Tips For Building a Film Portfolio

November 8, 2023

As a filmmaker, your portfolio is arguably your most important asset. It is your visual and creative resume, showcasing your skills, style, and versatility. A well-curated portfolio demonstrates your technical proficiency and tells a compelling narrative of your artistic journey and vision. That’s why investing time and effort in crafting a portfolio reflecting your passion and dedication is an indispensable step to success.

Tips For Building a Film Portfolio

How do you build this portfolio? If you’re struggling with how to get your portfolio in motion, here are six useful tips for getting started:

Stay Ambitious in Film School

As a film student, it can be easy to get caught up in exciting plans for the future (or even the weekend), but you should keep in mind that the school projects you’re currently working on aren’t just for a grade – they are your time to build a portfolio.

While it can sometimes seem neverending, your time in film school is perhaps one of the few times in your career where you sit down and entirely focus on YOU. Not your clients, your boss, your producer – no, you focus entirely on self-improvement during film school. Taking advantage of this time and taking it seriously will be the biggest way to get a jumpstart on your portfolio.

Get ahead in school and make the most of it by:

  • Act like you’re getting paid to work on every project.
  • Stay humble and assume your work needs improvement whenever possible.
  • Ask instructors many questions, and don’t be afraid to bug them.
  • Volunteer to assist other classmates with shoots and edits.
  • Ask for feedback on your work from classmates and instructors.
  • Attend extracurricular workshops and events whenever possible.

Search job boards and attend school functions to connect with your most experienced teachers or fellow students. Initiating relationships with these people will provide you with a valuable network of directors, editors, and actors. Your network will follow you when you graduate.

Start a YouTube Series

When competing for gigs in the film industry, showcasing a multifaceted skill set is highly advantageous. Soon after graduation, challenge yourself to write, produce, and direct an original series. Execute the entire process from inception to final product to marketing it.

Despite the success, completing this project will give you experience creating and producing a project from end to end. It will also tell potential hiring producers that you have the work ethic and diligence to finish what you started. Many people from film school have never put together their projects or have what it takes to see something through outside of film school. Don’t get too caught up in view counts or trying to launch the next Stranger Things; the key is that having the ability to show that you can produce a whole series will speak volumes.

Join IMDb Pro and Other Film Communities

IMDb Pro is a useful resource for obtaining the contact information of nearly anyone in the film industry. There is a monthly membership fee, but you will benefit greatly from reaching thousands of producers, directors, editors, and crew. The service provides filmographies, credits for millions of titles, and access to in-development projects not listed on IMDb.   

When developing your portfolio, you can use this tool to contact people you want to work with. Get creative on how you can become a part of their network, and give them a call. Rather than spam the entire catalog, do your homework on the person you’re contacting and know when to connect. Lead with your strengths and learn to project confidence rather than desperation. If you are genuine and effective, doors can open./span>

Experiment with Corporate Video

Every artist would like full-time film work, but sometimes, things don’t align immediately. Corporate video is another avenue to explore while attempting to build your portfolio. Apply for corporate video jobs or offer services to business owners in your network to make web videos, commercials, marketing content, and other necessary videos. If you can secure such work, you can often pull shots from these videos that look more film-like to build your overall demo reel, and no one will ever know it was a small business video.

Pursue the 48 Hour Film Project (and similar events)

The 48 Hour Film Project is a multi-city contest in which teams of participants draw a genre from a hat and then write, shoot, and edit a movie in 48 hours. Teams have full control over plots except for a character, a prop, and a line of dialogue that must appear in their film. The award for Best Film and a cash prize is awarded to entries that demonstrate artistic merit, technical merit, and adherence to the assignment. Films are then premiered at a local theatre for friends and family.

An event like this is a fun way to add a completed project to your portfolio. Additionally, if you produce a good piece, there’s always a chance you could win. Contestants have gone on to have success in other film festivals, and others used recognition of their films to get work. Film Festivals are also great vehicles for connecting with people in your craft, particularly those interested in your preferred genre. Make the most of these organizations’ platforms to get new people talking about your work.

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Produce Music Videos

Music videos are one of the more fun ways to bring good work to your portfolio. New music artists – rappers, singers, bands – must attach music videos to their songs as part of their portfolio. They often turn to young film and video artists for assistance. Building a network of music artists is considerably easy via Twitter or Instagram. Given the necessity of music videos for these artists, more funds tend to be available for such projects compared to short films.

Creating videos for music artists allows you to explore creatively and will add things to your portfolio that commercial work won’t. Try to find artists looking to incorporate film elements into their videos. While music videos are generally 2-3 minutes long, they usually welcome obscure or artistic concepts. It’s the perfect chance to showcase precise visual storytelling and capture a few extra shots for your demo reel.  

Get Started in Filmmaking

Looking to hone and refine your skills in directing, editing, screenwriting, producing, cinematography, and more? Our hands-on filmmaking programs allow aspiring storytellers to create their own films and content in a collaborative, supportive environment. Ready to learn more about our available degrees, programs, and short-term workshops? Explore our areas of study or request information from our admissions team.

Photo by KAL VISUALS on Unsplash.