Wednesday 2 January 2013

The Lost Reel



Back in August 2012 I started work on what I thought would be my next demo reel, but as luck would have it, I was offerd the job as 3D Lead at Screen Scene VFX, Dublin.  So it was it was never finished past a rough block out models phase...   Now because my next reel at the middle to end of next year wont have any of this stuff in it most probably (with possible exception of the durham cathedral interior and exterior lol), it seemed  a shame that no one would ever get to see it.

So this is the demo reel that never was...  I figured it may be useful to show people that prior to working in Dublin that I hadn't been entirely sitting on my arse doing nothing lol.  In fact its probably about only 30% of what I had been up to, but more of that at a later date hopefully.

Now you will notice that the music for this is nomt somehting I have pullled off my play list I work to, but rather something I wrote , recorded and played myself.  There's a few reasons for this, firstly it seemd a bit rich to bitch about people breaking copyright for my dvd's and 'derivative' versions of creatures of mine (by both hobbyists and professoinals over the years), and then basically rip off recording artists.  Its not as if I cant write an record my own music! I've been a muscian since I was 8 and recording since I was 18.   Also the 2nd and most vital reason that many may want to bare in mind for their own reels is that youtube and the like are getting more and more strict with what you can and cannot use for a video you upload.  More and more videos are either blocked in certain countries, or banned entirely simply due to the choice of soundtrack.

By using either somethin gyou have wrote and recorded yourself or something you have the rights to use you nicely side step this illegality and your reel is then 'legit'.  To put this into perspective, if every demo reel that contains music by recording artists without the right to do so was banned over night, probably 80% of the reels in 3D would disapear.  That would take some of the best 3d reels ever seen and in some cases short films as well. 

But your probably thinking 'hey I cant afford to get the rights to music just for a reel' or maybe 'but thats far in the future' or even 'I cant play or record music for shit'.  there are plenty of copyright free sites that specalise in suplying music for people to use either free of charge or for a very small fee...or failing that maybe find a unsigned band and ask them... most will bite your hand off for the exposure!  If your really desperate then you can always head over to www.phantomshot.com and use any one of the shed load of music I have wrote and recorded in more styles than is sane over the last 2 decades for free.

I know most people wont because they either dont like the music or simply dont want another artist's name credited (even for the music) on their reel. But the offer stands take it or leave it.  (As I make music only for 'me' and to relax then its no big deal as I have no intention of ever making my living from it. )   But either way this is  a point thats worth thinking about and its a bit rich for us as an industry of artists to bitch on about people ripping US off when we rip off OTHERS who make the music.  This goes euqally for fields outside of 3D / 2D such as DSLR film making etc etc....    But feel free to go 'LALALALA I'm not listening' as the industry usually does when this sort of thing comes up lol.