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Show Case: Developing, Maintaining, and Presenting a Design-Tech Portfolio for Theatre and Allied Fields book cover

2nd Edition

Show Case Developing, Maintaining, and Presenting a Design-Tech Portfolio for Theatre and Allied Fields

By Rafael Jaen Copyright 2012
    264 Pages
    by Routledge

    264 Pages
    by Routledge

    264 Pages
    by Routledge
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    A design tech portfolio showcases a theatre designer/technician's most prized accomplishments in stage design, lighting, costuming, or makeup. The ability to make a winning portfolio is essential to getting into choice colleges, obtaining scholarships, and getting new jobs in the field. Unfortunately the process can become time consuming and challenging if you don't know where to start. Show Case offers students, teachers, and aspiring professionals the information they need to know to create, maintain, and show off their portfolio.

    This fully revised second edition features new and expanded chapters that explore current and innovative approaches to creating a design-tech portfolio, including branding, social networking, and traditional and interactive e-portfolios. This comprehensive guide also covers planning and developing details such as page layout, content variety, aesthetic sequencing, marketing, personal presentation, and next steps. Each chapter features introductions, samples, and lists of "Do's and Don'ts" provided by experienced professionals in the different design/tech fields. Portfolios featured are from an incredible cast of contributors at different stages of their careers, including recent graduate students, officers of renowned organizations and international theater artists, and art directors representing narrative artists in the allied fields of film, TV, and other media. This book is designed as a reference guide, workbook, and an inspirational tool, assisting designers/technicians in the process of developing a showcase that can be used to apply for graduate school, to pursue new jobs in the field, and for career marketing purposes.

    • Introduction

    • Preface

    • Contents

    • Part I: What Is a Design-Tech Portfolio?

      • Chapter 1: What is Portfolio?

        • The Winning Design-Tech Portfolio

        • Show Case

      • Chapter 2: Traditional Portfolio Development Techniques

        • Planning and Creation

        • Models, Styles, Dimensions and Handling

        • Specifications

        • Presentation Cases and Folios

        • New Trends

        • Inside the Case Supplies and Materials

        • Specialty Layout Materials and Supplies

        • Where to Find Specialty Materials and Supplies

        • Basic Strategy to Get the Right Materials

        • Showcase: Notes About Printers

        • Workbook: What carrying and display materials would I like to use to put together a portfolio?

      • Chapter 3: The Effective Showcase

        • General Considerations

        • Organizing the Body of Work: Beginning, Middle and End

        • Presenting Visual Content: Page Layout Options

        • Inserts: Adding Conversation Pieces

        • Best Artwork, News/Media Reviews and Photographs to Feature

        • Back Pocket: Research and Organizational Paper Work

        • The Designer and Technician's Archives

        • Marketing and Networking: Identifying Portfolio Requirements by Venue

        • Organizations that Offer Portfolio Reviews

        • Workbook: List projects that you would like to feature in the beginning, middle and end of my portfolio.

      • Chapter 4: Types of Portfolios

        • Basics and Specifics by Concentration

        • Avoiding A Portfolio Imbroglio

        • The Basics

        • Show Case

        • Specialized Technicians, Crafts and Allied Fields

        • Show Case

        • By the Book, CD, or Website: The 21st Century Multi-Media Portfolio

        • Show Case

        • Portfolio Photos

        • Workbook: What is my portfolio concentration? What work do I need to include in my portfolio? What works do I need to collect in order to plan my layouts?

      • Chapter 5: Portfolio Development Techniques Do's and Don'ts

        • Good Practices Check List

        • Five Observations on What Isn't Good Practice When Presenting a Portfolio

    • Part II: What is an Electronic Portfolio?

      • Chapter 6: The Effective Digital Portfolio

        • Theatre Designers and Computers

        • What Is a Digital Portfolio, What Is It For?

        • Workbook: What are some of the considerations that I need to look at prior to developing a digital portfolio; how would I use it?

      • Chapter 7: Digital Portfolio Developing Techniques

        • Graphic Design Principles and Branding

        • Show Case

        • Software Applications and CD Showcases

        • Show Case

        • PowerPoint and Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF)

        • Show Case

        • Photo Editing Software

        • Show Case

        • Websites and Web Archives

        • Show Case

        • Other Considerations: Choosing a Server

        • Multimedia Sharing and Social Media

        • Show Case

        • More about Websites: The Allied Field Show Case

        • About Interactive Portfolios

        • Final Words: Things to Know When Designing Websites

        • Recommended Resources for Those Starting Out

        • Workbook: Digital Portfolio Planning. What are my goals; do I want a web page, a CD and/or a slide presentation? What works will I feature and how many pages each?

      • Chapter 8: Digital Portfolio Do's and Don'ts

        • CDs, Slide Presentations and Websites Do's

        • Show Case

        • CDs, Slide Presentations and Websites Don'ts

        • Show Case

    • Part III: Presenting and Marketing the Portfolio

      • Chapter 9: Portfolio Presentation Techniques

        • First Impressions

        • The Professional and Appropriate Appearance for Portfolio Presentation

        • Foundations of Presenting

        • Show Case

        • Post-Interview Maintenance

        • Self-Evaluation

        • Networking: What's Next?

      • Chapter 10: Portfolio Presentation Techniques Do's and Don'ts

      • Chapter 11: Design/Tech Resumes, CV, Business Cards, and Stationery

        • A Winning Resume: Introductory Words of Wisdom

        • The Design-Tech Resume: Specific Expectations

        • A Blue Print for an Effective Resume Presentation

        • Show Case

        • The Bio and The Curriculum Vitae

        • Other Marketing Tools: Business Cards and Brochures

        • Show Case

        • Workbook: Resume Planning. What information would I like to include in my Resume and how will I format it?

      • Chapter 12: Design/Tech Resumes, CV, Business Cards, and Stationery Do's and Don'ts

    • Part IV: Portfolio Maintenance and Next Steps

      • Chapter 13: Establishing Goals, Reviewing, Choosing and Updating Work

        • How I set Up My Portfolio and Why

          • Teaching Points

        • Words of Wisdom

          • Teaching Points

        • Putting Models in Your Portfolio

        • Workbook: What teaching points can I apply in developing and maintaining my portfolio?

      • Chapter 14: Self Assessment

        • The Basics of a Self Evaluation

        • The Comprehensive Self-Evaluation

        • Workbook: The Self-Assessment Questionnaire

      • Chapter 15: Planning the Next Job

        • Why Planning? What Planning?

        • Putting it Together

        • The Big Picture: Your Design-Tech Career Concept

        • The Small Steps: Your Blue Print for Short Term Goals

        • Workbook: What are some of my obtainable goals, ideas and brainstorms?

      • Chapter 16: Words of Wisdom: Do's and Don'ts Highlight Summary

    • Part V: Contributors

      • Chapter 17,  Contributors Bios

    Biography

    Rafael Jaen has a vast experience in portfolio development and has been presenting workshops on this subject matter for the last 10 years -his audiences have included high-school students, undergraduate students, teachers and professionals in the field. He was originally an architecture student in the Universidad Central de Venezuela (his country of origin), there he began his interest in theater and portfolios in 1978 while working with small theater groups. Eventually, he entered his design work in a competition and won a scholarship to study Theatrical Design in the USA. He applied to New York University and was accepted after a successful portfolio review--even though he didn't speak English yet! While in school, Mr. Jaen worked as a designer and assistant designer for different companies. His mentors (Broadway Designers/ Technicians) showed him the importance of marketing and showcasing the designer's work in a comprehensive portfolio and with resumes and business cards. After graduation in the 80's Mr. Jaen worked as Design Associate and Costume Designer for different costume houses and companies in the USA and other countries. He also ran a successful Fashion business dedicated to haute couture--bridal and tailoring. For it, he developed different portfolio-books showcasing design styles with cut sheets and fabric swatches. In the 90's he began a fruitful collaboration with Emerson College, developing a very successful costume program. Eventually, because of his impressive portfolio, he was offered a position as Emerson Stage's Resident Costume Designer. He started to teach at Emerson College and became the Costume Area Head. While at Emerson he developed a series of portfolio workshops to assist undergraduate students apply to graduate school. He has expanded on these workshops and has been presenting them in various conferences (all over the country) including the USITT Annual Conference & Stage Expo. Mr. Jaen has degrees in Theater Design

    "Jaen helps readers assess the success of their portfolios and interview abilities, in order to further refine their materials, a great reminder that our portfolios are never done. I will return to this book with frequency as I update my own portfolio, encourage my students to own a copy, and use it in my classes. Show Case is an outstanding resource."--Theatre Design & Technology

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