![]() ![]() “Demo reels are traditionally ordered by the quality of work, with the best first and moving from there,” adds Cooper. Final production quality – render, lighting, music – matters, because it gives an idea of how polished you finish your work.” 08. “Just try to show your characters in the best light possible. “Some camera work – or at least decent framing of the animated characters – will help you stand out from reels that have none,” he continues. “Dialogue and acting scenes are a huge bonus, as we're always blurring the lines between gameplay and cinematic storytelling, and game animators are typically expected to at least have a hand in both aspects on the job. “For the types of games I make, this means navigation around a complex environment involving jumping, climbing and vaulting, one-on-one-combat, walk and run cycles and so on,” he explains. “For a game-focussed animation reel, I hope to see actions and a style that pertain to the role I'm hiring for,” says Naughty Dog’s Jonathan Cooper, who’s posted some handy showreel tips section on his website, GameAnim and has worked on games including Uncharted: The Lost Legacy. It could be poor time management, lack of focus, an inability to gauge ones work abilities. ![]() Unfinished thesis films speak volumes about the person presenting the portfolio. If you have a thesis film, I want to see it finished. “If you’re an animator, I don’t want to see the walk cycles you did in your first year of college. “I’m a broken record on this, but only include your best, most impressive work, urges Aaron Blaise. “If the clip doesn't represent your full abilities as an animator, and leaves the reviewer questioning anything, it’s better to leave it out and have a shorter reel.” 06. If you're on the fence about throwing in that one old piece from three years ago just to pad your reel, don't do it,” states Lisa Allen. “For me, the perfect reel is about three-five clips and around a minute long. These little things make me think, ‘Oh, this animator can bring ideas to the table that no one else would think of.’” 05. But what makes me remember it is that one unique choice – maybe it’s an unexpected acting choice maybe it’s surprising and interesting timing. “You can watch a reel with great animation, where the polish, arcs, everything is perfect. “I was a junior-level animator at the time, but they liked that I took a simple, quick shot of a guy walking and talking, and gave the walk a lot of personality,” she recalls. Lisa Allen, Blue Sky StudiosĪllen’s worked on Epic, Rio 2, Peanuts and Disney’s Wreck It Ralph, and was a year-and-a-half out of college when she won her first full-time animation job. Don't forget to put yourself into your work. “Don't forget to put yourself into your work.” “Remember, we're artists,” points out Lisa Allen, an animator at NYC’s Blue Sky Studios and portfolio reviewer at the most recent CTN animation expo. “More importantly is the ability to show that somebody has good acting sensibilities and understands how to gesture or when not to gesture.” 04. “They need to understand weight, physicality, overlap, squash and stretch,” he continues. His blog, Spline Doctors, has a wealth of helpful animation-related tips, although it is no longer being updated. “I look for stuff that first and foremost shows someone understands the principles of animation,” says Gordon. I want your portfolio to entertain me.” 03. “At Disney we would talk about portfolios that stuck out – and they stuck out because the work was consistently entertaining throughout,” explains Oscar-nominated animator Aaron Blaise. They want to see if you can tell a story.” 02. People don’t want to see just great animation. When I see that, I know this person is thinking about entertainment. Show me a character that I’m really engaged in watching that’s well-posed and has a funny little story. ![]() “I love the idea of seeing a lot of shots and continuity. You want to say: ‘Hey, I’m a film-maker’,” advises Pixar Animation Studios directing animator Andrew Gordon, who’s worked on everything from A Bug's Life, Monsters Inc and Toy Story 3 to Pixar’s Academy Award-nominated short film Presto. “Piece together pieces so that you’re telling your prospective viewer that you understand cutting, continuity and staging. ![]() Monsters Inc's Mike Wazowski was the first character Gordon got to lead ![]()
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