Computer Graphics World

February 2009 43 Recruitment n n n n Kristin Ying, while a junior in the Digital Media Design program at the University of Pennsylvania, interned for Electronic Arts (EA). She included this 3D model of a tiger in her demo reel. through graduation—on their five-minute demo reel; rather, he points out, the demo reel should be a representation of their best work. "I would rather see a one-minute demo reel of their best work," he admits, "than five minutes of everything they were learning throughout their education." Docherty also encourages candidates to stop casting a very wide net. Demo reels of- ten include a wide array of projects and ele- ments, making it difficult to discern what the artist is interested in. It's important, he says, to get a sense of what they want to do or what their passion is—for example, concept art, character animation, and so forth—and to ensure that their reel dem- onstrates their best work. "I cannot stress that enough," he adds. Experienced professionals also need to submit a demo reel, Docherty recognizes. It needs to be a detailed art breakdown of what they did in an animation, otherwise it is dif- ficult to tell what their involvement was in the project. "What I have seen from anima- tors who 'get it' is they break down their reel and show us the progression of what they developed, what they did personally, and then the end result. e resumé does have a lot of weight, as does the cover letter, but the demo reel tends to be the first thing we look at," explains Docherty. It is also advisable to submit a demo reel with material in relation to what the potential employer is looking for, advises Docherty. If an artist submits a reel full of puzzle games to a publisher of first-person shooters, for example, he hasn't much hope of being considered for a job vacancy. e aesthetics or achievements of the work completed in a portfolio also gain the attention of Lala Gavgavian, director of staffing at Venice, California-based Digi- tal Domain (www.digitaldomain.com), a VFX and animation company. Yet, the overall presentation also makes an impres- sion, good or bad. "Something as simple as correct spelling on a resumé and cover letter goes a long way," she admits. Industry Involvement Networking is the most important tactic, says Gavgavian, of landing the ideal job. Although travel budgets are often curtailed and travel funds hard to come by during trying economic times, industry events can be invaluable networking tools. In fact, even if you can only attend one conference, expo, user group meeting, or trade show a year, make the most of it while there and then keep in contact—whether by phone, e-mail, or online social networking sites such as MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn, and others—with folks following the event. It is advantageous to become and remain involved with this fast-paced industry as much as possible. "Part of the ability to secure employment in this industry is timing," says Gavgavian. "Staying on top of the latest news for the industry, like which studios have awarded work and are beginning to ramp up, is key. Most studios receive hundreds of reels per week, and a submission will receive the most attention when an actual position is available." Making connections at industry conferences, such as SIGGRAPH (www. siggraph.org), is an advantageous way to keep a finger on the pulse of the industry

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