GUIDE LINES TO CREATE YOUR DEMO REEL IN PIXAR WAY

General Guidelines

Student reels should be no more than 2 minutes TOPS!
Do your research. Find reference material from film and photos.
Show you! We want to see your personality coming through in your work.
Focus. Make sure you focus your reel on the role you are applying for. For example, if you are applying for an Layout Apprentice, show Layout, not modeling and lighting.
Keep it Simple. Over-complicating shots/designs may lose the viewer's focus on your core skills.

Layout

Always have a reason to move your camera. Unmotivated camera moves are distracting.
Make sure you are happy with your camera angles, cuts, and timing.
Pay attention to composition of shots. What are you trying to tell your viewer?
Study the work of great cinematographers.... They are your mentors.
Test your cut on other people. Do they understand it? If not, change it.

Modeling

Don't feel like you have to make your own concepts. Use designs that have been created by professional designers.... It will make your models better.
If you use your own designs, create detailed drawings (front, side, and 3/4 drawings). It will make the process much smoother.
Know everything about what your character does, who they are, and what happens on your set. This will help you make design choices.
Model environments to a camera so that you only build what we will see.

Rigging

It is best to build characters with conventional proportions as they are easier to rig and animate.
Study anatomy and find out where animals bend, rotate, and how the skin moves over bone.
Shoulders are the hardest part to rig on a character. Take your time with skinning this part.
Test your rig out. Ask an animator to help make sure it holds up to the movements we would expect.
Don't build in crazy expressions that no one would ever use. Ask an animator what they need and then build those expressions into your rig.

Shading

New shiny environments do not offer the opportunity to test your skills with materials. We like things to be rusty, dirty, and scratched. This is also truer to life than clean and brand new!
Try models with multiple materials, not just metal, but also leather, skin, glass, and hair.
Paint your own textures. Don't rely on scans or photos.

Animation

Remember to create a story that sells your skills. Think outside the regular format for your project. Consider two short films or a few vignettes - they don't have to be long.
Know the story point and emotional quality of every shot, as well as your character's development through the story.
Watch for blank areas in the middle of a face as they reduce the punch of facial animation.
Some things are hard to animate. Choose wisely when deciding want to incorporate: E.g, Two characters interacting (fighting, hugging, pulling), weight change (heavy objects, pulling, buoyancy, falling & contact, gravity), emoting, dialogue.
Film yourself doing the actions in your project.
Use dynamics efficiently and only when it's worthwhile.

Visual Effects

Show more than a particle or fluid effects right out of the box.
Find a way to make your explosion, liquid, hair, or dust have a personality.
Accurate timing and weight is everything. Make sure you pay particular attention to this.
Show more than one type of effect in order to show a breadth of skill and knowledge.
Show the breakdown and your process of creating the effect.
See if you can create stylized fire, water, hair...something that would fit into the Pixar world.

Lighting

Lighting is not just about allowing us to see a scene. It's directing our eye and making a statement about mood.
Lighting needs to have a sound foundation in order to be effective. Use good models that are well textured and shaded.
You should attempt interior and exterior, as well as day and night setups in your reel.
Consider using a design or photograph to recreate an exact lighting style.
Be sure your lighting doesn't cause a shot to flatten out. Find a way to separate foreground and background.
Make sure to have your camera move a bit in your scene so that we know you did not doctor your lighting in Photoshop!