20 Tips For An Amazing Showreel | Motion Graphics & Animation

[@Workbenchtv]

I've said a lot of these myself. Bang on man! I am totally guilty of not updating...as my current public reel is from....uhh....2014. But we did just finish off an intro for a 2020 reel yesterday! Anyway, I have a tip. As you work, keep a folder for reel bits. Render out 5-10 seconds of the coolest part from each piece. That way you have stuff ready to edit. And if you decide later that another part might be better, you'll at least remember the piece exists. I'm not as disciplined as I should be with this, but when I am it helps a ton!

[@BenMarriott]

Oooo, such a good tip. I used to keep a note with all of the potential projects to include, but this is much better. Makes it much easier to start. Damn 2014? haha. Can't wait to see the 2020 reel! That's going to be insane with half a decade worth of Workbench gems! :D

[@Workbenchtv]

@@BenMarriott Thanks! Let's hope!

[@KRGB]

Listening to both these dudes is what landed me a career in the industry. Ben’s experience and ability to break things down to practical and actionable approaches to creating motion graphics, as well as his grasp of all the peripheral work that does on ‘around’ translating an idea into a deliverable is super valuable. And @Workbench has one of the most comprehensive, nay... encyclopedic knowledge of motion graphic construction it’s scary. And his ability to distill that inti not just a tutorial but like a legit new tool in your arsenal is skill building at its finest. Plus they’re both funny. And each have the strength of a bear... THAT HAS THE STRENGTH OF TEN BEARS! *statements on strength have been validated by the CDC (Centers for Dope Creators). Stay safe everyone, and wash them hands.

[@Workbenchtv]

@@KRGB Haha! Thanks Joshua!

[@Workbenchtv]

And congratulations!

[@donutcare6929]

1. Length 30-60 secs 2. Only show your best 3. Include work you want to get 4. Structure; strong start, strong end 5. Make your role clear 6. Include personal project 7. Music 8. Update often. Once a year or 6months 9. Show the process 10. Show your personality 11. Show design 12. Tailor your reel 13. Treat it like for client 14. Get feedback 15. No tutorials. Take what you learn and do it your own 16. Avoid cliche 17. No long intros 18. Use editing software 19. Time remapping, speed or slow 20. Reanimate your work 21. Upload!! Thanks for the awesome tips ben! Wish me luck for making a good showreel ya ♡

[@yofi2614]

Jesses! finally someone who put this all things down i literally scroll all of the comments wishhhing to encounter the recap !thanks!

[@aumdavda8517]

thanks

[@UmarMyname]

thanks

[@robmonk3139]

Top advice! Another tip is to consider mixing 2 tracks. I found this helpful, as some of my work is really dark and moody, and other work is bright and colourful. Obviously its not for everyone, but can work well I think!

[@BenMarriott]

Such a great tip :D Definitely something work trying :)

[@Eindrew9]

omg this video comes at the perfect time!!!! i´ve been working on my showreel for a couple of weeks and I feel like I´ve watched every "tips and tricks" video for showreels out there

[@sappyfx]

bruh this guy's intro is literally his showreel lmao

[@sappyfx]

@@PokeFX yo what's up man

[@davidkonevky7372]

What a great intro doe

[@FrytoTheFry]

i agree

[@bycrisci3976]

the bat hits different in this times

[@mathieul4303]

Lol

[@Pixelwav]

Oof

[@netto8221]

I'll take "Bat's Ass World" over Reality rn

[@takamichinoku4167]

Lmfaoooooo

[@davidkonevky7372]

We are in the perspective of the man eating the bat's asshole before realizing he just made a whole pandemic

[@ottessirbob]

Love this. Definitely sound advice. When I was in school, the general idea for your reel was to "shotgun" them with everything in a desperate attempt that SOMETHING on your reel will stand out to an employer (maybe as an intern or a swiss army man at a startup) and the school can say you're now a working a professional to their credit. But even when I graduated I defiantly adopted the, "put your best, favorite work on your reel" in regards to your rule 3 and specialization has served me well since. Though as time goes on, I often think these sorts of guidelines are just as subjective as the art itself. When I reviewed portfolios/reels I always wanted to absorb a lot of content personally speaking. Show me your best stuff for sure, but I'll also look at whatever ya got - good, bad, whatever. I think I was always trying to size up how proficient, how passionate an artist it. Maybe you got a couple knock out pieces, but for me, it didn't speak to someone's character or consistency. I can make an educated guess that a killer 30 second reel is a good hire, but it's still a guess. Compared to someone with a slew of projects that tell me exactly what I'm getting. I'll try to research the candidates' sites and social media to get a bigger picture than just the submitted portfolio/reel. And I'm not saying your best work won't make a good impression, it definitely will, and you'll probably make the cut, but I'm probably gonna dig for more than that. So if you have A LOT of good work, or a real LONG reel, I probably don't need to look any further. Then again, I often would review work on the weekends/down time instead of leaving it to a first impression. And maybe that speaks to my time management skills...aaaandd now I'm babbling... 😉 Ha! Thanks Ben! I'll see about submitting a couple of my older reels too! 👍

[@omrozsoy]

I have 1 week of experience on after effects. Now I think I am ready to make my showreel and get some clients.🤑

[@zetrocadartse646]

So one of the best choices of music to a reel its death grips... That's just what i needed to hear

[@BenMarriott]

Haha, always

[@liamstritt]

I think a lot of the tips in this video apply to all sorts of art & design portfolios too - keep it concise, only show your best work, show your best pieces first but still end strong, only show the work you want to attract, tweak a piece to make it better if you can… almost every tip in this vid can be translated and applied to different types of portfolios/showcases. Thanks Ben!!

[@BenMarriott]

Glad it was helpful!

[@redtadpole]

Here I am looking for tips on creating showreels and this video falls from the heavens into my lap. I should've known you'd have exactly what I was looking for...

[@Jasperi]

These are great tips that can mostly apply to any sort of reel! I'm primarily a filmmaker but have the same considerations when putting together my reel.

[@BenMarriott]

Glad it was helpful! Thanks so much for the approval! :)

[@tando6739]

Thank you for all your great content!!!! Love you ❤️

[@BenMarriott]

You are so welcome! Thanks so much for the love :)

[@velinagarabedyan]

What a motivation to finally make the showreel I've been putting off for ages, thanks Ben! I'll also try to gather the guts to forward it to you in a few weeks.. :D

[@BenMarriott]

Thank you!! I can't to see yours!! :)

[@RyokerDesign]

Thank you for all of these videos Ben you are awesome!

[@BenMarriott]

Glad you like them! Thank you :)

[@thibautcrepelle783]

I'm currently doing my reel, it motivates me to finish it earlier !

[@BenMarriott]

Good luck!

[@geka3878]

Thanks) Yes, it's really important!

"Death Grips" that caught me completely off-guard lol

[@walKyism]

Ben Marriots ROCKS! great teacher!

[@hazeemfernandez4640]

Yep absolutely using death grips for my showreel

[@MichaelBenFox]

Great tips, thanks Ben!

[@h611_]

I didn't know u had a showreel, i always scrolled all the way down in ur ig to see ur awesome works. But here, i have a complainin, u're so good and the showreel is soo short (ok no that short but still i wanna see moree)💕

[@BenMarriott]

Haha, thank you so much! :)

[@motionlabstudio]

Short and sweet is the key!

[@Abdodngk]

This is just what I needed! Thank you so much for sharing 🙏

[@channyicho]

This video is very useful. Thank you Ben!! (Nice hair by the way ..) :D

[@BenMarriott]

Haha, thank you. For some reason I can't get it cut XD

[@anthonytonev1357]

Music: I will pick "Magic Scout - Farm" by Kevin MacLeod. I don't know why but this tune plays in my head while I'm animating. So it fits the mood of my work.

[@pedroandrade3859]

I'm starting my carrier as an animator and have only recently come across your channel, but I'm already in love with it. Keep up the amazing work! Cheers from Brazil

[@squareintheeye9175]

Great tips and well timed - I'm sure everyone in the industry is currently going through these motions (these motions...)

[@annafromm6]

Thank you for the help full video, I'm currently refreshing my reel, and your advice is very useful

[@emilcupic]

would love to see your current reel and I bet I'm not the only one :)

[@JamesDaly]

I'm loving these talking informational videos! Also this background/set/layout is fire 🔥😄

[@BenMarriott]

Thanks so much mate! :D

[@BriChiGuy]

Incredibly helpful, thank you! Working on building a new reel so this couldn't have been more perfect timing.

[@clairesvoyant]

oh nice im sending over my 40 minute showreel of robots, dragons and spaceships to you right away!!! but im joking ((: great vid

[@BenMarriott]

Haha, nooooooooo XD Thanks so much for watching

[@aulerius]

Hey Ben. I appreciate the tips as I've been putting off making a reel for a while now. The main reason for that though, is something I would like to ask about. You touched on this a bit... My work is all over the place so far, and I only have ~1 year of college work and ~1 year of freelance work, some I am not allowed to share. There's enough quality stuff for a 30 sec reel, but there's not enough for just a 2D animation reel, or post-production/vfx reel, or personal style reel (mixed techniques). The industry in my area is not the biggest, so I don't have a luxury of picking a specific field yet. I gotta work on whatever I get, and each project demanded different skillsets, quality levels and styles. My strongest point so far has been the know-how to work with any style, the technical fluency, and I like that. I enjoyed jumping around between fields. Do I just make different "mini-chapters" in a reel to break it into several moods and fields? Do I just wait for my career to mature further and get more focused until I put out a reel?

[@BenMarriott]

Thanks so much for watching. Definitely don't wait, any reel is better than no reel. I'd say stick all of your best stuff in there and don't worry so much how dissimilar it is. I think grouping them into different parts of the reel is a good idea, but really just put together your best work and put it out there.

[@iamYork_]

Truth... all day!!!

[@dansteindesign]

Awesome as always!

[@michaelkohler9831]

Just applied!! Whoop whoop!

[@StorytellerDan]

AGAIN. Much appreciated. Great advice. Thanks.

[@francesca5295]

"Artist are terrible in doing work for themself" WAIT I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE??? i thought something was wrong with me!!! thanks Ben I feel better

[@reboudndart]

Thank you so much for all this tips ! I'm making my first show reel and i'm stressed to make stupid mostakes, so thanks a lot, life savior ! love your intro, so dynamic and creative

[@franmontes2346]

Great tips, very good idea to upload the reel natively in every platform!

[@Czernobog]

Top notch Ben , much obliged !

[@juanbracamonte7382]

I think u r a literal angel

[@alexheusch3036]

i fuckin love you for everything you do for us

[@supravic7533]

Really informative 👏 video. Was hoping to find a balance between my graphic projects and video projects in one.

[@2bhsb]

Great tips as always! but most of all, I really really love your sense of humor😂

[@BenMarriott]

Thanks so much!!

[@brynocerouss]

Death grips, hahaha I can just see your animations playing with 'get got' in the background

[@jsebastianmunch]

Thanks, very helpful! 🙏🏼

[@PierreKleinhouse]

Awesome video dude! 👌 and super relevant for us illustrator in the crowd as well, 100% true for illustration & design portfolios.

[@BenMarriott]

Thanks mate! I really appreciate it :D

[@ranza91]

Ben you are amazing man!

[@FLOWTUTS]

Valuable tips 👌

[@BenMarriott]

Thanks a lot

[@smshh33]

Dope tips! Thank you :)

[@Mackesomething]

Great tips, thanks for sharing your experience!

[@BenMarriott]

My pleasure!

[@milkgilmanoff]

Thank you! This was very helpful!

[@EA-nr9hc]

Love this! Really helpful, as always

[@BenMarriott]

You're so welcome!

[@lailacoolkat4697]

Thank you so much

[@actorALEXANDR_SHULHA_ALEANDROV]

Thanks for your video! I am an actor from Ukraine and I act in films and TV shows. I also do commercials for European countries. What should you say about yourself in an acting business card? How long should an actor's business card last?

[@tiagoparisimalachias4503]

I wish I could like twice! Really awesome!! Thanks o/

[@BenMarriott]

Wow, thanks!

[@blogpolyarnika]

"Steel art when you need to. Art is free" (c) God

[@esaperkasa2711]

bruh 7:57 , This is so me.. Im still using after effects :(. For me, idk why its harder to learn premiere than C4D...

[@marwamustafa5329]

Very helpful tips.. Thanx

[@winstonsgmx]

Lol, you really got that self quarantine hair don’t you :))

[@BenMarriott]

Haha, I've been putting of appearing in videos for so long because of this. But though, "to hell with it, It ain't getting cut for months. Let's embrace it!" XD

[@davidkonevky7372]

He kinda reminds me of the obsessed girlfriend meme lmao. He's very cool

[@nguyen.thutrang]

Thank you so so so much for this video

[@BenMarriott]

You're so welcome!

[@mindypaul4138]

Ben, do you have any advice for someone like me who has ADD and creating motion graphics takes an eternity? I took the School of Motion Animation Bootcamp and it was a huge challenge for me. I pulled a couple of all-nighters to get projects done. I don't have any experience and I have to create a showreel from scratch. I was going to use a few snippets of my assignments from SOM, but saw one of your videos suggesting that's not a good idea. Thanks for any input you could give a struggling wannabe mograph artist! I really respect your work and your knowledge and wisdom!

[@MarkReategui]

About to update my reel from 2017. This exactly what I needed to see. What’s your take on ‘truchos’? Not sure in English, but in Lima, Peru amongst the design community ‘trucho’ is a fake project tailored to add something to your portfolio to help attract a client/clients or to fill in a gap.

[@ceyhunpasaoglu]

You are so helpful!

[@effortmax]

#13 omg that was unexpected to hear from you :) made my life super easier knowing I'm not the only one haha Thank you for the video, great source of inspiration, as always

[@BenMarriott]

Haha, you're definitely not alone

[@pauvallesmuns462]

Good video, but we want to see your showreel!!!

[@bispo.motion775]

Great tips!

[@jazzyj4126]

Thank you for this

[@МашаМандаринка-р7н]

Hi Ben ! Your video pushed me gently but effectively finally to do my reel ! Can you advice good sourses of free music ?

[@bourby-y7z]

I send you my reel !! Amazing video, and LOADS of great advice in the comment.

[@BenMarriott]

Awesome thank you!

[@LoganPinney]

BEN! YES! Thanks man! Im submitting something to you 😎🤟 soooo not a reel of your latest coursework?!😂 PPL THE COURSE IS AMAZING!!!! sign up if you can afford!

[@BenMarriott]

Haha, thanks so much. I really appreciate it

[@alina-faithcameron2321]

This video is really helpful. Thank you. What dimensions would you say the comp for a showreel should be?

[@Funcraftythings]

These are really great tips Ben !! Thanks so much. I though have a question , I make animated lyric videos so how should I make a reel out of them. Confused about music part, should i keep the song of the videos I choose or should I just keep one track for all of the clips I select for the reel?

[@snakedeadly]

Did this gentleman recommend death grips for a showreel

[@bluef7955]

Thanks man

[@EclipseMall]

Thanks m8!

[@chrisfraseronline]

Robots: check. Flying saucers: check. 😂

[@Carlosnl16]

Do you recomend to include stuff learned and made by following a course? Or like with tutorials i should avoid it.

[@casualima]

Hello! This is a very helpful tips. Thank you so much for this opportunity! I have just submitted my reel that I made last year I hope you don't mind that it's not something new. :) Question: updating your reel once a year would be ideal. But if I feel like that I haven't made any animation that can replace my previous reel. Does this mean that I haven't improved? (I do think that lately I haven't improved... like I got stuck!) Any tips about this? I am still saving up to register to your course. :)

[@ahmeterzurumlu9116]

Ben are you planning to do a qna soon?

[@GuidoGautsch]

So good! No tutorials eh? I'll just have to delete my reel then 😂

[@sekimichy]

Thank you so much for this! Could you recommend some premiere tutorial for editing motion works? I've done quite a few videos (mostly editing footages) by Pr but still feel very rudimentary, can't really stick clips in super cool ways. And I don't know if it's a problem of the version(latest) I feel the mask is so unintuitive, hard to edit it right in Pr, the keyframes are also not easy to edit like AE...

[@lukestarkiller7706]

Are you taking hybrid reels (video production & animation) or just motion design reels?

[@snowbalalex]

Hey Ben. Thanks for the dope tips! Quick question - Do you think adding some slides of personal photography is appropriate? Would it be a good way to show off compositional technique and personality, or is it too different from the subject of the reel? Thanks again for all the hard work you're doing duder!

[@TrEndFeVeR22]

question.. can you edit music in primere? like chop music down and uh well match it?

[@luciaterry2600]

Hi again, what size should the whole thing be pixel x pixel?

[@robd92]

Hi Ben, this might sound like a dumb question. If I've done ads for a studio, is it alright to just include it on my reel or do I need to notify the studio?

[@joseantonioortizsanchezpri1931]

Just in case, how many project should the motion demo reel have?

[@third_mate]

yo I how did I miss the Death Grips 4 years ago haha

[@ndc183]

Amen to #13, Im the absolute worst at this.

[@minidreschi2]

7:35 in cut, i know its much better to use Premiere or something, and not After, but i don't see that important in that case? we talking about 30-60secs

[@AndrewMarston]

What's the deadline for reel submission?

[@BenMarriott]

In about 2 weeks I'll start going through the submissions :D

[@AndrewMarston]

@@BenMarriott Thanks! I'm transitioning from editor/cameraman to motion designer. Hoping to get something half-decent together by then but we'll see. Fingers-crossed.

[@benmolina]

Hey Ben i'm also an animator named Ben what a crazy world were living in

[@luciaterry2600]

does everything have to be in color and finished? Im 26 and Im just starting on my own.

[@learning8508]

Do motion graphics usually use someone else's art ? or do they create it themselves? I'm a film editor and I'd like to create a motion graphics in order to get more jobs like that

[@taylornihls6353]

Number 7 has a very important point about roles reversed!

[@raymifarinango5111]

Nice video! Hope to get your feedback

[@2020-k8v]

That's All Folks !