What should I animate?? (Demo Reel List) - part 2

[@jeandenishaas]

Hope this helps with your demo reel plans and what to include! Need help! Sign up for my workshop! spungellaonline.blogspot.com/p/faq.html

[@beachchickensmedia]

The biggest piece of advice is to create the type of work you want to get paid to do. This is applicable across the board for any industry. In this case of the feature animation industry, if you want to work for Disney, animate in their style (3d flowing movement, with magic and singing). If you want to work for Sony, animate shots that show exaggerated graphic poses with cartoony timing and squash n stretch. If you want to work on Marvel or Star Wars movies in VFX, animate humans and creatures in a hyper realistic mocap style. I could go on and on, but I think this advice trumps all others when it comes to making a shot for a demo reel.

[@jeandenishaas]

Yes if you want to be that focused at the expense of variety, meaning if you’re set on one style then that will naturally exclude all other companies with different styles. But it would be the most optimized way to go.

[@patrickanimates]

I'm so far from being demo reel ready, but this is great info to keep in mind as I practice. Thanks JD.

[@jeandenishaas]

You’re very welcome and good luck until then!

[@enderperez-lopezanimations4103]

What a timing J-D! Actually I'm working on my demo reel so is useful for me. So, far i have a basketball shot and a complex parkour shot that I will add to my demo reel in a couple of weeks.

[@jeandenishaas]

Love when the timing lines up!!

[@sotimple]

These "what to animate" videos have been super helpful, thanks for posting this!! Also, I see that Hilda shirt 👀 I really love that show, I can't believe the last season ended on such a big cliffhanger! Lol

[@jeandenishaas]

Glad to know it’s helpful! And I love Hilda! Great cliffhanger too!

[@mbasterix]

Awesome to see you here.....We cant forget how good mentor you were to us. Learnt a lot from you. Thanks

[@jeandenishaas]

☺️

[@ChesterSampson]

Thanks for sharing my shot again JD! Great tips as always :D

[@jeandenishaas]

Ah it was you!! Man, I google so many combinations of “animsquad, musical, everything about you sucks” etc. I checked Vimeo and LinkedIn too! I didn’t have the movie saved with your name in it, sorry!

[@ChesterSampson]

@@jeandenishaas No worries, sounds like i need to step up my tagging game! ill get on that :D Thanks again

[@jeandenishaas]

@@ChesterSampson Hahah thanks for understanding!

[@vickmure]

Awesome series, just in time, watched all of them in one sitting, and yes I am in the process of building a demo reel. Just completed a workshop at animation mentor. Will follow your guidance sensei and hopefully you will get to see my showreel and share your amazing thoughts. Thank you for the amazing much needed help Sir

[@jeandenishaas]

You’re very welcome! Happy to help!

[@izxyxzi]

hi did u get a job

[@yurignu4283]

Fantastic breakdown of how to better a Reel! thank you JD

[@jeandenishaas]

Sure thing! (I keep postponing the camera clip because it’s so much work HAHAAH, I need to to redo most of it, the presentation ended up being so boring). 😂

[@yurignu4283]

@@jeandenishaas heaheaaehha absolutely no worries! I'm sure when it comes out, it's gonna be top notch!

[@jeandenishaas]

@@yurignu4283 Hope so! ☺️

[@RoughDonut]

Another great and helpful video ! I can't thank you enough JD!

[@jeandenishaas]

Happy to help!!

[@kylefemath5875]

Great video! Took lots of notes, thank you sir!!

[@jeandenishaas]

My pleasure! Thanks for watching!

[@At_Amsterdam]

Awesome as always!! Thank you so much

[@jeandenishaas]

You’re very welcome!

[@stever73]

I'm confused about a piece of your advice. Around 11:50-12:00, you say to not use a "existing performances" to animate to (the George Clooney clip). Isn't this just using reference, which is highly recommended by most animators? Obviously you shouldn't use animation as a reference because you're using another artist's interpretation to animate to, but why wouldn't you consider a live acting clip be acceptable as reference?

[@jeandenishaas]

Because it’s not your own creative decision and you’re copying another artist’s performance from an existing piece of entertainment (just like using someone else’s animation as reference).

[@stever73]

@@jeandenishaas I respectfully disagree. Every time we use live video reference, whether it's an acted, scripted performance by a known person or you video yourself performing the dialogue in your own representation, do we not do it over and over and over until we find our best take to use? I don't see a difference. Using animation as a reference is clearly copying another artist's interpretation, but I vehemently disagree with not using pretty much any form of live video as reference, no matter who it is as the basis of using live reference is to get the best performance. Just because I'm me and not Clooney should be irrelevant in this scenario.

[@jeandenishaas]

@@stever73 Then we will have to disagree then. I’d find it highly uncreative and distracting to watch an animated movie and then suddenly a character acts out the same scene as let’s say Heath Ledger did in the Dark Knight. You want performances to be new. So acting it out by yourself or your acting buddy, coming up with new ideas is a lot more interesting than copying someone else’s performance from a movie or tv show.

[@stever73]

@@jeandenishaas -agree to disagree, friend. I find that a live performance, no matter who it is, is a good source of reference if the performance is what you're looking for. To each their own.

[@jeandenishaas]

@@stever73 Yep! All good!

[@soirema]

Thank you a lot for this, I highly appreciate this

[@jeandenishaas]

My pleasure!

[@Shka_maru]

Who did the sequence around 16:00 mark? Looks fantastic

[@jeandenishaas]

Shaofu Zhang: vimeo.com/239990250

[@Hoodratpax]

About to graduate and this is so helpful even for a rigger like me 👍 thank you!

[@jeandenishaas]

Awesome!!

[@kamona-z7m]

I want ask you about animation in blender is good or not for make short movies

[@jeandenishaas]

Blender is good!

[@SAS-di1jz]

Dear J-D, I'm a huge admirer of your knowledge & highly appreciate your style of teaching. Currently I'm stuck with a confusion for my new game animation demo reel. Would be great if you can answer my question :) Looking at current market trend & job descriptions, there is a demand on working with mocap for animators. If I use mocap as a base animation clip & add keyframe animation to create a few Parkour/Action sequences, will it get considered as cheating? What is the best practice to follow for game animation demo reels, pure keyframe or mocap mixed animations? Thanks a ton!

[@jeandenishaas]

Thank you and you’re very welcome! Game anim reels are outside my scope but you can always provide a before/after comparison? I’d ask Harvey Newman about that!

[@aquaticvfx7544]

How do you apply this if your just trying to get into college for doing animation

[@jeandenishaas]

I don’t know which college and what requirements there are. I would try to show a good grasp of the principles? At least bouncing balls for a solid showcase of timing and spacing and weight?

[@paulinanunez6582]

Great video! Currently, a student wishing to apply for internships. Do you think the Dana rig made by Gabriel Salas is not good/unique for demo reel content? I see the same rig pretty often in many other reels. Thanks for the amazing content

[@jeandenishaas]

Thanks for the kind words! It’s true that the rig is being used a lot, but it’s also a fast rig and nice to animate. I’d try to at least modify the outfit and hair.

[@paulinanunez6582]

@@jeandenishaas Thanks for the quick reply! I'll modify the outfit and hair.

[@jeandenishaas]

@@paulinanunez6582 Sure thing!

[@abhijeet4799]

I guess this channel is only for students who attend your workshops.

[@jeandenishaas]

What makes you say that?