Hi everyone,
I’m currently learning the VFX ropes and was wondering if you’d be willing to give me some feedback on my current demoreel? Any and all feedback is very much appreciated 
Thanks!
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Sure thing!
Ocean Spray:
Interesting idea, but try to give it some more depth. Right now it feels very flat. Maybe try filling it out with some more mist or small spray particles. Also take a look at the timing of waves. Most of the time a wave splash will have time to fall and land before a new wave follows it.
Fireworks:
I’d avoid using sucha large spawnvolume as all of the sparks come from the firework itself, not the rea around it. That would avoid the issue where some sparks are seen moving the wrong way for a few frames. I’d also add some scale by velocity to make it look faster. Try fading the sparks out instead of letting them pop off when they die.
Gun fire.
For a stylized effect it’s a good start. For the muzzle flash, try adding some shape variations so it’s not the same every time. Perhaps add a bit of smoke, or a spark here and there. The impact is a bit slow. Give the smoke some more inital veolcity and slow it down with drag once it’s evloved a bit.
Healing:
Interesting concet. I like that you added some movement to the dissolving shield. The best advice I can give for this is to try and think through the story. What is the effect doing? Does it come out of something? Is it surronfinding a character? Would it affect the character? Is it magic from somewhere? Does it come from the sky? A potion?
Oh, and fade out particles in this one to.
Keep practicing, you’ll get it!
Brilliant, thank you for the feedback Andreas - I’ll get to work on those tweaks and post an update asap 
Partikel hit most of the comments I had so I will go for the bigger picture stuff.
Presentation: The name card sits for way to long for each scene. The audience is here to see VFX none of them were so confusing as to what they were they would need the description highlighted for so long. It is minor but it was the first thing you showed that I reacted to.
Content: Once you have all of Partikel’s feedback in you will still only have the most standard basic effects in your reel. For sure every effects artist makes these kinds of FX so that is not a bad thing but how will you stand out? Maybe you take some specific games and make FX that would work for that style (especially good for applying to those companies). Or take you FX and expand them into a scene (take the wave crashing and make a water shader and a repeating wave animating asset with the crash for example). Just like here on the forum your reel will be setting next to a bunch of others, until you can beat or compete with them including the professional ones to some degree it will be hard to get that job.
The good news is hard work can make it happen and your are getting guidance from the best in the industry (and me 
)
Keep it up you are on your way!
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Thanks for this Mark - will definitely remove the title cards
I really like the waves idea and was aiming for some stylised fire next once I’ve implemented Andreas’ suggestions. I’m learning as I go at the moment so progress is rather slow as I’m limited to evenings and weekends.
Really do value the feedback from veterans who know what to look for - your collective insight is absolute gold for a newbie like myself
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Finally managed to get to grips with MIDs and Blueprint - would appreciate any and all feedback for Fireworks V2