2007 reel

# 1 14-04-2007 , 01:16 PM

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Here's my demo reel I finished a few weeks ago...I'd appreciate any feedback..thanks in advance and enjoy!

link to demo:

https://jean-charles3d.com/library/JE...ES_DEMO_07.avi

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# 2 14-04-2007 , 01:32 PM

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yeah - not bad - though i would really change the music - it was far too dramatic for the subject matter.

arran3D

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# 3 14-04-2007 , 01:37 PM

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thanks for the comments arran......i guess you're probably right about the music...I didn't spend much time with the audio....I'll probably have to change it...

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# 4 14-04-2007 , 01:44 PM

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i think something a little lighter and less obtrusive will work better. At the moment the music is like ' HERE IS A BOY ON A TRICYCLE - SOMETHING VERY EXCITING IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN!!!!' user added image

which kind of ends up deflating what you are showing - I kept expecting special agents to rush in!

arran3D

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# 5 14-04-2007 , 01:51 PM

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hahaha...totallly agree...the music is from an old sound track of the tv show 24....lots of action in that show...the more i think about it..the more i agree with you....

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# 6 14-04-2007 , 02:37 PM

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Jean,

On the whole good, but here are the things I would amend/change:

At the beginning you have your name that falls into a flag and then appears the Canadian Flag. Why not have your name overlay ed on the flag and hen fade it out?
The child cycling is on for a bit to long.
I really like the VFX shot with the "water child" (i think that's what it is :blush: ). But a moving backdrop would have been nicer
The swimming pool splash is quite lacking in realism, it's slow to happen and the liquid appears very Viscous.
I really like the kid jumping onto the pad and then becoming a wire frame, I would get him to stop and walk off after 2 turns and then get the adult to do the same. Very good idea that one, I like it.
I agree about the music, I feel like I should be watching a horror or intense thriller. It needs lightened.

No offence intended on those comments m8. Its a good demo reel, but these are the bits i would look at changing. Good Luck user added image

Chris (formerly R@nSiD)
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# 7 14-04-2007 , 02:45 PM

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Thanks for taking the time to comment R@AnSiD! On your first note about the flag and the words....I actually had it that way first....then when i rendered out the final versions of my files...I lost the transparancy on the flag so I had to leave it as is (I was on a deadline...)

(by the way...yes it is a child made from the water)

the pool splash I was having a lot of difficulties...normally i would use realflow...but I went ahead and used the maya ocean shader...and i had a hard time getting the look i want (i actually had to cut the shot shorter than originally planned because the splash looked so bad.....maybe i should have just left the shot out...)

anyways...really good comments...I feel like redoing my demo with these modifications

thanks again for taking the time to comment......and i would have to say again i agree with you about the changes I should do

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# 8 14-04-2007 , 08:00 PM

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I've recently done some internet surfing on demo reels. I don't remember which sites, but several suggested not including music since not everyone likes the same music. Again, this is not my advice. It's just what I've read on the internet.

Even so, seems like most people add it anyway.

Don't be satisfied with what you can do but rather strive to do the things you can't do!
Exceed Expectations!

Last edited by Perfecto; 15-04-2007 at 07:06 AM.

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# 9 18-09-2007 , 12:15 PM

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i've just completed an updated 2007 reel that i'll be taking with me to the ADAPT conferences in montreal....let me know what you guys think....(and i'll be updating my site shortly with my new work)

demo reel link:

https://jean-charles3d.com/library/JE...07_UPDATED.avi

youtube demo link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncp7WjuryxM

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# 10 20-09-2007 , 07:04 AM

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Oke after watching the last reel the following things popped into my mind;
-I don't know if you are skilled at soundeffects but if you are i would replace the soundtrack or just lower the volume and add soundeffects into the reel, it will make your reel twice as good.
For example in the shot where wind blows the leaves out of the tree add a wind sound, when the kids riding his bike add that squeekie sound, when the kid plays basketball add a bounce sound etcetc.
-In the beginning you show your name twice, delete this part or move it further in the reel
-with the flagsimulation i think the camera zooms out to abruptly, begin zooming out slowly during the simulation.
-when you slowly zoom out let the blackground dissolve smoothly into the scene. the transition is to harsh at the moment.
-Scale up the flag(pole) it is to small (in height) in comparison with the surrounding.
-The house explosion looks fake, now my quess is that you had two pictures one intact house and one that's blown up.
And you replaced the first with the last covered by the explosion.
When an explosion like that occurs the house bulges a little before it explodes and when it explodes there's a lot more debri flying around.
-make some debri fly at the camera
- if you want to make it a bit more real then it is try using colorgrading
When you poor the fluid in the glass model something like a bottle to put it in some context.
-I like the idea of the kid jumping onto the platform on which he will transform to his t-posed brother, but when he changes from boy to man and the proces is reversed , let the man jump off the platform and continue the path that the kid set out.
- in the end you show the kid on the courtyard that you previously showed in the beginning i would combine those to scenes to get more of a whole.

Now i would'nt say the reel is bad, but it could be so much better.

And if you would only look at the good work people post on this site alone, i think you"ll agree with me that you should aim as high as you can in your work
Go for quality work not quantity that will come in time.... user added image

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# 11 20-09-2007 , 09:02 AM

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the thing I would like to add is really try and get across what part of the industry you are trying to get in. You have a lot of simulations in the reel but then random lip sync and modeling examples. If you want to leave them in, group the items together. I think its just the flow of the reel I`m not feeling at the moment.

good luck with it

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# 12 20-09-2007 , 12:50 PM

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mastone- thanks for taking the time to write such an indepth critique....I really appreciate it...everything you said makes a lot of sense (and yes you are correct that i used 2 images for the explosion....). I wish I had finished my demo sooner and gotten your input..I really think with most of those changes my demo could have been a lot better.....unfortunately I'm leaving in 2 days for the ADAPT conferences in Montreal....so I'll have to make the changes after...

as for the sound I'm not too bad with sound effects, do you know where to get free/cheap sound effects?...i've already graduated from my school and i no longer have access to the librayr which had tons of cds of sound effects.....

again i want to thank you for your comments...i can already imagine what my demo COULD look like...with a few tweaks here and there

tweetytunes- thanks for your comments as well...i actually got very similar comments just the other day...and i've been thinking about it a lot more, and after having another person think the same thing i am almost certain that i will have to make a more "focused" demo reel if i want to get a job in the industry...

that's good advice for grouping the items together...i was thinking of maybe making a compositing/ modeling reel...so i could separate the reel into 2 parts

thanks again for everything!

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# 13 20-09-2007 , 09:03 PM

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"thanks for taking the time to write such an indepth critique"

Don't mention it user added image

"as for the sound I'm not too bad with sound effects, do you know where to get free/cheap sound effects?"

If you want really cheap ones i suggest you buy a microphone and a trial version of pro tools or some other soundediting program.
With this you can make your one sound and aren't limited by the contents of a cd..But if you really want a cd i would just google it

Good luck to you

Btw there are a couple of things you can change that don't cost a lot of time and will still make it look better

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# 14 21-09-2007 , 08:55 AM

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https://www.thecareergamer.com/?p=46

just saw this looking around the net I thought I would share with you

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# 15 23-09-2007 , 11:29 AM

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TheAnswerRP03: What area of expertise are you trying to show? As a generalist, there aren't many job openings for those out there. You need to center your reel towards the type of job you want. Put your best stuff first and only put your best stuff on the reel!

But here are some critiques of your reel.

1. The intro is too long. You have about 15 seconds to catch someones attention on a reel (if that). Your name doesn't come on screen until 20 seconds in.

I like how you bring in your name - filling in with liquid and then transitioning into the flag, but the things before it are unnecessary. Maya Paint Effects - it's been done. What can you show with it that is different? Besides, the wind attribute is set way too high.

2. Going from the flag to the playground would look better with a dissolve rather than the abrupt cut. Begin dissolving in the playground scene as the flag descends.

3. The kid running down the walkway - the cloth properties on the shirt are incorrect. The shirt appears to be moving all at once. This is incorrect. It should be reacting quite differently.

4. The Lipsync - It is not necessary to move the mouth for every syllable. The lips and the jaw work independently from one another when speaking so that it is not necessary to move the entire mouth structure upon every pronounced syllable. The most extreme mouth positions should occur on the A's and I's. Otherwise, the jaw doesn't move much and the lips create the words. You should also lower the music bed when you have speech occurring.

5. Watering the garden - Not a very impressive piece, I would eliminate it. Nothing special about the emitter and more paint effects. The hose stops too sharply also. Try using an ease-in and ease-out approach when trying to start and stop things in motion. If you're familiar with After Effects you'll know how this works.

6. Kid Riding Tricycle - His shorts are interpenetrating the seat of the tricycle. Also, why does he look so pissed off? user added image

How about some facial expressions? Also, and this may just be my monitor, but I don't see the shadows around his trike.

7. Exploding House - A somewhat decent composite. You've got quite a few elements in there, I see. The thing that blows it for me (no pun intended) is the lighting doesn't match and there is apparent damage where there wasn't an explosion. Also, the emanating 'dust cloud' to shield the transition from clean house to destroyed house appears from no where an appears to be directed towards the camera. If you've ever seen explosions, you'd realize that smoke and dust travel outward from the explosion, then recoil slightly as the gas and heat travel upward, pulling it back into the fire.

8. Cutting the Grass - Again, a rubber shirt. The entire shirt is bouncing as he walks. Also, since you're a fan of particle emitters, why didn't you have one here for the chopped grass shooting from underneath the lawnmower? Also light it a little more brightly.

9. Water glass composite - it would be better if your original blue screen shot were in the same place as in the composite. The 'jump cut' is usually not a good thing in editing. The composite isn't too bad but the lighting doesn't match. The water creature stops too abruptly. How about some of that ease--in action I mentioned?

10. Liquid Into Glass - get rid of this shot. Nothing special about it. Typical Real Flow demo material. Do something original with it. Plus you have no caustics from the glass onto the table. The shadow is too solid.

11. Kid Jumping onto Pedestal - The shirt again. You need to go back and fine tune the cloth properties. Here, it sticks as well as his shorts. I think you should dissolve the background out, if at all. It wouldn't hurt to leave it in.

12. Your L.O.D. transitions are nice.

13. Girls Face - The hair is blending into the background. Shine a backlight on her to separate her from the black void.

14. Lady Walking - Poorly executed. I would either rework this or get rid of it. She is way too stiff.

15. BBall - The kid is way too stiff and his legs appear to be leading him along. When you run, your upper torso leans forward while the legs are used to propel you forward. I suggest watching some b-ball games to see how they move.

I like the outro screen though. user added image

So, I hope my critique helps. Your reel is a good start, but needs refinement in most areas. And again, center your reel to specific jobs. If you want to animate, show nothing but animations. If you want to model, then show models, but low poly, high poly, wire frames and textures. And remember, only your BEST stuff first!

Keep at it! user added image

Dave Baer
Professor of Digital Arts
Digital Media Arts College
Boca Raton, Florida
dbaer@dmac.edu

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2007 reel

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