I’ve seen a bunch of posts over the years regarding the question “How do I, the clueless aspiring VFX artist, break into the biz?” The answer is simple, have a kickass demo reel. As a guy who has been in charge of hiring artists for the better part of a decade, I can tell that the education section of your resume doesn’t mean squat. It’s all about getting across the idea that if you were to be hired by your VFX facility of choice, you’d be able to sit down on your first day and actually produce something. Many people out there in the cyber-space will give a sugar-coated, touchy-feely “it’s all about expressing yourself” approach to what supes are looking for in a demo. I’m here to give a few tid-bits the other guys won’t cough-up so give a listen.
No one cares about your short film.
Putting your eggs in one basket is never a good idea. If you think you have the only all CG, black and white, 20 minute opus staring a sad faced alienated would-be serial killer who lives in a basement lit by one bare light bulb that swings to and fro casting creepy shadows around the room, you are sorely mistaken. If you want a job in visual effects, you need to have VFX on your reel (no duh!). Who cares about your personal struggles or deep thoughts about the nature of reality itself? Better to spend the time and effort on less shots of a higher quality.
Bonus tip: People have long memories for bad animation. I’ll never forget the worst short film I’ve ever seen on a demo reel. The title says it all, “Unicorn Baseball”.
Pick music that won’t drive people insane.
I just finished writing a letter to my congressman urging him put a permanent ban in place on using techno music on demo reels. Please, people! Think of the children. I can’t think of anything that makes my finger wander to the eject button faster than a monotonous beat punctuated by a high pitched squeal. You don’t want the person who is watching your reel fumbling for “mute” instead of checking out your CG jams. Stay away from lyrics too, power ballads from the 80′s just cause people to laugh at you.
Bonus tip: Don’t stress too much over music choice, most of reels are watched with the sound off anyways.
Only use your very best work.
It’s better to have 1 minute of kick-ass than 3 minutes of just plain ass. Think of your demo as a mix tape you’re trying to impress a girl (or guy) with. You don’t want to kill the mood with the VFX equivalent of Night Ranger. Start off strong, keep ‘em interested for bit and end on high note. The beginning is key because most demo reel ejections take place within the first 10 seconds of viewing (time is money ya know) and the end of the reel leaves the most lasting impression on a potential future employer.
Bonus tip: Skip the slide-show of selections from your gestural figuring drawing class at the local community college. Cuz, if you don’t skip it someone else will.
Remember the small guy.
Most VFX newbies dream of getting picked-up by one of the big studios for a huge feature project. What happens more often than not is that you’ll be brought into a big shop along with a couple hundred other fresh faces and unceremoniously released after a year or two of working in the latest schlockbuster. Then, you’re right back where you started. Waiting for the studio to give you the two shots from Garfield 4 you worked on with 12 other dudes and pimping an outdated student reel. If you work for a smaller shop you can often turn around some quick, good looking shots from a commercial or TV show that can give your reel some added gravitas.
Bonus tip: Not all small shops are created equal. Choose your boutique shop carefully, or you could end up working on Shark Atack 4: Return of the Megalodon.
If you want a job in Visual Effects show some Visual Effects.
This little nugget of wisdom comes from one of the supes from my intern days. So many reels sent to VFX houses don’t contain any visual effects. Can you create realistic fire, rain or smoke? Can you track a plate, place an object in it and render it so it looks real? Turntables and animation test are great, but they don’t really create a feeling of confidence that you can create a nice looking effects shot. A wider skill set is also a big plus. Specialists who can only do one specific task get called in for shorter bookings. An artists that can take a VFX shot from soup to nuts has a better chance of sticking around for while.
Bonus tip: Only apply for a job in VFX if you really want to work in VFX. If you don’t love what you do, you’ll get real bitter, real fast.
