WHEELS reel 2012. Please Critique honestly & firmly.

[Comrad 0]

Hey guys Im a graduate motion designer, who's basically struggling to get into anywhere and so Im considering just going away for 6 months, while working a part time job in a bar or something and sorting my work and reel out. That said, the economy is in pieces here in Britain, finding jobs is hard and I figure I would get everyone's 2pence before making the life change. So what do you think of my reel and if you have some time my work. Be honest, I can take it.

Regards and thanks

Wheels

[ianfreeze 1]

it'd be cool if there was a link to it, maybe?

[dan_hin 0]

It's minimalist, I'll give you that.

[jon 0]

So far three offerings of 2 pence.

 

Until you throw a link up there you'll be stuck at 6 pence none the richer.

 

You need to get that reel out of the bearded barley.

[Comrad 0]

So, sorry guys, was waiting for Vimeo to finish the conversion then went to bed, had work and , you get the picture.

You can view on my site at http://wearewheels.com/ Its the first thing on there, cant miss it

 

Or on Vimeo at

http://vimeo.com/48816382

 

 

and my old edited reel (same work) is at https://vimeo.com/42619670 if you want to compare and contrast

 

 

Sorry again and thanks,

 

W

[florio 0]

Ok here we go ...

 

I watched your reel a couple of times an this is what I thought:

 

As far as the music ... it's pretty boring and it doesn't really support the visuals very well. Your reel is your one minute "HEY EVERYONE LOOK AT HOW AWESOME I AM!" moment so I might recommend a change of audio.

 

The edit is slow and it holds on shots longer than it should. The whole piece clocks in at 1:13 but you could be done by :45. Also a shorter reel isn't a bad thing especially when your starting out showing solid work beats the hell out of showing some solid work and some crappy work.

 

0:03 - The first piece shot is very bland and I have no idea what I'm looking at. The first shot of your reel (after intro) should be one of your biggest and baddest pieces. You have to hook my attention in order for me to keep watching ... personally i think you should cut it

 

0:05 - 0:08 - the lines are interesting but the pace of it seems really slow ... also (if you can manage it) try to not use a background clip where the guy is either yawning or saying um (see 0:07)

 

The "we are wheels" segment should be the first thing you see after the title card

 

0:11- 0:14 - The first shot of this just cut ... it doesn't help the following graphics and I'd start the map graphics when the action is already happening and cut IMMEDIATELY after the map fills in. Sitting on the map isn't very exciting and without prior context I have no idea what I'm looking at

 

0:14 - Flowers pushing in. Does nothing and it doesn't show your abilities as a motion graphics designer other than you can scale an image ... cut it

 

0:15 - 0:18 - You start the clip at the end of an animation segment then we hold on a red screen for a sec ... start the shot when the text on the red screen is animating on. Remember action is exciting ... periods of nothing are boring

 

0:18 - 0:20 - Like the flowers. It does nothing and doesn't really show anything. Also I'm not sure what I'm looking at ... cut it

 

0:20 - 0:21 - It's cool ... once the cars go off frame ... cut to the next shot

 

everything is ok til 0:27 - once that helix rotation action stops ... cut to the next shot

 

The b-ball shots really don't do much for me ... i'd say cut em

 

0:30 - 0:33 - The lines again are interesting but they are very slow moving. Punching up the pace and getting out the shot earlier would be recommended ... otherwise we sit on a logo slate for a second too long

 

0:38 - 0:41 - the practical shots don't really show any motion graphics (as far as I can see) ... cut em

 

again b-ballers - cut

 

0:43 - 0:47 - the surveillance set up and the grass knoll shots are kinda boring and the camera doesn't move to show any action. These shots needs work

 

0:48 - 0:50 - this looks like a tutorial Shawn Romano did on AETuts a while back ... so I'm kinda iffy on that one. Also you have spots were nothing really happens (before the hands appear) that aren't very interesting

 

0:50 - 0:56 - Again these aren't showing any motion graphics so I'd cut them

 

0:56 - This shot with the colored bars is kinda slow ... speed it up

 

1:01 - 1:04 the "fredrich nietzsche" piece is kinda boring and it's also a little long - cut it in half

 

All in all the pacing is slow, the designs on certain shots need to be rethought so this is definitely the reel of a junior artist (Don't fret man my first reel sucked so bad I think I'm still in shock I got hired haha). I think if you make some of those changes and focus more on the design of your shots you'll do fine

 

Best of luck and Cheers

~Florio

[Comrad 0]

Thanks for the reply really insightful and useful. Just a few questions:

- Some of my work is more short movie than motion graphics and is rather slow paced, should this stuff just not be in the reel?

- i didn't spend too much time picking a track as I always heard most reels are viewed with no sound, is it better to cut to a track?

-Finally is it all about the animation? For example the first shot is some council houses ( social housing in UK) that movie isnt the best animated, but more a designed short film and got me into some film festivals in the UK, is it worth keeping or for my reel should I discard.

- Should there be no live action if it has no motion graphics, does it not show i can do other things?

 

Thanks so much again, very helpful post

[ianfreeze 1]

- Some of my work is more short movie than motion graphics and is rather slow paced, should this stuff just not be in the reel?

 

Depends on the places you are applying at. A production company might see some value in a guy that can shoot, design, and animate. A straight up design studio won't really have much use for the first one. So at the end of the day its up to you. I had some stuff that I shot in my reel and it helped me land a job at a production company.

 

 

- i didn't spend too much time picking a track as I always heard most reels are viewed with no sound, is it better to cut to a track?

You should spend the time picking a good track. While its true that most people probably turn off the sound to view a reel, some don't. Why not pick a good track just in case. As far as cutting to the beat, absolutely! Ill refer you to another post about the same thing:

http://mograph.net/board/index.php?showtopic=27733&st=0&p=204959&&do=findComment&comment=204959

 

Also, if someone does decide to turn off the music while watching your reel, your edit will be infinitely more interesting visually cutting to the beat even though they cant hear it.

 

-Finally is it all about the animation? For example the first shot is some council houses ( social housing in UK) that movie isnt the best animated, but more a designed short film and got me into some film festivals in the UK, is it worth keeping or for my reel should I discard.

 

 

I think its all about animation if you want to be an animator. I've seen a lot of sites for guys who market them selves solely as designers and theres very little motion. Guys like the other Justin Harder ( http://clausstudios.com ) or Brian Gossett ( http://work.briangossett.com ). These guys don't animate, and thats alright. There are also a ton of motion designer reels (look at just about anyones reel on this site)where you see design AND animation. Lastly theres straight animators, and thats all they do. At the end of the day it comes down to what you like doing the most. Do that.

[florio 0]

Pretty much ianfreeze hit the nail on the head (and he said it a thousand times better than i can) but here's my take:

 

- Some of my work is more short movie than motion graphics and is rather slow paced, should this stuff just not be in the reel?

 

Realistically you should people what you want to do ... if you wanna be an all in one kinda guy show what ianfreeze said is on the money. Personally I'm a Mograph/VFX artist and thats what I love doing so thats all thats in my reel (that needs to be updated haha)

 

 

- i didn't spend too much time picking a track as I always heard most reels are viewed with no sound, is it better to cut to a track?

 

Absolutely cut to a track not only will the pacing improve but if the song fits the reel it's easier for people to get into it and vibe with your shit ... When I review the reels for freelancers I almost always listen to them with audio.

 

2 really solid examples of reels with sick beats:

https://vimeo.com/35845707

https://vimeo.com/25222446

 

 

 

-Finally is it all about the animation? For example the first shot is some council houses ( social housing in UK) that movie isnt the best animated, but more a designed short film and got me into some film festivals in the UK, is it worth keeping or for my reel should I discard.

 

Your demo reel is your minute to show off and show how you can design and execute a scene or shot that not only looks good but conveys something. All of the reels from the top guys always blow me away because they have mastered that blend of technical knowledge and creativity. SO yeah it's about the animation. Motion graphics artists are in essence creative/technically rounded animators. My reason(s) for saying lose the first shot was this ... I had no idea what I was looking at and it wasn't peaking my interest. It's not a slight at the piece but watch other peoples reels and compare what they are showing versus what we see in yours

 

 

- Should there be no live action if it has no motion graphics, does it not show i can do other things?

 

Again it's really if you want studios to know you can get other things ... I used to have CC'd footage in my reel a while back but I took it out since animation was more of my passion

 

 

Thanks so much again

 

Your very welcome ... I look forward to seeing what you make in the future

~Florio

 

P.S. - ianfreeze your avatar equals awesome haha

[ianfreeze 1]

P.S. - ianfreeze your avatar equals awesome haha

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJiLlH-0psU

[florio 0]

oh snap!

 

mind equals blown!

[Comrad 0]

Thanks so much for the response both of you. I really appreciate it. Will take it all onboard, but for now, Im cutting off with the design world for a few months, heading to my studio and making some decent stuff to make a much better reel for early next year. WHEELS will be back.