Pmiller VFX Demoo Reel Critiques and criticisms
greentooth
Aloha everyone. I havent made a demo reel in over 5 years, so this is exciting. I got into realtime VFX about a month ago, and i love the stuff. It’s so active, and no problem is the same. My brain feels like its always firing off at all cylinders. This is my first demo reel. Please let me know what you think, and how I can improve. Thank you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYVdP5t2Kp4&feature=youtu.be
Replies
Updated my reel! Thoughts?
I think generally speaking, I feel like your assets are burdened by a quality of being too 'automatic' or 'generated,' and I believe a display of more creative intent/flair for each piece would work to it's benefit. As to how to do so in the software, I... cannot say, but hopefully this can still be insightful. For example:
Your fire assets have detail, but they all kind of blend together into a dense amalgam of grain and noise. I think it'd look better to loosen it up somehow, giving it more distinct forms and easier to read ebbs and flows (especially with the stiffness of your stylized fire.)
I've always noticed explosions in games having these 'spikes/plumes' popping out, could be flames, sparks, or smoke, but they always help the effect break away from being a puff of flame. Not that there aren't simple explosions that simple torch eyebrows, but I feel like a dangerous 'reaching out' explosion would look better in a portfolio. Lasting smoke is also a nice touch.
And if you can, I'd advise taking a look at the visual and motion design of your forcefield. There's nothing wrong with using simple shapes, but at the moment it doesn't really have a "thesis' of being something that holds you back. It's sci-fi and it's crisp and clean, but it doesn't really, do, anything in it's visual language. It's not an electric webbing, or an alien wall, or lazored prison walls, and it's be nice to have a inherent narrative within the asset. Also some craftsmanship with subtle edge gradients would be nice.
And again, I'm nowhere near a VFX artist and I won't be able recognize the love and labor that went into your VFX, but these are my observations, and I hoped it helped. Good luck.
This is also personal preference, but you don't need a label for each effect or to list the software you used. You can do that on your resume. The only time you should have text on a shot is if there are multiple people's effects and you're clarifying which is yours. Time spent reading is time not spent looking at the reel.
I appreciate you taking the time. I was on a trip so I couldnt respond as soon as I wanted to.
My biggest takeaways from what y'all (and others) have said. Is that these effects done read well and there's not much motion to them.
As for the formatting, I've been looking at some professional reels for what they do, So i'll be applying What y'all said, in conjunction with what I've learned
Again, thanks guys!
@AnthonyAnimation
@BoonS