Quick Question: Demo Reel (Combining in one)

[DDirector]

So, as you can tell, if you go on my website and check out my 'REEL', you will see.... nothing. "The video has bee removed"
That's cuz, I kinda don't have one.

Although I have shot a lot of films, I either never get any footage back, or the quality is so poor, for whatever reason it may be, its not worth using.

Any ways, I do have some footage I would like to use that I have shot before. I'm wondering if I should make a reel with existing footage I have of Music Videos, Shorts, & Documentaries.

Or should I have separate reels? - Although it would be my first reel in general.

My target is film, but I also do music videos and can work on commercials & docs once in a while. I'm not in a specific field.
I my goal is to work as a cinematographer right now, so its not on what project it is, but how I do each different project. But, do those watching my reel care?

Example:
In one reel you see some type of an interview (from a doc) and then you see clips from a short film, and someone singing (from a music video).
Seems weird to combine it all together, but I'm not sure because I am just limited in good footage.

 

[RyanT]

I would just combine at this moment in time. You'd end up putting in too much stuff you aren't exactly proud of if you were to have to make seperate ones for each genre.

 

[mcbob]

If you shoot material on your own camera and never get the footage back, instead make sure to bring along a small laptop/netbook and back up the footage for your own archives before handing over cards.

For sample footage, I send links to one "melange" reel, a reel of just lit interviews (since talking heads is a big thing for paid doc/eng work), and then send 1-3 more links to clips of specific similar projects (doc, eng, commercial, whatever). I work fairly regular, so it might be worth something.

This thread reminds me that I BADLY need to update my ~2 year old demo reel.