What demo reel works

[paradymx]

Just was wondering what some of your opinions were when it comes to the industry. I've seen two types of Demo reels. The type where there's a title card, the full project plays through and then repeats through other projects til done. Or a montage of clips with a music lay over of random projects segments.

 

Which do you think is more professional?

 

I see advantages for both. The P to P shows that you can be cohesive, that you can tell a full story visually while the montage can highlight your "money shots" and can show more of your work in the standard 3-4 min time span.

 

 

I don't know. What do you guys think?

[John Bigboote]

When in doubt...do em both. Put them on a DVD (with menu) or website and let the end user decide which or both.

[robcat2075]

"The Industry" is a lot of different things. much depends onthe job you are trying to get.

 

an entry-level character animator needs to show quickly that he can do essential body mechanics and acting. He's not going to be asked to do any directing anytime soon anyway. Short clips no music, and maybe a "complete piece" at the end. Shawn Kelly had some good tips for reels near the end of his book

 

A motion graphics animator for corporate media ( i used to do that) might want to show complete short pieces since "message" is a big deal there. This is a very nebulous field in which rules are hard to come by. The people doing the hiring often have no art experience.