Critique My Demo Reel

You have a point about it being boring. But david lehre's reel bagged so many positive responses over YOUTUBE because most people who browse youtube videos aren't producers interested in hiring him, and they don't know what's 'good' in the film world. Rest assured if david lehre posted his reel on DVXuser, unless he's selling himself as anything other than an editor, he'll likely get ripped to pieces. If I was a producer looking to hire a director or a director of photography, and i saw your reel, along with that other guy's reel(the HVX one), I'd definitely hire him instead. And I think you would too.
 
MalcolmOng said:
You have a point about it being boring. But david lehre's reel bagged so many positive responses over YOUTUBE because most people who browse youtube videos aren't producers interested in hiring him, and they don't know what's 'good' in the film world. Rest assured if david lehre posted his reel on DVXuser, unless he's selling himself as anything other than an editor, he'll likely get ripped to pieces. If I was a producer looking to hire a director or a director of photography, and i saw your reel, along with that other guy's reel(the HVX one), I'd definitely hire him instead. And I think you would too.
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I'm not going to lie, I WOULD hire that other guy first. He looks like he has SUPERB story telling abilities. So what I'm going to do is try and find a way to mix my story telling abilities with action. Because I'm more into action then I am drama in this point in my life. I PLAN on tackling drama on day, but I try and think about the VIEWERS who know nothing of what us film makers know, all they know is what they see. And the hypeness captures more...I feel. I'm going to stick to my craft...just wanted someone to tell me the best way to improve MY craft, not TOTALLY change it. because I AM going to redo my reel and repost it.​
 
Also, I checked out your suggested Demo Reel....yes, the images are AMAZING, they look just like MY imgaes...uncompressed. If I were to try and get my pure images on the net in that quality, in that length, it's be like 4 GB's.
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i think you should watch that reel again cause quality wise (not talking about compression) it's way WAY more professional than yours. and you can really learn by watching work from people here.

as for your demo reel, most of the shots aren't properly lit and framed. there wasn't anything that sparkled interest.

stick around here and keep shooting, you'll get better. that's why i'm here as well :D
 
wesley said:
i think you should watch that reel again cause quality wise (not talking about compression) it's way WAY more professional than yours. and you can really learn by watching work from people here.

as for your demo reel, most of the shots aren't properly lit and framed. there wasn't anything that sparkled interest.

stick around here and keep shooting, you'll get better. that's why i'm here as well :D
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I think you may need to read again. I said My images look JUST LIKE THOSE, when UNCOMPRESSED. When they're COMPRESSED it looks like it does when YOU seen it. IF I were to put my footage on my website, it would take up like 4GB's...

And how ARE they NOT properly fit and framed?​
 
I wouldn't look up to some one like David Lehre. He lucked out, i saw an interview on Current TV, he claims it was a whole huge marketing thing and he knew the myspace movie would be huge. Ehhem. yeah that's bullshit. I hear now he's working on feature films and tv shows for major networks...what's gone wrong with the industry. I dont care much cuz he shows off his little (or big) XL2, personally dvx is still a sexier companion. ROCK!

oh and btw, GET YOUR PULL!
REST IN PEACE DIMEBAG DARRELL ABBOTT!!!!
 
inspire84 said:
I wouldn't look up to some one like David Lehre. He lucked out, i saw an interview on Current TV, he claims it was a whole huge marketing thing and he knew the myspace movie would be huge. Ehhem. yeah that's bullshi*. I hear now he's working on feature films and tv shows for major networks...what's gone wrong with the industry. I dont care much cuz he shows off his little (or big) XL2, personally dvx is still a sexier companion. ROCK!

oh and btw, GET YOUR PULL!
REST IN PEACE DIMEBAG DARRELL ABBOTT!!!!
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Who is that?? And get my 'PULL'? What pull?​
 
WhiteWood said:


And how ARE they NOT properly fit and framed?
​
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They just don't seem to be lit or framed at all. But these are things you can learn. When someone says they aren't lit properly, I think it mostly has to do with the fact that a lot of your shots are very flat. Nothing really stands out, not the people, not the background, nothing in the frame. This makes the shots less interesting visually.

There is a lot of awkward framing too. Most of the shots are on par with a home video you'd expect some Dad to shoot of his kids birthday party. There were a few shots where people were framed in a Medium Shot (sort of) but the top of the frame cut off right at their eyebrows. It just doesn't look good. Another shot I noticed the bottom frame cut off mid shin.

I could go on. But for right now, do a search on this site for the rule of thirds. Buy a book that explains the basics of different framing choices, i.e. The standard Close Up, Medium Close Up, Medium Shot, Wide Shot, etc. Taking basic things like that into consideration will help your compositions tremendously.

Bottom line is, this isn't a good demo reel. Keep on working on it, but as it stands right now I wouldn't send it anywhere and expect to get hired. Sorry if this seems harsh, it's not meant to be.

Some of the animations and stop motion stuff looked like they might be interesting, but I didn't see enough of them to really tell. Maybe incorporate some more of that stuff.

Good luck.
 
With the footage you got you could edit a decent :30-1:00 reel. I liked the
1.) pool shot
2.) the dude with the baseball cap on and the oarnge/yellow light behind him(nice texture on the back wall) although I felt it was held too long.
3.) the guy with the Eddie George jersey was a decent shot
4.) the colors in the skate rink right after the george shot was also good, glad your seeing the vibrant colors.
5.) The girl getting her make up done was nice.
6.) The girl dancing that you croped and floped was ok too.
7.) the animation stuff was cool too.
8.) the begg. animation was cool also

You had some shots that you could see on a rap video on MTV but the biggest problem I saw in your reel was the editing pacing and sound. When editing find things that are similar in some way. You might want to read the Visual Story by Bruce Block, it helps develop your sense of visual affinity. Boy you ain't Jay-z so lose the fades to black, unless the tempo calls for it and lose the crazy effects.

Like others have said you need a begg. middle and end of some kind. When your reel is low in audio intensity use longer shots, maybe brighter ones and depending on the shots and flow maybe some dissolves, you really want to stay away from the effects as much as possible. When your audio is more intense you can use quicker edits and some of those dark shots. Oh and the quick edits of the two same shots over and over again did not work lose that and the color bars. The other thing I noticed it seemed like a lot of the effects, music and some shots were really abrupt and did not flow well. Its those small things that separate the pros from Uncle Bob's home videos.

Whats going on with the music bro? The diamonds from sierra song would come in abruptly and your video did not cut on the music it looked really bad. Find out how to use those audio dissolves, you should be audio dissolving almost anytime sound is cut. I would use just one song and not edit in all those others, let the song dictate the flow.

Your composition is not that bad. It IS ok to cut off foreheads just don't cut off eyes or the chin. I thought you did do that part well. But a lot of composition rules have to do with what the focus of the piece is and we do not know that.

The off white balance of the girl under the tree was a bit distracting but of the cars was not, I do not know why but just the way I saw it. Since you have a non-linear editor shoot on the safe side and shoot it correct decide in post if you want to tint it a little blue or orange.

Read some books, watch some good movies and you will be ok, you can get that footage into a reel your biggest problem was pacing and sound. The camera work was not all that bad, I saw some very good things. You might want to make the short montage then put in some of the scenes of the actual productions like others have mentioned. Good Luck man looks like you had fun at least!!
 
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DVX-Ben said:
They just don't seem to be lit or framed at all. But these are things you can learn. When someone says they aren't lit properly, I think it mostly has to do with the fact that a lot of your shots are very flat. Nothing really stands out, not the people, not the background, nothing in the frame. This makes the shots less interesting visually.

There is a lot of awkward framing too. Most of the shots are on par with a home video you'd expect some Dad to shoot of his kids birthday party. There were a few shots where people were framed in a Medium Shot (sort of) but the top of the frame cut off right at their eyebrows. It just doesn't look good. Another shot I noticed the bottom frame cut off mid shin.

I could go on. But for right now, do a search on this site for the rule of thirds. Buy a book that explains the basics of different framing choices, i.e. The standard Close Up, Medium Close Up, Medium Shot, Wide Shot, etc. Taking basic things like that into consideration will help your compositions tremendously.

Bottom line is, this isn't a good demo reel. Keep on working on it, but as it stands right now I wouldn't send it anywhere and expect to get hired. Sorry if this seems harsh, it's not meant to be.

Some of the animations and stop motion stuff looked like they might be interesting, but I didn't see enough of them to really tell. Maybe incorporate some more of that stuff.

Good luck.
Click to expand...

After DerrickTempleton's Diss:

"add in some slide whistles and stunt hamsters, submit it to america's funniest home videos, and tell me what kind of handshake Bob Saget has."

Pretty much, everything afterwards seems nice
 
Steve-O said:
With the footage you got you could edit a decent :30-1:00 reel. I liked the
1.) pool shot
2.) the dude with the baseball cap on and the oarnge/yellow light behind him(nice texture on the back wall) although I felt it was held too long.
3.) the guy with the Eddie George jersey was a decent shot
4.) the colors in the skate rink right after the george shot was also good, glad your seeing the vibrant colors.
5.) The girl getting her make up done was nice.
6.) The girl dancing that you croped and floped was ok too.
7.) the animation stuff was cool too.
8.) the begg. animation was cool also

You had some shots that you could see on a rap video on MTV but the biggest problem I saw in your reel was the editing pacing and sound. When editing find things that are similar in some way. You might want to read the Visual Story by Bruce Block, it helps develop your sense of visual affinity. Boy you ain't Jay-z so lose the fades to black, unless the tempo calls for it and lose the crazy effects.

Like others have said you need a begg. middle and end of some kind. When your reel is low in audio intensity use longer shots, maybe brighter ones and depending on the shots and flow maybe some dissolves, you really want to stay away from the effects as much as possible. When your audio is more intense you can use quicker edits and some of those dark shots. Oh and the quick edits of the two same shots over and over again did not work lose that and the color bars. The other thing I noticed it seemed like a lot of the effects, music and some shots were really abrupt and did not flow well. Its those small things that separate the pros from Uncle Bob's home videos.

Whats going on with the music bro? The diamonds from sierra song would come in abruptly and your video did not cut on the music it looked really bad. Find out how to use those audio dissolves, you should be audio dissolving almost anytime sound is cut. I would use just one song and not edit in all those others, let the song dictate the flow.

Your composition is not that bad. It IS ok to cut off foreheads just don't cut off eyes or the chin. I thought you did do that part well. But a lot of composition rules have to do with what the focus of the piece is and we do not know that.

The off white balance of the girl under the tree was a bit distracting but of the cars was not, I do not know why but just the way I saw it. Since you have a non-linear editor shoot on the safe side and shoot it correct decide in post if you want to tint it a little blue or orange.

Read some books, watch some good movies and you will be ok, you can get that footage into a reel your biggest problem was pacing and sound. The camera work was not all that bad, I saw some very good things. You might want to make the short montage then put in some of the scenes of the actual productions like others have mentioned. Good Luck man looks like you had fun at least!!
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Yeah I had fun, but if my fun/work doesn't pay off, then my resulting anger could subtract from any fun I've had. But so far, you've helped me out the most. The only reason I added the fade to blacks was because (I Felt) they went with the music. But since everyone is ripping on me, I guess I'll cut them out. Also, I'll cut the scenes with the bad white balance out. I admit, the girl under the tree has a TERRIBLE white balance. But I swear, the car scenes white balance was off on purpose. Not like I SET it like that, but when I seen it, I agreed with it. I felt that my music paced with the audio very well. I mixed the audio myself. But I just got an Idea for what I can do with my audio. I'm just going to mix one song instead next time. But I'm not posting another Demo reel on this sit untill June 2006 when I make my new one so you guys can tell the diff in my footage. But I WILL post a version-two of THIS demo. Thanx. Any examples of a GOOD demo you'd like for me to take a look @?​
 
I LOVE YOUR SPIRIT HOMMIE. Keep creating and things will start to click in your head as you get more experience. Work as much as you can and study the craft as much as you can.
 
Johnny Cola said:
I LOVE YOUR SPIRIT HOMMIE. Keep creating and things will start to click in your head as you get more experience. Work as much as you can and study the craft as much as you can.
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Not saying I dislike negative comments, as helpful as they are, it's great to finally hear words of ENCOURAGEMENT! Thanx, man. To only have my DVX for 6 months, at the age of 21, I've shot some pretty interesting things. I look @ Hiro's work and think about how good he is. But he's about to be 25! @ 25 I plan on earning @ least a million with all that I'll know. LoL, But I'll keep trying. Thanx.​
 
I've seen a ton of demo reels bro, but your's needs a lot of work. I don't want to be mean spirited but I am a straight to the point kind of guy. I would scrap everything and start out new, your picture quality is really sub-par and it's not youtube related. I would pick up a book on the rule of thirds for your framing, and I would learn to CC a bit at least. I had speakers to here your music track and it was totally mismatched, not only did it not flow with the visuals but there was music of different genre and beat slung in there. Most of your shots were not steady or well lit. I'm sorry that I have nothing good to say about your reel but you need to practice quite a bit more before attempting a reel to offer your services. And for the record, age should have nothing to do with the quality of product you produce. I have seen many 16-18 year old pieces that rival that of 35 year olds. I will use Joey Lawrence as an example, he has produced some of the best looking visuals I have ever seen given the equipment he has. (Do a search on Joey Lawrence in these forums)

A piece of advice, study the following reels for a long time and determine what makes them good:

(This is mostly a motion graphics reel, but notice how it flows with the music) (Click on the big picture)
http://bubble-squeak.com/site03/mo_showreel04.html

(Simple, short, but effective)
http://www.t-mun-e.com/movies/2006reel.mov

(Notice how the simple yet beautiful visuals catch your attention, they are well framed and nicely lit) (Right click save-as)
http://www.cinemek.com/?demos&id=1

I would post more reels but they are no longer hosted.

"Sometimes less is more..."

Good luck.
 
mastertee31 said:
I've seen a ton of demo reels bro, but your's needs a lot of work. I don't want to be mean spirited but I am a straight to the point kind of guy. I would scrap everything and start out new, your picture quality is really sub-par and it's not youtube related. I would pick up a book on the rule of thirds for your framing, and I would learn to CC a bit at least. I had speakers to here your music track and it was totally mismatched, not only did it not flow with the visuals but there was music of different genre and beat slung in there. Most of your shots were not steady or well lit. I'm sorry that I have nothing good to say about your reel but you need to practice quite a bit more before attempting a reel to offer your services. And for the record, age should have nothing to do with the quality of product you produce. I have seen many 16-18 year old pieces that rival that of 35 year olds. I will use Joey Lawrence as an example, he has produced some of the best looking visuals I have ever seen given the equipment he has. (Do a search on Joey Lawrence in these forums)

A piece of advice, study the following reels for a long time and determine what makes them good:

(This is mostly a motion graphics reel, but notice how it flows with the music) (Click on the big picture)
http://bubble-squeak.com/site03/mo_showreel04.html

(Simple, short, but effective)
http://www.t-mun-e.com/movies/2006reel.mov

(Notice how the simple yet beautiful visuals catch your attention, they are well framed and nicely lit) (Right click save-as)
http://www.cinemek.com/?demos&id=1

I would post more reels but they are no longer hosted.

"Sometimes less is more..."

Good luck.
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The 1st One:
Did You SERIOUSLY even THINK ABOUT comparing my Demo reel to THAT one???

The 2nd One:
That was MAAAAD boring.

The 3rd One:
Taking too long to load. I'll watch it after I post this, but not gonna wait to watch it to post this. i'll edit this after I see it.
 
WhiteWood said:
The 1st One:
Did You SERIOUSLY even THINK ABOUT comparing my Demo reel to THAT one???

The 2nd One:
That was MAAAAD boring.

The 3rd One:
Taking too long to load. I'll watch it after I post this, but not gonna wait to watch it to post this. i'll edit this after I see it.
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I was not comparing your reel to the first one but you need something to make your video pop. Not the back of some guy walking down the street for 10 seconds, nor a car with chrome rims pulling up. BUY A TRIPOD PLEASE! The 2nd reel may have been boring to you, and to each his own but he was able to convey professionalism in 30 secs where you couldn't. His work although shorter than yours was polished. The 3rd one you need to save-as.
 
I've got to agree with mastertee31... you may have thought the 2nd one was boring, but it really displayed the filmmaker's ability to capture some great images. Your reel needs a lot of work, particularly in the cinematography. I can't really judge the editing because I was distracted by the image quality.
 
mastertee31 said:
I was not comparing your reel to the first one but you need something to make your video pop. Not the back of some guy walking down the street for 10 seconds, nor a car with chrome rims pulling up. BUY A TRIPOD PLEASE! The 2nd reel may have been boring to you, and to each his own but he was able to convey professionalism in 30 secs where you couldn't. His work although shorter than yours was polished. The 3rd one you need to save-as.
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I do have a tripod. But I don't use it to shoot cars driving circles around me.​
 
WhiteWood said:
I do have a tripod. But I don't use it to shoot cars driving circles around me.​
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Use it! If you can't pan fast enough buy a monopod. They're cheap and they work well for that type of stuff.
 
mastertee31 said:
Use it! If you can't pan fast enough buy a monopod. They're cheap and they work well for that type of stuff.
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I'll check into it. If its the chest=pod thingy that I think you're talking about...lol... I don't know.​
 
disjecta said:
Okay, I took a look at it and here are some thoughts. I'm going to be really honest with you because you said you want the bad too:

1. Aside from maybe the pool table shot, every other shot you have included in your reel is of less than average quality.
2. Your framing is totally random and seems shot by someone not familiar with basic photographic knowledge.
3. White balance is drastically off in a lot of shots.
4. There is no logic to the way you have strung the clips together.
5. The music is a complete mismatch for the imagery.
6. The dissolve superimposed effects you have going on are a distraction and, in my opinion unneccessary.
7. It is way too long. You could convey the same point in about 30 seconds based on the footage you chose.

I'm not sure who you are shopping this reel to but I would recommend that you do a little research and find out what others are submitting. There is a wealth of fine examples on this site of people's reels and, while I can understand you wanting to create something unique, your biggest priority needs to be that it looks professional. Your reel is coming off like it's put together by an amateur and, I believe, that is how it will be seen by potential clients.

D.
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tell us what you really think, disjecta. ::laugh:
 
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