I'm Back... reel critique?

Steve Laramie

Steve Laramie

Veteran
Haven't been on here in a while but none the less I have a new reel. Let me hear what you guys think. I know its longer then it should be but thats because most of the filmschools I applied to required one longer then five minutes.

http://vimeo.com/17019225

Thanks in advance
 
You're a promising young cinematographer. Your work is much greater than mine was when I was entering film school. You already commented on length, so I suppose that is the greatest weakness. You just don't have THAT much material to go that long. I barely do. I have a feeling, by the time a DP has enough footage to make a reel that is captivating for more than 5 minutes, you probably don't need a reel anymore!

Good luck with film school. I'm sure you'll get into some good ones. What are you looking at?

:)

Good to have you back Steve.
 
Nice reel.

Why do you need to go to film school? You seem to know more than enough to start working.
 
That was great, Steve. You've got a lot of really wonderful steadicam shots in there that flow nicely with the music. I think, like Ryan said, the main downside is the length. But if that's what you've gotta do, go for it. I think my favorite shot was at 1:07. Love it!

I will say that I was really impressed with the lighting of most of the shots, but that made some of less well-lit shots stand out a bit in contrast. Maybe those were earlier on in your career or something, but some of them seemed to be unnaturally lit. That said, overall I was pleased with the lighting of the shots - very well done.

Good luck getting into film school, man.
 
Thanks guys for the critique and compliments. I think I am going to try and cut this back down to a professional reel rather then a college application reel. I agree with Michael that a few shots stick out like a soar thumb.

Ryan. Good to talk to you again. So far I am accepted to Uarts in Philly with a scholarship and UNC has me coming in for an interview with the film department soon. I applied to all the big ones I am still waiting to hear back from USC and a few others in LA and NYC.

Futchibon- I appreciate the compliment but I am hardly ready to compete with veteren DPs. I think filmschool is a wise choice to hone my skills and network. Also its a much safer option.
 
Are you applying to a film program that specializes in cinematography? The thought that a film school (aside from AFI) would require a reel strikes me as odd since the reason you go to film school is to learn how to make films to begin with... That's beside the point really.

As for the reel, I'd suggest including shots that tell a story, perhaps even include entire scenes if you can. As it stands now, it feels way too long, especially with the extended steadicam shots shown out of context. There are also a good deal of "head and shoulder" shots that, without some serious reaction by the talent, invoke no emotion for me as a viewer. Maybe you included these to show off lighting, but I'm rarely impressed by 3-point lighting in an ECU. There a a few aspect ratio issues in the middle also, which are a serious issue if the reel is intended to showcase you as a cinematographer.

I'd say the most compelling shot is the man kneeling beside a headstone in the cemetery- seek out shots like this that tell the entire story within a shot.
 
Dcarstens UNC has a cinematography major that requires a five minute reel. Along with a couple other schools requiring reels. The rest of the schools it was an option so I took it to supplement my less then outstanding GPA.
I have trouble making my reel tell a story because I shoot such a wide variety of genres, so I just stuck to more of a showcase style. I see where you are coming from with the "head and shoulder" shots and pointless long takes. But like I said I was struggling to reach the five minute mark. I will take this all into consideration when I cut it back down. As for the aspect ratio errors its due to one film that was shot and exported into 2:35:1 and the director would only give me the final DVD (long story).

thanks for the feedback
 
Go with a tighter montage intro and include your best full scene. That will make it to the 5 minute mark easily.
 
I was about to comment that I loved seeing so much of my own work in someone else's reel, and then you went and did it for me! :tongue:

Loved the edit though, just wish my operating back then had been as good as the shots we were putting together! I enjoyed it for the whole 5 minutes, probably because I've been on most of those shoots, but I think you've so much material in there that once it's pared down to a minute and a half to two minutes, it'll be great.
 
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