Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/786150
30 cgw j a n u a r y . f e b r u a r y 2 0 1 7 Y our demo reel is perhaps the most important thing that will be reviewed by a potential employer. With the possibility of landing your dream job or your first job in the industry, cutting corners is something you simply can't afford. Enjoy the process, and let it help you push your skills while doing the work you love! If you're a student and have yet to find op- portunities to work on professional projects, what can you put on your demo reel? This is one of the most asked questions among stu- dents. One of the biggest and most daunt- ing challenges an aspiring artist will face is attempting to assemble a demo reel that not only shows who they are as an artist, but also sells a potential employer on the idea that they want to hire you over someone else. What should you put on your demo reel if you are still a student? A demo reel could be, quite literally, your business card, resume, and initial interview all wrapped up into a singular item. Yes, a demo reel submission can include a copy of your resume or busi- ness card. But if you're a student, the odds are good that the resume will probably be pretty short due to not yet having any actual industry experience. 1. THINK LIKE A PROFESSIONAL. The question begs to be answered: What does an aspiring visual effects artist put on his or her demo reel without having any professional work experience to pull from? The best route to take is this, always approach every student project with the mindset that you're a professional artist and this is for an employer. Don't be satisfied with each project until you know it's your very best work. Also, with each project, begin to hone in on your chosen specialty. Whether that's lighting, sound, 3D, or so forth, spend your spare time focusing on furthering your knowledge within a chosen specialty. When your professors assign projects or other work, always go the extra mile to not just satisfy the project requirements, but make it worthy of what you would think a professional artist would do. Try to think like an artist and never take shortcuts, and each project will become better than the last. 2. LOOK FOR GROUP PROJECTS. The odds are good that students' profes- sors will be looking to assign group projects or final projects for various courses. Always be on the lookout for these types of projects and try to incorporate them into your specif- ic area of study. If you're studying to be a compositor, look for film students who want to work on a short film. That way, you now gain some good-looking footage to utilize in a compos- ited set of shots for their project. If you're training to be an animator, look for projects that have modelers and riggers included. That way, you can focus all your time and efforts on animating. Suddenly, instead of spending weeks modeling and rigging just to prepare for animation, you can jump right into animating instead. This is beneficial for both sides. The other students gain shots that show their modeled and/or rigged character actually moving around, and you will have gained a really nice character – and it's rigged to fully animate and show off your skills as an animator. 3. TRY FREELANCE WORK. The world of visual effects has shied dramatically over the last 10 years. So much more studio work has become cloud-based. This is to your advantage as a student. As you progress through your degree, you might come to a point where you could find a studio looking for off-site freelance artists. Suddenly, you have a potential opportunity to work on an actual profes- sional project while still in school. And if later someone requests a demo reel, you now have student projects geared directly toward your line of work. Of course, with any work that you sign up for, ensure you're capable of carrying it out to the degree of quality the potential employer requires, all the while achieving any deadlines they set. But, if you're able to pick up off-site freelance work, however small the project, you suddenly have actual professional work to put on your demo reel (and resume). Now, you not only have student projects that you focused directly within your area of expertise and training, but you also have actual professional projects to utilize for your demo reel! By combining your profes- sionally minded student projects with vari- ous actual off-site freelance projects, you'll be well on your way to creating a demo reel of reputable quality as a graduating student and budding visual effects artist. 4. KEEP GROWING AS AN ARTIST. As you progress with your training as an artist, always focus your thoughts, time, and efforts into creating professional projects. No matter how big or small the project, try to illustrate your area of expertise to the best of your ability. Have a generalized knowledge of all areas of the visual effects pipeline, but at the end of the day, spend the bulk of your studies within your specific field of focus. If you want to be a modeler, spend time LOOKING FOR A JOB IN CG? PLURALSIGHT PROVIDES TIPS TO GET YOU STARTED