07' short DP Reel

Hi Andrew:

Some feedback on your reel. I am not trying to be harsh or a jerk but your reel left me cold. All of the shots from the bar scenes look underexposed. Some of the parking garage at night stuff looks so underexposed I can't see what's even going on.

Some of your exteriors had a nice look.

Music is awful. I know you are marketing yourself as a DP but stuff like the music, editing and graphics REALLY matter these days. A montage of random shots with a library-ish music track just doesn't cut it in my book and I am a DP/Producer and I hire DPs all of the time for projects that I produce that I cannot shoot.

I would like to see more visual impact in the editing, a concept, better music and some idea of what I am looking at. Are these indie films? theatrical releases? Corporate? Music videos? IMHO, you should ONLY put your best of the your best work on your reel. There is some very nice looking material but a lot of not so great stuff as well.

The best thing you can do is to try to focus, you cannot be a "DP" and do everything, focus your style and reel on what you want to do. If that is indie features, then make your reel appeal to the indie filmmaker. As you know, that means doing a LOT with a little and creating amazing, edgy and kind of a rawer, yet polished images with a lot of commercial-looking impact. Big challenge as most indie producers have no money yet expect the world. That's why I sold my sound company, all I could ever get through the door were broke filmmakers who wanted the world (many weeks or even months of editing) for hardly any money.

I would challenge you to define your market and go for it in a more focused manner. If you want your reel to say, "woo-hoo, I yam a DP and I shoot all kinds of stuff", your reel is perfect. If you want your reel to say, "you are a hot indie filmmaker with a burningly great idea to create a commercially viable indie work of art and I want to shoot your vision so hire me and lets make it happen", you have a long way to go.

Overall, some nice work but you need to make it better.

Best,

Dan
 
Well thanks Dan.

First off, in no way am I showing this as "Im a DP and I can shoot all kinds of stuff!" Everything contained in the reel is from short films done over the course of the past year.

As for your issues with visibility, I think it might just be your monitor as I have viewed the reel on several monitors to make sure I am obtaining proper image levels.

I do agree with you on the editing/music/pace. Like I said, I am a DP, not an editor, so I am not too great with that, but I do think the music could be better, I just dont know what to look for in that area.

Where I think I disagree with you is in your statement about the quality of my footage and it not being "raw or commercial enough looking" I feel that everyone is different, and just because the footage that I have had the chance to shoot isn't "hollywood" doesnt make it bad, after all, I thought it was pretty good for me being 18 and all.

I also agree with you on the the overall feel of the reel. After reading your comment, I went back and watched it again and kinda got the same cold feeling.

Im gonna go back and cut another version, and i'll post it when its done.
 
Quite a few of your shots were very compelling with a few amatuer ones sprinkled in, but I agree with the earlier comment, the music sucks and drags the whole thing down. Nothing like elevator music to make a demo reel seem bad. You've got the raw material to make a good reel, just go back to the editing room :-) Oh, and I'd take out that one El Mariachi shot.
 
I watched your reel because I just couldn't see the music bringing it down that much but it did. Change the music to an instrumental of a song you heard on the radio and put music by whoever at the end. If they ask you in the future to remove the music then do so without delay. Also cut maybe 10 seconds off of the final running time less is more. You could also play 20 seconds or so of some of the scenes to grab the viewer.
 
Was that supposed to be Marv from Sin City....? that was kinda cool.

the pace was a tad slow. Music gotta go.

Bascially what i did for my reel, was i tried to use only the shots where theres camera movment. Try that out. youre trying to show off what kinds of compelling images you can make. Unless its a GORGEOUS static shot, throw it out.
 
Yeah, thanks Timur, it is supposed to be Marv, its from a short film about a guy making a film in "homage to robert rodriguez" so he attempts to replicate some of his famous work, which is also the motivation for the desperado-esq shots (bartender and mariachi.)
 
I dont know if i watched the new or old version but, the opening shot with the 2 kids was cool except for the heads were being cut off. Almost everything after that was a medium shot of a person with a few other shots thrown in. It was like watching interview footage most of the time. Not saying it was bad footage but just all the same footage. You need to mix in some more shots at various focal lenths and also some different angles. It all felt the same. I didnt listen to the music since my speakers are off so I cant comment on that.
I second the mariachi comment about taking that out.
 
Andrew,
Nice reel. You work on quite a bit of shorts. Im going to tell you something though. This is straight from career development at full sail. dont limit yourself to just DP you should just have your name. you are limiting yourself to a lot of other things. Other than that awesome. Im going to start putting one together soon!
 
Yeah, I mean I also love working as AC, Camera Operator, and even in grip...Those arent things that are necessarily appropriate to put on a reel though I don't think...
 
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