A showreel is far more than a collection of clips – it is a concise compilation of your best work, which not only enables you to showcase your creative flair and technical skills to potential clients or employers, but also your personality, storytelling instincts, and artistic style. In a competitive world where first impressions count, acting as a visual CV, which brings your work to life in a way that a written CV or portfolio cannot, your showreel provides you with the opportunity to stand out from the crowd and highlight the unique skills and energy you could bring to a project or team. Also, as a student, your showreel enables others to see that you can apply the learning from your course by seeing your abilities in action.
Practical and actionable guidelines provided by our Placements Tutor, that detail the requirements of a successful showreel, can be found below:
1. Keep it short and compelling. With studio Hiring Managers busy, a concise and polished showreel, ideally between 60 and 90 seconds long, will show respect for their time.
2. Only include well-polished and impactful pieces that grab the viewer’s attention. Be genuinely critical and only include your best work. With quality trumping quantity every time, if a piece does not feel strong enough, either polish it until it is, or leave it out.
3. Show versatility as an artist by utilising a range of styles and techniques. As with your CV, when applying for a specific role within the Animation industry, it is important to tailor your showreel to include work aligned with the studio or company. However, as a student, tutor advice was to showcase a broad range of skills, styles, and techniques.
4. Lead with your strongest work. With recruiters likely to decide in the first 20 seconds, to quickly grab the viewer’s attention and keep them watching, it is important to start with your most impressive or visually striking pieces first. However, other guides also recommend finishing strongly to leave a lasting impression (Bennett, 2016a).
5. Outline exactly what you did in each clip. Always clearly explain your input or role to ensure viewers understand your contribution and can evaluate your skills – especially in group projects. Also, ensure credit is given where required.
With these guidelines in mind, my first step was to head online and explore showreels created by other 3D artists – not just for inspiration, but to see how they structured their work, how their visuals flowed, and how their personality shone through.
The following showreels inspired me for several reasons:
1. 3D Modelling Demo Reel 2021 – Keen
In addition to inspiring my model turnarounds and wireframe transitions, this showreel also prompted me to use logos in each clip to highlight the software used in its creation.
Source: YouTube, 2021a
2. Demoreel 2024 (3D modelling, Character Design, Animation) – Nicolards
Obviously, a showreel from another Animation Student, what struck me in this longer demo reel (almost three minutes long), was the personality relayed in the content.
Source: YouTube, 2024a
3. 3D Modelling and Texturing Showreel 2024 – Ish Dhawan
This showreel inspired the matte tiling effects and transitions created in my own showreel.
Source: YouTube, 2024b
4. Student Showreel 3D Modelling and Game Art – Claz’room College.
Wow! Showreel editing to aspire to!
Source: YouTube, 2023
With tutors placing emphasis on the flow, pace, and editing of the showreel, and instructions given to avoid over-editing unless the content called for it, my next port of call was the Ulster University BDes Animation YouTube channel. Here, on viewing the 2024 first-year student showreel below, I noticed that, aligning with audio with a four-beat time signature, striking the correct balance between pacing and time for the work to be seen, each animated segment lasted around four seconds.
Source: YouTube, 2024c
Finding this four-beat soundtrack, and four-second timing and pacing also utilised in other student showreels, such as the 2024 Claz’room showreel compilation below, I began searching for a dynamic soundtrack matching this structure.
Source: YouTube, 2024d
While I had genuinely been impressed by the tracks included in the showreels I had seen, including Alex Grohl’s ‘Move,’ Tunetank’s ‘Power,’ and Zayde Wolf’s ‘Brand New Thing,’ with tutor advice to use royalty-free music to enable my showreel to be shared online without copyright infringement, but to also choose audio that reflected my personality, unable to find a suitable track with a four-beat sequence, I felt stumped. However, inspiration unexpectedly struck. As my mum was scrolling through Facebook, I overheard the perfect track – LÒNIS and Little League’s ‘Check This Out,’ and instantly knew how I could incorporate my work with both its beat and lyrics.
Source: YouTube, 2024e
However, with instructions to avoid the use of copyrighted music unless gaining explicit permission, I contacted the artists on Instagram, and with their approval, was directed to the following posts.
With permission granted, using Audacity, I took the track and edited it down to the required timing, and ensured, when removing a section, that I used the synthesizer breakdown to create a seamless transition.
Having researched which work to include, I gathered together clips in different art styles which I felt would not only showcase my creative flair, technical skills, and understanding of the fundamentals obtained during my course, but my ability to animate a variety of scenes including walk cycles – both vanilla and with personality, a run and jump, and body mechanics/performance submissions in the form of my weight lift, and lip-syncing sequences.
However, before going any further, being genuinely critical of my work, I chose the most impactful shots, spent time implementing the final submission feedback, and polishing each until I felt them strong enough to be included. Themes were also assigned to elevate my basic walk, run, and jump, and weight-lift animations, such as a ‘walk in the park,’ and ‘city parkour jumping,’ with the environmental assets chosen not only adding visual interest, but showing an understanding of perspective, composition, and layout.
This task not only gave me the chance to refine my work and present myself at my best, but also to reflect on my growth. As a student, I am constantly learning and growing, and selecting only my best pieces allowed me to see where I had improved and where I might want to focus next.
Next, I timed the segments within the audio track, noting specific lyrics that could be used to add appeal and better connect with the viewer, I created a definitive list of which content to include. For example, also ending strongly, this included a short clip from my Year One Animated Narratives group project, where aligning with the lyrics, ‘In case you ain’t convinced… Come on, check this out,’ suggesting it would be a good idea to check out my work further, my star character shrugs, before having a bright idea, and zooming off, leaving the Sun giving a positive thumbs up.
At this stage, I also decided not to reuse the lip-sync animations from my groupwork or assignments, but instead, to show personality, have my Blender ‘Rain’ character lip-sync to the lyrics of the song. For instance, saying, ‘All right,’ when punching the air after a safe landing in the run and jump sequence, and leaning forward, to whisper the words, ‘I bet you’re asking how.’
It was then time to create the title card containing my current contact details, including a professional email address and mobile number. Given my showreel could be viewed by a global audience, I also included my location, as well as links to my Ulster University Blog and 3D portfolio on Fab.com. With the title card, the first element a viewer would see, feeling an animated sequence would be more appropriate, I looked online for inspiration, and found it in the 2023 Leeds Arts University BA Hons Animation showreel below:
Source: YouTube, 2023a
Assuring consistent branding across all my forward-facing materials, I ensured that the resulting animated opening and closing title card sequences, which I created in Krita, included my logo and the dark cyan background from my CV colour palette. The same typography – the professional Monserrat font in my CV – was also used throughout, only in white to increase readability against the darker background.
As in my CV, logos indicating the industry-standard software I felt confident in offering were also included, and in addition, used to increase visual impact in the information section.
Although a showreel for a 3D generalist, and content would normally be specifically tailored towards this role, with tutor advice to show versatility and a broad range of skills, styles, and techniques, I also included a short 2D animated sequence of a film reel to show breadth and ability in this area.
The next stage was to create and edit my showreel in Adobe After Effects. Starting with what I feel is my strongest work first (Meroz, 2016b), to instantly grab the viewer’s attention, I synced this opening clip with the lyrics, ‘Bet you’re wondering what it is’ – timing the moment so the camera zooms in on the body and tail sections respectively of the metaphorical creature I created representing the battle between anxiety and depression for my Character Creation module. Next, transitioning to a turnaround animated to the lyrics, ‘Bet you’re asking how, the model’s wireframe is revealed to show the technical process behind the design.
In line with the guidance received, the content then includes a variety of styles ranging from this realistic 3D creation to more simplified, exaggerated, and expressive character animations, with all clips timed to hit the 4-beat time signature of the song.
Given the flow and pace of the showreel, and how well it has been edited was part of the marking criteria for this assignment, wanting to include dynamic transitions which would not only show personality and creative flair, but give the final piece energy and punch, with limited previous experience in After Effects, I searched for online tutorials to guide me, and using those below, successfully implemented the following transitions in my final outcome:
- Fade in/Fade out
- Punch Zoom
- Track mattes
- Masking
- Whip pan
- Linear wipe with speed graph
- Motion Blur
1. 10 Easy After Effects Transitions – Olufemii
Source: YouTube, 2023b
2. Create Dynamic Split Screen Video Effect in After Effects – SonduckFilm
Source: YouTube, 2021b
Utilising the tutorial below, time remapping was also used to add impact to the zoom in on the body and tail of the posed creature within the bedroom environment, and to reverse the animation more easily in the outro title card.
Source: YouTube, 2022
Following the addition of info cards in logo form, which served to highlight the software used in each clip and an ability to navigate the animation pipeline, with the addition of text clearly explaining my contribution to the showreel, and the inclusion of credits, where the work was not mine, my showreel was forwarded to my tutors for feedback.
Feedback from my Placements Tutor, Aodhan McNicholl, was that he felt the pace could be picked up a little when the music kicks in, around the 0:18 second mark, and that I could use clips from the same animation multiple times. However, showing how individuals ‘read’ media differently, feedback from my 3D tutor, Rachel Dixon, slightly varied. While she said my showreel already felt very slick with really great edits, very nicely cut to the music, and that she could see I had put a lot of effort into polishing my final shots, that if it were her, she would shorten the length of the title card, and quicken the cuts between the model, wireframe, and texture of the creature’s tail. However, as this would also impact the edit to the beat of the music, this was not vital. Also knowing that due to my ASD, I am a bit of a perfectionist, she added that no one’s showreel is perfect, and there is always room for improvement – even with her own.
Following this feedback, I updated my showreel and uploaded it to YouTube, to allow a link to be quickly sent to potential clients or employers.
My final 2025 BDes (Hons) Animation showreel can be viewed below:
References:
Bennett, J. (2016a). ‘Guidelines for a Kick-Ass Showreel,’ [online]. Medium.com, 30 August. [Accessed: 2 May 2025].
Available at: https://medium.com/@ricesashi/guidelines-for-a-kick-ass-showreel-fdfa7f73c75c
Meroz, M. (2016b). Creating an Animation Demo Reel – A Complete Guide. Medium.com [online], 14 March. [Accessed: 1 May 2025].
Available at: https://medium.com/@morrmeroz/creating-an-animation-demo-reel-8c9f5d0aff3
YouTube (2021a). 3D Modelling Demo Reel 2021 – Keen. [online]. [Accessed: 1 May 2025].
Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N88g_IGGHRg
YouTube (2021b). Create Dynamic Split Screen Video Effect in After Effects – SonduckFilm. [online]. [Accessed: 1 May 2025].
Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Go9SF4jr-48
YouTube (2022). How To Speed Up and Slow Down Footage Easily – Time Remapping – After Effects – Kingy AI. [online]. [Accessed: 3 May 2025].
Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmhcZIirM6I
YouTube (2023a). BA (Hons) Animation showreel 2023 – Leeds Arts University. [online]. [Accessed: 3 May 2025].
Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTuuuzKDmK4
YouTube (2023b). 10 Easy After Effect Transitions – Olufemii. [online]. [Accessed: 5 May 2025].
Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fj7woohZ0is
YouTube (2024a). Demoreel 2024 (3D modelling, Character Design, Animation) – Nicolards. [online]. [Accessed: 2 May 2025].
Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKykiH2EuOQ
YouTube (2024b). 3D Modelling and Texturing Showreel 2024 – Ish Dhawan. [online]. [Accessed: 2 May 2025].
Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRPxXH0aSx8
YouTube (2024c). BDes Animation – 2024 1st Year Reel – Animation Ulster University. [online]. [Accessed: 1 May 2025].
Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSP7kulNJqM
YouTube (2024d). Claz’room 2024 Student Showreels – Claz’room College. [online]. [Accessed: 1 May 2025].
Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNbXG0iZWeA
YouTube (2024e). Check This Out – LÒNIS Topic. [online]. [Accessed: 24 April 2025].
Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqT4UKVVfmw