Guest fe4a3f5e8381673ce80017d29a8375f1 Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 Over the last year or so (since buying my first HDSLR in spring 2013) I've been teaching myself how to shoot video "properly" (a large portion of my education coming from EOSHD and this forum). During that time, amongst my small personal projects, I've done a bit of paid work (two promo films for an arts organisation and one creative private commission that was quite an extensive project). I've just agreed to make a promo film for a friend's fast-growing Yoga business, which is going to need to be of a reasonably convincing professional standard (gulp!). Anyway, I've finally decided to jump in the deep end and in the next month or two intend to launch my own very modest little videography/filmmaking business. I've been working on the website and have just put together my first attempt at a demo reel for the site's homepage. I'd really appreciate some feedback from you guys! :) Please bear in mind though that: this is a first draft; that it is not a cinematography showreel; that some of it was shot on an HV20 before I had a clue what I was doing & much of it on a 600D when I had less than half a clue; that I didn't go to film school (I went to art school, for my sins) and that I've never done this before! I'm not really looking for image quality critique, but more all-round feedback. https://vimeo.com/103936793 Please feel free to be as (constructively) critical as necessary! I need it! My unfinished website: http://www.lintelfilms.co.uk Thanks so much ... :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
utsira Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 Love it! Great name for a company too I think. Where can I get a seaweed hat? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zach Ashcraft Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 Footage looks great! My biggest suggestion would be to find some music thats a little more upbeat/exciting. You've got a few quick cuts in there that just seem abrupt with the current music, which just seems a little too somber for a demo reel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pablogrollan Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 The thing with reels is that -in my experience- they are not really useful for the director/producer. If you want to showcase your talent as a filmmaker, clients are going to want to see complete and finished work so that they can judge on the editing, pacing and how you've decided to develop an idea -what's your focus, is the approach innovative, etc-. Reels are very useful for graphic artists, 3D modelers, VFX composers, DPs, and people involved but not "concerned" or responsible for the finished product. Those are authors and fully responsible for just a few seconds of each project they work on, so an edited reel is the only way to show their work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quirky Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 Looks like you've got the knack for it, and that matters a lot. Where you may be still lacking is nothing that some more practise and focusing on details wouldn't take care of. No doubt you know by now that it's about things that have very little to do with the gear. It's more about things like vision and attention to detail. Like the careful use of shooting angles, to avoid putting the main subject/talent in the smack centre of the screen, to avoid excessive movement of the camera for the sake of camera movement, and so on. Who am I to give critique, well, maybe just a peer in a somewhat similar situation, repeating the talking points I received from a well known seasoned filmmaker and former TV cameraman not so long ago. As for the reel itself, I think it may be a bit too long, and you might want to shorten it by removing some of the less coherent clips from it. Make it short and snappy. As for the (obligatory) excuses, there is an old English saying, "when in doubt, leave it out." If you're in doubt about the material shot before you had a clue, consider leaving it out, and replacing it with new and better stuff. You should not hurry these things. Also the aforementioned practise is likely to fix most of the damage done by attending art school. Even though it may take some time. ;) So all in all, as long as your new filmmaking enterprise is concerned, I think your biggest challenges will concern your business skills and ability to hustle, rather than your shooting skills. Personally I find the latter one of the toughest challenges these days. So good luck with the new business. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest fe4a3f5e8381673ce80017d29a8375f1 Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 clients are going to want to see complete and finished work so that they can judge on the editing, pacing and how you've decided to develop an idea -what's your focus, is the approach innovative, etc-. Reels are very useful for graphic artists, 3D modelers, VFX composers, DPs, and people involved but not "concerned" or responsible for the finished product. I'll have full films on the portfolio page of my site. The reel is for the homepage so that people can get a quick idea of what I can do. It makes the potential client's life easier. If they like what they see they can dig deeper. If they don't then they haven't wasted too much time. pablogrollan 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest fe4a3f5e8381673ce80017d29a8375f1 Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 Footage looks great! My biggest suggestion would be to find some music thats a little more upbeat/exciting. You've got a few quick cuts in there that just seem abrupt with the current music, which just seems a little too somber for a demo reel. Yes, though personally I like it I think you might be right about the music. I'll wait for a bit more feedback and see if there's a consensus. The other thing is I could edit out some of the jump cuts ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest fe4a3f5e8381673ce80017d29a8375f1 Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 Love it! Great name for a company too I think. Where can I get a seaweed hat? The film is intended to spread awareness of vegetation wearing as a serious problem, not entice people to do it themselves. Please watch the infomercial carefully and take what is said very seriously indeed: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flynn Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 I love that shot of the starlings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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