Creating an animation showreel - Start An Animation Studio with StartAStudio.com

How can your animation showreel stand out from the competition?

An animation showreel is a video compilation of your best animation work. It’s the face of your animation brand, a chance to showcase your skills, and an opportunity to appeal to a market niche. If you’ve been in the animation industry for a while, you’ll know your success as an animator depends on your showreel. Clients and studios will be far more interested in your showreel than any CV or cover letter, so it’s crucial to make your skills as an animator shine.

Here's how to make your animation showreel stand out:

1. Choose your animation showreel carefully

A showreel is not a place for you to put any and every animation project you’ve done. Instead, carefully go through your work. For each project you’ve completed, ask yourself what value it would offer a potential client. Does it show a stand-out style, an effective way to visualise a concept, or a creative way to advertise a product? Tailor your showreel to different clients. This doesn’t mean redoing all your work, but it does mean selecting your shots with care each time.

To help you choose which animation to include, do your market research. Imagine your ideal client, then write a list of all the animations they might commission. If you have any in a similar style, add them to the showreel. If not, get animating!

For more information, check out our article about choosing clients as a freelance animator.

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2. Order matters

Clients and studios don’t have time to watch very animator’s showreel from beginning to end. The first five seconds should tell employers whether or not they’re interested in you as an animator. Ten seconds in, they’ll know if you’re hired or not. Structure your animation showreel carefully, and put your strongest shot first. If your animation reel is successful, it may be watched from the beginning to end. As well as your opening shot, it’s worth ending on a great shot to leave a strong impression with your viewers.

3. Make your showreel your own

When including your name and contact details, keep it simple. Your employers are watching your showreel for your animation, not a flashy title card. Adding your name, the name of your website, and your email at the start of your showreel ensures it will stick in the mind of the viewer.

As well as including your name, make your showreel visually your own. Clients and studios are looking for two things: animation that is high-quality and stands out. As well as establishing a skillset, focus on developing your personal style as an animator. For more tips on finding your niche as an animator, check out our post here.

When including your name and contact details, keep it simple. Your employers are watching your showreel for your animation, not a flashy title card. Adding your name, the name of your website, and your email at the start of your showreel ensures it will stick in the mind of the viewer.

As well as including your name, make your showreel visually your own. Clients and studios are looking for two things: animation that is high-quality and stands out. As well as establishing a skillset, focus on developing your personal style as an animator. For more tips on finding your niche as an animator, check out our post here.

4. Make your animation showreel flow

The last thing you want is a showreel that looks like a series of disjointed, unrelated shots. When constructing your showreel, focus on the transition from one shot to the other. The movement of unrelated shots should create a flow which carries the momentum of your animation showreel from beginning to end. Timing will also help your animation showreel flow. Avoid using shots that are either too short or too long. A good length to aim for is over one second and under seven seconds.

5. Pick the perfect audio

Another great way to make your animation showreel flow smoothly is to add audio. Put some thought into what audio you want to use, and how it links to the kind of animation you produce. Your audio track should enhance your animation, not distract from it. For this reason, tracks with lyrics aren't the best idea. Most audio tracks have different ‘levels’ to them, so pair this with the attention you want your animation to receive. The climax of an upbeat pop track will draw attention to a shot more than the fade-out ending, for example. Before you pick an audio track, make sure it’s licenced, or you could risk having your showreel taken down.

6. Put your showreel out there!

The industry standard for animation showreels is Vimeo. Upload your animation showreel and include it on as many of your platforms as possible. Your showreel should be the first thing clients see when they go to your website. It can also be featured on a YouTube channel (if you have one), linked in your Instagram bio, and on your LinkedIn profile. It’s worth creating several animation showreels. Most importantly, a ‘public’ reel for your website, and then a collection of tailored showreels for specific clients.

Have you seen our tips on growing your business on social media? See our articles on Instagram and YouTube.

The industry standard for animation showreels is Vimeo. Upload your animation showreel and include it on as many of your platforms as possible. Your showreel should be the first thing clients see when they go to your website. It can also be featured on a YouTube channel (if you have one), linked in your Instagram bio, and on your LinkedIn profile. It’s worth creating several animation showreels. Most importantly, a ‘public’ reel for your website, and then a collection of tailored showreels for specific clients.

Have you seen our tips on growing your business on social media? See our articles on Instagram and YouTube.