View Full Version : What Lucasarts.com wants
geoffb 07-24-2003, 05:39 PM Just was looking at their website and it had a section that told what they looked for in a demo reel. Thought it might help everyone so here it is.
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WHAT DO WE WANT TO SEE IN A DEMO REEL?
Animation - show weight, balance, timing. Basic motions like lifting, sawing, pulling, pushing, and interacting with scene elements as opposed to simply running, jumping, or walking.
Modeling - reality is the key here. If it is a human it should look like a human. Show a sense of proportion and detail unless you’re going for a stylized cartoon look.
Lighting - should create a mood or atmosphere. Don’t have over-lit scenes just to show off your models.
Camera - have an effective transition without leaving the viewer in a state of vertigo. Have a nice flow between shots to help the viewer understand what is going on.
Show your best work only. Show your best work first. Demo reels should not be longer than 5 minutes.
Show each work once. No need to repeat the same piece.
Use good judgment on music or audio that accompanies the work. Didn’t someone say, ‘The audience is listening?’
Spend the time to do at least one thing really, really well. Everyone has a walk cycle - how do you make your reel stand out? Model an object with high precision and high quality texture maps.
Work on lighting. This seems to be the most overlooked thing on a demo. Show how lighting adds mood or excitement to a scene or how it can be used to increase efficiency by reducing the number of elements that need to be built in a scene.
Use good textures. Are your textures appropriate for the model, or are they just the ones that come with the software? Show that you can create your own textures and have good judgment on how to use them. Do they add detail that otherwise would have to have been modeled?
Show wire frames of models. Wire frames show whether you hacked the model together or built true shapes and forms. They also show how efficient you are as a modeler.
Show low-poly work if you want to get into games. Hi-res work is glamorous, but most games are low, low poly work.
Have high quality (dye-sub) prints made of your work. Low res ntsc video won’t do justice to your environments.
Fix any technical problems. Don’t have any dropped frames or animation spikes in your work.
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Hope you enjoyed. :buttrock:
Geoff
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hmm I think I remember posting this in general in anyone wants a direct link just look in stickys in general discussion.
geoffb
07-24-2003, 07:45 PM
Sorry didnt check first just saw and posted.
Deestrakt
07-24-2003, 07:56 PM
if its a repost, i'm lucky u didnt check before, because i havent read that before and its interesting. thx geoff
ODoul
07-24-2003, 08:31 PM
Harsh reality sets in. I will never work for a major studio. :-( -- 3d_e
dpvtank
07-24-2003, 08:31 PM
http://www.ideasfactory.com/film_tv/features/ftv_feature11.htm
that also has some interesting features.
kevin3d
07-24-2003, 08:42 PM
Originally posted by 3D_Explorer
Harsh reality sets in. I will never work for a major studio. :-( -- 3d_e
A. Believe in yourself
B. "Major Studios " are not the only option. "Minor studios' or freelancing can have tremendous creative and personal rewards, even greater than working on a PIXAR film (And I LOVE all of Pixar's and Blue Skye's work!!!)
geoffb
07-24-2003, 08:48 PM
Yeah I agree that you shouldn't give up hope just because what you have is not what they are looking for, that was just one position and only lucasarts, not pixar, or bluesky, or any of the other big studios. I'm sure they all are different. Just keep working and you will get there one day. It just takes hard work and determination.
Geoff
Shademaster
07-24-2003, 11:03 PM
Yea, major studios aren't as 'hot' as they used to be...
Some people might be of a lot better of at a small studio where you can have more creative freedom than at a major studio like ILM. This doesn't mean I don't want to work for them :scream:
:)
Emberghost
07-25-2003, 08:45 AM
I'm a 15 year old student so all the cg industry job stuff is not my strong point. I know Cinema 4D is an excellent program and will only gain more and more popularity and on that note off to the question. If you sent a video reel to apply for a job, do you tell them that you use cinema 4d? Only use cinema 4d? Would like to use cinema 4d? And say you and "another guy" sent in a video reel, both very good, one made with LW and the other with c4d. Would the LW guy get the job just because LW it is more well known? And does the company that you work for make you use a certain program or you use what you are comfortable with? I would appreciate if someone clarifies this for me.
LucentDreams
07-25-2003, 09:07 AM
hehe especially in temrs of LW that would be a defnite NO. No it doesn't work like that really.
There are pretty much two levels in the industry and two ways of working. Either they are really huge and use many apps and/or proprietary apps, or they are a typical studio using one specific app and having no time or money to train you in that app. For a large studio like Pixar and ILM, its the art not the app that matters, for smaller studios, while they want the best art possible, they do have to consider that they likely can't train your inn the app they use.
Best advice, keep learning C4D (since its easy to learn and then easy to apply that knowledge to other apps) and choose one other to learn, for maya they have PLE to learn on, xsi has the experience version, max doesn't have a free version, but dicreet has gmax which is very similar, it has identical interface, almost identical modeling tools and many similar animation tools, different material system and no renderer.
Emberghost
07-25-2003, 10:25 AM
Thank you very much Kai, I will try to download all the free versions of all high-end graphics apps to try them out and better my skills. Has there ever been a worldwide poll for all cg artists on what apps they are the most proficient in? Or maybe even a poll to see how many studios require what apps, outcomes might be obvious but very interesting. Thanks for your time.
BTW "totally OT" - I always hated how there was no spell check in forums.....but I just realized I can copy/paste the text into MS word and let it do the work. Might be too tedious for some, but when your spelling is as nice as mine it is useful.
kevin3d
07-25-2003, 11:57 AM
I have heard again and again stories about folks with little tech background but very strong animation skills out-shining 'animation geeks' after only a few months of training.
A studio who hires on the basis of which app you know is short sited.
IMHO, it might be better to demonstrate skill & knoweldge in a range of areas; i.e 3D animation, digital imaging, compositing...and of course DRAWING...life drawing...(go to the local zoo & draw the animals) you know...with that long skinny thing called a 'pencil'. This would be better then knowing a bunch of different 3D apps. Again, its just IMHO
geoffb
07-25-2003, 01:36 PM
I agree. I would say learn Cinema really well. Do as much as you can before you try another app, then decide what you really want to do, if its film, I would say jump into Maya, games you might want to learn 3DS Max,. The main thing is that since you have the knowledge of 3D, once you learn it, the hardest part is over. I've used Cinema for almost a year solid and this summer I took a 2-day workshop on the basics of Maya, and I have to say it was the easiest class in the world, cause I knew what I was supposed to do, the hardest part was trying to locate the tools to do it. Just keep after it in CInema and then move on to Maya or something similar. Not to bash Cinema, but have knowledge of Maya or Max is a huge plus, even if its basic knowledge.
In my case, I love Maya so much that I have begun modeling in Maya and then texturing and lighting and rendering in Cinema. You might ask why. Well I still love Cinema and I would rather use it to light and render than Maya. Just my preference.
Hope my rambling helps.
Geoff:buttrock:
Emberghost
07-26-2003, 11:28 PM
Thank you Geoff and Kevin for your advice and opinions. I love all things to do with 3D, and I love Cinema 4D. My only problem is that being 15, I'm not too sure whether I want to continue to do 3D and do it as a job. Im not saying I'm going to quit or anything, I just want to keep my options open. I am really interested in structural engineering as well. So what I am trying to learn is just that, CAD-structural building and all that good stuff:D
I would love to take a class for cinema or any 3d app, but where I am I have no idea if there even are any. I live in California, which is not as rural as some other states so my guess would be that there has to be something here. But not being able to drive 1) stinks and 2) really limits where I can go. Is there some sort of site that shows classes or something similar in your area? There is a 3d class at my high school, but not computer related. Its 3D drawing sculpting and all that good stuff which I will take next year as a Junior. Well I have to be going, thanks for your interest and time :thumbsup:
~~~Life Is To Complicated~~~
geoffb
07-29-2003, 01:03 PM
Dude, Dude, Dude. I so wish I could be in your shoes right now. When I was in High School, I never took the opurtunity to take Art and sculpture. I really wish I had, because you use all of that in 3D. I mean I think I am making a lot of progress in 3D, but its taken a lot of hard work and help from one of my professors keeping me on the right path to get there. You know I hadn't even had an art class since 6th grade when I started majoring in Art! :D Take all the traditional art that you can. And just be paitent about getting to do the 3D, because all the other art will just continue to build on your 3D skills. And one more thing. Do not be worried about wanting to be an Engineer. I wanted to be a Mechanical Engineer when I started here, and then changed from that to Computer Science and then to Art. Quite a change, but its my calling and I was willing to put in the hard work necessary to acomplis it. Thats the real test you will face in life. Not whether you can do it, but whether you are willing to work hard enough to achieve it. At least thats what I've found to be true. So just keep working. You have plenty of time to decide what you will do for the rest of your life.
Geoff:buttrock:
kevin3d
07-29-2003, 01:23 PM
what Geoff said is 100% correct. The 3D is seductive.....but build your foundation.
Also, don't ever get it in your mind that your career is static...for your own sake it had beter not be. You may begin your career as a 3D animator in a major production company in California, and 20 years later own your own photography studio in New Zealand...life is a trip and ya never know.
Emberghost
07-30-2003, 08:01 PM
Originally posted by kevin3d
Also, don't ever get it in your mind that your career is static...for your own sake it had beter not be.
No, I was just saying that those are what my interests are in. Not that I am going to choose my life path RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW ya know.
geoffb: Thank you for your words of advice. I will seize any opportunity that I can as a student in high school. I am also taking a 3-year tech class through the rest of high school. They better prepares you for the real world and help you get jobs! As well as help you job shadow companies and all that good stuff
:D
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