the future Portfolio demo reel preparation guide Dr Midori Kitagawa What do you want to do after getting the degree you are currently working on Whats next Going to a graduate school and getting another degree may be an option ID: 285059
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Slide1
Portfolio / demo reel preparation guide
Door to the future
Dr. Midori KitagawaSlide2
What’s next?
What do you want to do after getting the degree you are currently working on?Slide3
Graduate degrees?
Going to a graduate school and getting another degree may be an option.Earning a graduate degree is an investment of your time and money.
Many graduate programs offer fellowships and assistantships that pay monthly stipends, tuition and fees.Slide4
M.A., M.F.A. or Ph.D.?
If you want to teach at a four year college or university, going to a graduate school to earn a terminal degree (e.g. M.F.A
. and
Ph.D.) is
a "must"
.
Be
aware that a
M.A.
degree is not a terminal degree, but a Masters of Fine Art (
M.F.A.
) degree is.Slide5
M.F.A. or Ph.D.?
M.F.A. requires a creative project (and a written thesis at most schools).Ph.D. requires scholarly research based on an appropriate research method, a dissertation, and journal publications.Slide6
Graduate school application:
Statement of intent
When a
statement of intent
is required as one of the admission materials, it is often an important factor in the admission consideration.
Write
about:
Academic
goals (i.e., what you
plan
to study while you are in a graduate program
)
Professional
goals (i.e., what you
plan to
do after graduate school
)
R
easons
why you have selected the graduate program.
Have someone proofread it and make sure that there are no misspellings or grammatical
errors!Slide7
College level teaching job
Teaching experience is a big plus. When you teach, collect the best student works.
Develop your teaching philosophy.
Industry experience is good in animation/game programs.
Non-tenure track
positions (e.g. lecturers and visiting faculty) vs.
tenure track
positions (e.g. assistant professors)
Ph.D. holders may seek
post-doc
positions before going for tenure track positions.Slide8
What is your strength?
If you want to get a job in the industry, find out in what area you have your strongest skills.It is usually in the area that you most
enjoy.Slide9
Focus on your strongest skill
Once you recognize your strength:Focus on it (i.e., strengthen your
skills
in
the area).
Create
works for your portfolio/demo reel that
showcase
the skills.
Find
a position that matches your skills.
Learn
about the
company
and the
position
that you are applying
for.Slide10
Secondary skill
Having a secondary skill in an area that is different from your primary skill area
may
allow your employer to keep you longer on the payroll.
Production pipeline
You
YouSlide11
Ready to be a team player
While in school, develop your:Communication skillsOrganization skills
Teamwork skills
Learning skills
These skills will be as important as technical
skills!Slide12
Industry is smaller
than you think The industry is smaller than you think and the people are well-connected.
Your reputation will follow you.Slide13
Start early
No matter which direction you are heading to, start portfolio / demo real preparation early. Do
not wait until your last semester. Slide14
Collaborate
You can collaborate with your peers on your demo reel. Be
sure to include a
breakdown
guide.Slide15
Be selective
Reviewers have hair triggers and are often looking for any reason to slap the book shut and get through the stacks so that they can go home. Don't give them a reason to reject yours.
Include
only the best of your best
.
If
something doesn't seem quite right with a piece, leave it out.
Do
not
include
everything that you have created
in
a
portfolio
site just because there is enough space for it
.Slide16
Be selective, Be selective,
BE SELECTIVEQuality
matters
much more than quantity
.
Leave
reviewers wanting to see more.
If
you have long animations, make a compilation of the excerpts that are the best parts from your animations.
If
your demo reel consists of animations, the total viewing time of your reel should be less than 3
minutes.
Some recruiters say less than around 1 minute!Slide17
Best work first
Many companies and schools review a large number of applications. No reviewer wants, or is willing, to sit through a 5 or 10 minute piece, looking for what they want to
see.
If the first few seconds of your demo reel does not catch reviewers’ eyes, they will probably stop reviewing
your
reel before it ever gets to "the good stuff". Slide18
Best work first, Best work first, Best work first
Show the very best of your best work in 2 or 3 second clips at the beginning of your reel.
Make
reviewers want to see what's next. Make them want to see more.
Put "the director's cut" at the end of your reel. If they liked the clips enough they may be willing to see what they came from. Slide19
Clean and simple portfolio site
Make a clean and simple portfolio site.Navigation should be simple.
Every content should be easily found.
Since
you are not applying for a
web designer
position, the design of your portfolio
site does
not have to stand out.
Be functional.
Let
your work do the talking.
BE SELECTIVE
.Slide20
Label your portfolio / demo reels
If you are sending your application in a physical form, put your contact information on
each
and every piece you submit. Slide21
Include reference materials
Employers want to see how closely you will be able to follow the preproduction and reference materials (e.g., model sheets, lighting design, and live action footages) if you are hired.Show the preproduction and reference materials that you used side-by-side with your final products in your demo reel/portfolio.Slide22
Include reference materialsSlide23
Include a breakdown guide
Your breakdown guide should describe each project on your demo reel briefly and your "role" on each project.
Don't
make them guess what you did or did not
do.
N
ever
try to get credit for something you didn't do.
Include
a list of software you used to create each piece as well. Slide24
Your resume
Your resume should not be wildly creative -- it should be
legible.
It
should include:
Full name
Address
Phone numbers (home/work/cell)
Email address (that you can use after graduation
)
Objective
Education
Work experience (most recent employment first)
Relevant experience (e.g., internship
)
Staff at the
Career Center
can improve your resume.Slide25
Have web presence
Have your portfolio / demo reel on line.Use SNS to get connected.Vimeo lets you upload a new reel to replace old one and keep the same html address for your reel but
Youtube
does not.Slide26
Develop your
creative talents as well as your technical skills
Production companies and schools want to find people who have
unique talents
that add something new to their teams.
They don't want to hire copycats or software operators who know how to use certain software packages but have no creativity or artistic skills. reels.
Develop your creative talents! Be fresh and unique!Slide27
Questions?
If you have questions or want me to review your portfolio, contact Prof. Midori Kitagawa