1) Ryan Maesen from the U.S.A: Freelance animator
2) Rojay Rosin from the Philippines: Freelance animator and compositor
3) Prashanth Cavale from India : Animator from Dreamworks India Unit
4) Ray Chase from the U.S.A: Animator from ReelFX
Here's screenshots to show what they had to say:
I broke down what each of them said and made a check-list of some sort, to keep referring to throughout the next couple of months:
Think ahead:
Be clear on the area I want to go for - games or film / TV animation
For games - concentrate on physicality (weight and realism)
For film / TV - concentrate on performance driven
Larger studios want acting more than realism
The reel itself:
Show weight, a walk/run cycle and some dialogue / pantomime
Strong in fundamentals and animation principles - variation in weight, timing and animation styles
Include some action shots - show timing, mechanics and weight
Show emotion and thinking!
Try to avoid anything boring / that's been seen before
Categorise the reel - e.g. character, facial, creature
Each shot shouldn't be too long or short (about 4 to 6 seconds each)
Scenes don't need fancy textures and lighting
Average animation reel is about 2 mins - 30 seconds of solid work is better than 1:30 min average work
Editing:
Quality over quantity!
Start and end with my best pieces of work - beginning should draw the viewer in, end on a high note
Middle should contain strong animations to keep audience interested
Cut any weak animations out - keep only the best
Use music that doesn't over shadow what's on screen! - don't distract the audience
Work with the music - synchronise what's on screen with the music in editing