GUIDELINES FOR CREATING A DEMO REEL

Demo Reel Creation

Creating an effective demo reel is essential to your success as a digital artist. The information below is meant to assist you in creating a demo reel for one of major areas of 3D production, but actual requirements will vary depending on your career or academic goal.

Demo Reel Guidelines

The following are general guidelines for demonstration reels, regardless of discipline:

* Keep it short. One or two minutes is ideal. Over three minutes is excessive.
* Put only your best and most recent material. Do not include everything you have ever done. DO NOT INCLUDE CLASS TUTORIALS.
* Include a shot list that indicates exactly what work you were responsible for in each shot as well as the tools and/or method used.
* Create a reel that is specific to your area of interest or to a certain job opening. You may need multiple reels if you are applying for more than one position or to more than one company.
* Be sure to check the demo reel requirements of the company that you are applying to. The company's website will usually list information about the content they want to see on the rell, the delivery format they accept, etc.

Demo Reel Structure

The following is a general outline for the structure of a demo reel, regardless of discipline:

* Simple title with your name and contact information. No flying logos or particle effects. You won't impress anyone with that.
* A brief montage of your best work. Begin with your strongest work. A soundtrack is unnecessary unless the audio is related to the visual work.
* Short projects may be included in their entirety at the end of the reel.
* Repeat your contact information at the end.

Demo Reel Requirements

The following is a general outline for the contents of a demo reel, based on discipline:

Animation (Film/TV)

Feature film and television animation reels should demonstrate a mastery of the underlying concepts of character animation. These include but are not limited to the following:

* Posing
* Timing
* Anticipation
* Follow-through
* Overlapping action
* Weight and balance
* Staging and silhouettes

Short clips that demonstrate these principles are fine. Also crucial for these reels are examples of performance animation. Animating to dialogue, gesturing, emoting and character/environment interaction are examples of this. This type of reel does not require more than basic lighting and shading. Keep the visuals clear and simple. Playblasts are usually acceptable.

Animation (Games)

Game animation reels are very similar to feature and tv reels, but game reels tend to emphasize action over performance. Motion cycles like walks, runs, jumps and rolls should be included. Transitions between these motions should also be demonstrated. Animation clips that involve a character interacting with an environment are also essential. Characters lifting heavy objects or climbing up walls are examples of this. Some game companies like to see examples of special gameplay actions like death animations, fighting, etc.

Modeling (Film/TV)

Modeling reels for film and television should show deformable character models as well as rigid object models. Models should demonstrate efficiency and an understanding of various surface types (NURBs, polygon, subdivision). Modeling reels should also include the conceptual art used in creating the model. The standard way to present character and prop models is to create a turntable animation. This is simply a rendering of the model rotating 360 degrees along the up axis. Each turntable animation should consist of the following passes with dissolve transitions between them:

* Shaded model without textures
* Shaded with wireframe
* Shaded with textures (for modelers this should demonstrate correct texture coordinates)
* Shaded with deformations (arm and leg rotations, spine flex, facial deformations, etc.)

Lighting and staging is important for creating an effective turntable animation because the model should look as attractive as possible. Use a telephoto focal length to minimize distortion.

Modeling (Games)

A game modeling reel should demonstrate the same principles as a film or tv reel. The emphasis, though, is overwhelmingly on polygonal modeling. Examples of low and high resolution models are necessary. Efficiency is key.

Rigging

Rigging reels should include animation tests of character or creature models that show a wide range of deformations. Custom animation control rigs can also be demonstrated. Rigging positions usually require moderate to advanced scripting skills which are hard to demonstrate in a reel. The best way to demonstrate the effect of a script is to show the scene before executing the script, then again after the script has been run. Screen captures of the script's code can also be shown.

Texturing and Lighting (Film/TV)

Texturing and lighting reels for film and tv should show a clear understanding of color theory and attention to detail. Texture artists usually possess traditional or digital painting skills. Lighting artists usually have experience with photography or live action cinematography. Understanding how surface materials react to light is essential. Texture and lighting reels often show shot progression sequences. These sequences consist of the following:

* The rendered scene with default lighting and shading.
* The rendered scene with final materials.
* The rendered scene with final textures.
* The rendered scene with final textures and lights.

These shot progressions demonstrate the creative application of textures and lighting to reduce the amount of complex geometry needed for a scene.

Texturing and Lighting (Games)

A texture and lighting reel for games will be similar to the film and tv equivalent. A game reel, though, should demonstrate an understanding of UV mapping and texturing. Game lighting also involves vertex lighting and "baking" lighting information into texture maps.

Visual Effects

An entry-level vfx reel should demonstrate the effective blending of live action elements with computer generated imagery. Dynamic simulations involving particles as well as rigid and smooth body dynamics are also useful. Be aware that effects animation is an area that require a high degree of technical aptitude. Scripting skills are usually a must.