moving animation backgrounds: Demo Reel

Showing posts with label Demo Reel. Show all posts

Thursday, August 14, 2014

Bucks Animation & VFX Demo Reel 2014

We present our latest demo reel showcasing our students' best work from this past academic year. Among the students whose work is featured here include Monika Dzikowicz, Anton Alfimenko, James Hatton, Jack Strood, Georgia Nicholls, Tosin Oluyadi, David Wheeler and Stacey Houston. Music is by Bucks graduate Kris Allen. Congratulations to everyone who contributed to this latest selection of work done here at Bucks. We're proud of what all our students have achieved, and we look forward to seeing even more ambitious and challenging work in the future.

Gateway - our shiny new media hub

One thing that really stands out in this compilation is the sheer variety of work being done here at Bucks. 3D animation, 2D hand-drawn animation, stop-motion, Visual Effects, Motion Graphics, RealFlow - our students are exploring their talents and developing their own personal style in the medium of their choice.

Sound designer at work at Bucks

One of the best things about studying at Bucks is the sheer range of media resources available - guaranteeing a wide variety of work and collaboration between different disciplines. This is something that we strongly encourage. After all, your time at university should be about exploring your own creative choices, making mistakes, finding your voice, and getting better and better at what you do.

In the end, we want all our students to be creative artists. Employable, yes, skilled, yes, but above all - artists.

To see our 2013 demo reel, click here. To see more examples of our students' work, check out the first exercise done by our new students here. Also, take a look at the animation of Jack Strood, as well as our latest commercial project for Rocketseed, our short film done for a global aid agency, and take a look at the excellent work of some of our recent graduates, such as designer Monika Dzikowicz, architectural visualisation specialist Krsytof Michalski, Alex Whitfield and the 3D artwork of Mike Swan. Also check out the work of Andy Thomas here.

Saturday, May 17, 2014

What goes into a great animation demo reel?

What goes into a great student demo reel? This is one of the most common questions we get asked by students – and for good reason. Putting together a great demo reel is the single most important thing a student can do in order to get hired. A great demo reel is a showcase for your best work, your virtual shopfront. At Bucks we spend a great deal of time working on our students' demo reels, because it is so important. So what goes into a great reel? We think that there are 12 rules for success.

Rule 1: Create a great first impression

Put your best work first, and last. Most studios will likely invest about 10 seconds into watching your reel. If they see weakness at the start, they will not keep watching.

Rule 2: A great demo reel should have no mistakes

If in doubt...leave it out. If your demo reel has any mistakes in it, the studio will notice, and they will weed out your reel. Why? Because they will assume one of two things: either you saw the mistake but could not fix it, or you did not see the mistake. Either way, your reel is in the bin.

Rule 3: Customize your reel for the job you are applying for

Don't have a "one size fits all" demo reel. Re-edit your reel to suit the job you are applying for. If you are applying for a job at Pixar, your reel will be very different to the one you show FrameStore. Why? Because Pixar specialise in cartoony animation, while FrameStore tends to do photorealistic creature work. Customise your reel to suit the studio. An animator might well have two basic reels - one for character work, one for creature work. If you are applying for a job on, say, The Hobbit, make sure you have plenty of dragons. Half the battle is figuring out what an employer of client might be looking for.

Rule 4. Submit your work digitally, and online

DVDs and paper portfolios went out with the pigeon post. Your reel should be easy to find; hosted at your blog or website.

Rule 5 - Polish your work and learn Premiere or Final Cut

You are representing yourself to the studio. Presentation is important, so make sure that the edit looks nice. Learn Premiere so you can cut and re-cut your own reel.

Rule 6 - Gather opinions from people you respect

Find people who understand the industry you are applying for to help you review and critique your own demo reel.

Rule 7 – Remember that you are probably not the best judge of your own work

Your friends may say they like your reel because they like you and they do not wish to offend. Get impartial advice from a pro – and take it. Tough love will help you in the long run.

Rule 8 - Quality beats quantity

A short reel with a few good shots is much better than a long reel with many weak ones. Remember that studios will not look at a long reel - they will switch off. Anything over two minutes is too long. Polish and perfect what you have, and discard the rest.

Rule 9 - Show your name and contact details at the front and the end

This will include your full name, your website or blog, your email address, and your telephone number. Make yourself easy to find. Email addresses should be professional (avoid things like gr8lover@gmail.com)

Rule 10 – Keep it short

Students should have a 1-2 minute demo reel. Remember, quality over quantity.

Rule 11 - Include a reel breakdown list on the reel at the end

If there is anything on the reel you did not do, make it clear at the end, and give full credit to the creator. Don’t ever take credit for work which is not your own. This is a small industry, and you will be found out.

Rule 12 – don’t use copyrighted music on your reel

You will want to host your reel at YouTube and/or Vimeo. If you use music which is owned by someone else, your reel will be deleted for copyright violations.

---Alex

(Editor's Note: For more practical advice on demo reels and careers in animation and visual effects, read what Blue Zoo has to say about demo reels. See also advice from Disney, Sony Pictures Animation, and watch our video on how to create a great demo reel. Read about what our graduates had to say at the recent Graduate Panel. Check out this post on how to set up an small business. Also learn about your first client project, read out our post on Portfolio Careers, and read this piece on Survival as a Freelancer. Study the nuts and bolts of freelance life by reading our guide to invoicing clients, and our guide to freelancers and taxes. For more on careers in general, check out our guide to animation careers here, and also take a look at this map of digital studios - a great place to start your search for work in the business. Finally see our article on the jobs page at awn.com )

Monday, April 7, 2014

Cinesite explains what they look for in a great student demo reel

One of the most common questions asked by our students at Bucks is: how do I get a job? The answer, of course, is to be really good at what you do, and have a great demo reel to showcase your talent. But what makes a great animation reel? After, all, different companies have different priorities, and everyone is looking for something a little bit different. Luckily, many companies, including Cinesite (which offers the excellent Inspire internship for budding visual effects artists) have posted a lot of information at their website about what, exactly, they look for in a graduate's demo reel.

Using previous Inspire internship winners' work as examples, Facility Production Manager Dan Pettipher gives advice about creating a successful reel.

You can see Dan's incredibly helpful advice here: http://www.cinesite.com/podcasts/9.

---Alex

(Editor's Note: For more practical advice on careers, read what Blue Zoo has to say about demo reels. See also advice from Disney, Sony Pictures Animation, and watch our video on how to create a great demo reel. Read about what our graduates had to say at the recent Graduate Panel. Check out this post on how to set up an small business. Also learn about your first client project, read out our post on Portfolio Careers, and read this piece on Survival as a Freelancer. Study the nuts and bolts of freelance life by reading our guide to invoicing clients, and our guide to freelancers and taxes. For more on careers in general, check out our guide to animation careers here, and also take a look at this map of digital studios - a great place to start your search for work in the business. Finally see our article on the jobs page at awn.com )

Saturday, January 4, 2014

New Year's Resolutions for Animators

Our students have access to tons of training videos at Lynda.com

3. Start a website or blog

If you haven't done this already, you need to do this right away. Your reel and any associated art work should be hosted online, at a website or blog, It doesn't really matter which. You can build a free website at Blogger or Wix - try it. You'll be surprise how easy it is.

Free websites!

4. Do a new piece of animation, just for fun

Start something new, perhaps a short piece of dialogue, or a bit of creature work. You could enter the online 11 Second Club competition; it's a great way to get noticed and to polish your skills. We encourage all our students at Bucks to keep in touch even after they have graduated, and to send us their work for review. We are always happy to take a look and give a critique, and to help guide our students' careers, and help them find work.

5. Send your reel in to ten studios.

The only way to find work is to keep sending out your reel, and apply for jobs. Keep an eye on the jobs page at awn.com, and call your friends in the business. Do they know of anything coming up? Recommendations are the life blood of the business. Your friends and former colleages can be your best chance of getting a job.

MPC is hiring - check their website for details

If you're still at Uni, consider taking on small freelance jobs. How do you find these? Why not ask friends and family if they need some animation work done. Perhaps a logo for their company, or a small piece of digital art work for a project. Doing live briefs is often the best way to learn - pleasing clients is what digital artists do for a living, so it's good to learn early how it's done.

----Alex

What should an animator's new year's resolutions be? Animation is a huge and growing business, a far cry from the cottage industry it used to be even twenty years ago. But it is a competitive world, and good animators need to work smart to stay on top of their game. So here's a checklist for some simple ways to maintain your edge.
1. Polish and re-edit your demo reel.
Your demo reel is your shop front, your calling card. It needs to be good, and it should be up to date. Potential clients will judge you on the quality of your reel, so take a hard look at it, weed out mistakes, and polish what is left.
2. Learn a new piece of software.
New software is coming out all the time, and you can never know too much. Whether it's Maya, Max, Photoshop, AfterEffects, Premiere or Final Cut, clients will expect you to know the basics of these packages, or else be able to pick it up fast. The good news is there are free tutorials all over the web to help you get started and learn the basics.
3. Start a website or blog
If you haven't done this already, you need to do it right away. Your reel and any associated art work should be hosted online, at a website or blog, It doesn't really matter which. You can build a free website at Blogger or Wix - try it. You'll be surprise how easy it is.
4. Do a new piece of animation, just for fun
Start something new, perhaps a short piece of dialogue, or a bit of creature work. You could enter the online 11 Second Club competition; it's a great way to get noticed and to polish your skills. We encourage all our students at Animation Apprentice to keep on touch, and send us their work for review. We are always happy to take a look and give a critique.
5. Send your reel in to ten studios.
The only way to find work is to keep sending out your reel, and apply for jobs. Keep an eye on the jobs page at awn.com, and call your friends in the business. Do they know of anything coming up? Recommendations are the life blood of the business. Your friends and former colleages can be your best chance of getting a job.
- See more at: http://www.animationapprentice.org/blog/new-years-resolutions-animators.html#sthash.JBD2T3nb.dpuf

Thursday, December 26, 2013

How do you pick the best place to study animation?

Life at University

One of the most important decisions that any of us will ever make is what to study at University, and where. How do you choose? Even if you know you want to study animation and the digital arts (good choice!), there are at least 80 courses in the UK to select from. So how do you pick the right one? The simple answer is - pick the best. But how you tell which courses are the best? There are a number of ways of making the right decision, but we think that there are two that are by far the most important.

First, check out what other students on the course have already done. If they have done excellent work, the chances are that you will too. Why? Because few students produce great work in a vacuum. Most of us require motivation, inspiration, and the discipline of a well structured curriculum to guide us through, and help us do the best work we are capable of. Students are pushed by their tutors to succeed, and are inspired by the excellent work done by their peers to do better themselves. This is a virtuous circle in which standards get raised all the time.

We've just cut a new demo reel for the work done in recent years at Bucks. Check it out. We want all our students to be at least as good as this - and preferably do even better.

Second, take a look at the people teaching the course have done. Are they skilled in animation and digital media? Are their skills up to date? This is an industry which is in a state of constant change and upheaval as new technology drives the market. Traditional art skills matter, but so does having the right software and the ability to use it.

I've been working in the animation industry for 25 years, since 1987 when I worked as an assistant animator on Who Framed Roger Rabbit?. Later I got to work on Lion King at Disney, and The Iron Giant at Warner Bros, among many other hand-drawn films. In the early 2000s I switched from 2D to 3D animation, working on Robots, Open Season and then Monster House. Below is my 3D animation reel.

In the mid-2000's I started working in visual effects, on Racing Stripes, Beverly Hills Chihuahua, the last three Harry Potter films, and Voyage of the Dawn Treader. The video below shows a selection of visual effects work.

All our tutors at Bucks know their stuff. We're proud of what we do, and we are proud of teaching practical, industry-level skills that will help our students find jobs in an every-changing and highly competitive market.

-----Alex

(Editor's Note: To see the excellent work done by Bucks tutor Rob Kelly, check out this post. To see more examples of our students' work, check out the first exercise done by our new students here. Also, take a look at the animation of Jack Strood, as well as our latest commercial project for Rocketseed, our short film done for a global aid agency, and take a look at the excellent work of some of our recent graduates, such as designer Monika Dzikowicz, architectural visualisation specialist Krsytof Michalski, Alex Whitfield and the 3D artwork of Mike Swan. )

Sunday, December 22, 2013

Bucks Animation & VFX Demo Reel

An animator's demo reel is never done. It is a constant work-in-progress, always being refined and updated to include your best work and weed out the less impressive material. Over the years a great deal of excellent work has been done by animators and digital artists here at Bucks.

One of the challenges of putting together a compilation reel of our best student work has been trying to track down all the films done in recent years. Here, for the first time, is a compilation of some of our students' best work, cut together by our first year animator Anton "Alfy" Alfimenko.

Congratulations to all the artists who worked hard on their films to bring them up to such a high standard. We hope to do even better over the new year, as we strive to become the best animation and visual effects course in the country.

You can see our brand new hot-off-the-presses demo reel at our YouTube page below.

----Alex

(Editor's Note: To see more examples of our students' work, check out the first exercise done by our new students here. Also, take a look at the animation of Jack Strood, as well as our latest commercial project for Rocketseed, our short film done for a global aid agency, and take a look at the excellent work of some of our recent graduates, such as designer Monika Dzikowicz, architectural visualisation specialist Krsytof Michalski, Alex Whitfield and the 3D artwork of Mike Swan. )

Saturday, November 2, 2013

Meet Blue Zoo - Britain's largest TV Animation Company

At the recent BlueGFX Expo at London's National Film Museum on the South Bank, Blue Zoo founders Tom Box and Adam Shaw gave an excellent presentation about their BAFTA-winning young company - now the biggest TV animation co. in the UK.

Tom and Adam were very enthusiastic presenters, clearly excited about their company and about the future of TV animation in Britain. They also offered some excellent insights into how animation graduates might go about getting a job with their fast-growing studio. Below is a rough transcript of their talk, plus some of the questions they answered at the end.

Blue Zoo are based in London's Soho. From small beginnings, they now employ 120 people, though as with most studios this goes up and down according to the flow of work. They have also won multiple awards – including a slew of BAFTAs.

They are a privately owned company, which offers their owners a huge degree of creative control over what they do. Unlike many of their bigger rivals, their business structure allows them to plough their profits not into shareholders pockets but into the animation, ensuring high levels of quality and a strong creative agenda.

Tom and Adam studied at the NCCA in Bournemouth. In 2000 they founded Blue Zoo, even before they had graduated. To finance their small start-up, they got a loan from a family friend to buy the kit they needed to get up and running. Their timing was fortunate; they were looking to develop new ideas just as the BBC was setting up CBeebies.

Initially they specialised in low cost content, starting their first studio in a garage in Southend.When they began they had very basic equipment, and they had to hardware render all their shots (ie render them on their computer hard drives) since they could not afford a render farm (a so-called "farm" of computers, networked together to render out beautiful images, typically overnight).

Soon they moved to London and got themselves a single room in Regent St - their first studio, boasting four computers crammed into a tiny room. In 2003 they expanded, moved to bigger offices in Soho, and began to do more polished work. Soon they were making their own TV shows, doing 26 three minute episodes.

Stitch-Up Showdown. Deadly knitwear

One of the first was Stitch Up Showdown – starring knitted characters which kill each other in hideous ways. It was a success, but the broadcaster was a bit panicked when the material was first delivered. They had to cut some especially controversial parts, and they never did get US distribiution. But Blue Zoo soon moved on to new things - they pride themselves on doing work in different styles, not settling in to any particular house style.

In 2010 they got even bigger offices. They did Olive, Get Scribbling, and lots more adverts. In 2012 they won a BAFTA for the Best Independent Production Co. Today, the company has three main areas, which overlap and interconnect.

The first area is Creative services, which is mainly advertising. This is the most profitable part of the company. But, there is seldom time to fully develop the material, and advertising deadlines are relentless. The second part of the company is Long Form production, which offers more time to develop stories, but is less profitable. Adam Shaw is in charge of this division, which helps to develop the overall Blue Zoo production pipeline. The third main area of the company is Intellectual Property (IP) Development. This division generates new work, and develops new ideas and properties which the company owns directly. All three parts of the company inter-relate and inter-connect.

Blue Zoo do their editorial work in Avid, Final Cut and Premiere. It all depends on what the client wants, as the client will often want delivery of the raw editable files, so that they can make their own adjustments. To track their productions, and the progress of all the shots, Blue Zoo use Google Apps for production tracking. It’s free! And it works!

After the presentation, I asked them a few questions about recruitment. Specifically, What do they look for in animators?

The answer was, in a way, obvious. They want quality demo reels. And nowadays, they only look at online submissions. So don't mail in a portfolio - it will only get lost. Wannabe animators have to fill out an online form. And they say a personal statement helps – Blue Zoo want passionate people who really want to do the work, so a graduate who sounds really excited about animation - and about Blue Zoo - might just get noticed. However, they get literally thousands of applications each month, so the competition is tough.

So how do they weed out the reels they like? Well, it seems they don't look for long. They can usually tell “within the first 10-15 seconds” if they like a student's demo reel. That's not a long time to make a great impression.

My third question was - where do they hire from? Any particular schools?

The answer was - anywhere that produces great animators. They mentioned the NCCA, Teeside, Ravensbourne, and also overseas - they particularly like French students. Plus, they are closely working with Creative Skillset so they have something of a bias towards Skillset approved courses. But, in the end, they take the artists they like, regardless of where they come from. Also, they added, knowing someone at Blue Zoo helps. They like the "personal touch". If someone inside the company can vouch for you, it can be a huge help.

Finally I asked them how much an animator might be expected to produce on a TV series? The answer is, about 7 seconds a day, or 35 seconds a week. That's a lot of work. But then, they aren't outsourcing their shows to Asia, they are keeping the animation work here in the UK. We should be grateful for good quality jobs that aren't going overseas.

More power to their pencil (and pixels).

---Alex

(Editor's Note: For more on creating a successful demo reel, check out our post on what studios are looking for here, and also the Sony Pictures guide to demo reels here. You might also watch our ten minute video on what goes into a great student demo reel.)

Saturday, October 19, 2013

What do studios look for in a great demo reel?

Getting hired is diffuclt in the current climate, and finding that first job can be the hardest leap of all. The most vital thing that every Bucks graduate will leave with is a demo reel or portfolio that showcases their talent and will - hopefully - get them a job. One question that tutors get asked a lot is - what should go into a demo reel? It's a good question.

Below are some excellent notes on demo reels from Jinny Hinkle, a "wannabe animator" who attended Disney's "Inspire Day" in Los Angeles. The rules for demo reels were handed down by Disney but they apply to finding work at any studio.
So, here is Here's Jinny's checklist for what should go into a demo reel or online portfolio:

Start strong. Create a good first impression
If in doubt...leave it out
Show versatility - different styles
Customize for the job. Don't have a "one size fits all" demo reel.
Submit digitally. No DVDs or paper portfolios.
Polish - you’re representing yourself to the studio. Presentation is important
Show your work to others for opinions
You are not the best judge of your work (and neither is your Mum)
Don’t sacrifice quality for quantity
Show your title card at the front and end
Students should have a 1-2 minute reel
Include a reel breakdown list on the reel (at the end)
No sound on reels, except dialogue/music in the animation

We could not agree more - this is an excellent checklist.

You can read Jinny's whole post here:

And for more on demo reels, take a look at this video by Sony Pictures Animation. You can also watch my ten minute video on creating a great reel, and read this post on the perfect demo reel.

Remember above all that a great demo should be completely free of mistakes.

---Alex

Friday, August 23, 2013

What Does a Great Portfolio Look Like? Sony Pictures Animation Explains....

What goes into a good portfolio? Like a great animation demo reel, an artist's portfolio is never done. It should contain only your very best work. Your best piece goes first, your second best goes last. Nowadays, a paper portfolio is pretty much a thing of the past - your work should be on your blog or website, and regularly updated. A permanent online showcase of your talent.

In this video, Sony Pictures Animation set out what they see as the vital ingredients of a portfolio, the kind of presentation that might land you a job with one of Los Angeles' leading animation studios.

It's much easier than it used to be to get hard information on what the studios are looking for. Fed up with seeing reels and portfolios they can't use, big studio HR departments have started setting out indetail what precisely it is they need and want from fresh talent.

You might also check this video below about what goes into a great animation demo reel.

Enjoy!

---Alex

Friday, May 31, 2013

How to Create a Great Demo Reel

What goes into a great demo reel? The answer is - only your very best work. Better a short reel with excellent work than a long one with mistakes which need fixing. Employers and clients will look for mistakes, errors, and unfinished work - these are red flags which suggest a digital artist who doesn't complete, or who might flounder under pressure.

Which brings us to the single most important rule of demo reels:

A Demo Reel should be Entirely Free of Mistakes.

What do I mean by that? I mean that there should be nothing obviously wrong with any of your work on your reel. If any part of your work is still a work-in-progress, then don't include it. Or, rather, include it, but only once it's finished.

The best way to judge your reel is to see it through the eyes of other people. Show it to your friends, your colleagues, people whose view you respect. Ask them what they think. Do they understand what you did? Did they like the work? Are there things which confused them?

A demo reel is the single most important weapon in your arsenal when it comes to finding work. Make sure it's the best work you are capable of.

The video above was recorded for my online animation school, Animation Apprentice. It runs about 15 minutes, and covers most of the steps towards putting together a great reel.

Any questions - feel free to add them in the comments below and I will do my best to answer!

----Alex

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Student Showcase - SyFy Channel Ident by Krzysztof Michalski.

This is an ident (that is to say, a "station identification") created for the SyFy channel by Krzysztof Michalski, now in his third year at Bucks. Krzysztof completed this short piece in his second year; the brief was to do an ident for a TV channel. Broadcasters use idents to remind viewers what they are watching and also to help develop their brand identities. Motion Graphics work is a big and growing market for animators and digital artists.

Idents like this, as with any short pieces of animation done for a client, can be great ways to get professional work on your demo reel. Short pieces work to your advantage because you can really polish the details and bring your work up to a high professional standard, rather than getting bogged down in something excessively long.

The most common mistake students make when they start a film project is to be too ambitious. Better a short project skillfully made than a long one which is incomplete. Remember the golden rule of demo reels - they must be completely free of mistakes.

And the golden rule of student films - keep it short!

Many congratulations to Krzysztof on an excellent piece of work.

----Alex

Friday, March 22, 2013

Animated Film Festival in Spain seeks entries - for free!

Entry is free!

Calling all animators! Taking place this summer, from 4-6 July in A Coruña Spain, The "Mundos Digitales" festival is an International Animated Short Films Festival which includes conferences on 3D Animation, VFX, videogames and digital architectural visualisation.

The festival organisers are currently looking for entries to exhibit at the three day event. If you would like to participate, registration is open until the 24th of May. Best of all, it is completely free of charge!

If you get accepted, your work could be featured in the official program - a great way to showcase your skills before an international audience.

Entering an international animation competition is one of the best ways to hone your skills. Win a prize, or a get a mention, and any future employer is going to sit up and take notice. But, even if you don't win, the mere fact of entering the competition will help you to focus on doing your very best work, raise your game, and take your efforts to a higher professional level.

So get moving and polish your animation, and make sure you have something cool to submit by 24th May.

----Alex

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Alex York comes to Bucks on Friday 22nd March

Architectural Visualisation by Alex York

This is a reminder to all our digital artists that Alex York, who specialises in 3D architectural visualisation, is coming to Bucks tomorrow, Friday 22nd March at 9.30am, to talk about his work and career.

Alex is one of the top 3D visualisers in London and has worked on many prestigious jobs in the industry. He'll be sharing his experiences on Friday morning and then, in the afternoon, running a workshop to help our students improve their work - taking it to a professional level.

Attending lectures like this is an excellent way to find out more about what it takes to get that crucial first job and survive in a competitive but rewarding field. We're lucky to have Alex York come in so be sure to take advantage of the opportunity.

The lecture and workshop will be held in g1.13

---Alex

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Building a great animation reel - the problem of weight

The secret of a great animation reel is simple - it must be completely free of mistakes. As Aardman animator Matt Rees puts it: "you are only as good as the worst thing on your reel".

3rd year Bucks animation student Dave Berry has been working hard on his animation reel, polishing the exercises set in my friday afternoon animation class and turning them into demo-reel-ready material.

Above is an excellent version of the "flour sack suicide", a relatively simple exercise which which tackles the problem of weight (ie how to make stuff feel heavy), and also performance, that is to say making an inanimate object come to life.

You can find the rig, which is a free download, here. And here are some thumbnail sketches to get you started.

Dave has also gone to the trouble of adding some simple textures, lighting and a camera move to make the shot feel finished. Nothing too complex - for animation purposes you want to keep things simple, lest you end up getting judged for the wrong things.

Congratulations to Dave on a very skilled piece of animation.

----Alex

(PS If any Bucks students feel they don't have enough animation in their lives and want to come along on Fridays from 2-4 pm in G1.13...come and join us!)

Friday, February 22, 2013

Disney Producer Don Hahn on How to Break into The Animation Industry

Don Hahn is an animated film Producer whose credits are almost a roll-call of the Second Golden Age of Animation. His films include Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, Beauty and The Beast, and The Lion King. He is currently producing the much-anticipated Maleficent, due out in 2014.

In an interview with FLIP animation blog he talked about his work as a producer, writer and director. We publish here an excerpt from the interview - his excellent advice to students on how to break into the animation business.

Don: I meet so many people who want to break into the film business as animators, writer, directors or producers and want to know how. Here's a checklist:

Have strong work in your portfolio and clip reel, or strong writing samples.
Be yourself, know who you are and what you do best
Work harder than anyone else
Be relevant, make sure your skills are up to date
Send studios with your resume and follow up with a call
Find a mentor in the industry
Stay flexible, and be willing to move if you get an opportunity.
Get into the culture: it is easier to get hired if you live in LA or NYC or London and can intern or get an entry level job at the studio you want. It is hard to get hired if you live in Kansas and don't want to move.
Stay positive, stay persistent, stay in contact
Don't let the obstacles scare you away. Each studio has firewalls built up in order to keep the hobbyists and fan boys out. As a serious artist, it's part of the rights of passage to get beyond those firewalls with your talent and persistence. If they don't return your call, don't like your reel, can't talk to you unless you have an agent, or don't have anything for you, see these for what they are...obstacles to keep the amateurs out. If you want to be professional, you'll find a way to break past these with time and persistence.

In short: be better, be faster, be smarter, be stronger, work harder, work longer and there will be no stopping you!

Monday, February 4, 2013

What Do Animators Need to Get a Job?

In 2011 I was teaching an animation class at Escape Studios in London, and we managed to get Aardman Animation in Bristol to agree to help keep an eye on us, and make sure we were delivered top-level work. They even sent one of their best animators, the very talented Matthew Rees, to come up to London and check out our students' tests.

Of course, all the students asked the same question - what sort of reel do you need to get into Aardman Animation? My answer was - a very, very good one. There is nothing more important to a working animator than his or her demo reel. It is your calling card, your talent showcase, your passport to employment.

My own rule is simple. Whatever goes on your reel - it must be completely free of mistakes. This is an absolute rule. If you submit to a studio a demo reel that has any mistakes in it, the studio will assume one of two things:

You saw the mistake, but couldn't fix it, or
You didn't see the mistake.

Either way, the studio is by now moving on to the next candidate. After all, they have a pile of demo reels to get through, they are usually spoiled for choice.

So, what was Matt's answer to the students' question? He didn't quite put it the same way I did, but he made pretty much the same point (and in fewer words) when he said "you are only as good as the worst thing on your reel".

---Alex

Saturday, February 2, 2013

What Do Modellers Need To Get a Job?

At the end of last year I met with Royston Wilcox, who heads up the modelling department at Cinesite in Soho, one of London's leading VFX houses. We worked together on many projects at Cinesite, including Underdog, Beverly Hills Chihuahua and Marmaduke, and between us we helped set up a super-efficient pipeline for realistic animal lipsync.

We are delighted that Royston has agreed to be one of our external reviewers, making sure our course at Bucks is fit for purpose and gives students the skills they need to find work in the industry. It is through developing and deepening our contacts with industry that we intend to make our course one of the best in the country.

And getting those jobs is more competitive than ever. Cost pressures on VFX work is driving modelling work out to China, farming it out to super-cheap studios who can do it for less. This places pressure on entry-level positions in London, making the job market even more competitive.

The good news from Cinesite is that they do offer entry-level jobs, and also internships. This takes the form of a competition - the submissions get judged and the best work gets an internship at Cinesite.

What does Royston look for in a modeller? - ideally someone who has worked on a film, understands the process. This kind of real-world experience is vital, because it lets an employer know that the candidate understands how the process works.

What about Runners? Does Cinesite hire them? Absolutely. Prospective runners get interviewed by HR and they spend up to a year working as runners, doing a fair bit of drudge work but at the same time learning the business and getting to know the company. This can be a great opportunity to start a career.

What should a good modelling reel demonstrate? Here is Royston's checklist of what he looks for in a prospective modeller:

Good surface topology, properly displayed. A good reel should show the topology of the mesh.
Show the reference used to build it. Does the model match the reference? Is the model accurate? This is super-important, as most studio jobs involve matching reference exactly.
A good working knowledge of Maya. Maya is now the dominant software in the industry in Soho - 3DS Max is less in demand, at least in London.
Watch out for objects built with ZBrush and Mudbox. These tools are very good for creating sculptures but the mesh ends up very heavy. They are not necessarily suitable for production.

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

What Does The Perfect Demo Reel Look Like?

What does the perfect animation demo reel look like? It's not an academic question. A good demo reel is the student's calling card, their shop front to the world and a public display of talent. No matter how good or talented you may be - you are only as good as your demo reel. It is what employers will look at when they decide which of ten applicants to hire for a vacancy. A good reel is the difference between getting hired, and not.

Above is an example of what I think a good animation reel should look like. This is the work of the very talented Richard Jeffrey, who took my animation course at Escape Studios in London. Rich has done a mixture of character and creature work, and shows not just technical skill but that most elusive of qualities - the capacity to entertain.

Any student with a reel like this will not struggle to find work.

---Alex

Pages