Director Reel
- Thread starter raddrew11
- Start date
ryan brown
lOwEr CaSe Member
Drew... I'm definitely a big fan of your work. That's the plus.
This was just WAAYYYY too long. There's no way any perspective employer is going to watch the entire thing. I didn't even watch the entire thing. I remember seeing the doc about the homeless kids, and enjoyed it, but the begining of that sequence is where I lost interest. I then found myself scrolling through it till the end...
Don't mean to be harsh, but for a reel, I think most people will agree that the shorter it is, the better.
Grab the very best shots out of there and cut together another version that lasts one minute. I'd put money down saying you'll get better responses from it.
-brown
This was just WAAYYYY too long. There's no way any perspective employer is going to watch the entire thing. I didn't even watch the entire thing. I remember seeing the doc about the homeless kids, and enjoyed it, but the begining of that sequence is where I lost interest. I then found myself scrolling through it till the end...
Don't mean to be harsh, but for a reel, I think most people will agree that the shorter it is, the better.
Grab the very best shots out of there and cut together another version that lasts one minute. I'd put money down saying you'll get better responses from it.
-brown
yo man i appreciate the feedback and I can see your point but usually director reels are in between 5-10 minutes. Depending on what your a director of. Of course for a music video director it can be cut down showing different music video clips, but as a narrative director, i feel the most important thing about a director real is showing different scenes and showing actual direction, but I may cut this down. This is the first cut I put together.
Thanks
-dREW
Thanks
-dREW
Bionicpix
Active member
Hmm. Yeah reels are always tricky. The montage at the beginning is great. (p.s. I'm a big fan of the Vegas Baby music video).
I think I have a different perspective now, after working in an office where reels are constantly coming in. The main thing I believe now, is you have to know what you want to use your reel for. What kind of work are you trying to get with it? Then tailor it specifically to that. Usually when starting out, most of us will have a mix of work, so the reel tends to be mixed. But you rarely see that on the client end, i.e. clients are looking for someone to direct a commercial, so they ask for commercial reels. They won't be interested in seeing a music video or short on there and they'll have 10 other reels to view that day. Also, consider who you're competing for jobs with. If you want to do ads, shoot a lot of specs and make a commercial reel. Music vids? Do one showcasing all music vids. etc.
2) How will you distribute the reel? I think a web reel and a dvd reel will be very different designs. For dvd, I'd build a menu so the client can choose what to watch.
Obviously you've done some very nice work. I really enjoy your style and technique. How to present it best? Not sure, but I would definitley ask yourself who you'll be giving this to and for what purpose. As it is, I don't think it's that far off. I would drop title cards in front of the various pieces to avoid confusion if you keep it like that. Lastly, I'm not sure about your opening music - I thought it was a little offputting, especially if I was a client (even though I like the song). I think you can make this great with a little more tweaking. Good luck!
I think I have a different perspective now, after working in an office where reels are constantly coming in. The main thing I believe now, is you have to know what you want to use your reel for. What kind of work are you trying to get with it? Then tailor it specifically to that. Usually when starting out, most of us will have a mix of work, so the reel tends to be mixed. But you rarely see that on the client end, i.e. clients are looking for someone to direct a commercial, so they ask for commercial reels. They won't be interested in seeing a music video or short on there and they'll have 10 other reels to view that day. Also, consider who you're competing for jobs with. If you want to do ads, shoot a lot of specs and make a commercial reel. Music vids? Do one showcasing all music vids. etc.
2) How will you distribute the reel? I think a web reel and a dvd reel will be very different designs. For dvd, I'd build a menu so the client can choose what to watch.
Obviously you've done some very nice work. I really enjoy your style and technique. How to present it best? Not sure, but I would definitley ask yourself who you'll be giving this to and for what purpose. As it is, I don't think it's that far off. I would drop title cards in front of the various pieces to avoid confusion if you keep it like that. Lastly, I'm not sure about your opening music - I thought it was a little offputting, especially if I was a client (even though I like the song). I think you can make this great with a little more tweaking. Good luck!
ernesto
Well-known member
Hey your work looks great, very good quality. Just a thought though, since this is a director's reel, and length seems to be an issue, why not cut out the beginning montage?
That doesn't really show your directing skills, that seems more of a DP reel. I would think that a director's reel should show powerful acting performances, and the pacing of a scene instead of pretty images.
That doesn't really show your directing skills, that seems more of a DP reel. I would think that a director's reel should show powerful acting performances, and the pacing of a scene instead of pretty images.
Cheesesailor77
Veteran
can you tell me about you're color correction techniques?
William_Robinette
Shallow Member
Absolutely loose the song (and I really like it). First of all, did you get clearance for it? Second, it really did not compliment the images at all (IMO).
In fact, loose the whole beginning montage. Liked the rest.
In fact, loose the whole beginning montage. Liked the rest.