Portfolio Preparation

Reels

Assignment

Create a Demo Reel following the guidelines below.
- Length should be 30 seconds - required if you want it to have an opportunity to be included in the MSU Game Dev Showcase.
Export your reel as an H264 mpeg4
Place it in your Google Drive and name it like this:
- YourName-Reel.mp4
Once approved: upload your reel to Youtube or Vimeo and then embed in your web site

Overview

For many occupations, having a reel is mandatory. There is no better way to dynamically introduce your portfolio. It immediately differentiates you as someone who can work with sound and motion in addition to the other core skills that you have. It creates an experience that engages more of the viewer's senses and sets the tone for everything that follows. You may need to create specialized/customized reels for different project or job opportunities. Your reel should be updated regularly. Most game, advertising, animation and multi-media companies routinely produce reels to pitch projects and attract new customers.

Design Guidelines

Put your name and contact info in the beginning and end. Keep it simple.
Put your best work first or it may not be seen at all. In the first round of the hiring process, if the reviewer(s) are not wowed in the first 20 seconds, they may move on to the next candidate.
Group the work by genre (motion graphics, character animation, interactive, etc.)
Don't split-up clips from the same project ... keep them together. When your portfolio is reviewed, they will likely be looking only at your reel. The job of the reel is to clearly, and concisely, demonstrate the types of things you can do . A chaotic and fractured reel will work against that goal.
Whenever possible, match transitions by:
- focal point
- direction of motion
- visual style
- color
If sound design is something you "do"... design a custom soundtrack and credit yourself at the end. Otherwise, a song from the internet, labeled for reuse with modification or noncommercial reuse with modification, is fine. Keep in mind, if you use music that is not labeled for reuse, Youtube may limit your distribution if the authors are enforcing Digital Rights Management.

Group Projects in Your Demo Reel

Titles or Subtitles

Can be used to differentiate the parts that you created. Subtitles can run under the action. Title cards can run between segments. Roles noted in the subtitles can include things like:

character animation
Background design
Storyboarding
Script writing
Wire-framing
etc.

Mixing your parts with the finished work

Showing your assets or parts, then showing the finished work is great way to provide context. Reference this example by concept artist John Giang (external link).