My First Hvx Reel

Some very nice shots, especially the Glidecam footage. I did get the sense that the footage got stronger halfway through til the end. The first shot, with a bit of camera shake, may not be the best way to begin. Overall a very nice demo reel though.
 
I agree that the hand held shot of the butterfly might not be the best way to open. I started getting into the reel with the slow mo horses shot. That would be an interesting shot to open with perhaps. Not to say hand held cannot work, but maybe shorten it down a bit, because until the butterfly started to fly I actually didn't notice it was there so I was thinking "Nice shrubs...OH a Butterfly!"

The running water transition to the kiss is a gorgeous shot.

I'd try to avoid using some of the shots through the window and the fast car driving shot, because the dirty windows are distracting.

I'd lose the sleeping in bed shot and go straight to the bathtub shot.

I am doubling back for a second, but the butterfly shot would work for me if it went from the butterfly to the horses and you cut out or moved the mirror shot and pool shot a little later. But you have another mirror shot later on so I think you can afford to lose the first mirror shot altogether.

The random shots of the lollipops with the banana, sunglasses, keys do not do it for me at all. Removing those shots really gets your reel a lot tighter. The focus pull with the lollipop works, I'd just lose the jump cuts of random objects.

The shot of the woman with the short brown hair in silhouette feels like a closing shot more so than the wink. It's a really strong shot and would be a better closer. It has a different feel than a lot of the other shots, so using it as a final shot would maybe give it more impact.

Overall it's quite solid and the glidecam footage is all very good in general. A bit of trimming and it'll be quite stellar. Some of the best reels I have seen have been less than 2 minutes in length.
 
Phil Maker said:
Bought it last month. Practiced about ten times. The 2 shots you saw were the first 2 shots I ever recorded.
Click to expand...
I shot with a slidecam 4000 and royally screwed up the shots, granted it was the first time I've ever used a steady cam and had no time to practice, but at least I got some decent shots once the day started going.

Is there any articles online about using a steady cam or something? I'd definitely like to learn more and take a class on it.
 
I can sum up learning glidecam/steadicam in two paragraphs.

1) The beast must be PERFECTLY balanced - not just somewhat balanced.
Get a quick release plate so you can remove camera without losing balace completely. Remember something as little as opening the LCD screen has
a profound effect on balance.

2) Your walk is over half of it. It's only a slight exaggeration to say you must learn
to waddle like a duck, knees bent. Smooth walk= smooth footage.

Anyway, your footage looks great for someone just learning. Just practice
and it will be smooth as glass.

P.S. be careful using a handheld Glidecam with a camera that heavy for extended
periods. I spent two weeks in June shooting for a couple of hours a day with mine.
6 months later, the shoulder pain is finally going away.
 
Also, be one with the GlideCam, don't fight it, and RELAX. The more you relax, the better your shot will look. Take a moment before each shot to relaaaaaaaaaaaax.
 
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