farbtopf,

Thanks for taking the time!

No, not too harsh at all. Given that I am transitioning from 2D (where I've been working some 15+ years and have PLENTY to show) to 3D (where I'm pretty much back to square 1), ANY advice is good advice!

One has to start somewhere. Of course I am always adding to/improving/replacing things, but this was my first effort. I gather you look at reels over in London, so your advice is not only well-taken, it is relevant. I myself have looked at hundreds of traditional animation reels, and have my own personal quirks about what I like to see in reels (for example, my own personal pet peeve is loud obnoxious music, which will cause me to zap even a good reel)!

Couldn't agree with you more about SFX. I have several professional disks, but I confess I didn't do any SFX for the walk cycles. Also agree about the cuts. Some of the bits are too short for a cross fade, but I think clean cuts will work. (PS I registered with freesounds. We'll see what they have!)

Best work first? Being as we're our own worst critics, that's a tall order, but I see what you mean. I believe you also commented directly on YouTube (if not, I got exactly the same advice you gave me here), and I certainly see that!

Since it was all composited on After Effects, shuffling everything around should be easy. Aslo, this particular reel is for someone I already know (and who already knows me), but I'm glad you piped in before I sent it out into the cold cruel world!

YouTube has a lot of demo reels running the gamut from beginner to pro. I've been watching them all!

Thanks again for your help!