Your work is pretty sweet so let’s show it off!
your email
You’ve spent what feels like an age crafting your email to a studio or client that you really want to work with. You’re on your 17th read through but before you hit send, let’s see if it’s good to go:
Address it to someone at the company If you can’t find a name or are unsure about which name to choose, use the company name. For Sun & Moon, use our producer!
Make it informal but professional We don’t animate in suits, so we don’t need to email in suits either. So no need to worry about whether to use faithfully or sincerely (apparently it’s “faithfully”).
Check for spelling mistakes Now I know I just wrote that there is no need to be formal but spelling mistakes just come across bad. If this isn’t your strong point get a friend to have a look.
Make it short and to the point <- like that!
Clearly say what sort of work you are offering You’re a business and we’re your customer. We need to know what we’re buying!
Make it personal Say something about a piece of our work or how you found out about us. It shows you’ve taken time and care in contacting us and that we’re not on some crazy automated mailing list you’ve set up.
Include a link to your portfolio (Yes. Some people forget this bit!). We’re totally not into typing in URLs found at the bottom of CVs. So make your link so ridiculously easy for us to find that we can’t not see your work!
Out with the old. In with the awesome!
your portfolio
Put it online and all in one handy dandy place We don’t want to have to check your blog for character designs, your YouTube for your showreel and your DeviantArt for your… deviant art…
Hit us with your best stuff straight away Your website is your store front. We’re deciding if we want to come in. And make sure there is no cyber dust gathering on your work. Keep it up to date and shiny!
Keep the design simple rather than clever Put some design consideration into your website but don’t over design it into awkwardness. Design consideration can be as simple as choosing a good preexisting theme.
Make it super easy to navigate We shouldn’t have to hunt for the treasure. It should just be lying there right on the beach!
your showreel
Put your best stuff first Don’t save anything for a big finale. You don’t want to run the risk of people not sticking around to see your stuff.
Make it between 1-2 minutes long Curate it carefully. 45 seconds of strong animation is better than 3 minutes of okay animation. Out with the old. In with the awesome!
Show a good variety of skills Show a walk cycle, a bit of acting, some lip sync, some effects animation if you’ve got it. We might be looking for something in particular when we watch your showreel so make sure you’ve got it.
If it is unclear which bits you did, then clearly state it It may be a beautiful piece of animation but you only animated the blink. Yes, I know. It’s a nice blink. But just be honest about which bits you did.
Put your showreel on Vimeo or YouTube Which one you choose is totally up to you. YouTube is more reliable though Vimeo does have that je ne sais quoi!
cv
A traditional CV isn’t that relevant to us. So why have we included it here? Well, stuff that would be covered by a CV can live somewhere on your website. Usually your “about me” page:
A list of programs you can use Tell us which programs you are proficient in. And then list other programs you can use too. Often, the ability to open the program and know where some of the buttons are is enough to then learn on the job (so long as you’ve got the art skills to back it up).
A short list of relevant work history Name the project, the company you did it for, the role you had on the project and a link to the work. But don’t worry if you haven’t got any live projects under your belt. This is by no means a barrier and if your work is good, we’ll want to hire you!
So there you have it. You’ve read all the way to the end so either this advice has been useful or you’re putting off doing something else. Either way all that’s left to say is good luck and get your work out there! We want to see it!!