Tips to make your own demoreel

To make a good impression on potential employers when you want to land a great job, it is imperative to have a super demoreel that shows what you can do and includes only your best work. Your demo is like a business card and resume with 3d animation and sound, and it is much more impressive. With it you can demonstrate your skills in such a way that those who view your presentation will admire your creativity, believe you will be an asset to their company and want you to work for them.

 

Title and label

A great title and label should look professional, grab employers’ interest and make them want to watch your demo. It is likely that any information you send along with your demoreel may not remain with it, so remember to include your contact information on the label to let them know how to reach you if they like what they see.

 

Less is more

When potential employers receive your demoreel, they also get many others. They will not take the time to play each video through to the end, so make yours short and to the point. That will highlight your editing skills and help to ensure that it reaches the interview pile. Get your message across as quickly as possible before someone hits the eject button and tosses it into the reject bin. An excellent demo reel should be between one and two minutes long with a minimum of special effects. If you want to add a lengthier 3d animation, put it at the end so the viewers can choose whether they want to take the time to watch it.

 

All-purpose demo reel

Make a general demoreel, and keep improving it as your skills advance. When you learn about a job opportunity, you will have a good head start and can tailor your reel accordingly. Your demo should illustrate your distinctive style, but never include anything that someone might find offensive. It should consist of material and music that would be acceptable to a wide variety of viewers. Home video shots don’t look professional and are not appropriate for demo reels. Put only your best work on your demo even if that makes it seem too short. Sacrificing quality for length is defeating your purpose. Try using 3d animation between clips or for your beginning to add extra appeal and demonstrate some of your capabilities with 3d. When you have several stock demo reels, you can edit one of them to fit the specifications for a particular position that interests you and still have some for future use.

 

The beginning is crucial

Viewers will not play any video very long unless the beginning is outstanding, so put your best efforts in the first few seconds of your demoreel, and you will have a better chance that someone will want to see more. When potential employers view your demo, they may have already seen 25 others, so let your individuality show and don’t let them get bored. Mix some 3d with 2d and make the transitions between clips smooth for a professional look to help keep them interested.

 

Sound is important

A good soundtrack for your demoreel can help to hold viewers’ interest and convey the right message to them. You wouldn’t think of producing a movie without music, so don’t consider leaving music out of your demo reel. Even when the old silent movies were shown, someone played a piano while they were running. Since people have different opinions about good music, pick something that should be agreeable to most viewers, something with a cheerful tune that is easy to work with. Choosing music without words will make it easier to synchronize it to your 3d animation clips. Watch your 3d animation as you listen to different types of music until you find the right combination.

 

Copyrights

After you select the music you want to use, it’s a good idea to ask the recording company for permission to use their music in your demo reel. If that reel is responsible for getting you a fabulous job and making you rich and famous, you won’t want to deal with the hassle of a lawsuit because of copyright infringement.

 

Give them what they’re looking for

When you want to work for a certain company, do some research into what they are doing and what type of style they like. Try to find out if they are looking for something fresh and new, or if they prefer to stay with the same approach they have been using. When you know more about the company, you can make a demoreel with those ideas in mind or change it to fit their style.

 

Be specific

If you want to focus on a particular area of the work, like directing, cinematography, design or some other phase of the business, make that plain and create a demoreel that reflects that aspect and demonstrates your expertise in that area. However, if you want to incorporate a shot that looks great but doesn’t fit in with your theme or look like it belongs, be ruthless and leave it out. Include samples of your other talents as well to show your versatility, but concentrate on shots that highlight your specialty.

 

Credit your assistants

Finally, if someone assisted with your demo reel, don’t take credit for the entire project. Acknowledge those who assisted you, and explain exactly what you did yourself so there can be no misunderstanding about your talents