Hi,
I have learned 3d from computer without any school, and i want to get a job in an animation studio, and i have no degree so i decided to make a 2-4 minute short film to showcase my skills, and what i want to know is if that is enough to make with it a demo reel.
and i also want to ask about something else which is if do modeling,texturing,rigging,animation,rendering&lighting i'm a 3d generalist or an animation generalist or something else.
How much do i need to put in my demo reel?
How much do i need to put in my demo reel?
I am in a similar quandary. I've been told to really focus on one skill. You should pick what you are most passionate about and best at. I really want to showcase character animation, though I've had a good deal of work that is with lighting, textures, effects, dynamics and such. So as a result this is more generalist. I have made the decision to not put any 2d or traditional in here, since I feel that they are largely different markets.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLPnIk_DFCY
What I really am looking for in a demo reel is a flow that drags you into the story. A story that showcases a particular skill is best of all.
It's difficult for me, because my short films all have elements I don't like. Say I have a facial animation I really like, but the rendering on it is terrible, and the body acting. Or I have a good action scene, but the camera motion is terrible. I wanted to weave all these elements I did like together, but it may take a few more weeks or months depending.
I do believe quality over quantity is the best policy, but it can be hard to pick from your own works.
A demo reel is like a resume' or a portfolio--you should tailor it for the specific job(s) you are applying for.
You'll most likely be hired for a specific job, not a general position.
The reels purpose it to showcase what you can do, so think of it as being just like a film: there's one cardinal rule--you should NEVER bore the viewer.
Unless you have animation, keep the material going. Still images should hold for no longer than 5 secs--3-4 secs can be enough. Moving items, such as rotations should play for no longer than 5 seconds--10 seconds if there's some complex action with them. Lead with the most striking material, omit anything that is weak or not relevant to the job you are applying for.
If your final film has little or nothing to do with the work you are applying for, place it LAST after the other samples, or just do not include it. Mention that you have a final film available for viewing. Or just show the best clips from it, not the entire film.
Keep things clear. If you are showing a rigging sample, say, showing an arm move on a character, and you choosing to do a slow rotate of the character......don't rotate AWAY from the arm motion. Move your camera to showcase whatever it is that you want to show, otherwise don't move the camera at all. Flashy gimmicks on reels are just bullshit, meant to hide things. Keep the material direct, simple, clear.....and use it to showcase what you are best at. The compromise gimmick is a soft dissolve between images to transition from one to the other--its easier on the eyes than a hard cut.
So, if you are good at textures and rigging........have two separate reels to showcase your strengths at both.
A viewer can make a determination to hire or not inside of about 10 seconds, looking at your reel. That is , in my opinion, the magic-window that you have to hit them with. The whole reel should be no more than 20-30 secs. Resist the urge to have it run any longer.
Don't make them work to see the best stuff, put the best stuff right up front.
Remember they can always free-frame or rewind to see something that catches their eye again.
Lastly, and this bears repeating: if your stuff isn't professional-looking......don't put it in. If you are not at that level yet, keep working at the stuff and assemble a reel when you have enough material. You'll be wasting your time and theirs if you are not ready.
"We all grow older, we do not have to grow up"--Archie Goodwin ( 1937-1998)
Thanks for the comments.
I really would like to work as a character animator, So you say one short is not enough to make a reel with it, and i have to do more shorts or clips to make a reel.
Well, it depends on how much material you have in your short or that you have on hand.
A character animation reel needs to show just two things: motion and expression (or emotion). You don't really need to tell a story per se, but you should show that you can communicate ideas, emotions and "business" ( acting; intent, thought, personality etc) through what the character does.
For that, you can just use snippets or animated vignettes that showcase simple ideas.
Don't fall into the trap of think that the often-routine animation exercises will suffice;those being head rotations or walk cycles. THOSE are a dime-a-dozen, and they don't really say anything.
Animate some personality, instead.
-A drunk draining the last of their beer.
-Someone comically writing an "important" letter.
-A ninja just managing to deflect dozens of enemy arrows with his sword.
-A clumsy superhero trying to put on his costume in a rush.
-A mum holding her sleeping child, looking concerned and then blowing out a candle.
These are just examples--there's countless others out there. If something comes across as touching, exciting, funny or just engaging then its going to be the right idea.
You can tackle a range of emotions, from dramatic to funny--whichever you feel your strengths lay.
Put in just enough clips to fit that 20-30 second time frame, so maybe 2-3 minimum, and maybe no more than 4.
If you are not aiming for a directorial position, there's not a lot of point to having a entire story on the reel, unless its something really engaging and really well-edited. Most student films I have seen plod along, and I don't think it helps. Actually a whole film would probably help if you were trying out for a storyboard position, but that is something else entirely......
Here's something to consider: most reels have stuff that's been animated all throughout the school programme. That means the aforementioned cycles and rotations and all the other stuff done when the artist was learning how to do this stuff. In other words, when they weren't very good at it. Prepping some all-new material after-the-fact--after all the lessons have been learned, after the experience of making a whole student film as been made......that......that let's the artist bank on their experiences. They are not forces to just go with what they have, they can use their new skills to actually deliberately prepare sophisticated material that can better work for them.
It doesn't even have to be fancy stuff, simple line-test animation that can be done with home equipment and easily-found software.
Will it take longer, yes.
Will it give the aspiring animator a better chance at getting hired?
I think so.
But you get out of it what you put into it.
"We all grow older, we do not have to grow up"--Archie Goodwin ( 1937-1998)
Thanks, your comment was very helpful.
i think your idea is very awesome .Life was full of challenge, as long as you have enough confidence, you will be successful.at the same time hope can see your short film .
Happy life can't apply colours to a drawing of the render farm ï¼