pace of film depends critically on the editing of the film and is one of the most important factors for
the successful completion of the film.

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 Evaluation and Presentation

Session 4: Evaluation and Presentation

Learning Outcomes
In this session, you will learn to -
● Evaluate a portfolio

In the previous session, you learnt to create a portfolio and the elements to be included when creating a portfolio.
In this session, you will learn to evaluate the ‘Demo Portfolio’ once it is completed.

You can evaluate effectiveness of the portfolio based on the objective it aims to achieve. You should view a portfolio
as an ongoing learning tool. In addition, its effectiveness should be reviewed on a regular basis to ensure that it is
meeting the goal.

After completing the ‘Demo Portfolio’, evaluate the portfolio by checking the following points:
● Can the user navigate through the program easily and accurately?
● Is the information clear?
● Are the pages clean and uncluttered?
● Are the technical requirements and directions on how to use the program clearly stated?
● Does the program perform as intended?
● Is the portfolio detailed?
● Is the portfolio effectively and clearly presented?
● Is the appropriate audio and video integrated into the presentation?
● Does your portfolio actually run on the medium specified?

Table 4.1 lists the different levels of electronic portfolio implementation that are closely aligned with the technical
skills of the portfolio developer.

Levels of electronic portfolio implementation

0 All documents are stored in the paper format. Some portfolio data may be stored on videotape.
1 The data in the documents is entered in the digital file format, using word processor or other
commonly used software. They are stored in electronic folders on a hard drive, floppy diskette,
or Local Area Network (LAN) server.
2 Portfolio data is entered in a structured format, such as a database or a template or a slideshow
(PowerPoint). It is stored on a hard drive, Zip, floppy diskette, or LAN server.
3 Documents are translated into the Portable Document Format with hyperlinks between standards,
artifacts, and reflections. They are stored on a hard drive, Zip, CD-R/W, or LAN server.
4 Documents are translated into HyperText Markup Language (HTML), completed with hyperlinks
between standards, artifacts, and reflections, using a Web authoring program and posted to a
World Wide Web (WWW) server.
5 Portfolio is organized with a multimedia-authoring program and the digital sound is incorporated.
The video is converted to digital format and copied to CD or posted to WWW in streaming
format.
Table 4.1: Levels of electronic portfolio implementation

After hyperlinking all the documents together and adding multimedia elements, you can publish the ‘Demo Portfolio’
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Portfolio Development
on a Web site. You can choose a variety of formats to publish your portfolio. The electronic portfolios can be
published on a CD, videotape, Digital Video Disc (DVD), and Web site. The simplest way to publish is on a CD.

The final version of your portfolio can be burnt to a CD. Your files should be complete before copying it to the CD.
Do the following before burning a CD:
● Place all files in one folder: Before linking your videos to an appropriate location in your portfolio file,
place all your videos, portfolio, and presentation in the same folder.
● Name file : The file names should not have spaces. Do not change the file name or move the files out of
their folder after linking the movies.

To publish your portfolio on the Internet, you need to find Web server space to store your portfolio. In addition, find
an appropriate software to convert your documents into WWW - accessible format. The different Web servers that
you can use are as follows:
● Universities and schools usually provide Web space for students and faculty.
● Internet Service Providers (ISP) often provide Web space as a part of their monthly fee.
● Yahoo provides free Web server space on ‘www.geocities.com’.
● You can also purchase your own domain name and set up your own computer as a Web server. You can
also purchase space on a Web hosting service that can host your domain for an additional fee.

To upload your files on a Web server, your HTML editor might have File Transfer Protocol (FTP) capability. If not,
there are many FTP programs, such as Fetch for Macintosh and WS_FTP for Windows.

It is recommended for animators to publish their portfolios on videotapes and DVDs. Their portfolios should contain
animations and short films.

These are some of the points you need to consider while evaluating and presenting your portfolio.

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