A showreel (demo reel) is a short video showcasing a persons previous work and style, used often when applying for jobs in filmmaking and other creative industries. It can be used alongside or instead of a CV.
Tips for making a showreel;
- Keeping it short – A showreel is to show the best of what you’ve done, not everything you’ve done. Employers might have a lot of applicants and if a showreel is too long, despite how great the work is, can be off-putting.
- Focus on the opening – Best first impressions first.
- Think about the audience – if you have a variety of work and are applying for a company that does specific genres of projects, tailoring your showreel to show you are versatile but qualified to produce what they are after will reel better results and job offers.
- Check how it looks on the site – make it the main focus of your website, other work around it could be distracting
- Keep it up to date – Both in terms of recent projects and making sure the link to your showreel works. Employers will be frustrated chasing you for working showreels and in some cases might just move onto other applicants.
Showreel examples on Youtube for 3D Artist;
- Liked the background music, both in sound and speed
- Felt some models spun too fast and it looked uneven
- Would have preferred some close up shots of some more detailed projects like the Hawaiian model
- Nice UV shots included
- More into character art compared to models
- Shows untextured and final versions
- Video isnt smooth at some point as its recorded mouse movements of the model being moved around, can be stop start at points
- Great walkthroughs
- included wireframe designs
- Had weather and backgrounds with lights so provided atmosphere
- Not so keen on music choice
- Provides descriptions and concept art
- Liked the music
- Some models spinning too fast
- Provides wireframes and pre textured examples
Sources;
https://www.screenskills.com/careers/building-your-portfolio/how-to-make-a-showreel/