World Class Animation on FIFA … many graduates work on this game
The age old question I most frequently get asked is what makes a killer showreel. Very simple question but one which needs some review in the games industry.
I am a huge fan of animated feature films. I think that at the heart of any animator must be the ability to entertain. This quote from John Lasseter, of Pixar animation, perfectly sums up my thoughts:
‘Whether it is generated by hand or by computer, the first goal of the animator is to ENTERTAIN. The animator must have two things: a clear concept of exactly what will entertain the audience; and the tools and skills to put those across clearly. Tools, in the sense of hardware and software, are simply not enough’.
Lets start with what the recruiters in EA look for in a showreel.
1) An understanding and ability to demonstrate the ‘basic principles of animation’.
2) Showreels must be short and succinct. A good length is usually 2 – 3 minutes. If you have a number of short films you are keen to show include them in a file as an appendix, and include highlights of them in the main show reel. If people are interested they will then look at the additional material.
3) Put yourself in the shoes of the recruiter.
- They may have 100 show reels to review…..how much time do they have to view them?
- What is the first impression likely to be, ie the quality of the way the showreel is presented? Eg battered old dvd case?
- Is there a cover letter? Is it clear?
- Is your application ‘tailored’ for the role?
- How much research has the individual done on the company?
- Are contact details and cv on the showreel?
- What makes the reel stand out from others? What is special?
- Have you demonstrated all your skills? Eg life drawing.
- After viewing the first 20 seconds, why should they watch the next 20 seconds?
4) We are in the ENTERTAINMENT business—-so ensure your showreel entertains / hooks our attention in
5) Show your personality through the showreel.
6) Make it memorable—show your friends and people non familiar with animation—what’s their view?
7) Animation is more important than the presentation. I would rather see a strong piece of animation presented with default lighting than average animation beautifully rendered. NB home animation is preferable to watching a scene from a film or latest game.
8) Only show your best work. Always start with your strongest material. Never show anything that you are not 100% proud of. If you show stuff which is a bit ropey, (no matter what the excuse is—eg ‘I did it in 2 days’). People will always presume this is the best work you can produce, remember you will not be present to explain or make excuses for time restrictions.
9) Don’t cheat. Be sure to make it clear what work is yours if you have worked on a small part of a larger scene. It may seem obvious but do not try to pass off other people’s work as your own. It is too small an industry to get away with it for long!!!
10) If applying for a character animation role, only include relevant work. EA is a big organization and due to sizes of teams, staff are generally placed in specialist areas. I would recommend tailoring your reel to a specific discipline, a show reel without particular focus can be hard to process.
11) Evidence of lip synching and acting is always favourable.
PRINCIPLES OF ANIMATION
So when reviewing a reel, how do we judge if a animator is talented or not?
Different animation gurus list different componets they see making up the art of animation. Some lists are comprehensive:-
EArl |
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