Director/DP Reel -- Is 39 seconds to short???

Vern

Vern

Active member
So when i send out a packet or resume, i'm thinking i'll include a demo DVD of my work. So I thought I'd put this as my intro (right when they put the DVD in) and then have all my projects (in full) on the main menu....Good idea or Bad idea? Options???
Here's the demo intro:

http://www.thehobosoul.com/video.html
scroll down to "Vern Moen - Director's Reel"
Thanks for any feedback...

Vern
www.thehobosoul.com
careers on the street...
 
Hi Vern:

Some comments on your reel/intro...Depending on what you are trying to accomplish with your reel, the dirty little secret is that hardly anyone who will hire you looks at reels or looks at them very carefully. Mostly other people who work in video will look at your reel but clients, unless you are sitting in the room with them as they watch it, will rarely look at more than :10 to :20 of a reel, if they can evern be persuaded to look at a reel at all. They are too busy, overloaded, pre-occupied, web surfing, phone chatting.

Hardly anyone likes to acknowledge this but it's true, I have had my boss, other executive producers, studio people all tell me this over and over and I have seen it in action. People are mostly too lazy to watch reels unless they are being required to. I was hired here strictly on the recommendation of another producer, my boss never even saw my reel, even though I gave it to him. He has stacks of unwatched DVDs all over his office, many of them reels from prospective talent.

1. A little too short as a reel, perhaps too long as an intro. To me, short is almost always better but I don't get enough of a sense of style in :39, if I were looks at it as a reel. I would aim to :90 if you have enough other strong stuff to make it that long. As an intro, eh, I think it's too long, maybe :10 or :15 is better?

2. What is the purpose of your reel? Do you want production companies to hire you to shoot and direct or clients for music videos or commercials or corporate or ??

3. If I were making suggestions, a music montage with just clips and music tells me very little about your ability as a director/writer/storyteller. I think montage reels are fine for VFX/commericlals and music videos but if you want to be considered for narrative/documentary, you had better show some depth, dialogue and dimension, not just a bunch of random clips from unknown, unrecognizable projects and clients.

The best reels are ones with lots of high-end recognizable stuff in them so the light bulb clicks on in the viewers head, "oh, wow, this if for TV show XYZ or this feature film I have been reading about or..."

A lot of it depends on what field you are in or aspiring to. In my field, the reel I am working on shows my work for Disney with recognizable animated figures, my docs I directed for The Wizard of Oz Collectors edition, clips from upcoming high profile studio releases, some slick tabletop, etc. Would not work at all if I were trying to get hired to do commercials/music videos but it does work for what I do (docs/television/EPK/BTS)

4. You images for the most part have a very low-end, homemade, film student look to them (not bagging on you at all, and it can be a valid style, not everything has to be polished and slick) but a lot of competition will have much more "wow" factor in thieir images, camera movement and VFX. You may want to balance out the low-end rough looking stuff with some higher end dolly/jib sort of shots with slick VFX. Handheld is fine but a few shots look kind of amateurish as far as the camera movement and lack of lighting. Once again though, take this with a grain of salt, You Tube compression makes almost everything look unlit and bad.

5. You Tube sucks as far as quality. I would give a higher quality option like QuickTime or Windows Media besides You Tube. Everything looks lower end than it is on You Tube.

6. Music was fun, editing and pacing were good. I would consider separate reels for different uses, an all purpose general reel rarely appeals to everyone.

My feedback,

Dan
 
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Dan you're amazing. Thank you.
Yeah, youtube sucks. I'm not all that tech savy, so it's just been the easiest way to put content up. But it's probably in my best interest to get a solid looking reel online. Any posts or tips on how to do that (technically)?
Unfortunately, a lot of my work has been done on a very low end. I'm starting to move up and up as far as resources/skills/quality, but a lot of the stuff i have now is lower end...so is it better to use this stuff, or just wait until i have more "pro" shots.
I am more of a Director than a DP. How should that change my reel -- I'm starting to do more Music Videos and shorts.

Thanks Dan (and everyone else...)
Vern
 
Hi Vern:

"Any posts or tips on how to do that (technically)?"

Sure, output a 320x240 QT using Sorenson 3 codec (I have tried this against MP4/H.264 codec and Sorenson still looks better to me) and host it on either your ftp site or get a .Mac account or something like that.

"...so is it better to use this stuff, or just wait until i have more "pro" shots. "

Always use ONLY your best stuff. You have some good looking shots, but also some clunkers. Try to be objective and weed out the clunkers. OR ask others what they find as your best, most compelling shots and take a small poll, then use those. Sometimes people will really dig stuff that I have done that I don't find particularly great and sometimes I will LOVE something that leaves others as ho-hum. Bottom line is that your reel if for others to see your work/hire you so forget what you like and use what impresses your audience the most.

But remember, most of the people looking at your reel are other video/film people, not decision makers who will hire you. You get most of the best jobs from people who know and like you, not from anonymous strangers who see your reel and are blown away by it.

Good luck,

Dan
 
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