Demo Reel From Nothing At All???? hmm..

[Simon Stutts]

The short answer: Go make some stuff. You don’t have to get paid for it to put it on your reel.

Do self-initiated projects that mimic real world projects: i.e. set goals, communicate a message, deliver (to yourself) on deadline, etc.

If you’re really short on work experience, maybe it’s time to go get an internship. Are there any local studios that would take you on as an intern?

[Simon Stutts]

Some self-initiated projects people have done:
https://www.vimeo.com/3365942

https://www.eatpes.com

I can guarantee you that these guy’s “personal” projects directly resulted in them getting paid projects. Just make the most awesome stuff you possibly can, and no one will care whether you got paid or did it for the love of the game.

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[Jeremy Fabiano]

I wish there were.. the nearest town that *MIGHT* have a studio would be Sacramento, CA – about an hour and 20 minutes away. I’m trying to run my own business at the same time so if it’s not local it really isn’t too doable in my case 🙁

There ARE a few self-initiated projects in mind, friends and I are going to be making a few things that could be used for that purpose.

I’m also doing some very lightweight fx on an indie film that has a good chance of getting into Sundance; my name/logo is in the credits. I’ll be using that in my portfolio of course hehe.

Well knowing it doesn’t have to be “official” work helps massively! We’ll see what comes up.

Any other advice?

Thanks again!

-Jeremy

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If you didn’t supply enough information I will start making assumptions. I’m usually wrong when I assume.
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[Jeremy Fabiano]

Awesome I can live with that!

Gives me more reason to push my abilities even harder than before.

Thanks for the great advice!

-Jeremy

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If you didn’t supply enough information I will start making assumptions. I’m usually wrong when I assume.
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[David Johnson]

Simon is spot on in saying “Just make the most awesome stuff you possibly can, and no one will care whether you got paid”.

Depending on the details, you might even be ok to include some tutorial stuff … if you used tutorials the way they’re intended – to learn a particular technique, expand on it and apply it to other situations/material to make something of your own, you have every right to use what you’ve made.

However, in both scenarios, you definitely shouldn’t mislead people. If you use a company’s logo to mock up some TV spots as practice, while you may not want to put a disclaimer in bold red letters on your reel’s open screen, you might want to somehow make clear the company didn’t contract you to make TV spots.

Similarly, people evaluating your work may have seen the same tutorials … several times over the years I’ve received reels with nothing but unaltered tutorial regurgitations and you can guess not only where those got filed, but also the reaction to those same individuals when they came back several years later.

[Jeremy Fabiano]

Yeah that’s kind of what I was worried about.

I tend to do the tutorials spot on to get it down, then redo it changing a few things, then third time around it looks NOTHING like the tutorial because I took those skills and applied it to somethign else entirely. Only issue is up till this point even my best work is still rather weak. I’m working on expanding my skillset a bit more to remedy that issue.

Thanks, I’m considering all advice, so it’s all welcome.

-Jeremy

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If you didn’t supply enough information I will start making assumptions. I’m usually wrong when I assume.
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[David Johnson]

AE is something you really have to put some hours into to get good at, but don’t forget to balance with related skills beyond software proficiency …

Simon’s advice on that point is so good it’s worth repeating …
“Do self-initiated projects that mimic real world projects: i.e. set goals, communicate a message, deliver (to yourself) on deadline, etc.”

[Jeremy Fabiano]

Yup! Taking his stuff to heart 🙂 Is some very good (and extremely useful) information. Half of the “KEY” that I was missing before. I should be able to progress a lot just with that 🙂

As for several hours on AE .. Been at it for over 2 yrs self-teaching. I started answering peoples posts on here because there are some questions the more experienced members either don’t have time to answer or don’t care to repeat an answer. That and I figure after two years of learning on here, it was time I start putting back into the community and helping where I can. It’s been an enjoyable and rewarding experience so far.

-Jeremy

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If you didn’t supply enough information I will start making assumptions. I’m usually wrong when I assume.
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[Jeremy Fabiano]

Figured I’d put up a copy of my workspace as well. Maybe someone can give pointers on increasing productivity on workflow.

It’s a bit untidy, but I had a lot going on that night.

Notes: On the ‘dual monitor’ setup (not pictured) the middle screen is removed (and no. I didn’t open the start menu intentionally, but was too lazy to redo the screen shot).

Anything I could do to make it a bit more efficient? Well, I mean without having the toilet, fridge, and microwave a bit closer 😀

I’m pretty comfortable with it where it sits, but am considering adding a 4th monitor to the setup for textures/stuff/whatever and possibly a firewire preview monitor (not sure yet) as well as a better sound system (although I’m wired into my mixer which feeds into my guitar/bass amps and stereo). I also need a rollie chair !!! Sitting on your arse w/ a wood dining room chair SUCKS!!!

-Jeremy

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If you didn’t supply enough information I will start making assumptions. I’m usually wrong when I assume.
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[Scott Novasic]

watch out with those crt monitors. I would look into the health issues of being surrounded by those for days on end. Im not sure if its an issue anymore, but you can surf for that info. You might want to get a broadcast monitor. Its my experience that newbies who have not worked with interlaced content, can design things that dont work out well on tv. Broadcast colors and flicker issues are also things that can pop up when an image is delivered. Looks great on your monitor but less than stellar on air.

This may not effect anything in your future job searching, but it is something to consider.

SuperNova
Animation & Visual Effects
Scott Novasic
Los Angeles Ca
web:https://web.mac.com/finaleffects