Slash my demo reel to leeetle pieces!

M

mcbob

Veteran
Finally got around to a new demo reel for doc camera work after a scant ~2 years. Well over 3/4 of it is AF100 footage (hence posting it here) and I know there are some sports here that aren't afraid to pull punches (Liam, Gary, etc... have at it!).

Anyway, there's a lot of... stuff. I wager too much, and I always get attached to pieces I throw in there. The first merciless winnowing has already been done, but I recognize when I need help.

If you don't mind, please look it over, and be thoroughly frank... growing up with a jock older brother, I've skin like a rhinocerous and similar discernment

EDIT: thanks much, 2nd draft up now

https://vimeo.com/59870798



Thanks much
 
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Some really really nice images. :thumbup:


The music ....big thumbs down from me and my ears. :thumbdown

Reel feels kind of long though. Maybe the music. :zombie_smiley:
 
Everyone always hates my music... Of a'searching I go again.

So if you don't mind my asking, did you see the best stuff first? If not, where was it (so I can consider putting it earlier). Anything that you thought didn't deserve to be there?

for everyone else, take Shooters advice and kill the audio (that's what I always do for demo reels)
 
I made it a minute. Could not stand the music and nothing really blew me away visually. That being said, good on ya' for having the guts to ask the webinets for feedback.
 
Music killed it for me too...Looked good visually from what I could get through. I'd do one of those "Optimistic Coldplay" type tunes to keep things moving along.
 
Okay... I'll throw in my 2c

Second half better than first half. Some of the sports stuff and especially the interviews looks good.

The shot of the guy crying at memorial goes on way too long.

The last shot of the girl is lovely.

I would change the song and cut it down to just over two minutes.

I would lose:

swans
timelapse clouds
spider
inside car
one or two soccer shots
one or two of the interviews (guy at 2.19, guy without tie at 2.26)
i would cut that first foamy beach shot in half and just keep the second bit where the foam rolls in. The gap between the bird going out of frame and the foam hitting is too much.

Good luck.

Oh and seeing as you're tough... Your framing on some of the interviews could improve a tad. Too much head space on a few of them especially.
 
You asked for "pick it apart" so here goes. Others may agree or disagree, and that's fine. But these were my reactions when watching it.

You have a lot of really good footage that can be massaged into a nice reel.

First and foremost, that annoying music has got to go! It could be used effectively at Guantanamo Bay. Please, make it stop!

The reel could be shorter and still accomplish all you need to. There are some redundant shots, eliminate those. Remember, you're not trying to show us everything, just examples. Also, weed out any shots that you don't feel are your best work.

I don't like the early memorial wall shot where it is, and with the better wall reflection footage later, I'd say, "take it out -- it's redundant."

Too many quick cuts. If I were auditioning this, I'd want to know that you can hold a shot. One shot that I felt was truncated too early was the dolly shot at :15 in. When I see really good shots I'd like a moment to enjoy them. I don't mean for you to slow the reel down, just to let me luxuriate a bit with a few of the nicer ones.

The welder was just the right length. It was enough time to take in the beauty with a few moments to enjoy it.

Color-correct the soccer footage for better skin tones.

The closeup at 2:22 seems awfully red, especially considering you're coming off of a series of more neutral-looking shots.

The "man with the umbrella" shot with the reflection on the memorial is great, I think you stay on the crying too long at the end. Also, it gets shaky and goes a bit out of focus by that point.

Close with the sunset rather than the little girl, the sunset shot has more of an air of finality to it and it's also a choice of beauty over cutsieness.

You have the makings of a really nice reel.
 
Excellent! Thanks, exactly what I was looking for so far. Thanks for soldiering through the horrendous music
 
It's good, some superb shots in there. I'll agree with the music though! I exec a lot of other people's work and I'll say to you what I mostly end up saying to them: Cut the running time in half. I mean literally - get brutal with it. Load the first 20 seconds with your best shots, most employers don't look past that mark before deciding if they like you or not. Sad but true.
 
Most real Directors are looking if your footage can cut a scene together, as in does the previous shot leave the viewer looking where you want them to be looking in the following shot, do you cross the line etc but if that doesn't help you (If you're not really interested in narrative) then for your docu style footage I would include a few choice sound bites to show the moments you caught by chance and how good you are as a lone camera op with sound in the sit down interviews, other than that I think you have a solid first cut to trim down and perfect and some pretty nice shots.

Agree with the music, maybe go for something that builds and has keys to cut shots too. Here's my sports based showreel, needs updating http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XygyvQHC7xc
 
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I agree with everyone on the music and cutting it down to about a minute (maybe 1:30 if it's all your best footage). New music should not be so repetitive. Shot of the black guy in red shirt in the village appears to change exposure at the end (auto?). Shot at 1:32 a bit washed out, beach shot at 2:33 a bit underexposed. I wouldn't use many talking heads in a demo, despite them being well lit. Overall the reel consists of some very nice footage, just need to choose the very best shots, cut it faster and to the beat, and find just the right tune.

My reel needs updating and needs to be shorter, but has gotten me a ton of work so might give you some ideas:

 
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I'd cut it down to under two minutes and keep in mind that not everyone watching it will stay all the way through.

For the head shots, keep the familiar faces (lends gravitas), and ditch any others that don't show something new. Remember, you want every shot to deliver on its own terms without being redundant.
 
Just some general advice. What Ive started doing is breaking my showreels down a little. One I send out for TVC / Narrative another for industrial and yet another for doco. All are no more than two minutes and when it's over and I feel almost as though it was too fast, then I feel Im on the right track.
 
mcbob said:
I know there are some sports here that aren't afraid to pull punches (Liam, Gary, etc... have at it!).
Click to expand...

Hi Kevin, good for you for asking for feedback, you're very brave, and clearly cheeky too:-)

I think you've had some very good comments already. In fact, most of the points I was going to make have been mentioned, it's worth reiterating a couple though; I agree with all of Fluro's comments, particularly that the second half is visually stronger than the first. I'd start with the shots you end with - they have human interest and will connect with the viewer. I'd definitely cut the swans and the time-lapse, the swans look overexposed and the time-lapse isn't the strongest.

Documentary showreels are possibly the hardest nut to crack as they don't suit the style-over-substance mini-reel format. Perhaps cutting a twenty second montage of each job and using a key sound bite or two might be a better way to go.
 
Really couldn't have asked for more help, limitless thanks to you all.

Liam, great idea on the soundie reel... XSV had much the same notion, and since I usually 1-man-band, damn practical as well. It's a definite next project after I get the conventional "here's me pointing cameras at stuff while hopefully non-obtrusive music plays underneath" thing finalized.

It's likely easy to tell that none of these were high-budget projects, nothing really earth-shatteringly awesome or envious or radical or bitchin' or tubular, simple paid and personal projects that I eked a living and a new camera from over the past two years... Most of this is just me with AF100 wearing the Leica 14-50 and whatever shotgun/lav package. There's the occasional other lens, a couple of GH2 shots with different lenses, and the balance rounded out by HVX, Z1U, HV30, and rented 5D3, almost always in available light (except for interviews) because... heck, that's the budgets I'm working in right now. As most could tell I hadn't graded anything yet - not certain I will, since I shoot-to-final as much as possible, and my grading skills are sub par. So while I may be low-budget, I did work my ass off to give them everything I could with meager resources. Hopefully some of that shows. If it doesn't... well, I'll work harder this year anyway (I hope). Hopefully that might also mean more interesting visuals in the future... I can always work on composition, but getting something seriously interesting to frame is often the difficult part.

I guess that whole question of how to parlay a low-budget reel into more frequent/higher-paying work is another thread in itself.
 
I loved the part with the man that was visiting the wall of fallen soldiers. I would move it up to around 20 or 30 seconds. And I wouldn't linger on the man quite so long as he's crying. It really captured my attention, visually, but it especially made me want to know what exactly was going on in that work. Who died that the man could hardly look at the wall without keeping composure? What is that person's story and legacy? Those are the things I wanted to know when watching it. But I wouldn't linger the shot on him in the reel. At a certain point, without context, I almost feel like I'm prying too far into the man's business when he has lost composure. So just long enough to see the full effect that the wall has on him, but barely a moment longer.

And I haven't bothered to read others' responses, so I'm assuming others have said it. But I would cut it down to 1 min to 1:30. Also, Howie and Rumsfeld are heavy hitters. You may not like the setup that you had to shoot (I've read your other posts about it). But don't hide them past the point at which someone will likely watch. I'm not saying you have to lead with them, but get them in there quick and kind of early. It makes a quick statement-- the viewer isn't even going to pay attention to how the shot looked if you don't linger on it. And I say completely ignore the political stuff. Like you said, if a potential client is going to not hire you just because you once filmed and interviewed Rumsfeld, then they have issues and you probably don't want them as a client.

Oh yeah, and kill the shot of the spider! And the spider itself!! Joking aside, there's a lot of us out there who really, really don't like spiders. Seeing a spider in that close of a detail creeps me out, as well as others, and could cause some to decide to stop watching. Yes, it is worse than seeing Rumsfeld. (Again, joking on that part-- keep him in there).

Edit: Ok, I was just watching through it and wondering what happened as far as the man at the wall. That part is now in a good spot and cuts at the right moment, IMO.
 
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O.K ...took a look at your second cut of your reel.

You want to sell your self as a doco cameraman / producer? / editor?/ director?...so I want to see and HEAR the drama of the doco.

Whats missing...audio!

Try mixing some of the live audio from the shots and some V/O on top of the music bed.

Make it impactful and chose drama, voice, mood..

Docos tell storys and record events ( for ever)

They need to move people and inform people.

Audio is a huge part of the story.

Good luck


ps. some great doco style graphics could be part of it maybe .
 
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