for this semester in professtional practice i am looking into writing a professtional CV creating a brand for my work, my 5 year plan and demo reels.
C.V.s
I researched about CV's and looked at many example of an animators CV. these help with know what should be contained with in an animators CV
https://www.livecareer.com/resume-samples/animator-resumes/2d-animator
this site and example helpped a lot as it has a list of questions and information to include which can be clicked on and add more information on the section of writing and animator CV. the site explains about using key information such as the basic for a CV
CV Summary
work experience
skills
education
this is the basics and can be elaberated anf manipulated to fit towards animation this isn't helpful if they have done freelance work and only done part time which its explains to add and accomplishment section after the CV summary. if you have done passed animation tor for companies then the basic format will work fine.
it explains with using detail towards the job i am applying for for example if its a 2d animator then the CV will have to contain more towards that field the two examples they give are
'Computer animator familiar with the most current technology used to design credible settings and characters to contribute to the believable the story-telling and design of motion picture and video. Develops multiple scenarios in order to see which works best for each image, examining each frame for proper setting and timing. '
'Animator experienced in 3-D modeling, rendering, and animation who has a love of art in all its forms. Created 3-D animation and met all deadlines for a soon-to-be-released video game. As a game designer, works on a variety of platforms, including on-line social networks and mobile gaming.'
these help with know the basic of writing it but more changing it to the job roll i wish to apply for for example 'animator experience in 3d, modelling and rendering' for me going into 2d animation would be as an example
' experienced 2d traditional and digital hand drawn animator sutible for film and television'
i can also add alter in the summary about that i can work towards 2d animated games.
with the education it is best to start with your education stating your degree and other education sutible for animation. the education can include the experience gained from any work experience studio work experience and certificated programs.
adding to this the company, city, period of of employment and job title clearly and headlined and explaining more about accomplishments than responsibilities getting to the point with using bullet points, so that the employer can see it clearly what they are looking for. a list of 3-6 point it recommended and that it should be discribed with action words rather than adjectives. if more in freelance then state the most acomplished and best work you've produced for the client.
the site state about action words to used such as
create
conceptulize
draw
sequence
design
interpret
develop
illustrate
research
frame
edit
visualise
paint
inspire
model
generate
i feel that being given these example help me identify what it is that is used in an animators CV. which will grab the attention of the employer.
with the skill section its is best to review the job appliccation of fit it towards the job for example
stop motion, stop frame
3d computer generated imagery
2d computer generate imagery
2d hand drawn
with the list of animation skills a list of software skill such as Photoshop and Flash is important to put with the animation skills as if portrays more about your skill as an animator it is good to include this towards the job i am apllying for.
CV example
http://www.cvtips.com/resumes-and-cvs/animator-sample-resume.html
this example above is very interesting as it include what i have found but added in more with adding in awards the structure is different to what ive research the education the have put in further back which i feel works well as it the skill that you have that can grab the employers attention and what you specialise in as an animator. the inrmation is very well listed and clear which i fell i can take from for my won CV.
visual CV examples
the two visual example i really like and is different to your generic listed CV as eye catching as it is visually i feel as an emplyeer it works well but i feel that i would take them to seriously although as animation is in the creative industry which explain why you could aproach the CV like this. the first example my peer explain if i was to go down the more creative CV then not to use as much as the example does if not at all.
the firs example i feel that red is not a good choice of colour red is normally symbolised as danger or bad and is looks to dark and less inviting for a CV. the listing and lay out works well and is very basic a clear getting is across to the employer the character is a nice touch although any indication of visual representation is not good as employers judge on looks its sound harsh but some do it is best to stay clear of showing your face whether is a design or a photo.
this CV BELOW i find is very interesting and unique its is used a lot of the time for a creative CV example the layout i feel work and is clear although it looks quite confusing in my opinion the description of why him is very interesting and could work towards my won CV.
formal CV
to start with my CV i went for something formal and basic to get the point across. also to see the information i have that i can include. i do like this idea for more formal companies than creative companies. i do want a more creative looking cv to have more appeal to it i am no very confident with creative CV and creating a brand for myself as im worried that the design could look to complex or too simple. i will look more into creative CV that i like and take from them element that i could use in my own CV.
creative CV experiment
the first experiment with creating i felt worked well although the lay out wasn't great the the logo font did work some of the images were stretched and bad quality. when making this i didn't know where to go and i was very cautious of what to put into the creative CV. i have been very safe with the branding and creation of it with not going over the top and portraying my work and myself as an animator professionally. the first attempt was awful and need a lot of improvements. i feel went to generic and looked up to many different CV and mimicked theirs which took out the personality of the CV.
creative CV
i experiment with taking bits out to as i felt that looking more corporate makes it look more professional which doesn't work at all. once again this attempt was awful the font were very boring and not that very creative. it look very corporate in which i need to change the font and the layout and add a bit more personality towards the CV. i felt that it was a good start but will take time i have always struggled with creating a professional CV and it was a huge worry when finding out the module included creating a CV. although i felt to take my time and create it naturally with as much feed back as possible in order to get the best proffestional looking CV that suits me.
this attempt look a lot better compared to the previous entry's. the font are a lot better the lay out is mapped out in more specific. the software skills are more in line and fit together than before where it was each spacing was completely different from each word.i really like the idea for portraying my level of software skill with having square fill with liquid resemblance. i think the font that i used for the main body of text could be better although i feel that it is more to do with the size of the font. this is a digital copy,the physical copy the text may look bigger and fit with the CV more. also the size of the image can be why the text seems small because of the size of it on the blog. i think this is a great start for the basics for my CV now i will experiment with different approaches towards my CV.
CV attempt 3
the third attempt i took more from my references and went more confident with the creativity towards this CV. i changed the liquid filled boxes to a bar graph although there was not indication to what each bar level represented which is very confusing for the employer. i have changed the layout making in more central i do prefer this lay myself and may experiment with this with using the liquid idea to portray the software skills as this had more of a solid way of portraying my knowledge with using the top of the square as the peak of my skills with the specific software.
with the experience i think more information towards them as they on a basic level which clients and employers will not understand about what use or help that experience fit with animation or the job i am applying for. the education side i decided to go with the time line approach which gained a number of positive feedback.
i had feedback from the idea of the squares with the liquid in them and was told to experiment with maybe having it as showing as glasses of water. in which i felt it look to much like pints of beer and portrayed more units of alcohols levels rather than software skills. which as soon as i realised this i stop and decided to experiment with a different method of portraying my software skills.
CV attempt 5
the fifth attempt i experimented with other ideas i had seen and creating the opposite layout of my colour pallet. this idea id did like and the square worked well in this layout than before although i feel that the over powering and doesn't fit i feel that i need to add more information towards the experience still need more added to it. the font size for the software skills i feel tcould be improved and kept at the same size for each one.
CV attempt six i took from my feedback from the recent CV designs and was told that the text with the orange and white worked better than the orange underlined text in the CV below which i agree i feel that attempt worked its way backwards with in going more corporate in which i will refer to the the original font and headings. the feedback towards the education section was that it was easier to understand the timeline from before than with what i have done for this attempt with adding in dates at the bottom of the paragraph. i will take the advise as i would like the CV to be clear and understanding to the employer and get all the information across efficiently, making it easier for the employer to see and pin point the information they are looking for towards the role I have applied for.
cv attempt 7
with attempt 7 i changed the software skills as words from references i found of other CV's i do like the tex form although through feedback it should of been better layed out i found it difficult to come up with a solution. i did have the idea to take a software skill out but i found that even the weaker skills such as maya i still use the program today for other work. with the text idea for the software skill the rating scale was not a usual way of defining a skill and was told to stick with beginner advanced expert instead of having a number of them as shown below. i still need to add more information of the experiences as some are still not understandable such as football CV. the orange boarder which was used previously the feedback a various towards this but i didn't personally like it in the end and would like to take it out and keep it like before.
Cover letter
the cover letter is a letter that explain briefly about the job you are applying for why and why you want to work. portraying the experience why you are qualified for the job.
cover letter post
the first attempt at the cover letter wasn't great the punctuation was bad which is more likely from my dyslexia but with going through i've only just realised how bad its is. it was a good start but need improving with adding more towards spersific studios and there work and explaining about what i like about there work
cover letter Email
the cover letter for an email was a lot harder for me. i start with making the original letter for post more social and less informal. which i thought worked well but still look more copied and pasted and i feel that it would be best to star over with the email and write a completely different letter writing it for a different studio.
Branding.
this i will be explaining about branding with the use of logo mascot and company names.
http://www.designcouncil.org.uk/news-opinion/power-branding
a brand is somthing that symblises and associated with a person individual or organisation. the assaciation can be yuse to poremote with in the market and create an identity towards that individual or organisation. bad branding can create a negative view and reviews on the person that will target and typcast that person to be bad. once that is embedded into the audiences head then it is very hard to get out out of their head and make a better image for your work.
the example that the site give is coca cola the quote they used is ' If Coca-Cola were to lose all of its production-related assets in a disaster, the company would survive. By contrast, if all consumers were to have a sudden lapse of memory and forget everything related to Coca-Cola, the company would go out of business.'
Coca-Cola Executivestating that this brand is popular and because of the 'secret recipe' that coco cola can grab the consumer attention. for example coco cola released a cola drink called new coca cola the ingredient were hardly changed but because of the 'new' consumers stopped buying it until they released coco cola classic in which brought the sales back up the actual ingredient never changed just the name which works as branding to sell the product. this is a great example of a powerful association of the product and organisation.the visual element of their brand is the red and white colour which automatically can assume cola or make people think of cola colour is important to think about. brands befit organisations it give distinctive trust trust exciting and reliable to which attributes are appropriate with to that businessbranding can help you stand out and add value to your business and interest your customers. brand can portray what make you better than others on the market selling your buissness to get client to respond with you branding. the brand can give off a unique character towards yourself. it can create an emotion on the client from the first sight and the emotion towards it is very important it can portray differently with your work and the clients decision to choose you. thing to think about when creating your brand would be the big idea - what lies at the heart of your company?values- what do you believe in?vision- where are you going?personality - how do you want to come across
the big ideathe big idea is part of what makes you different. what you do and why your doing it and how it willl be presented. the big idea will effect what you do big or small including client service advertising corporate identity and answering machine message.the key points to concider arehow can you stand out?what is it you offer?what is your personality?what do the consumers need?this can be put to use in the design advertising and events.visionthe vision is where you see the company going in the future this is something to think about as it show dedication and enthusiasm. this cam communicate to the customer and client that your serious and its not just for a limited time if you portray this they may not take you seriously. this vision can be big or small can be for a start with in 5 years or 10 years. this all counts towards the first impression on the branding.
Kidney Boy Wonder AnimationsKidney Boy Wonder Animations is a name that was taken from the fact of me having a kidney transplant and that boy wonder is that i survived this name i have used on social media for my work and emails at times/ although not knowing a lot about branding at the time. the name is also the headline for the London paper after i had my kidney transplant, experimenting with visual brandingi experimenting with visually branding myself with the name kidney boy wonder animations (KBW) i took from o my documentary film that included an anthropomorphic kidney and used as a 'masoct' for my brand.i experimented with different facial expresstion which i really liked i thought would work well the purple works as a colour although the water colour i used didn't scan well when using the scanner. i originally wanted the character to have hair like in the animated documentary. after experimenting more with having no hair i preferred using the character to have no hair. with the 'Boy Wonder' i took from the super hero aspect and gave him a mask in which i felt it didn't work well at all and decided to not use that idea. with the boy wonder mask there is copy right with Robbin from DC batman series as he is also known as Boy Wonder,
Typography experiment
i experimented with creating typography in which i have little knowledge of, and forced to use Helvetica. the typography didn't work towards presentation as the letters are all out of proportion and looked odd. i wanted to experiment with the idea of having the 'B' of kidney boy wonder to be the shape of a kidney or an illustration of a kidney to represent to the B. with the second typography the letters some are lower case and some are capital letters.
second illustration.
with the mascot idea i decide to sketch out the character animating which fit with the job i do. i really liked the illustration although i feel that the water colours didn't work and that i would be best to experiment it in photoshop and seeing what a digital version will look like/
the Kidney boy wonder name will be placed on hold as from feed back about branding was that its best to start with your name first until you gain popularity then i can change it to a branded mascot company. from this i will create ideas of names towards my branding with using my own name and coming up with the final name.Name Ideasi started with writing my name and generating a few names that could work keeping the name short and easy to pronounce and noticeable so that audience will remember it. Dominic Matthew Nicolas Civil Civil AnimationsDC AnimationsDMC animations DMNC AnimationsDominic Civil Animations
Civil Animationswith this idea for name i really like with the play on word with Civil engineering. it short and easy to rember and obvious were it come from as it is my last name. the only problem is only using my seconded name and employers and general audiences wont understand it. although i find its is strong name to use.DC Animationsthis idea was obvious as its my initials although as DC being more popular initials for the detective comics especially with the films releasing. Detective Comics do create animated film of their super hero characters although that is more towards Waner Brothers animations studio. I researched to see if detective comic have an animation studio or company of their own, i found that there is no direct animation studio and that it more through the Waner Bro's Animation. this means that i should be able to use DC Animations as a brand name. this will create popularity with to detective comics and my DC animations. i am unsure whether to use this just in case something does happen and copy right issue does acour. DMNC Animationsthis name i am more confident with as it is the initials of my full name its short and easy to pronounce. the only this is saying my full name will be a lot to say. sticking to the initials is better and promoting it as the initials more than my name in certain situations is best. i am more confident with using this as my branding for my animations. DMC Animationsthis name idea works although missing a middle name this can confuse audiences and understand where the M come from but why I've not included the N will cause the confusion. another problem is copy right as a video game by ninja theory made a game called DMC (Devil May Cry) which unsure if they own the name although with worry of company right in future as i would like to use this brand name to promote my work for years to come. the two names that i feel comfortable and confident with are'Civil Animations' and 'DMNC Animations' i would like to choose soon so i can continue with the branding of my work, using it for professionally as soon as possible.Logo ideas
automaticawith this business card below i really like although look very corperate. the texture of the card i feel is very interesting as i feel it could be a conversation starter when giving out the card. the bevel and the slight shine to the typography although i felt that it will obviously clash with the rest of the card.i don think this is the way i would like to go with the business card it looks to serious and quite sinister i would rather portray myself as in between with being obviously serious but still laid back. the name automatica make me think that this is more for a mechanic or engineers business card.
head monkey
this business card had a lot more creativity and i really liked the simplicity of including the monkey with having him in the background on low opacity. the colour combinations of white grey and amber.
film reel business card.
the film reel i found was a great idea and felt that it was a unique,which can start a conversation about the card and the idea of looking at it up into the light. the fact that it is a film reel portrays a film reel straight away shows that this person specializes in film which is a nice way to get the job across.
Ipro Consulting
i really liked the colours for this any may use it for my own business card. the layout i find is very understanding although this business card is obviously for more corporate uses. i'm not sure if the black and orange would work for mine but i will experiment with it to see which i like and which would work well to portray myself in the business world.
Valerie leanthe plastic transparency of this business card i think is a nice inventive way to have. the card would be strong and wont break which i find is a good. the layout of the card is great as the eye would go from left to right and follow all the information down. the only this is that you would only be able to have only one sided business card which make it less creative or have less to engage the client.
ElaB
this I found I really like the colour and would like to use orange as to me its a happy colour but not as bright and happy as the colour yellow i wanted to portray a neutral emotion towards my work as i've said about having is serious but no too serious. this card again look more for corporate business.
creativea
the following business card a really like the simplicity i would rather keep mine to be simple and not complicated. i really like the limit of keeping to only two colours which i do like the idea of of keeping it although i feel i will experiment with different colour variations.
Business card one the first business card of mine i really wanted experiment with the black and orange to see if the would work i did like it but felt that it too had a corporal feeling to it i really like the peg bar and film reel look and might keep that as that portrays what kind of work i do and the peg bar portrays that i specialize in making traditional animation.
Business card 2this business card i took form the creativea card and kept with the basic its the same as the black and orange but with a different colour variation. i'm not comfortable with the blue purple colour for the colours it reminds me of the facebook colour combination which i feel is what i would not like client to think of when seeing my business card and will continue.
Business card 3
i experimented with the design more with taking out the block around the DC animations and kept just the typography which i feel makes it look bare and maybe adding a boarder around it to give it more of a build. the colour i do like of orange i will continue with experimenting with colour until i feel happy with the choice i make. the layout of the typography i think works although the eyes of the client will have to look back a fourth so it would be best to keep it one area so it makes it easier for the client to understand the information quicker. i feel that all the together it feel bare and too simple and i would like to add more build to the design. although i do like the colour use of orange.
Business card 4
I experimented with the same block in the second idea and having the text the same colour taking from both the 2nd and 3rd business card. I don't like the layout of this i think to colour doesn't work well and to me it isn't very eye catching the text i this i shall keep as black and maybe having it on the other side of the business card.
Business card 4
i wanted to add an image in as some more creative business card had image i chose to do a film reel drawing it my self and having it follow the gap in-between the DC ANIMATIONS and the information. i thought the sketch work and flowed with the business card but it was very cliche. i think i will just stick to the basic logo and information as the image could cause a problem.
Business card back
i wanted to see what this business card idea would look like with black text with orange logo which i found was a lot better than having both of them orange although still not happy with the image of the film reel and wont be using it. i will begging to experiment with having two sides to the business card.
Business card front 1i had the idea to enlarge the logo of the orange. i feel that this tone of orange is a little to bright and wont look appealing although it would help the business card stand out. i was thinking more if it was in a client wall and a friend of the client notices it because its so bright which then starts me into a conversation, which i find is great although i think its a bit over the top. the idea of the logo beggin the while of the business card works really well and will experiment with different tones of ograne making slightly darker.
Business card front 2
after experimenting with the orange i make it a darker tone in which this i found is too dark and would like to brightening it up with out the previous level something more in between the bright orange and this brown colour.
Business card front 3
this business card i added in a character from one of my films. i really like the idea for the design although i'm not much a character designer which could get confusing with what i specialize in. i think keeping it basic like the design before would work a lot better to portray myself.
business card front 4
i wanted to have a logo to use for the front instead of having the whole of DC ANIMATIONS
i wanted to incorporate the peg bar with in the business card but i felt that it didn't work. i prefer the original idea of just having the white text.
business card front 5
i experimented with changing the colour of the dc which the ligher blue i find is a lot better for the dark tone of blue although still i feel that the orange and white. this idea i felt was awful but was great experiment as i would slowly be agble to find the branding that suited me best.
business card back Back
the nest designs are all towards the back side of the businesses card the first is main layout that i felt worked and fitted well. with having the main text is black. this was to keep it simple and less confusing and more easier to see and give more sense of familiarise look than having it orange or blue the colours i felt need to only be used mainly for the purpose of branding.
Business card
i did a small design of having a new design with DC although only having DC doesn't explain what is it is i do until the client turns over the card and then reveals DC animation which i feel that it would be best to explain what i do first so i think adding in DC with Director and Animator.
Business card back idea 2
this is the final idea i have for the back which i realised that if the front involves DC animations that having it on the front and back is not needed so i will be taking out the the logo.
Rough mock final 1i created a mock up of the business cards the first is the 2 design idea i feel comfortable and confident with the most and think would work well to promote myself. the front i feel is fine which is the orange oart although as ive said before with the back taking out the logo on the other back side. i will experiment with changing the front just to see if it looks better.
Rough mock up Final 2
i change the front to one of the logo ideas and other designs from before creating them as a mock up. i do like having this logo although again the information would be best to show straight away getting the message across. i does saying it on the back but i think it is best to get the information of what it is a do a efficiently as possible. after gaining feedback i was advised to make the text bigger and more centre if to remove the logo.
business card idea 1i changed the front to the original and centred the back of the card which look a lot better i wanted to experiment with what it would look like with the old front with the back being centred which worked excellently which i find makes it more readable and understanding. although having the logo of DC animations twice is not needed in which i will be removing the logo onto the back of the business card. i feel that the text should be bigger on the back although does look better centred than on the side like before.
business card mock up idea 2i went back and experimented with the DC logo and added in animations although i don't like this design and would prefer to stick with the original of the orange background with white text. i think the depth of the logo work well, having a nice quality to it but i will stick the the original design. the text i will scale the size to make it more readable and centre it.
final idea 1 with this idea i went with the original idea and finally took the logo of the back. i really like this design and the 3d effect on the white text on the front and the peg bar holes. although the orange is a a lot darker than the original tone of orange. i will be changing the tone of the orange and change the text to be more centred as it is slightly to the right.
Logo Design
with branding i experimented with more logo design for DC animations i thought to keep it simple and not to complicated so that the audience will get the message across to who is looking at the logo.i experimented with shape mainly circle and ovals to see if hat basic will work well the colours i keep the same font through this experiment. i feel that it was a great start but unsure visually how to represent my self i understand that i want to be portrayed seriously but not to serious the use of orange portray happiness and white which is a common colour which portray unusual and clean. i did like to blue lighter blue colour although still reminds me to much of the colours for DC comics
logo 2 ideai continued to experiment more with the logo which i found the writing instead of the initials worked better. i am unsure about the font and with the blue and white colour pallet i feel as ive mention before it resemble to much like the social media branding of Facebook. i will be going for the orange and white as and its gives off a more happy yet serious vibe which is what i intend to portray for my branding. the blue border around the orange and white i find is unappealing for me and will take it out and keep just the orange and white. i will change the font to be more dramatic drawing the client in towards the design.
logo 1below is the final logo I took from the business cards and taken out the peg bar holes. this is mainly portraying towards my name a giving off a teaser of the full logo. i really like this design of simplicity i found it difficult to create a logo and graphic design is not a strong point. the naming of my brand and creating the colour scheme i was very careful with almost to care i did experiment with vairius ideas and colours although i wanted to be safe with it. i might experiment with having two versions and might experiment more with having different buissness card to keep it different and audience interested and getting the viewer to pick one if having two versions or maybe more. although i would not like to overwhelm.
the second logo was to give more information and have it different than animations this would more used for the profile image for social media so when looking at it it portrays what it is a do in one image. rather than just having the DC which viewers and client may get confused to what that is and it wouldn't advertise myself. i really like this idea to portray
logo 3Logo 3 is the final logo that will be used throughout the branding this will be used for my website banner and other banners such as social media and Vimeo and YouTube. I feel that the simplicity work well it portrays the information of my occupation efficiently. the font i find draws the client in. i think the simplicity and layout provides the client to understand it and recognise it almost instantly when looking at it by using only two colours and the name only present get sright to the information. over all I am very happy with the result of the out come of this happy that i took the time to developt it and not go with the first idea and design
websitehttps://dominiccivilanimat.wixsite.com/dcanimations
DEMO REEL
demo reels are short normally 30 seconds to 1 minute of moving image work that portrays your best work to impress client and organisation to employ you. its best to portray in animation your specialism. for example it would be 2d tradition and digital work. this would be more work that i am proud of and comfortable to show to the audience. the visual element can be aided with music but the music must be a appropriate for it and easy to listen to so the audience does not get put of because of the choice of music.
dan emmerson demo reel
https://vimeo.com/130367699
i looked at dan Emerson his demo reel from rumpus. i found was very well timed and had a very steady pace to it. i felt that in some areas the pacing went a bit quick some of the shots where shorter through the middle of the demo reel. a lot of more famous works such as angry birds was shown at the beginning. and some vfx animation at the end which is what he doesn't specialize in which i find is a good idea for my own if i wanted to add in work that isn't in my specialism.
wonky films demo reel.https://vimeo.com/77151718wonky films demo reel was very nicely in time with the music they had a lot of variation of titles for the opening of the demo reel. their was a lot of variety of animation work at the beginning which i think should work well as I should show as much work as i can at the beginning of my demo reel.
sun and moon http://sunandmoonstudios.co.uk/work/showreel/there is lots of variety with this studio with specializing in a number of things including 2d stop-motion and CGI. a lot of 2d work involved with the demo reel the pacing. the time is 1 and a half minutes the same as wonkey films demo reel. dans demo reel is 1 minute. i would like to work my demo reel around 30s seconds keeping it short and informative. with being a post graduate student i wont have a lot of work to include in my demo reel.
animation breweryhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfOgSkvcJlElooking at animation brewery demo reel surprisingly included voice acting from the animations. which i find is not really working for the demo reel. the music works well with the demo reel. this demo reel although is nearly 2 minitues long.Dice Productionshttp://diceproductions.co.uk/videos/dice-productions-showreel/the music i found was really good. i found it was quite up beat and woke me up which is something that i could use for my own finding appropriate music for the work. the pacing was very well done and show a lot of footage in a short space of time and i was able to to take it in even with the short time frame of it being shown. which i feel that i could do towards my own demo reel after understanding that clients will still be able to understand what is on screen. their was a lot of work that was live action based as well although that is what the studio specialize in. with mine i will focus on only
Liquid animation
liquid surprisingly had different demo reel which i found was very interesting. although for myself i don't think i have enough footage to include to create different demo reels.
Animation demo reelshttps://www.bloopanimation.com/animation-demo-reel/Lengthi research animators advice on making a first animation demo reel. with the length the reel should not be more than 2 minutes and is recommended to keep it under a minute as post graduates such as myself would have a lot of content to inculcated in the reel.the content of the reelthe content should only be the best stuff. thirty seconds of the most unique and best animation. adding in more animation that isn't your best work creates a bad impression and add time filler to your demo reel which is pointless. it is best just to keep it to the best animation only. the article mentions that it is best to keep it unique and different using shots that aren't always shown such as walk cycles or a ball. for example Morr Meroz mention about having a character jump off a diving board although instead of having the character jump he had them fall. this is a great example on different it is good to surprise the viewer. although to me having the character fall is quite generic and cliche.Order the best work should always go first to grab their attention.Musicmusic is important to get right it is known not to distract the viewer from the film and make sure it doesn't annoy the viewer. according to Morr Meroz 'if in doubt, just turn the music off completely' i don't agree with turning off the music completely it will feel slight uncomfortable towards the viewer i think it is best to keep music in.Presentation.from the article it is not good to edit to the music and give each shot some time which i don't agree with being an animator getting something in time would portray that talent of being able to keep in time. it also mention about adding in a title card for each shot which i feel is a little unnecessary. if people see the demo reel on my site with a page that states 'portfolio' then if they want to see more they can click on that. an alternative is typing in the description the shot number and a description of where that shot is from.youtube vs vimeothe article explain about a section whether to use youtube or vimeo their verdict is that you tube has more viewers than vimeo although vimeo is known to be more professional than youtube. although in my opinion vimeo is best for present although i will upload my demo reel on both but promote it through vimeo as it is the professional preferred option.
there is mention of if you don't have a enough for the demo reel the article has given some are exercise such as
- Flour sack animation
- Dog walk/run cycle
- Man juggles
- Throwing knives on a board / darts
- Man hits a ball with a bat
- Someone chews food and likes/hates it.
- Sword fight
- Kung Fu fight
- Man on a pogo stick
- Diver on a diving board
- A character’s expression as it gets bad/good news
- Laughter
- A dialogue
- Under water (man or fish)
- Transition between walk and run
- Bird flying
i think in general the exercises will work well inn the future they do recommend using 11 second club. which these exercises when not at work and in my own time to add to my demo reel.
http://blog.animationmentor.com/6-tips-from-recruiters-who-look-at-your-animation-demo-reel/
another blog state about demo reels mentioning a lot of what I've mentioned before although there are more using advice towards post graduate demo reels.http://blog.animationmentor.com/6-tips-from-recruiters-who-look-at-your-animation-demo-reel/
on advice which i quite obvious is to aim the demo reel towards the job you are applying for this can go with what i found with Liquid animations where a number of Demo reels are made for me i am aiming for a 2D junior animator role. which portraying only my 2D animation work will be perfect.
another obvious is making sure the link to the Demo reel works it would be very unfortunate if the link you send to a employer doesn't work. it is common for mistake like this to happen it is best to be thorough before sending the application off.
one that i found interesting is be aware of trends. a lot of animator or young post graduate animator tend to create something that is very mainstream the example they give are batman walking dead and game of thrones. i feel the same about this as it would be annoying to see things that have been copied more than influenced.
overall the research will help produce mty demo reel to the best that i can get it which after finish the demo reel i will thenapply to animation studios around the country preferable local studios.
First cut Demo Reel
this demo reel cut when exporting it is at low quality which is because of the export in which from this i will have to check every thing before exporting the sound was not added at this point as i didn't know what music to use for my demo reel. looking at it i feel that i should include more shots of more animation. unfortunatly i saved over a lot of the cuts so this is the only other cut i have but this is not the final cut. i will add more animation in and make sure the edit is in time with the beat.
Final Cut Demo Reelhttps://vimeo.com/215832960The final cut of the animation i was really happy with i felt that adding in more animation at the beginning worked better than before as i would like to show more of my work at the beginning and keep the cuts in time with the music. i was happy with the cuts and felt that they were in time with the beat and to eat guitar note played. i do feel that i should of included the E4 sting at the beginning than at the end although on Vimeo the thumb nail show the E4 sting which can intrigue clients to look at the demo reel and as the E4 sting is at the end and the client is looking for it then they will have to watch it to the end, which is an advantage. i was worried about the heart transplant not cutting and being quite long but the shot was meant to portray the fact that its is all one shot and one take all in traditional hand drawn animation. the long shot i place in the middle as it one of my best pieces of animation although its not good enough to go at the beginning but its a good piece so i added it in the middle. i added in the decent stuff at the end for example the line test of the fairy lip sync i didn't know whether to use line test although i have had feedback saying that it is a very animated piece with lots of movement which is why i felt it was needed to include.
5 year plan
my five year plan after university is applying for a masters course in directing animation at the national film and television school. this course does not start until Jan 2018 in which after the working in this professional practice module in creating a demo reel, CV's with use of having brilliant CV and demo reel I will start sending them out to junior animation job for very small companies around the country to sustain the 7 months of out of education in 2017.
2017-2019
after the experience for the 7 months and work experience in the MA course i will develop more as an animator and a film maker.
November 2019- February 2020
an opportunity that has been planned which is work experience in Los Angeles working with animators and colourist who work at mainstream animation companies after the work experience there.
2020 -2025
I planned to continue to work as an animator in the UK going back to Los Angles annually or every other year working with the mainstream companies. living in my own home closer to the animation studio I work at.
2025 -2030
international companies and work as an animator with them in countries such as Australia France Canada South Africa etc plus making my own film and submitting them to film festivals in my free time from work.
in 2030 i would like to move into directing as a profession with the back up of the MA in Directing Animation looking for directing applications while working internationally.
2031-2045
working professionally as a director in the uk
2045
professionally working as a Hollywood Director
final submission work
CV Final
Cover letter (post)
Cover letter (email)
Website
https://dominiccivilanimat.wixsite.com/dcanimations
Business card Front design final
Business card back final design
Business card final mock up
five year plan
Five-year plan
SWOT is within the Five-year pan writing below
Current situations
I am currently in my final year at university of Worcester studying
Animation I specialize in 2D digital animation and 2D traditional animation. The
job that I would like to start with is a junior 2D animator. I have research about
the skills requirements and the various software that animation companies use. Through
the research and advice from other 2d animator such as Dan Emmerson from Rumpus
animation, with his advising to use flash which I do know use for digital
animation. I have a lot of experienced in flash Toonboom and traditional method
which help with meeting the standard. Software skill I find is difficult to
rate as I can do the basic although small little trick that animators who have
more experience in flash know little tricks such as changing the brush size. I improving
more on animation will creating small sequences to practice in flash and gain
more experience in the program. As a weakness, I will have to find 2d traditional
and 2d digital hand drawn some 2d animation studios work as cut out animation
in after effects will affect from finding work which is a not helping with me
finding work. I am currently applying for a master degree the national film and
television school. In which
Ideal Situations
My ideal situation is that I would like to worked as a
contracted animator 2d animator whether background animation or character
animation for studio all around the world changing countries after several
months. The problem with this is that contracted animator my not be a popular
thing and more like could end up being permanent although if I find another job
I could quit a previous job and move to the other. There are many situation in
this ideal of moving around the world with mainly being money and finding
living space. With money, it would be more likely that I can save from the animation
jobs and use it to pay for living in a new country and moving. This will be difficult
to start with at the beginning but if I work as an animation in the UK saving
up that way.
My big ideal situation is to director my own film in Hollywood
getting my film distributed all around the world. It would be fantastic to win
an Oscar but I would be really pleased if I was able to show my film work
around the world and for people to like it with this idea I understand about
the golden gate saying where you think it would be great and amazing like a
golden gate although when you get there it may not be.
Year one
The first year I would like to send of my CV and demo reel
to animation studio in the UK. The master doesn’t start in till 2018. But before
I graduate I still need to finish the application in which if I don’t I won’t
be able to I’m very weak with application and remembering to do them and with
my dyspraxia it takes a while to fill in although working on it regular
schedule will help the process and success of going towards the masters. With the
finished CV and demo reel I will feel a lot more confident in showing my work
to studios I have found a few studios such as rumpus animations, RJDM studios,
cloth cat, Kite animations. Post graduates generally don’t go straight in to
the animator. I would be happy to save for my masters by working in retail and
then sending applications towards animation studios. During my free time out side
of work, I will practice my animation skill with create short ten second
animation, I will be continuing with unfinished film worked and polishing them
up to be able to send them off to film festivals.
This will be until I start my master in January 2018. This
time next year I will be still working on the masters in which by this time I’m
hoping to be more experienced in directing exploring more toward narrative
films and using differently aesthetic styles and to practice more animation.
Year Two
I will be continuing with my master course creating animated
films and the final year creating one film with working with a crew which I find
is great experience and practiced with working with a crew and more time solely
on directing. Experimenting with my film
making and animation going in new direction and seeing if it works
if I am unable to get accepted into the master then as this
point I will be working in an very small unpopular animation studio in the UK as
a junior 2D animator job. and moved out and living relatively close to the
studio I work at. At this point I am happy to work at one company for a few
years and then move to different studios around the country.
Year three
At this point I would have finish the master’s degree after
the master’s degree I will look for job concerning animation and have a look at
applications towards directing animated films or TV series for small companies
which if I was able to work as a director professionally by then I will be very
amazed but there is no harm in trying especially with a masters degree in directing
animation. In my free time working on short animated films to improve on my
animation skill with directing continuing to create animated films and
distributing them with film festivals.
I have an offer of
work experience that my mother’s friend who live in Los Angeles her friend work
as animator in mainstream companies such as Disney working on Jake and the Neverland
pirate and a friend who is a colourist for SpongeBob. In which I am really excited
to work for although from pass visitors for the university of Worcester said
that working in the mainstream animation studios isn’t as great as you think.
I am keeping this in mind it would be great just to see what
it is like it is something that I would not like to have as a career in the
mains stream animation studios. I would like to see for myself if it is not a
brilliant place to work as an animator. If it is that I don’t like it or the
studios don’t like me working their then I shall continue with working in the
UK and work towards directing or move internationally for 2d animation work.
Year Four
I shall continue with working in the UK and work towards
directing if possible if directing is not possible and is a weak move towards
work or move internationally for 2d animation work at least I would like to apply
for studios abroad and continue to work in UK. I am happy working as an
animator in the UK and gaining more knowledge of animation and learning more
toward directing with feedback from previous film festivals from other director
advice on how to my my films better.
Year five
Confidently working around the world working on contract or permanently
until till I would like to move to a different studio in a different country
the main countries would like to work are in Canada, Belgium, Australia and France.
I have looked at studios in these areas and found 9 2d digital and traditional
studios in Canada, 7 in Australia and for in France. With France, it would be
more likely that I will either have to learn the language which is a weakness
which will take time I was thinking more to a very common tourist area such as
Paris where they would speak more English although studios in which I have to
learn a language would be not the best option as it will take time to learn as I
have mention. If wanting to work abroad it will have to be English speaking.
Brief listed five-year plan
my five-year plan after university is applying
for a MA course in Directing Animation at the national film and television
school. this course does not start until Jan 2018 in which after the working in
this professional practice module in creating a demo reel and CV's. I will
start sending them out to junior animation job for very small companies around
the country to sustain the 7 months of out of education in 2017.
2017-2019
gain the experience for the 7 months and in the
MA course I will develop more as an animator and a film maker.
November 2019- February 2020
an opportunity that has been planned which is
work experience in Los Angeles working with animators and colourist who work at
mainstream animation companies after the work experience there.
2020 -2025
I planned to continue to work as an animator in
the UK, living in my own home closer to the animation studio I work at. Going
back to Los Angeles annually or every other year working with the mainstream
companies.
2025 -2030
international companies and work as an
animator with them in countries such as Australia, France, Canada and South
Africa. plus, making my own film and submitting them to film festivals in my
free time from work.
in 2030, I would like to move into
directing as a profession with the backup of the MA in Directing Animation
looking for directing applications while working internationally.
2031-2045
working professionally as a director in the UK
2045
