Bringing examples of work/portfolios to interview

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wildstriker

Active member
I have a job interview next week (for video producer/photographer) and I'm asked to bring examples of work/portfolios with me.

I just want hear some opinions on this:

Which is better, save my video works/photographs onto a DVD (as storage) for employers to have direct access of the files or burn them so that they would play like an ordinary DVD (for DVD players)?

Thanks.
 
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Why don't you create a couple of reels, one for video and one a photo slide show. Then burn a Blu Ray and a standard DVD to cover compatibility risk.
 
iPad?
DVD... gross.. SD, compression, etc.
I haven't shown a video on anything but online streaming (vimeo, youtube) or a digital copy saved to iPad or Macbook forever. If I brought a DVD I would be inclined to just bring a digital HD version burned as a data DVD. Perhaps a normal DVD as a last resort backup, but who even uses those anymore?
 
I'd expect the interviewer to have a Macbook or something you could just plug a memory stick into. Have a showreel, then also the main edits for most of the stuff in it - so if they probe you can just pull it up. I used my instagram account in the last interview I was in too, worked like a dream - pictures can make an impact http://instagram.com/hpvideo
 
DVD media also acts as an advertising medium if you take advantage of it - print something that would draw the eye on the label. Leave the DVD with the interviewer since there may be interest in showing to other decision makers. A well executed presentation package would get my attention. You are after all a visual artist.
 
I use an iPad (or other tablet). I've also just put media on my phone with a HDMI adapter to plug into any newer television. But in truth, most interviewers just go to my website or Vimeo page during the interview.

Looking forward to the final death of optical media.
 
So much DVD hate. lol. Suppose you wanted to provide a video to a customer on media that you wanted to make sure was accessible 20 years into the future? What would be your choice of media? Yes this has no bearing on the question at hand regarding the interview.
 
J Michael said:
So much DVD hate. lol. Suppose you wanted to provide a video to a customer on media that you wanted to make sure was accessible 20 years into the future? What would be your choice of media? Yes this has no bearing on the question at hand regarding the interview.
Click to expand...

Well, DEFINITELY not a consumer grade DVD!

Digital files are the best. They don't degrade. You can store them in the cloud, HDD backup drive, thumbdrive, or a Data DVD if you so desire. A DVD? I have some old DVDs I burned 10 years ago and some of them have playback issues now. Not the majority of them, but there's all sorts of articles on the longevity of these consumer burned DVDs.. not to mention if I ever want to rip the files off, they are compressed to an old MPEG2 format.

If my client wanted a "physical copy" as in a Blu-Ray or DVD, I would also give them the digital file for backup. There's just so little use for physical media these days though, first thing most people want to do is "rip it" for playback on phone/tablet/laptop/web.
 
The digital file might not degrade but the storage media of "the cloud", thumb drive, etc. has an unknown lifetime for the specified time horizon. Who is going to take charge of the file to make sure it's backed up, migrated, transitioned to the new cloud owner, and so on? So far the best thing I've been able to find is M-Disc. As long as there is a Blu Ray player available (not too much to ask over 20 years) the data should be accessible.

Back to the original question, Vimeo isn't a bad solution and the portfolio option in the pro version would be useful for presentation of media targeted to the prospective employer.
 
J Michael said:
The digital file might not degrade but the storage media of "the cloud", thumb drive, etc. has an unknown lifetime for the specified time horizon.
Click to expand...

Any given digital storage medium only has to last 2-5 years... at that point, you migrate the data to the next advance in technology. I don't have an Iomega Jazz drive any more (thank God), but I have some digital files that had originally been stored to them.

All my optical media from that time period has long since failed.
 
Yes that migration risk is the one I have to mitigate. The reality is that the media (in possession of the end user/customer) will be placed in storage (where storage is a drawer, closet, etc.) and fall off the radar of the person expected to migrate it, or that person will die, etc. The content in question is of importance on a long time scale. So far the most sensible solution appears to be the M-Disc - you can write it and read it with standard Blu Ray equipment and they claim some extremely long archival permanence. I don't have faith in any cloud service to not have a loss of data in 20 years and even if I did there is an account that would have to be maintained by someone and again that would likely fall off the radar. I'm always open to a better idea though.
 
wildstriker said:
I have a job interview next week (for video producer/photographer) and I'm asked to bring examples of work/portfolios with me.

I just want hear some opinions on this:

Which is better, save my video works/photographs onto a DVD (as storage) for employers to have direct access of the files or burn them so that they would play like an ordinary DVD (for DVD players)?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

I once brought a tablet and they just clicked on my videos. Worked fine. Having a laptop with you would work the same way.
 
I love my iPad for being able to show my reel to producers at meetings. It just streamlines the whole process. Having it up on Vimeo with a link that you can email them is also really useful.
 
Grug said:
I love my iPad for being able to show my reel to producers at meetings. It just streamlines the whole process. Having it up on Vimeo with a link that you can email them is also really useful.
Click to expand...

I usually record onto VHS. The only issue with that is carrying a backpack to bring the VHS player with me. Don't forget to rewind the tape before the interview. Having to do that upon arrival can be a bit embarassing.
 
I've taken my best work and had it transferred to Super 8. I normally keep a Sears Soundstage projector in the trunk of my car. Sometimes interviewees don't have a white wall in the office to screen the film. So I always bring a bedsheet and some thumbtacks.
 
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