OTHER: Cinematography Demo reel 2012

Some nice looking shots. To me this reel lacked any real impact. I think you need a different choise of music and need to structure your edit a bit more strategically. I thought the visuals had potential to make me go wow, but the slow never climaxing song just held that back. I also think you could start with the slower moving shots at the beginning (generally where most songs are slower and then build with the music to the more powerful higher production value shots. I also think you could find a better final shot that the two people in the rain. Try the last shot from a short or the last shot of a big scene, something with a little bit of closure.

I think you've definitely got the visual material there, but the edit needs some work.
 
Agree with prior comments on the music choice. Make it 1 minute with the best of the best.
 
appreciate you guys taking a look.
music is a personal choice, everyone thinks they know what good music is? I cant please everyone with the music I choose.
Ive made 5 or 6 demo reels over the years, and always the music is a divided opinion.

As for the last shot, I agree maybe its not the best, but I was limited on the amount of shots I had access to.
Also one thing to consider all the footage from this reel is only from one year of shooting from summer 2011 to now. I wanted this reel to have all new footage, and because it's only a years worth of films I was limited on shots.
My last demo reel I had about 3 years of footage to choose from.
 
I agree that the music kills the reel, and that it needs to be shortened. The reality is that any producer or director looking at your reel will know in the first :30 if they like your stuff or not, so always put your absolute best foot forward. I lost interest about :20 in because of the music.

Daniel Carruthers said:
music is a personal choice, everyone thinks they know what good music is? I cant please everyone with the music I choose.
Click to expand...

Yet, when you ask for opinions and the repeated responses are that the music is terrible, maybe it's time to re-examine. Remember: just like the shot selection and the edited sequence, the music choice is about selling your reel (and thus, yourself as a DoP) to other people and not about what pleases you.

You've got some good shots in there. Give it some "wow" in the audio, too.
 
the music choice is about selling your reel (and thus, yourself as a DoP) to other people and not about what pleases you
Click to expand...

^^This. There's a big difference between these demo vids and an artistic movie. In some ways, you just have to relent to the opinions of others when you're trying to sell yourself.
 
Alex I completely disagree with you about making a reel that appeals more to other peoples tastes.
I made this reel for myself, and hopfully the producer or director can see my style and personality reflected in the reel?
If they can't sit through the first 30 seconds, than I sure wouldn't want to work with that Director.
 
Daniel you may be talented but with the attitude you are showing here you won't get very far in this business. I understand art can be subjective and that you want to be yourself. Sure. But your resistance to even acknowledge that every single person in this thread is telling you that the music you picked is horrible (not just mediocre or bad, but horrible) is worrisome. As is your ridiculous notion that you wouldn't want to work with a Director that can't sit through the first 30 seconds of your boring reel. Is your pride really so much that you would rather keep yourself from possibly working with talented Director's instead of bowing to pressure and changing the music for a 2 minute video?



Please keep in mind I only say this because you genuinely do seem to have talent, but talent will only get you so far, and I don't like to see people screw away their potential.
 
So I guess there's not a lot of Eric Clapton fans out there?

jghenderson, I'm not trying to sell myself short. I genuinely like the music I picked.
Finding good music for a demo reel is really hard, and is very subjective. Every reel I've made people have always complained about the music.
I'm use to it.
Check out my vimeo page you'll see some of my older reels with different styles of music.
whether the music is Good or bad is up to the viewer to decide, and I can't please everyone.
So that's why I made this reel for my self. Yes I also made it to promote myself and get work, but I also want to work with directors with similar tastes and attitudes
I don't think that's a bad thing?
 
I made a PSA for a local nonprofit once and had to work with some crazy people to get the job done, but it got done. The point is that I understand your feelings with wanting to work with people who share your tastes and attitudes. It really makes things suck when you are working with people who aren't on the same page as you. However, in the end, work is work.

Unless you're rich or you're the ghost of Conrad Hall, you need to get work and may not have the option of being too picky all the time. I don't personally care one way or the other about the music you picked. You're right: it's subjective. But what are you going to do if you're working on a set and a director tells you he doesn't like what you're giving him? Tell him "that's subjective" and walk off? Sometimes, you need to work for the sake of working. I look at these "demo" reels as nothing more than self-promotion. You can say you "made it for yourself", but if that's true then you're either dishonest with yourself or an honest narcissist. You made this to promote yourself, which is something we all have to do. In a perfect world, we would all only work with people with similar tastes and attitudes. But we don't live in that world. We live in the world where we sometimes have to work with DB's to pay the bills. I just feel like the narrow scope of who you say you made this for may alienate you from potential work.

Don't want to act like I'm telling you what to do, just giving you my interpretation of the video and your responses here. I'm assuming you posted the video in the first place to solicit responses like this.
 
Yeah your right, I did make this to get work.
My point is when I say I made the reel for my self, is I made a reel that I would enjoy watching.
I want something I'm happy with, because I have to watch it again and again.
I don't know what other people like? I cant find that magical song that makes the whole world happy?

Also if I'm working with a Director that doesn't like what I'm doing, I would want to hear their opinions to make a better shot.
Some of the best stuff Ive shot has been when the Director and myself had a disagreement, but we worked it out, and met halfway.

thanks for taking the time to reply,and for watching my reel, if anyone has some critiques about the actual Cinematography that would be great
 
I watched the whole thing.
Didn't mind the music, then again when I watch cinematography reels I generally watch them with the audio off or down since I want to only pay attention to the shots and not be swayed by the music choice.


Only things I'd say would be to put the shots of the girl and the train behind her (red color) and the following shot of the guy (blue color) aiming the gun forward more - they stood out more than other shots near the start. And like others in this thread said "put your best foot forward in the first 20 seconds or so." - I'd splice them in after the CU of the girl at 24 seconds into the video. Or perhaps even before those shots of the girl walking to and sitting on the bed.

I'd also cut a second or two out of the shot after the car drives along the road and the camera moves down to show the tree's shadows over the ground. The highlights are blown out too much (IMO) on the ground shots, and didn't look so great compared to other shots around it with perfect exposure. I'd leave the car part in and maybe cut after the first tree shadow moves by, before the block of "white" in between.

Finally, is the shot around 1:48 of the girl tossing the frisbee supposed to be right before the next shot of the guy catching it? same time of day and all? The color correction / time of day seems a bit off and took me "out of it" a bit.
she's hit by hard late sunset light, deep yellow-ish, and then the guy's shot has zero of that color of light in it at all and the exposure's much brighter.
I'd take the mids down a bit in his shot and add some yellow/orange in the highlights just a tad, to get them to match a bit more. Or maybe split the shots up in editing. - have her toss the frisbee, then cut to a shot from another movie, then cut back to the guy catching it, so it's not so obvious. ?

Music's mood was interesting to me, sure I wouldn't choose to listen to the song on it's own , but it never made me turn the reel off. Infact, I think the moodiness of it all fit the opening shots very well.
 
Last edited:
that's the best way to watch a reel on mute haha. My next reel will be a silent :)
Glad to hear you liked the train shot, I was actually considering cutting it out

The Frisbee shots are supposed to be same time of day
I seem to recall we shot the girl first early morning, then we turned the camera around and the sun had already risen really fast
I also had to cheat the shot of the guy a little bit because the sun was directly in the lens, but I agree with you it does look different.
I'll take another look at the color correction, and see if I can make them match better
 
Music is entirely subjective. I completely agree with your point. And I would like to make an alteration to my statement. The music is fine... on it's own, however really sets a strange mood for many of the shots I'm looking at.

Theres a couple of ACS guys here that I show work to regularly - always without sound. They're cinematographers - they only care about what the image portrays / how it looks on varying components.

The issue with a demo reel is that its for producers and producers arent going to say oh well something didnt quite work for me but thats ok. A producer will look at it and be thinking can this guy give my vision life? And that vision could be drama or action or art - but I'll bet the budget he's thinking also - can this guy give me the feel I want. Now that doesnt have to be completely accurate for the project - but something where the vision at least feels the underlying track.

And then theres the other side of the coin - most producers work with people they know or word of mouth.
 
Daniel Carruthers said:
that's the best way to watch a reel on mute haha.
Click to expand...

It's funny because that's what I was about to advise you to do :-) I don't see the point of watching a dp reel with the sound on.

Most Dp's look for variety and telling a story thematically (about their style). Of course, I've seen all kinds of Dp reels. One asc dude I talked to said some of his best shots he had weren't in the reel because he couldn't stand to see his ex-girlfriend, haha. Imagine that, a dp actually dating the lead actress - unheard of ... But I digress - I don't know what footy you have to play with but what about inserting some more variety (overcast, high key, b & w etc.) ? Even if you don't, the reel still can be trimmed because some of the lighting/colour palette was redundant. And when it comes to the last shot, it doesn't seem to be the most powerful, and is too quick even if it was. Most Dp's reels/shots I've seen open and close powerfully, lingering on the final shot like the last note of a song, leaving the crowd wanting more.

I saw "jackhammer" on your imdb credits. Lots of Canadians there :-)



Cheers
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top