Character Animation Reel - Svein Ferkingstad

SveinKF

Hello artists of Polycount!

I've been lurking around these forums for a few years on and off looking at all the inspiring art. I used to be more of an active lurker when I was focused on character modelling. Anyways, lately I have been pursuing my dream to work in the industry as a character animator for the past 2-3 years and I've recently created a new demo reel I would love to get feedback and some fresh eyes on it. This will help me as I push forward to become a better animator.

Cheers!

http://vimeo.com/62781633

BARDLER

Assuming you want to work in game animation you probably want a couple good walk/run cycles in there. The animation teacher at my school, who use to work for Sega, said that for game animation reels physical interaction between characters is really important. It could be fighting, or helping each other, but I think it helps show you can handle those type of animations which are really common in games.

Hope this helps a little bit. Good luck!

SveinKF

Thanks BARDLER. Physical reaction seems like a great idea to show in my next animations. I think that will help strengthen my reel. As for game animation I am leaning more towards VFX and Feature Film at the moment with an occasional application to a game studio. When I was at FMX and talked to Crytek they mentioned that they don't necessarily need to see game animation like walk/run cycles if you just have good animation. That may be different for Crytek since they use a lot of motion capture etc.

That said I believe I will most likely do some attack animations and walk/run cycles for an alternative reel for gaming. The physical interaction part is relevant to any part of animation. Thanks again!

MiAlx

Hey SveinKF,

I really like your reel! Really cool. I especially like the third scene.
Although I don't have any specific feedback, maybe I can provide some food for thought instead.

Regarding cycles in reels, I have also heard that some game studios don't care if you have cycles in your reel as long as the animation itself is good.

With that being said, I think your reel could benefit from a bit of variety. Like you said, shots with physical interaction etc. You can even take a look at a game you like and get some ideas about what could be appealing to watch.

You could also think about adding a shot where you explore other animation styles. For example, a more "realistic" (I use the term loosely here) approach to a combat scene or a realistic walk cycle vs a heavily exaggerated one.

It could also help a lot to have more specialized pieces in your reel. Or like you mentioned, to create a film reel and a games reel. That way you can offer a lot more for both "versions". For instance, for the game reel, you could maybe import an animation (an animation cycle for example) into an engine. That shows that you also have the understanding of the engine workflows involved in a game project.

But like I said, that's just food for thought, don't know how useful this was. Good luck!

SveinKF

Thanks MiAlx!

I will definitely take that in consideration as I move forward. I knew my reel was lacking something in the sense of variety or even appeal. I believe in myself to be a good animator, but since its a subjective art form it makes it difficult to sense what might improve ones work.

Seems like the major factor that would benefit me the most would be to focus more on physical interactions. I might have subconsciously avoided such animations because I wanted to keep it simple and interactions provide more technical challenge and a more thorough thought process.

Great tips guys!