Dp reel 2013

K

Kenneth Lau

Active member
https://vimeo.com/59453574

Hey, I know you guys are tried of looking at others reel and giving feedbacks. But help me out one more time. These are the best footage I can crank out from my past 2 years of my DP career and this is the reel I am looking to use for pitching more works this coming year 2013.

Any thoughts would be appreciated. Too long, too short, not enough impact, bad lightings etc...

Thanks for your time and expertise as always !
 
I think it looks like most other amateur DP reels, mine included. Which is to say, it doesn't stand out as unique to you. What are you bringing to the table that ever other kid with a 5D isn't? Also a lot of those shots are under exposed and as a result look rather flat. So my advice, only because you asked, would be to put only the best shots you have in there and make sure they are shots that identify your style. I know that is damn near impossible at first. As an example, I would have known Skyfall was shot by Roger Deakins simply by the way it looked. Granted he is, or at least should be, considered one of the greatest cinematographers of all time, but he says the same thing. Most important thing is trying to find a voice with you work.
 
Here's what I look for, and what I tell other people to look for, in a DP reel:

How is it lit? **** the camera quality, there's way too many variables on a project for that to be relevant in a reel. Things you shot with ambient/natural light can look great! But you didn't light it. There's definitely something to be said for knowing when to go outside and shoot, for placing your actors in the right way outside (I've definitely felt that my talent was fully utilized when I'd walk into a room and say okay... today, forget the lights, open the curtains and stand by the window, and it'll look great, but I wouldn't put it in my reel)... but it doesn't show off how you can light something.
**** the composition, again there's too many variables for it to matter-- a good composition only makes sense in the context of a scene or movie, not a reel.
**** concerts/live events (unless you're specifically trying to shoot those), those are atypical lighting schemes.
Camera movement or effects can be important, if you need to show that you're experienced with different gear and know what to use to get particular shots.
But what's really important is how did you light the shots you lit? If it looks like you didn't specifically light something, then the hell with it. The biggest problem on set is getting a DP and finding out he doesn't know where to put the lights-- anyone can shoot enough free stuff and luck into some cool lighting set-ups that they didn't do.
So I would scrap everything that you didn't purposefully, specifically light (unless you have a good reason for the shot being in there). It looks like your reel has some really well lit stuff, but also a lot of stuff where you just showed up with a camera or even DID light something, but isn't necessarily showing off a shot that has great lighting technique (there are reasons to do this on a movie, not in your reel).


That's my advice. I will say that it seems that the people who are doing the hiring don't always necessarily agree with me (a flashier reel can sway a lot of minds).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top