As an animator trying to find work, a good demo reel is one of the most important assets you can have. Some animators though, mostly those who are less of a generalist and more of a purist, don’t really like to mess around with lightning, rendering and all that technical stuff. I know I don’t.

It is because of that that most of the demo reels out there (especially of beginners) consist of a collection of playblasts (un-rendered shots straight out of the 3D program).

Now, I should clarify that it’s ok to only have playblasts in your reel. Most people in the industry can look past the aesthetics and focus on the important thing – the animation.

BUT…

It’s always more fun watching rendered shots, even in the most basic ways, with nice colors, depth of field and motion blur.

It’s also a nice way to stand out of the crowd of grey playblasts.

That is why I decided to make a video about basic lighting and rendering methods just for demo reel purposes. Enjoy!