Narrative Reel: Bring on the Constructive Criticism! (please)

stefancolson

stefancolson

Well-known member
After an extremely busy year, I finally got a reel cut together. Before I start sending it to everybody I know, I'd love to get some opinions. There are quite a few contributors here for whom I have a tremendous amount of respect, and I'd really appreciate it if you could spend the next five minutes taking a look and jotting down a few notes, even if they're not positive. I know that there is an endless stream of these threads, but I've seen some people walk away with great advice, and I'm willing to be that guy in order to tap into this resource.Thank you for your time!


Firstly, I know that it's a bit long. I edited 4 of the 5 features represented here, so it's really REALLY tough to be objective at this point. I'd love to chop it down by a good 30 seconds, but I'm not sure what to let go. Feel free to tell me which shots you hate so that I can cut them!

I'm thinking that some of the cuts are just too short, too. I'm definitely suffering from a desire to cram too much into this thing. Again, be vile and hateful (towards specific shots, not my fragile ego) and I'll be judicious with blade tool.

I'm looking for whatever criticism you'll invest your time in. I'm looking for more narrative work with this reel, as I'll be cutting another for music videos and perhaps a third for corporate and event work. I would love to get into commercials, but I just don't have any connections. I'm at a point career-wise where I feel ready for the next step but I'm not totally sure where to go or what to do. I didn't go to film school and started with no connections, so most peer advice I get is from the internet. Pummel me with the force of your sage wisdom!
 
I think it's a massive mistake to have your email address so prominent all the away through. Very distracting and cheapens it IMO.

It really irked me so I just skipped through. What I saw looks good though and would like to see it without the address.

Hey maybe it's just a matter of taste but just thought I'd let you know.

And if you must have your email address at some point the "@" needs to be more visible too. It blends too much into the background depending on the shot.
 
That's definitely not the desired effect... I'm exporting one without the watermark as we speak. Thanks for the comment.
 
I think the work is of a very high standard.

The black and white shots I didnt get first time round (were they a film within a film?)

The video camera shots might need a bit more degrading to read properly?

Overall to shorten Id try and focus in on shots with emotion and not camera/lights

(maybe get a non film person to ask the shots they remember?)

Also I guess some of the work is comedy? Does this read without a sound track?

And the track.. its a breach of copyright (I guess) and quite overpowering - maybe add some sound design?

S
 
Thanks for watching. The black and white shots are a fantasy sequence in one of the films (as is the western saddlebag thing). I have them in there because I really liked the lighting and that little dolly move in the first shot.

To be honest, I'm having a hard time finding the right balance between trying to show what I can do to potential employers and making the edit stronger for casual viewing. I figure that my target audience is someone trying to choose a person to shoot and light their film, so that's where I should lean. I may be completely off base here, as I don't really have any experience making or sending out reels like this. I know how to book a feature with a miniscule budget, but I'm trying to break into the next level (tiny, or even *gasp* small-budget features) and I'm not exactly sure what to be aiming for.

It drives me a little crazy having no sound design or dialogue in any of this, but every DP reel I've seen has been silent save music. I may just not be seeing the right reels, is there a par for the course?

As for the music... I have never spent so long trying to choose a song for an edit in my life. I must have been through 30 other songs before settling on this one. Again, all of the other DP reels I've seen have featured copyrighted (often major-label or prominent soundtrack) songs. Again, maybe I'm shooting myself in the foot here, either with selection or by choosing something so recognizable.

Thanks for the comments, I'm going to make some adjustments and ponder some things...
 
Yep its impossible to know the balance.

I mean if someone is thinking of entrusting you with a large amount of their money as DOP surely they have more than 2.00 to make that choice?

I think its about pulling people in - not proving you can do a smooth dolly shot or sustain a difficult focus pull - the stuff I would look for if hiring a DP (yep technically neither of those are a DPs job but you get me)

I try and remind my self that the sad fact is people hire 'the bloke who shoots for coke' not 'the bloke who is a wizard at shooting drips on cold bottles'

As for the track some love it (me!) and some wont - it just plays pretty strong?

I think some of the top DPs (who rarely have reels!) do have audio but you are right most dont - and most breach copyright

S
 
Hey, great stuff! Well done. Here are some thoughts.

Shots I would lose-- just wasn't crazy about them for one reason or another, if you gotta lose something I'd take these as I think your other stuff is better
(in chronological order)
Bathroom shot where the guy slams the girl
CU of the kid
The b&w stuff
Guy in wife beater outside slams the car door
Bald guy hugs girl in hat at the park
Blonde woman dolly in (right after the girl runs out of the bathroom)
Guy /w soccer ball runs after girl

Some other shots:
You have a 360 degree shot of two people doing martial arts or something, I'd cut it down. After a second or two, we get it, don't need to continue it.
The western shot near the top-- I'd extend it. This looks cool but it feels like you cut it in the middle of something, would've liked to see more
Two guys walking up the hill with lanterns-- cool shot, I would extend it a bit.


yep guess that's it. just one guy's advice, take it or leave it. good luck!
 
Thanks for the comments!

I had the bathroom shot in there because I liked the camera move and thought there was good energy in the shot. I thought the dolly move on the guy in the wife beater slamming the door was nice too, but maybe it lingers too long? Same for the blonde woman in the school hallway. I'll play with cutting those. The rest are cuts for sure, especially the B&W stuff which has been called out by a few people

Great input, and you guys are really helping give me an idea of where to cut this down. I appreciated the continued notes!
 
Yeah don't lose the bathroom shot. Agree about shortening the martial arts shot and extending the cowboy shot. Not much stands out to me as having to go but of course if you edit a shorter reel it will become obvious.

Not a fan of the song choice. Being such a strong well known narrative song I find it distracting. But hey maybe it's fine. I just went and looked at a bunch of reels and didn't like many of the song choices so it's not easy. The music shouldn't matter but if you can make the reel both look professional and be entertaining why not? You say you are torn " trying to show what I can do to potential employers and making the edit stronger for casual viewing." I think you should be able to accomplish both no? Lose some shots lengthen a few others is what I think it needs. Better to have less shots are that are really strong and you certainly have enough.

I'm no filmmaking expert so I speak more as a "casual viewer".

Personally this is the kind of song I would edit to (preferably an instrumental version) if I was making a cinematography reel. Maybe it's too much?

 
Music has been the toughest part of this so far. I've been through so many partial edits to songs that I ended up scrapping. I'm not thrilled with the Johnny Cash track, I just got burnt out on looking for other tracks. I'm sure I'll keep looking over the next week or so. I like the one you linked to. I should have a new revision up in the next day or so, thanks again for taking the time to give some feedback.
 
I think you have some great work out there. Personally I wouldn't show that many close-ups, they only work if you have celebrities to show for, otherwise they scream low budget to me, like you're hiding something. The police stuff on the downtown bridge was great because it shows you can be trusted with a bigger production budget, something producers love to see.

Medium and wide shots show much better what you are capable of as a cinematographer. And I would show some complete scenes, so directors and producers can see your work cuts nicely together.

Fellow cinematographers are not the best ones to give you advice about your reel, ask the people that could potential hire you: producers, directors and agency people.
 
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