Showreel
For my showreel, I looked at tips on how to create a showreel. I also looked at other artists’ showreels on YouTube. I looked at the information on the title cards, the type of music used for audio and the way their animation clips were edited together. Most title cards were very simple. They had a plain black background with white text and a logo on some. I didn’t have a logo, but I didn’t like simply having a plain black screen at the beginning of mine, so I added my text above one of my models at the beginning and end of my showreel to make it a little more personal. I used the same information for my title card as other artists by including my name, job role and contact information.
When receiving feedback on my showreel, I was told to rearrange some of my clips, so for my content, I included my best and most recent models/animations at the beginning to show my skills quickly to the hiring manager. I then included other models/animations that show off my skill set in the middle and some more recent work at the end. I included part of my cinematic short film from my Animation Strategies assessment 1 near the end as I still wanted to include it into my showreel, however, it doesn’t show my animation skills specifically. I wanted to keep my best animations close to the beginning as that may be the only part of my showreel a potential employer sees.
To show my 3D models, I used the turntable option in sketchfab, and screen recorded my assets using OBS. I also used OBS to record my audio from reddit and linked the sound in my showreel description on YouTube. I chose an audio that wasn’t too distracting and had a clear beat to make editing a little easier for me. I tired to edit my clips in time with the audio to make my showreel a more pleasant watch. Instead of exporting my animations from maya as a playblast, I was advised to render them using Maya Hardware 2.0 as it would be much quicker than an Arnold render, whilst being a better image than a playblast.
(112) 25 Tips to Create an Animation Demo Reel – YouTube
CV
I already had a CV from when I was applying for my current part time job. However, it was very out of date as I had not yet included my job, or any animation experience. I used some of the same information such as how I described myself and my school a level grades, but most of my CV had to be changed so I decided to start fresh. I used InDesign for my CV as I felt it would make it easier to add graphics and text and experiment with the layout. When looking at other animators’ CVs/resumes, most of them included wok experience, Qualifications, Technical/software skills, and soft skills. Some also included an ‘about me’ section. I made sure to add all of these to my CV to try and fit in as much information as I could about myself. One thing I took from my old CV was my school qualifications. I only included my A levels this time as I felt my GCSEs were no longer relevant.
I tired to keep the information I included as straight forward and to the point as possible. When receiving feedback on my CV, I was told to play around with my graphics and add boarders to break up my text, as the circles I had included were a little distracting and the shade of blue I used made it difficult to read the text. For my final draft, included a rectangle to separate my skills and qualifications from my main paragraphs and information, and using only one circle and centred it to the left of my screen. As blue if my favourite colour, I still wanted to use it for my graphics, so I used a lighter tint to make the text easier to read.
I was also told to make my job titles bold and place them about the dates, so it was more eye catching for the hiring manager, to make my titles consistent in size and to put my experience in chronological order from most – least recent and I had my experience arranged the other way. I also moved my job title and showreel link closer to my name to catch the attention of a potential employer.
Professional Animator Resume Examples | Film | LiveCareer
Hue Teo – Resume (artstation.com)
CV example – Christopher Carter
Original vs Final Layout
Cover Letter
When searching for a local studio to write to, Italic Pig was my first choice. I love watching their development of Paleo Pines and am excited to play their other games in development such as Mona Lisa and The Infinite Hotel. I couldn’t find a job listening specifically for what I wanted on the Italic Pig website, so I made up my own listing for this assessment using posts I found on indeed for similar jobs. On twitter, I found the name of the hiring manager at Italic Pig, Aimee Lingman, so I addressed my cover letter to her.
Through using our lecture slides and researching how to write a cover letter on websites such as indeed, I found out how to format my cover letter into three different paragraphs/sections. Firstly, I stated why I am applying and my interest in the studio itself. Secondly, I stated my experience and described myself a little. I kept this brief as I described myself and listed my experience on my CV. I then thanked the hiring manager for considering me. I tried to keep all of my points brief and specific as an employer most likely will not have time to read a cover letter longer than half a page.
How To Write an Animator Cover Letter (With Example) | Indeed.com
Sample Cover Letter for Animator Job Application (resume-now.com)
Self-Reflection – Assessment
I found the most difficult piece of work the cover letter, as I find it difficult selling myself to others and trying to convince potential employers to hire me. Showing my interest to the studio and their work made it a little easier for me to talk about myself as I wasn’t focusing on myself for the entire email. This is something I need to work on, especially as in the near future I will be applying to studios for placement.
Writing my CV made me more confident in my work as I was scared that I wouldn’t have enough experience to fill the page as someone who has never worked in a studio before. It made me realise how many skills I have obtained from doing various courses and from my jobs as a freelancer and working in hallmark. I definitely prefer the layout of my CV since changing the graphic as it is much easier to read now.
I was already familiar with premiere pro, therefore made creating my showreel a little easier as I didn’t have to learn how to use a new software. Timing my clips to the sound of the audio was more difficult than I thought it would be as some were an awkward length and couldn’t be cut or extended. Editing is something I enjoy; however, I feel I still have much to learn. I am hoping as the level of my work increases, I will gain much more knowledge of editing software’s such as premiere pro and what makes a good showreel.
Self-Reflection – Module
Over all, I am pleased with the work I have produced for this project. I now know to look for jobs on websites such as indeed and glassdoor, and studio websites themselves from completing this module. Also, even though interviews are still a scary thing for me, like they are for most people, I feel much more prepared for interviews and studio life after completing this module, as I now know my skill set and how to communicate with employers whilst being myself. It is important to be yourself during interviews as the employer already knows your skill set from everything I created in this assessment. In an interview, they are trying to get to know you as a person.