Demo Reel Research

Good

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcPI47Xrij0
This one caught my eye at first because I liked the graphics themselves. However, the groove is good in this.The pace is fun and fast moving to keep you interested. Nothing repeats but he connects the scenes well with good transitional smaller pieces. The music, I think, aids it and everything tends to follow the beat. The ending is abrupt but it's good that way.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EANVX2FWsPU&feature=related
This one is a good length to establish the idea of what kind of work this individual does without overwhelming you with too much. The transitions and pace are nice. You get a good idea that this person works on commercials and for big networks. It does a good job showing their professional work.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qp-HMh-toHo
This is a 3D reel so it works a bit differently in the setup but it is very strong. It shows all the components an animation firm is looking for from polygons to walk cycles to different animation techniques and facial/speech techniques. It is long but it isn't unpleasant to watch. The opening is quite nice and it sets up for an action-packed demo reel. The music is nice and adds to its appeal.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7ewDGx66F8&NR=1

I liked this one for the labeling features. A lot of these 3D demo reels benefit from having labels to the sections so the viewer understands what talent is being shown. Otherwise, it might have been confusing as to why each of these images existed in this section. In a way, it ties them all together. The music matches the first image and then transitions into a more modern song to join the rest. Also, it's a nice signifier of the artist himself.

Iffy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwRQNjqrIro&feature=related
This one isn't terrible. I think it could have benefitted from music based on the content within the reel and for the pacing's sake. The transitions are good in some places but are nonsensical in others (like the moon vs. the car back and forth transition). The opening is great and it shows a large breadth of work. I think it could have benefitted from being shorter, however.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ED2CKaUEAEo&feature=related
It's obvious this animator relies a lot on speech to get across their talent. I'm not against this choice but I wish there was some underlying music or something to connect all the scenes. I think for a humorous twist, they could have taken bits and pieces from each animation and made a whole new dialogue that might have been quite hilarious.

Bad

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8Ieh7SiozM&feature=related
This reel is quick and to the point. Because of this individual's talent, I would have liked to see more. The music doesn't really go with all the clips or the main mood of the reel. It needs more transitional elements because random things are squashed together.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BE1xY2vZciQ&feature=related
I wasn't really feeling the music and it spends WAY too long on individual scenes, especially the first one. I felt like I watched a whole animation instead of a clip of the best moments. And in no way do I feel that entire scene captured the highlights. It easily could have been cut down to a 1/3 of the time. Transitions are virtually nonexistent and it seems a bit slammed together.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SY8ViHPXajo&feature=related
Barbie Girl was not a good choice of music, especially since the imagery did not match. The balls at the beginning were nothing compared to what comes later and should have been completely omitted. If the artist can make characters in combat, then I'm sure they can make a ball bounce and roll. The NAG appearing in the background was distracting and unnecessary.