Creating a reel from scratch, what wows employers?
polycounter lvl 7
My background is in 3D, but i've mostly been acting as a media designer and would like to find an entry level job within San Francisco (notoriously hard as it is)
So my question is what is the freshest content that people who review demo reels/portfolios find interesting.
I assume Orcs, space marines and sci-fi corridors are done to death.
I guess my question isn't really what specific content i should make for a games reel but what kind of skills i should show off.
Seeing as i'm aiming for an entry level position i think i should cover my bases and work on Modelling, Texturing, character model/s, environment art and props and perhaps some concept art thrown in to show i can do that.
I wouldn't aim for a jam packed reel, but just do small examples to show that i'm capable of these skills.
I know Maya, zbrush, photoshop, marmoset and i plan to learn xnormal,ndo2 ddo and unreal engine (possibly unity too).
Thank you for your time!
Is there any tips any veterans or people in positions that hire could give me as pointers to craft a reel/portfolio that will dazzle and hopefully ensure a job position.
So my question is what is the freshest content that people who review demo reels/portfolios find interesting.
I assume Orcs, space marines and sci-fi corridors are done to death.
I guess my question isn't really what specific content i should make for a games reel but what kind of skills i should show off.
Seeing as i'm aiming for an entry level position i think i should cover my bases and work on Modelling, Texturing, character model/s, environment art and props and perhaps some concept art thrown in to show i can do that.
I wouldn't aim for a jam packed reel, but just do small examples to show that i'm capable of these skills.
I know Maya, zbrush, photoshop, marmoset and i plan to learn xnormal,ndo2 ddo and unreal engine (possibly unity too).
Thank you for your time!
Is there any tips any veterans or people in positions that hire could give me as pointers to craft a reel/portfolio that will dazzle and hopefully ensure a job position.
Replies
Images are everything, nice artwork on page one and easy to navigate. Some people swear by one page that lists every project in one go, I find these take a while to load but they are efficient. If you have multiple pages make sure it's easy to navigate.
Videos are cool as supplementary assets, turntables and fly-throughs but a modeller show-reel actually makes you look inexperienced.
in terms of content: focus. Don't go for a bit of half-assed everything. One amazing complete environment could be enough, or 2-3 amazing hero props. No point in some "concept art" on the side unless you're at least above average at it. I'd have my doubts about showing characters models for the same reason: it's so competitive that you won't have much luck unless you're amazing...
However what's been said already is important about the time people have to view it. In my experience too many people get hung up on making some kind of masterpiece and personal statements when it comes to reels. It's better to keep things simple
Here are my tips:
Always make a reel, but...
keep it short - 2mins max. Cut a longer one for possible use at interview.
Only show your best and completed work, and work you're truly proud of. No WIPs
If possible, put your best work at the start, but maintain the level of quality throughout.
If you're a graduate, include a snappy montage of your best bits, and not just your final year project.
Where possible, add in breakdowns for your work - ie. If you are a Modeller, add the topology to a render or still. It can also be helpful in 3D to show your UV layouts, and also the various texture maps as well. But keep it short and snappy, don't let this stuff drag.
In film, people submit reels with a breakdown sheet that highlights exactly what parts of the footage on the reel are yours. This can be useful in games if you perhaps only have actual game/trailer footage for your reel.
Don't spend too much time editing your reel to music - many will watch reels on mute ( used to), its the images people are interested in, not your taste in music
An online link is perhaps best suited for reels these days, but keep it simple. The link should be short and easy and go direct to the reel. Don't bury it under menus and mouse clicks. And be sure the reel will work on whatever platform a person might use - pc/mac/ipad/android
If you can make your models in some environment make some small animation and than show break downs.
Overall get contacts, dont know what others will say on this but so far what i have seen is people who tend to know someone in industry despite the fact they drew 2 boxes and people looked at them for hours as abstract art got jobs easy vs people trying to make Gears of war sort of Zbrush heavy work in portfolio are still looking for work.
One more thing I have noticed is that if you can sculpt make acutal 3D models using clay or even make scale models with immense detail and your work in 3D software is not good you still get hired cause your foundations are good and over time you can master the software tool.
Best wishes man and good luck.
I'll be honest, I was not very confident in my work when I was sent the art test I did to get my job. I know that my work is not the most amazing work that's ever been done.
Why did I get attention? Probably because my entire website was 99% just my art. The rest of it just important text and links to important things.
How do you want to spend that minute with them? Reading text on your blog and searching for the link to the art work? Watching the intro to your demo reel? Or looking at a nice page of well laid out artwork that they can quickly click through and get to the images?
It seems like a no brainer in that context...
The trouble with reels is that people are compelled to add music, put in fade transitions, spin models for too long or too slowly ... all of that eats up your allotted minute of this art director's time. IMO, not worth it.
If you're a VFX artist/animator then yes, I agree, that a reel is needed. But as others said, a nicely layed-out portfolio is much better because then who ever is viewing your site doesnt have to sit through the whole thing. You can view a lot of images in the same time it takes for a reel to load and play. Are turntables really needed if a nice layout suffices?
Is Tumblr a good image site for portfolios? or would you suggest something else. I know tumblr gets alot of hate for its "hipster" appeal. But it seems like a great image sharing site.
Buy a domain name.
Don't use blogs or tumblr for yoru professional portfolio. Those are annoying and you should always want to have full control as to how your work is presented.
Make sure your strongest pieces are up top.
Check my "Your Portfolio Repels Jobs" article: http://www.jonjones.com/2005/10/07/your-portfolio-repels-jobs/
It still holds up today, but last month I also posted general (and even more current) advice on portfolios and whether to use Blogspot\Wix\Carbonmade\etc here: http://www.jonjones.com/2013/06/25/resume-and-portfolio-tips-twitterblast/
Have links to your folio in as many places available, so if I loose it its easy to find again. Have a folio name that is either easy to remember or easy to search for.
Don't make a reel, give an employer only images of props, wireshot and maps of your work. believe me, this is enough, if people give me a mystic *.mov file to view their reel, i vomit, period.
Do not make a reel, or vomit will emerge.
You're going to be wasting a lot of time making your shots especially if they're overly complicated ones, especially when you're inexperienced. The transitions between each shot, understanding how shots affect the mood, perhaps even a choice of music or sound effects despite the fact that no one listens to audio but its needed there anyways, etc.
Why not just take a bunch of pictures and put them up on the site. There's a lot less hassles and you won't have to deal with compression voodoo between the video players and a host site.
/Irony is I have a demo reel in my portfolio but I plan to replace it later
I don't think it really makes any difference, reels are still useful and for me the cleanest and best way to show work off. An online folio is definitely a good idea, but its still leaves some level of interaction of the viewer, which can be unpredictable, so you still have to keep it clean and easy. A reel leaves no doubt to what the person will see and you want to ensure that the person looking is looking at the stuff you want them to see.
Stills might be great for some roles, but if you applying for anything involving animation, then (imho), you simply have no choice but to do a reel.
And a 2min reel shouldn't take that long to stream and play these days.
However, it's worth noting that some studios will have guidelines on how they might want work to be submitted, so either way it's best to have all your bases covered.
Just not true, you get 30 seconds to impress. I reviewed over 100 portfolios last week. A reel is ONLY good for VFX and animation. I don't think you get how competitive and cut-throat recruitment is at the moment. My time is precious wading through a video is a waste of my time when I'm looking for modellers. Images all the way with optional turntables to show off shaders and fly-throughs for levels. I hired 3 guys last week, only one had a bloody reel and he was an animator!
Fair enough, and you're perfectly entitled to your opinion.
I know that being from Autodesk that people probably just think that I'm just a clueless muppet, but yeah I do know what it's like out there at the moment. Frankly recruitment, especially in games has always been cut-throat and will probably continue to be so.
It's easier to keep your portfolio up to date as well
Tor summed it up perfectly. When your URL loads, put art in my face. Period.
If your work doesn't impress your employer in 30 seconds, then you're probably not up to snuff to hire.
Why would I bother to LOOK for your good art if you didn't put it up on top for me to see? Presentation is just as much a part of getting hired as your work is.
Video for modeling is really useless unless you're showing off how your model deforms. I want large pictures where I can examine wireframes.
https://vimeo.com/10763826
He's using actual footage from the movies to show his models in motion. Nothing wrong with that.
The main difference between game models and movie models is the density of the mesh. His wireframes zooming around at the speed they were going almost doesn't matter because his meshes are dense enough that deformation isn't really a concern. For video games its another matter. Most leads want to see still shots of the low poly cages so they can determine if the applicant knows how to properly build his mesh.
To be honest though, I fast forwarded through the intro until I saw the model turnarounds. I watched a couple, then just fast forwarded through it until the end.
If you're comfortable with people fastforwarding through your work, then by all means.
UNLESS, you're also showing off your shaders/material/particle work and are really proud of it (mostly for environment artists however, since characters/proper up close in HD images are easier to show off such details, even in lack of motion), but that honestly depends on what kind of model you're showing off.
However, the major issue is, it has become one of those archaic requirements in the game industry (I guess it's the left over smegma of the movie industry trainee's and pioneers) in which you must have at least 1 modeling reel, even if the characters are all static or nothing is moving.
Hell, I remember an employer asked me once (before anything else) if I had a reel, I answered with the "Yes, on my YT channel, but I also have a site with all my work on it too" statement, it just came off as odd that he seemed to ask such a question first, instead of "Where can I see your work"...
So yeah, just focus on a proper functional site first with all your work open in HD, once that is done, just do some generic rotating Demo-Reels and try to make them look as 'next-gen' as possible and call it a day, I found out the hard way that most people who look at reels are 'next-gen' peeps in studios, while more art style centric ones will look at folio's more.
The only game artist videos I'd sit through are of this quality.
[ame="
[ame="
Video for environments is always a great idea.
That's what images are for.
Video should only ever be a supplement to your portfolio images unless you're VFX or animation.
sure.
but don't deny that you're in the minority over this. ESPECIALLY when talking about characters.
we're all here giving this person solid advice of what actually works.
He can make a reel if he wants but he absolutely needs to have a 2d portfolio. A reel without a portfolio is closing doors, a reel is just a bonus.
Certainly in the film industry it's essential to have a reel.
However animators looking for work in the game industry should consider a different approach. I'd suggest including separate animations for each individual animation.
The reason for this is that it allows someone who's trying to hire you to view just the animations they like rather than having to sit through a whole reel of animation. Also if they're trying to show why they should hire you they can remove work that's not relevant to the project you're applying for.
This is also why screenshots are better than a reel. The hiring manager can get just what they want to show.
Unless I'm reviewing an animator, I personally prefer images. Images load faster, can't be fast-forwarded, are easier to keep up-to-date than a reel, and there are fewer ways to screw up presenting images on a website than cutting a reel.
I understand your point but you're arguing against human nature here, as well as thinking this is the only screening process. People make first impressions. Why not stack the odds in your favor by making the best one possible for standing out in a worst-case scenario? If you can make the first cut where we issue you an art test and interview, more power to ya. But if someone's work is immediately and obviously wrong, my time is better spent elsewhere. Sorry.
Also, "30 seconds" doesn't necessarily mean that's where the review stopped. I've been doing this for long enough that I can gauge someone's skill in a matter of seconds when I look at their work. I'll still look at everything in their portfolio and build a larger picture, but when you have a pile of 50+ applicants and other responsibilities on top of it, it gets very stressful and exhausting. To put it in perspective, there are a dozen developers I work with directly inhouse as well as a team of ~25 people externally that I manage, so every minute I spend on something that isn't what they're waiting on me to do is a minute "wasted."
Not taking sides. Just saw this while doing the daily trawl for free Internet Naledge c/o for-profit school Full $ail (but it's FREE!)
[ame="
Do you know how LONG 30 seconds is, seriously! It's quite a long time. Long enough to look at 5 or 6 pieces which is enough to see if they go into a maybe pile where they get more attention. 30 seconds trying to scan through a 5 minute video which won't buffer quick enough is time not well spent. No-body is suggesting that successful applicants get 30 seconds of my time, a good applicant might get half an hour of scrutiny by multiple people.... BUT he only gets 30 seconds to let me know if he is a good applicant in the first place!
Other annoyances are images on flash sites that I can't save to a folder or print out for a later date and C.V.s printed on black so I can't annotate them with biro! GRRRR!
You need to chill out dude, same with every one of the hiring experts in this thread. You dont NEED to be shaving seconds off hiring process especially since these applicants could take hours/days to get back and sign a contract with back and forth. You dont NEED to hire a modeller at 12:30 vs 12:31. Talking about the horrors of a website not loading fast enough - what are you, on dial up? Get with the times dude. Im sitting on extremely fast internet and no website ever loads slow you feel me.
And yes, even that animators reel example posted earlier kindof annoyed me. The content is great, and of course the reel format was necessary in order to showcase the animations. But still I ended up skipping the model turnarounds by chunks of 30 seconds, in order to see the next model quickly without having to wait. Also and for some odd reason, T-posed model turnarounds have a weird obsolete feel to them now - kind of like checkered floors and shiny chrome sphere renders. I cannot quite put my finger on it - it just feels ... "meh".
If that guy was applying for a games job (a field where reels are frowned upon), I think the best format would be to have one simple vertical scrolling page with highres screenshots of all the models, with embedded youtube clip showing the animations in between. Simple !
[ame]www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-OGD2DgIHI[/ame]
The "30 seconds" phrase is a catch-all for "impress me, go!" If you can't impress me enough to hold my attention for 30 seconds, I'm not going to dig deeper. Maybe that's unfair to some people but that's life.
Wow me with your art. Give me a REASON to dig deeper because there's 30 other applicants who all want a piece of my attention after you.