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Member
 
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I am looking into making a new demo reel. I watched mine here a few weeks ago and thought, "WTF?" ... so, I want to make a new and improved reel! 
What kinds of things are people looking for now days in demo reels? Flashy text? Faced paced (3 seconds or less) per scene?
Just any kind of advice would be great.
Plus, actually MAKING this thread makes me feel guilty if I DON'T work on it. 
Hopefully, I will start posting updates next week. So, stay tuned!
http://www.digitalputty.net
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one of the best tips I've seen is to put your very best work first. People have a tendency to want to sort of 'build-up' to the good-stuff-grand-finale, but in a demo reel if your absolute best items aren't first out of the chute, the viewer might not even make it to the end. And only put in what you're really happy with. A shorter reel of really good stuff is probably much better than one that covers more ground, but might be lower quality items. Overall, I'd also say there's also a big difference between a 'please-give-me-a-job' reel (of which the above tips apply) and a 'here's-what-I-do' reel, which could really be put together just about any way with anything you want, even be part of the reel itself if you want to get artistically recursive... SJ
Steve JohnsonPBProject Visualization Technical Resource CenterE-Mail: johnsonste@pbworld.com...................................................................................................
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"old dog"
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| Like Steve said, it's really about "quality" over "quantity." Put only your best work in your reel. Stear clear of life drawing usless it's really, really good. Use as much real world work as possible. Start and end with your best works. No less than one minute in length and no more than three. It doesn't hurt to have industry specific reels and a general reel. For instance, if you are trying to get into the archviz industry, create a reel that focuses on those skills (lighting, materials, camera placement, perspective knowledge, etc). The general will highlight all of your skills. In one of my favorite reels (which I've forgotten the name), the artist has maybe 6 pieces that he uses. What makes it really work is that he did some interesting reveal, zoom, and focus techniques in time with the music on each piece. Speaking of music, it can make or break a reel. Choose something that works woth the style of your work or the industry your going after. Stay clear of of anything too hard as it might be a turn-off for the viewers (those diehard Kenny G fans), unless it's going to an action gaming company. Something with a good tempo to work with is a good start. You can buy some tracks for Killer Tracks to use for your reel. You'll have to check the pricing schedule for what you are using it for.
Glen Loyd
Lead Design Visualization Specialist | Parsons Brinckerhoff
www.pbprojectviz.com
 
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Awesome guys! Thanks for the tips and information. Sometimes it is hard to decide what to put in a reel.
I think the music in my current reel is ok - Röyksopp: What Else is There. Nice beat, keeps the pace ... but, it had lyrics and they were hard to understand. IMO. This time I am going to use something without lyrics: Röyksopp: Röyksopp Forever. 
Obviously, I haven't made any updates to my reel. Currently working on a freelance gig ... so, hard to find time to do so.
What about putting work in a demo reel that is done WHILE at work? There are a few projects I have worked on that I think would be good to put in a reel. ???
Thanks again!
Now, back to work!
http://www.digitalputty.net
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"old dog"
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Member
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Member
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Sorry the URLs are not in URL format ... couldn't get it to work.
Ok. So, I finally have my demo reel from graduation 2008 up on the net. You can find it here: http://vimeo.com/12990590
I need some comments on how to improve it. My goals with my NEW reel is to show my architectural work as well as general 3D modeling for product viz. I MIGHT make two different demo reels. One for arch and one for product. Not sure yet though.
The intro to my new reel can be seen here: http://www.digitalputty.net/video - Yes, this does take a while to load if you are using a poo connections. And ... it is large. HD 1280.
Intro was just me playing around ... trying to get everything to match my new business card (which looks exactly like my new intro). I liked this look so, I stuck with it.
Annnnd finally, I am redoing the kitchen/living room scene that you can see in my 2008 reel and in my flat art portfolio. The original scene was modeled 3.5ish years ago. Rendered in VRay with Max. But now, in the new reel, I am using MOSTLY Mental Ray (since it is free with Max). You can find stills that I am rendering out (WIP), here: http://www.digitalputty.net/archviz/kitchen/kitchen.html
Please critique ... don't be nice. I ♥ need feed back that will improve my reel.
Thanks friends!
Larissa
http://www.digitalputty.net
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"old dog"
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"old dog"
Group: Administrators
Last Login: Thursday, February 02, 2012 8:34 PM
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| Doh. Now it works fine... So, overall I really like the concept. The palette isn't doing anything flor me though. Not sure why. Maybe it's too many colors and the dual complimentary (pink/green and orange/blue)? Bring one of the vines forward so they don't intersect My eye keeps going back up there. Last comment: work on the composition balance. Maybe some more overlap of the vines over the lower section. Just my random thoughts. Great start! I can't wait to see it evolve...
Glen Loyd
Lead Design Visualization Specialist | Parsons Brinckerhoff
www.pbprojectviz.com
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Member
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I have issues sometimes with my website. That's what I get for paying $5/month. 
Thanks for the crits Glen.
As for the colors. I was worried about that. Was wondering if they were too bright for people. For some reason, I am really into bright 'pure' colors right now. Even as I type this my nails are painted bright shiny fuschia! If I tone down the colors (bit darker), would they be better?
Agree about the vines. I kept moving them around so they wouldn't intersect but, that caused some icky shadows. Should I turn the shadows off if I move the vine forward?
I will also see what more vines crossing into the green and orange areas look like.
Thanks! Will post more later today.
http://www.digitalputty.net
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