• READ BEFORE POSTING!
    • If posting a video, please post HERE, unless it is a video as part of an advertisement and then post it in this section.
    • If replying to threads please remember this is the Promotion area and the person posting may not be open to feedback.

watch Feedback on new showreel

jax_rox

jax_rox

Hey guys,

Just been attempting to slap together an edit of my new showreel. As I said this time last year - I find putting together showreels pretty damn difficult, and I always end up only having a few days to do it before sending it off.

Anyway, I've already sent off a preliminary version of it, but now I've got about a week off to work on it, and I need other opinions!

https://vimeo.com/85996503
pass: 2014


Let me know your thoughts: weaker shots you think maybe I should take out, shots that should be left for longer, too much of the same projects, thoughts on the music etc.

My personal feeling is it's a little too long, and some of the shots are maybe too short. But, always down to hear feedback. I'm not really an editor - this showreel is about the only thing I've edited in a while, and I feel my lack of practise at editing shows a touch.. On top of that, it's pretty difficult to be objective about your own work.

Anyway, would love to know your thoughts!


For those who are interested, it's almost exclusively RED and Alexa. There's one Blackmagic shot, a few S16mm, and two DSLR shots (I bet you'll pick the DSLR immediately ;))
 
Last edited:
Great stuff! ;p

Change the music please! ;p It is really not in sync with visuals and is very distracting.
Also cut 1 minute of repeating shots on the same locations,similar lighting etc. It will make it more snappy!

The dolly which ends on the 00:10, do you have another second of footage to hold on the girl? It ends a bit abrupt.

Have you shot any landscapes? You have a lot of tight shots,so something wider would help diversify :) your reel.
 
Wonderful work! Ditto on the repeating location/project shots. Parse through those and pick the best of the best, then trim down the shots you keep by 10-20 frames. (if possible)

Might be interesting to try a few different audio tracks, even though for DP reels it hardly matters what we're hearing. I usually hit mute anyways.

Bet you could get it all down to a tight 2:00min. ?
 
First, it's really hard to comment on a showreel as we're really in the blind on the source material. There's a chance it's as good as it's going to get, from coming from you, I suspect not... so here comes the ripping.


0.39 forces a jump cut to the moving shot. I'd consider removing the static and extend the moving shot.

at 0.41/0.42 the flower edits are too quick. I'd extend to show them or remove.

Moving shot at 0.55. Is that soft or bmcc footage mixed in?

1:18. Don't really have the controls to go frame by frame, but it looks like you have a rogue frame.

1:21... erk. Remove. Framing. Even consider 1.20 removing too.

1.22. If you can start earlier so the BBQ doesn't start past the left third and then dolly out?

1.17 at the blinds, I'd extend the shot if possible. It's a very nice looking shot. Take advantage of it.

The girl fight at 1:42 looks awkward. I suspect you've edited it into oblivion. Might need a redo. Make sure you keep the red dress shot running out.

2:07/2:08, consider reversing those shots. Start with the girl, then to the guy and if possible remove the re-framing movement.

While I cannot see where, something else seems a little off on your showreel. It could be simply the music throwing it off, projecting a different feel to what your shots offer. I'd consider a more cinematic, though conflict style music if I were you.

It's a lot of work and no one really puts it in, but a Foley track could really make it pop.

There are some missing elements.
You don't have your name anywhere. No contact details (usually good to put them at the front and the end and remind us of your role and name - You know the old methodology; Tell us what you're going to do, do it, tell us what you did). Not sure if this is missing intentionally to keep it from us.

There are no Titles to what each shot is from. If it's all of you as DOP, then call it specifically a DP/DOP/Cinematography Reel at the start, just to be clear.

If I were you, I'd put the stronger movement shots up front instead of opening up with a mostly static front on shot (though, it is lit mightily well). There's a bit of handheld stuff up front. It's hard to tell why it's shaky in those circumstances (0.18, 0.20, 0.21). They're obviously stylistic choices. Without context, which you're unlikely to achieve in a showreel, it can be easy to interpret wrong.

The showreel is significantly better from about the 2:30 mark. If you did one thing, move the end to the beginning.

There are a lot of clean, non-movement shots in there. If you're looking to stock up with more footage I understand. Consider replacing them with some of the more interesting dirty shots, complex shots and movement shots, if available. Obviously make the choice of the ones that have a great lit background over those with boring walls. I'd like to see what you can do to make it interesting and what makes you better from the rest. Don't get my wrong, I like it. It makes you look like a competent DOP. The thing is I know you're better than competent. I'd love to see you show that.
 
Thanks all for the feedback so far!

baoliun said:
You have a lot of tight shots,so something wider would help diversify :) your reel.
Click to expand...
I will definitely throw some wider stuff in there. I never really thought about it. :D

Sweetie said:
Moving shot at 0.55. Is that soft or bmcc footage mixed in?
Click to expand...
It's softened (with a filter), rather than soft (focus).

1:21... erk. Remove. Framing. Even consider 1.20 removing too.
Click to expand...
Framing on this one was deliberate (Director request). It works well in the context of the scene, but I cansee how in the current context it may not translate too well.

1.22. If you can start earlier so the BBQ doesn't start past the left third and then dolly out?
Click to expand...
I can. Again, I'm no editor - if anything, my last reel I got some criticism that some of the shots went for too long, so on this one I didn't want to make the same 'mistake'. The final dolly shot is sped up by about 40%. I might ramp the speed on the BBQ shot, speed it up a little so there's less dead space in the middle.

The girl fight at 1:42 looks awkward. I suspect you've edited it into oblivion. Might need a redo.
Click to expand...
You suspect correctly, my friend ;)

2:07/2:08, consider reversing those shots. Start with the girl, then to the guy and if possible remove the re-framing movement.
Click to expand...
Again, deliberate framing/re-framing but of course context is rarely apparent in such a short amount of time.

There are some missing elements.
You don't have your name anywhere. No contact details (usually good to put them at the front and the end and remind us of your role and name - You know the old methodology; Tell us what you're going to do, do it, tell us what you did). Not sure if this is missing intentionally to keep it from us.
Click to expand...
The purpose is, generally, for this to sit on my website where it's fully branded with my name and contact info, though it's probably not a bad idea to include anyway. When I send it off on a physical copy, I'll add titles.

There are a lot of clean, non-movement shots in there. If you're looking to stock up with more footage I understand.
Click to expand...
The curse of randomly selecting a 3:45 song? :P I actually tried editing the song down to 2:00, but it didn't really sound right. Then I was faced with adding more stuff to fill the time.

I need to find a different track, and keep it to ~2:00 - 2:30

Initially, I planned to butt up all the shots I liked from each project next to each other, so you could get a sense of the look/style/feel of each project. Thoughts on such an approach? When sending out physical copies, I'll include longer scenes/excerpts from projects, but most people watch this sort of thing online these days.
 
Last edited:
It's softened (with a filter), rather than soft (focus).
Click to expand...

Fair enough. It looked a little off. That's why I mentioned it.

I can. Again, I'm no editor - if anything
Click to expand...

Just add a second or two to the start to get the initial framing right. Then alter if the speed requires.

Thoughts on such an approach?
Click to expand...

Look, the answer actually lies more in your target than anything. The best result it going to come from personally altering each video to fit your potential client. For most this is just not feasible so best to shoot for what most people in your target market want. I'm rather an odd person and look at things differently, so my opinion of what I'd like to see may not be your best option.

Personally I'd probably ask you what you thought your best work was and watch it from start to finish to see if I trust your judgement then ask to watch more of your projects and ask some more questions. To me though, all that fades in importance to knowing your motivation in wanting to be on the project and knowing our motivations create a situation where we will both work towards a common goal.

Knowing your audience is so important. For instance, some directors aren't technical. Some are. Some aren't going to be able to see that your music choice forces the view a particular way and may have not been the emotional intent of the scene. Some directors will.

Example: While it took me a long time to work this out, I have a producer who is incapable of watching a rough cut without a temporary music track. I was getting a lot of really odd notes and it was because the mood (music) wasn't framing the subject.

Your idea of putting all the scenes from each individual production tends to be what I see everyone do. Truth be told, I don't know the best way to put together a DP showreel. I'm sure each showreel would provide a different set of challenges which each would need to be answered a different way. Seeing it's a method that I've seen multiple tends to suggest that may be your best course of action until you find a better way.
 
Really nice looking footage.. but as been said, too much of it, and too much of the same kinds of shots. I agree what's really missing are nice big wide landscape shots. If you don't have any, go shoot some specifically for your reel.
 
I wouldn't put all scenes together mainly because it requires much more attention/patience and time to fully understand,which producers lack. Arrange killer shots to an energetic rhythm (music) so noone will be tempted to skip through,but rather press replay at the end of it.
 
baoliun said:
I wouldn't put all scenes together mainly because it requires much more attention/patience and time to fully understand,which producers lack. Arrange killer shots to an energetic rhythm (music) so noone will be tempted to skip through,but rather press replay at the end of it.
Click to expand...
This is my feeling - you're not going to have all your kickass shots in the one project, and you want Directors and Producers to see your best before they switch off.

Sweetie said:
Knowing your audience is so important. For instance, some directors aren't technical. Some are. Some aren't going to be able to see that your music choice forces the view a particular way and may have not been the emotional intent of the scene. Some directors will.
Click to expand...
It's interesting hearing the process from the other side. I think I'm relatively versatile, and I can work with many kinds of Directors - from those who are incredibly technical to those who know very little about the technical side of things.

Realistically, most of my work thus far has been based much less on my reel, and more from either recommendations, or from seeing other projects I've shot.

I'd like to be a bit more proactive about chasing work this year, so I want my reel to be in a good shape. I do wonder though, how much hiring is based upon a reel. Many years ago I interned at a Production Company, and they received reels from Editors, DPs, Directors every single day. Most of them had great work. The guy they hired was hired because he put more effort into the presentation of the disc itself and it caught their attention, rather than because his work was necessarily any better than anyone else's they'd received.
 
A good reel is, for me, a prerequisite for considering a dp, but (far from) the only reason for hiring the person. Other considerations: credits on projects of a similar style/size/nature, price (yes), and compatibility. I interviewed a guy last time who I wanted to punch for sheer obnoxiousness by the end of the interview. So it didn't matter how good he might have been.
 
My computer is loading super-slowly, so I haven't quite watched to the end, but maybe that's a good thing as lots of employers will switch off after a minute if the reel hasn't grabbed them.

It's a really tight real, as most people on here have observed. I think we've established that it could be trimmer and 2 mins sounds like a good target. I'd also like to, at some point, hear some dialogue/production sound: I realise this is a cinematography reel, but gauging the sound environment of the project will give your employer a much better idea of the production value of the work you've been doing.

I also, and I don't know how others feel about this, enjoy reels that have some text. If I'm producing a piece of work and am looking for a DoP who's a good fit for my production, I find it very useful to have some information about the shoot. So you might like to go with 30 seconds of sizzle and then slightly more extended (but still short) clips with brief camera and lighting info, as well as project type. Recently, I've been looking for documentary cinematographers and though people list themselves as experienced with Documentaries, it's often very hard to pinpoint where (if at all) in their reels there's documentary footage. So that sort of information can be very useful to an employer, even if it feels like it detracts from the punchy nature of a showreel.
 
It's tight. Looks good, on point.

Loaded to the gills with good footage, cut well and with a really good 'feel.' Shows off what you've done well.
 
Great looking material - but definitely too much, about halfway through I felt like I had a very good grasp on your skills and capabilities and wouldn't need to see more in terms of considering hiring you. I think the music is fine if you can adjust the edit to feel more like the visuals and music go together, right now there's little sense of rhythm or tempo to the edit.
 
It's interesting hearing the process from the other side. I think I'm relatively versatile, and I can work with many kinds of Directors - from those who are incredibly technical to those who know very little about the technical side of things.

Realistically, most of my work thus far has been based much less on my reel, and more from either recommendations, or from seeing other projects I've shot.

I'd like to be a bit more proactive about chasing work this year, so I want my reel to be in a good shape. I do wonder though, how much hiring is based upon a reel. Many years ago I interned at a Production Company, and they received reels from Editors, DPs, Directors every single day. Most of them had great work. The guy they hired was hired because he put more effort into the presentation of the disc itself and it caught their attention, rather than because his work was necessarily any better than anyone else's they'd received.
Click to expand...

Presentation is huge. It shows a potential level of care and commitment to projects.

Most of the time I've had DP's assigned to a project. Some great, some worse than horrible. I found that DP's are usually picked due to their connection to the Director, Producer or Production Manager, referrals or chased down from work that has been showcased elsewhere.
 
Quality wise and location wise and cinematography wise, this was outstanding. Couldn't have done better in a long time. (:

On the other hand, I found myself coming back here the instant I was finished to say it did seem very repetitive with shots and films. I don't know how big your portfolio is but I'm assuming why, which is perfectly fine. The only suggestion I could make is to set up the films in order more and then kind of start blending them together as the reel progresses. But I thought it was amazing. What do I know anyways?

10/10
 
TwinCities said:
On the other hand, I found myself coming back here the instant I was finished to say it did seem very repetitive with shots and films. I don't know how big your portfolio is but I'm assuming why, which is perfectly fine. The only suggestion I could make is to set up the films in order more and then kind of start blending them together as the reel progresses.
Click to expand...

Yeah I think general consensus is too much repetition - my other projects are either in various stages of post, or I don't feel are strong enough to include.
 
Very nice, indeed! Most everything I would say has already been said, particularly the length and repetition.

One thing I will mention is that when I'm editing a musical montage (which is basically what this is), I like to make cuts on the beat (or at least on the up-beat). Quarter-notes and eighth notes, basically. It's not super-necessary, but I think it adds to the effect.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top