Showreel Advice

Showreels are something that we all have to create being creative professionals, yet they are often one of the hardest things to get right, as so much is relying on you getting your showreel right in order to land that dream job. Which is why I found this workshop to be incredibly beneficial as it demonstrated the best ways in which to make a showreel and offered us advice from creative professionals, which I felt has given us a good shot at creating the best showreel we can for industry. 

First off, we were reminded to keep it plain and simple, not to spend lots of time making a fancy name and intro, but to rather get into the action straight away only holding your information for around 3-5 seconds. We were also reminded to keep this information clear and understandable. 

The next few tips revolved around the content of our showreel. It is important to think about your work and what works best to your strengths and showcases what you are capable of. Put your best shot first and refrain from padding, as this can cause a viewer to become disengaged and bored with your showreel, which should be no longer than 60-90 seconds. Similarly you should only include what you are good at rather than things you are merely okay at. You should also try to demonstrate that you are flexible and adaptable throughout your work. Showcasing only one type of animating limits your abilities and may cost you the job so think about how to showcase animated performance which can be done through concept art, story-boarding, model making, etc. 

 Following on from this, you should clearly explain your role through your work. For instance, if you merely did the backgrounds within a short then you should articulate that this was your role and that the animation within that clip isn't yours. Explaining or showcasing the roles you played may differ depending on which studio you are applying to, as different studios will be looking for different things, so it may be worth creating a general showreel for social media and then creating specific ones for applying for jobs. 

It is also important to carefully consider audio for your showreel, as the right music will effect how your showreel is seen. It is actually surprising to hear that many studios listen to your showreel with the music turned off, so be sure to select something neutral, as this will be more pleasant to listen to if they do have the sound on. 

Finally, it is important to ensure that all links work to your work and that you keep updating your showreel regularly. A good rule of thumb is to have at least a bi-annual update of your showreel, as this shows that you are engaging within the practice and keeping up to date with animation and learning new skills.