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 full 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 who (or what) you're creating and why you've chosen to do so. What's their backstory? What appeals to you about creating a character like this. Talk about the style and tone of your character and the theme and setting of the world they live in. Mention the four poses that you intend to present your character in. 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 final concept, but should be broadly linkable to the overall theme/style
e.g. You have a fascination with the neon-tinged, rain-soaked worlds of dystopian sci-fi, & have written that you want to create a character that represents these themes. Your visual influences might be entirely based on your own personal and favourite interpretations, such as :
- The book cover of the first edition of Neuromancer
- Keanu Reeves in both The Matrix & Johnny Mnemonic
- Panoramic stills from Ghost In The Shell & Akira
- A still from the opening scenes of Blade Runner
- Screens of character models in Deus Ex
*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, colours etc. you want to associate with when creating your character. 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.
References
Usable key art studies, relevant to your theme/setting that can be incorporated into your concept development. e.g.
- Style and aesthetic studies
- Anatomical studies
- Texture and material studies
- Clothing and fabric studies
- Structure and composition study
- Existing concept studies
- Existing game asset studies
Concept design & development
This is a development of the work done in the referencing and mood board sections, bringing an idea for a full character to life, further refining the elements of what you have into a working concept design. This can be an original concept piece that you create yourself, or developed from an existing concept in your referencing if preferred.
Mix in elements from your referencing and boards to show how your character comes together, showing your own personal influence in its creation. If working from an existing concept, try to show how it relates to your research and how your own contributions tie it all together.
The actual presentation of the concept is up to you, and at least in part dictated by the style you've chosen to work in. You don't need to create a super-detailed matte painting if your creative vision & intent can be clearly seen from an arrangement of cutout photo references or a series of sketches.
What's the story behind your character? This is where narrative comes in heavily as well; who is this? what are they doing? why are they doing it? What's the significance of the poses? Show that this is a person, with a life that can exist beyond just being char_asset_08b_final_final.png
- This narrative should tie into your written intro.
Composition exploration
Layout sketch(es) for your poses, working from your concept. Include composition thoughts/notes including:
- Weight balance
- Visual balance
- Colour balance
- Camera positions, focal points & framing
At this point, it should be possible for someone to go through all of the above and, without ever seeing your 3D character, have a pretty accurate visual idea of what your final piece is intended to look and feel like.
Initial blockout of your model
This is your initial 3D rough model. It only needs to be a simple blockout to show the basic arrangement and will act as a base for the start of your production phase.