How Important Is an Acting Shot for Getting a Job in the Gaming Industry

As a student who's just finishing school, it's hard to have every kind of animation on your reel, physical and acting. How important is an acting shot going to be for getting a job in games industry as those are the only companies which have entry-level jobs.
-Shiva

Hi Shiva - thanks so much for coming by the blog!

This is a difficult question to answer, because both types of scenes are very important to have on your demo reel. However, I do think that having strong physical "action tests" on a demo reel is more important than strong "acting tests" for junior animators. As you say, many studios hiring for junior animation positions aren't as interested in your acting shots, as the juniors may primarily be doing more physical work.

Additionally, at even the largest studios, it's the physical stuff that is the most important. You might have some great acting choices, but if your weight and balance are wrong, or your arcs aren't appealing, or the force just isn't there -- well, those great acting choices alone are not going to get you that job. The best acting shots can be destroyed by very small mistakes in body mechanics (how the body works - what moves what, etc).

In my mind, a decent acting scene with bad body mechanics is a demo-reel killer. It screams "newbie," and tells the recruiters that you haven't yet mastered the basics. However, a shot with great body mechanics and only "ok" acting choices -- this isn't ideal, but it certainly doesn't ruin the reel. It will still show that you know the basic fundamentals, and show your potential as an animator.

In light of that difference, I guess I'd have to say that the physical stuff is more important to focus on when you're newer to this stuff, and is certainly the stuff to make sure really shines on your demo reel.

Best of luck!

Shawn :)