Subject: Re: OFFTOPIC : Gamer Demo Reels
From: "Bob Ingold" <[email-masked]>
To: Multiple recipients of list <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 7 Dec 1995 16:47:49 -0500

The NUMBER ONE best thing you can do that will get you hired is to include
classical animation.  You need to demonstrate the traditional skills like
Squash and stretch but a great looking walk cycle that gives a sense of mass
would do the trick.  The hardest thing for an animator to do is walk a
character so it looks like the feet contact the ground.  When the foot makes
contact the knee needs to give a little so the body appears to conpress a
little and the flesh squashes.

Anything else depends on what the employee is looking for.  I got in because I
made a prison hall scene the camera glided down.  The employer was looking for
castle builders.

The employer was looking for animated characters and hired an artist that had a
lot of traditional human figure drawing skills.

Based on what your email revealed I would pursue the area of environment.
 Backgounds and architecture.  That would include all furnishings of the
environment.  Make a demo tape that shows this off but try to make a story out
of it.  I find interest in demo tapes depends on how engaging they are.
  If the work your pursueing uses realtime 3D objects then you need to make
really low count polygon objects that look great.

Without trying to sound like an uppity know it all, I hope this helps.

On Dec 7,  3:58pm, Scott McCabe wrote:
> Subject: OFFTOPIC : Gamer Demo Reels
> I know this might sound a little quanky but, har it goes, I'm just working
> on 1 game now, however when I'm done I'd like to pursue work in this field
> (since there is no sign of another one). Although the work I've done
> so far has not been "blistering'ly complicated" nor "fry yer eyeballs" type
of
> animation...well in fact, *very* little animation (I mostly did stills of
> maps,rooms,guns,ships yadda yadda). What do gaming companies look for? This
> type of work is vastly different (that I've seen) from TV/FILM. I was lucky
> this time, the person needed someone quick, I showed him some sample pictures
> and that was it...but the work I've done so far would definiatly not get me
> an academy award if you know what I mean...let alone stuff some of it onto
> a reel. Any suggestions as to grab a gamer's eye in a reel?
>
> Like I said, 'xcuze the off topic meessage.. Thanks..putting anit-flame suit
> on :)
>
> Scott
>
>-- End of excerpt from Scott McCabe

-- 
Bob Ingold            	Time Warner Interactive
[email-masked]	675 Sycamore Drive
(408) 434-1787		Milpitas, CA 95035