The Portfolio That Got Me Into DreamWorks

After almost 7 years working at DreamWorks animation as a story artist, i look back at all the portfolios i did throughout the years to apply to the story trainee program. Hope you get something out of seeing all my attempts!
Follow me!
Twitch.tv/danielmtal
IG: Daniel.m.tal

[@lakiceae5900]

u have a very clear sense of boarding successes and learning experiences and ur ability to explain what makes what is so incredibly concise. i'm in my storyboard grind stage and this is already immensely valuable to my self study. thanks so much for making this!

[@ducktaledudette]

I cannot communicate how VALUABLE your channel is for me! You're where I want to be in 8-10 years and you're absolutely killing it. Not only am I getting amazing advice from you, I'm also comforted to know that someone like me might actually be able to get a job in storyboarding. Thank you for making videos, man. :)

[@CherryRose_0715]

"I'll do that someday" is so real

[@inkylids9488]

"this baby WANTS to die" 😂 It's always great to look back on old work to see how far you've come! I remember making my first animatic on paint tool sai and windows movie maker around the time of year you made your second and third example. Seems like an eternity ago and not that long ago at the same time...

[@mercabun]

awesome job!!! this is great for me since i'm also just grinding away at my story portfolio and noticing things i can do better in :0D cant wait to see more!

[@chelslynn96]

Thank you so much for these videos! I know putting old outdated work online isn’t ideal, but I appreciate seeing your journey and how your storytelling has grown over the years! Super inspiring and helpful 🙏🏼

[@Franguellen]

I just found out about the DW trainee program a day before yesterday, and then they said there's in remote mode too (maybe i'm wrong about that, but anyways). I'm brazilian and i can't move to another country, so it's a good opportunity to get my first experience in animation and practice/improve my english skills. I'm pretty sure i won get at first haha but i'll keep trying. Your video came to me at the exact moment i was about to start studying!! thanku so much for that, i'm pretty inspired right now!!!❤❤❤❤❤

[@nibernator]

Great breakdown and look back! Thanks for the opportunity to see how you built your success for the good of everyone

[@somejellykid]

this is absolutely fantastic! i LOVE getting to see portfolios from professionals. lots of great advice and stuff to look out for when i make my own later. i really like how honest you are when you're reviewing your old work. it's like getting a look into what people would look for when applying. this is fantastic insight. thank you so much!

[@sethmachetedemeter]

Your channel is so helpful, seriously. I’m trying to figure out how to storyboard better with my portfolio work and this is so insightful and really interesting. Seeing the improvement and figuring out what you could change/do better is very refreshing.

[@CVerse]

Your critique on your previous work is pretty helpful! There's still so much that I can learn from others, and seeing your journey has been really insightful

[@Roach_25]

I like seeing people getting into what they like but then it always has a twist

[@gabrielaelizabethtavora4307]

Love this video and your roasting one! The more I learn about storyboarding the more it seems we only really "get good" on the job. You can go to animation school or do all of your own stuff but the professional animatics only come through a lot of learning and more importantly feedback that will bring improvements with fresh eyes. I wouldn't even be able to tell the person who did the first storyboard also did the last, that's how much you improved!

[@amnessie]

thank you for sharing this, super inspiring!! now onto my year of grinding >:)

[@autofluxnishad6112]

I have been watching your portfolios since 2016 and the jump was really high in that drawings. This video is awesome and very helpful for me. Thank you for sharing Daniel! 🤗

[@joshuarobinson898]

Holllyy, this opens my mind. I’ve only seen the first animation in the video so far, and although it’s your first it’s really helping me. Seeing how you can make the animation simplified and choppy but still maintain the idea of movement is what I needed to see. Im currently tried my luck with animation for the first time and im animating a Kirby falling down. It’s simple. But I’ll definitely try to incorporate what I see in this. A fellow third yeat college student

[@cynthiadustdevil]

This was very insightful and inspiring! Loved seeing how you kept improving

[@hiddentidesgaming]

This honestly really helps showing from one person what did or didn’t work for portfolio work!

[@depechemode0220]

I appreciate your channel so much..so inspiring and SO helpful! Thank you for sharing! You have a wonderful sense of compositing and understanding how to create clear, memorable framing with the characters..I loved seeing it so much

[@margaritaprikhodchenko1707]

This is SOOOO inspiring! Thank you for sharing your experience ❤

[@ghostie7790]

don't beat yourself up for submitting the boards on one page like that. Everyone was doing that. I started to submitting to storyboard jobs around 2017 as well, and that was the standard.

[@Zoelle_]

Very cool to hear your thought process through these! Thanks for sharing.

[@hanyunxiao2646]

Thank you Daniel! That’s very helpful and good job!

[@SavyGarcia]

Congrats. Love your work. I love the idea of storyboarding and I’ve learned how to do it I just don’t see myself doing it long term I love character design, concept and animating so much more but I still want to get better at storyboarding for my own personal needs.

[@MissBluefrost]

This is so insightful! Thank you so much for sharing.

[@haley9091]

Thank you so so much for posting this! It was very helpful!

[@mwadz]

This is incredibly helpful! Thank you so much!

[@fabiporchet]

Very intresting and inspiring video, thanks for the great content !

[@jurgisjonaitis6975]

Thanks, this was great and helpful and honest. Appreciate it.

[@Giocciole]

This was extremely useful, thank you!!

[@guineu49]

thank you for doing this!

[@nikkithompson854]

What an amazing understanding of how your portfolio was aceepted and a great analysis of what worked and what can be improved! I have a question when you submitted the portfolio that got you into dreamworks: was it just that one storyboard or did you also submitted other works of yours like illustrations, concept art, drawings, animations, etc.? I saw that other artists would submit everything they have to offer on their portfolio or website

[@DanielMtal]

i submitted a storyboard, some beat boards of various scenarios, life drawings, café sketches, and my 4th year film which i marked as old but still kept it in. it was pretty sparse as far as portfolios usually go honestly.

[@raulmedina1859]

Thanks for this, this is really helpful :)

[@Cherry_B0mberr]

Would anyone believe me if I said I saw this video in a dream abt 6-ish years ago? Cuz I remember this exact dream specifically cuz it was a fever dream that was so weird. These exact panels at 19:06 were in my dreams

[@refutetyrant]

BRO I SWEAR THE PARROT PART FELT SO FAMILIAR TO ME FOR SOME REASON 😭😭😭

[@Doc2rjae07]

Nice portfolio 🙏🏾💯

[@SreyaD123]

Thank you so much, this is so helpful!

[@Junpei_Is_Tired]

I’m right know currently studying anatomy and want to start striving for storyboard next. Will it be useful to have a portfolio to showcase your animation work and storyboard work at the same time? What would you recommended?

[@Nosak.74]

Brooo this just helped me

[@bruh-zs8cx]

Reoccurring theme in all these - being a loner or shunned 😅😂 bro had a phase (unless that still going on, never seen your work before. Great stuff back then, must be brilliant now 👍)

[@dzrmgkva]

Is it possible to apply now to big studios? Cause animation industry kinda in low now and also I'm not from states, so I could work only remotely

[@jadef1337]

Hey just a quick question, I really loved all those tips thx, but did you only give 1 board? Or were there others that you didn’t show?

[@DanielMtal]

yeah I only submitted one storyboard. which isnt really typically i would recommend around 2-3. I did have some beatboards that i submitted.

[@samuelyoung3911]

17:20 Also we can see you stopped doing so many shadows in the last one, which I dunno if you mention after, but again, im in this time rn, so I haven't finished watching

[@Arcany]

oh cool! when is shrek 5

[@wyzar202]

Nice Daniel, do you teach or have plans to teach anytime soon?

[@johnylitalo4163]

Can you do a Theodore Tugboat movie and the Dinotopia movie?

[@xayantriv627]

Rio

[@pyeitme508]

Wow that's rough buddy 😅

[@d_8944]

8LKIll

[@BeeEatingOrchid]

Dreamworks sucks.

[@paloma4444]

You were pretty harsh here

[@DanielMtal]

Yeah I’m usually harder on myself and see so many more errors when it’s my own work. Also I played it up a bit for comedy.

[@pyeitme508]

​@@DanielMtal though how hard?😂

[@localkate]

​@@DanielMtal I actually find it REALLY helpful when successful artists such as yourself are rough on their older work. I learn a lot more when people don't beat around the bush and just give it straight. This was so insightful. I'm not going into storyboarding, but I still took away several little things to add to my own work because you really dug into these boards. Super helpful. So... while I still think younger you was a good artist, thanks for all this :) Very inspired.