Demo Reel I am about to send out. Please comment!

Andrew Brinkhaus said:
Tell me that noise is not in the original footage from the HVX/M2!
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I am assuming you are referring to the 'gameshow' stills? Haha, no. These are Apple-shift-4 screen caps from a compressed mov file. :) Sadly most of my screen caps are from that process. This happens when the director or editor gives you a compressed mov file of the movie. I do not have any of the uncompressed original footage. My reel is made up of mostly H264 exports all under 2 gigs :(

Although we do know the HVX can be a noisy bugger, just not THAT bad.
 
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I would suggest replacing those with the highest resolution stills possible, as a potential client or company may not understand the compression aspect and will take those stills as an example of your potential. Only give people the best of the best if and when at all possible.
 
Ryan I think your reel looks great, the only critisim I might have is the same thing I have noted on many other reels. It seems you reel seems to be going back and forth between only a few films. That creates the illusion that you actually dont have much content/experience. If you were to line up your scenes one after another, with the clever edits and fx you used, I personally would be a lot more impressed.

Best of luck with your career.
 
I once read an article in American Cinematographer about a DP who only had one eye. In his reel it showed him (eye patch and all) walking up to the camera and covering half the lens. The res of his reel supposedly showed only half the frame. The director who picked him said that it wasn't that his reel or imagery was any better or worse than any other he had seen but he was impressed by the originality and creativity exhibited through the use of half frame to mimic his one eye. The director felt that the DP had another element of creativity and vision (pardon the pun) he could bring to a project on top of his lighting skills.

So what's my point? Your reel should not only showcase your skills as a DP but also clue the viewer in to you as an artist, in to what you can bring to a project - your unique vision and creativity. In short, anything other than pretty images set to music will stand out but it has to be honest and truly reflect your sensibilities.

All that being said, your work looks fantastic and I would love to work with you! Check my post here-

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=145736

Best of luck.
 
Thanks everyone.

I'll try and hit all topics.

First, the resolution of the stills, although not the best, (I hope) conveys my ability to light and compose. No one likes gain, but hopefully it's recognized from heavy compression. For the future I'll have to harass the editor to give me a clean copy.

P.S. There is a little grain from HVX signal but not to the degree Andrew was referring to.

Second, I'll certainly try and put more diverse shots in my reel as soon as I get more gigs.

Third of all, I really enjoyed that story about the one eyed cinematographer. I wish I had something clever to present. I do have a custom made website, which I use to 'sell myself' in the legal way. :)

I tried thinking of some clever ways to present my work, but most were borderline negative ones. Sometimes going out of your way to be unique and creative creates a sense of ridiculousness and non professionalism. I.e. Turning in a resume on pink paper. It worked for Legally Blond, but standing out can make people think too much about you. :beer: You have a good point, and I will continue to explore possible creative ways to present myself and reel, without being over-the-top.

Thanks Timur! Glad the DVXuser resident DP approves!

Been very glad to hear such positive feedback. Because of this, I've made this Demo Reel official on my website. I guess there is nothing that needs immediate changing. I'll keep adding to it (but not making it longer) and will continue to explore ways to stand out creatively.

Thanks again, and I am open to any additional comments!

Best,
-rpo
 
I haven't read all the comments...so forgive if I repeat.

First, let me just say...AWESOME! I love the reel. The way it moves right along...the music...the whole groove thing. Great stuff & I'd hire you in a second.

If I have to say anything it would be (and maybe it's just my monitor) that quite a bit of it was really dark. I wouldn't mind seeing a few more daylight clips. The only other thing I'd like to see is your name again at the end.

...other than that...it rocks! Love you work.
Cheers.
 
ZazaCast said:
If I have to say anything it would be (and maybe it's just my monitor) that quite a bit of it was really dark. I wouldn't mind seeing a few more daylight clips.
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Well, I can't help subject matter as of right now, but I did just upload a second (really compressed and boosted lightness) version of my demo reel for those who are viewing in really bright environments, have very dark monitors or laptops with energy saving mode.

Please don't watch the boosted demo reel if you can adjust your monitor's brightness and gamma or if your monitor is already calibrated properly.

Anyhow, you can find the brighter and worse quality video by clicking on the 'Monitor Dark?' button.

http://ryanpatrickohara.com/demoreel.html

Thanks for the feedback.

-rpo
 
Hey Ryan, nice reel. What do you charge as a DP? We are in pre-production right now and I am looking around for a DP. Thanks.
 
twocik23 said:
Intro is a little to long, but your work is awesome.


Any BTS photos of the rain shots ?
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Thanks!


I am assuming you mean this film:
http://ryanpatrickohara.com/images/Kiss/Picture%2022.png

(I did another film with a storm, but it does not have rain in it.)


Sadly our production photographer didn't show up very often! Plus I am without any photographs from set. Not sure who has them.

I do however have some BTS photographs from one of our lighting tests. This lighting test is only using one of our "rain rigs", as we had more running during actual production.

This is our production team testing the rain from 'inside the car' perspective.

http://www.ryanpatrickohara.com/Kissgoodbyebts.html

The trick to rain is simply having it backlit. Our biggest problem was getting enough water pressure to pump into the air. We could have really benefited from a third water tap. Another issue was shooting it high enough that it would fall back down relatively straight. Some shots we had to compromise a bit, and the rain comes in at an angle, making it look a little fake.

The 'rain rigs' were sent up on mombo stands, and back light with Arri Suns (1.2k HMI's). God bless my electrical crew who had to gear hump the sh*t out of those heavy light stands and rain rigs. Everytime the camera angle changed, we had to reposition everything to get the back lit rain just right. Poor chaps.
 
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Man I wish I could afford you. Looking at your reel makes me realize I have a lot of work to do. Thanks for posting it. are any of those films available? the horror film and the guy in the mask look pretty good.
 
Superb work.

There was just one shot that I personally didn't like, I think it was the fourth shot. (guy wearing glasses in a bar/cafe) It looked a little heavily lit compared to the surrounding images which were all beautiful.

My only other comment is that I thought some shots were a little repetitious. I think directors (like most people about most things) probably make decisions within the first minute??? I may be wrong but something to think about!

Again, let me congratulate you on some truly diverse and outstanding work!
 
well done. I do have a question though. you said that you just graduated from film school - how did you manage to get cars going up in flames on your demo reel? are these from funded projects you did whilst in school?
 
filthrich said:
Man I wish I could afford you.
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Haha, you probably could :)

filthrich said:
Looking at your reel makes me realize I have a lot of work to do. Thanks for posting it. are any of those films available? the horror film and the guy in the mask look pretty good.
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Thanks! Sadly at this moment, no. I do not have permission to post full film clips from most of my works as they are still eligible for festivals. The two you asked about, have pretty much gone as far as they will, but I am still unable to post them.


HuckLBerry said:
Superb work.

There was just one shot that I personally didn't like, I think it was the fourth shot. (guy wearing glasses in a bar/cafe) It looked a little heavily lit compared to the surrounding images which were all beautiful.

My only other comment is that I thought some shots were a little repetitious. I think directors (like most people about most things) probably make decisions within the first minute??? I may be wrong but something to think about!

Again, let me congratulate you on some truly diverse and outstanding work!
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Thank you also. I'm not sure I agree with not liking that shot, but I do agree with you that it certainly has some characteristics different then others. It is a bit repetitious all and all. It took me tremendous amounts of will power to cut down my reel to even 2:45. I don't think I'll be doing any more trimming. If they want to see more they can watch it. I wouldn't have a problem if they either hired me or passed in the first :30. The way I see it, if they are truly considering me for a job on their film, they will most likely have a longer attention span then someone watching it for fun. The repetitiousness of the piece will be reduced over time as I get more projects to slide in there. Right now it cycles through about 6-7 films.

Finnegan said:
well done. I do have a question though. you said that you just graduated from film school - how did you manage to get cars going up in flames on your demo reel? are these from funded projects you did whilst in school?
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The car explosion is part of a student film Directed by Dan Dowding. He financed, through different means, the entire film including hiring SPFX guy Bob Shelley.

So this was Dan's 'thesis' film which was funded by whatever means he managed to.

Reflection is on that IMDB list. There were two cinematographers on Reflection. Alex Winter, a good friend of mine, was on the project first and therefore had precedence and top billing. I am listed as Additional Cinematographer. :)

-ryan
 
Wow. Your reel is top notch man.

This is really inspirational... coming out of Ohio with an Irish last name and kicking some serious cinematographic a$$!!! You have the goods.

If you ever feel like sprinkling some educational charity on a semi-newbie, send me a pm (Cleveland). Otherwise, best of luck in L.A. Ryan.
:beer:
 
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