Showreel & CV Top Tips

Starting out in the VFX industry? Our artists and producers have put together their collective wisdom just for you.

CV & APPLICATION TIPS

Back to Basics: It sounds silly, but there have been instances where people have not put their full name on their application email! Always try to imagine you’re reading your CV or application email for the first time. Does it answer all your questions?

Know Your Department: Is it obvious from your CV and cover letter which department you wish to work in? It’s important to know which department you see yourself working in, and any experience you have that is relevant to this. At BlueBolt, the roles are divided into 2D, 3D and DMP, production and administration/support.

Know The Company: Have you put the correct company name in your application email? Always try to refer to the company’s work to show that you have done your research. You should also explain why you would like to work for that company.

Keep It Simple: CV’s that are almost entirely images can be very difficult to read and therefore hard at pulling out the relevant information. Add some creative flare to your CV to stand out, but try not to overdo it. Bullet pointed lists and short sentences make your CV easier to read and easier for recruiters to scan for key points. If possible, your CV should not be more than one page long.

Contact Information and Availability: Are your contact details clear on your CV, including mobile number? Does your cover letter clearly state when you are available?

Eligibility to Work: Is it clear from your CV or cover letter that you are eligible to work in the UK? If not, are your sponsorship requirements clearly pointed out?

Keep It Up To Date: Make sure the CV you are sending highlights your latest experience and position.

Last Checks: You can use our checklist to help you make sure you have covered the basics and fine-tuned your CV before sending your application.

Check our recruitment portal on our website regularly and apply there. Here’s a handy link to our jobs page.

CHECKLIST FOR APPLICATIONS

  • I have run a spelling and grammar check

  • I have included all the important information about myself

  • I have made it clear which department I wish to work in and where I see my career taking me

  • My CV is legible and it’s easy to extract key information

  • I have made my contact information clear

  • I have made my availability to work clear

  • I have made my eligibility to work clear

  • My CV is up to date with my latest positions and experiences

  • I have checked to make sure my CV is attached before sending

  • My email is addressed to the correct company!

SHOWREEL TIPS

General Thoughts: When we watch a reel, we want to see nicely presented, professional looking shots. We’d like to see a grasp of the technology but then show us creatively how it can help you tell us something visual. Prove to us that you can take a toolset and, using it, create something that didn’t exist. Show us your drive and passion to make something amazing with the skills and tools you have. Take real advantage of your time as a student to hone your ambition and explore what you enjoy doing.

Don’t save the best for last: Put your best work first. It will GRAB our attention from the get-go. We watch a lot of reels when we're hiring and it's really helpful to see the best first so we know what you can do immediately and not one minute in.

Tailor Made: If you’re applying for a specific role, i.e. junior FX artist, then show us plenty of examples of this. Feel free to show us a variety of skills that you've learned (especially for 3D where this is an asset!) but keep the focus more on what you’re applying for.

Let The Good Times Roll: When I made my first reel, I spent an extra 6 months trying to make it look more professional. I spent days on the title graphics alone. I was so involved with making something polished that I wasn’t focusing enough on the job at hand.

Having now sat on the other side of the table, reviewing hundreds of reels, I can tell you: titles and fancy graphics will not help you. Keep it simple and let the work do the impressing. I could have saved time had I really understood this when I was starting out.

The lesson here is put your time into what you want to be doing every day at work and don’t spread yourself thin, keep focused.

But do fine-tune your reel and check it through carefully. This entire job is about fine-checking everything and if you aren’t doing that to your own application it's not a great look.

Credits: If you have worked on a team project, include it and make sure you clearly describe what work you contributed. Vimeo has a nice feature that allows you to add timecode hyperlinks to your video description. Use this to detail what you did at certain points in the reel.

Tick Tock: Consider this: it takes months of numerous artists and technicians to complete a minute of complicated VFX work. If your reel is 3-4 minutes long, and it took you six months, how can you possibly compete? I’d much rather see an animation, explosion, model etc… that took you months to make but which shows your ability to contribute something valuable.

You don’t need to complete the explosion; light it and composite it if you don’t feel you have skills in those other disciplines. They could end up making your work look worse, so ration your time and save ours.

Keep your reel under 1 minute and make us look closer and wonder how you managed to achieve such great detail. Wow us, make us look twice!

Mirror Mirror: If you are using the same training material as other students or you’re working in a team, consider how your reel will stand out. Our suggestion is you either spend more time adding your own creative touches or you show breakdowns or R&D of the work you’ve specifically created. As mentioned earlier, you could consider taking extra time after graduating to apply what you’ve learnt and create some fresh work. This might help you make your reel unique and be able to talk comfortably about everything you've created on your own.

CHECKLIST FOR SHOWREELS

  • Put your best work first!

  • Focus on your skill and don’t feel the need to complete full VFX shots

  • Try to be original with your content, don’t just go through the motions. How can the tools be utilised to create something only you can envision?

  • Show us what you enjoy doing and get the job that suits your job needs

  • Tailor your reel if you work on team projects so employers aren’t confused about what you did

  • Fine-check your reel

  • Keep it under 1 minute