Just want opinions. First Demo Reel

[pHaTdProductions]

So yeah recently put together a reel of all the projects I did and just want some genuine opinions. So this most likely the best place to do so =)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bbr4ygyfbgE

[pHaTdProductions]

=( Can't improve if theres no basis to guide me.

[u am snookems]

Watching.

[u am snookems]

You're way more talented than me in almost every respect. I don't feel qualified to critique. Maybe a few less film burns or quick filters or whatever those were.

[pHaTdProductions]

You're way more talented than me in almost every respect. I don't feel qualified to critique. Maybe a few less film burns or quick filters or whatever those were.

Your remark will be taken into consideration on future projects I do, thanks.

[Matthew Shannon]

chopped clips made me kinda dizzy. kinda style prefence, but I would have liked to see "fuller" clips, or less frequent cuts.

[CerealGuy]

definitely needs more skateboarding...

[hogie]

Overall I dug it. nice flow, everything in there seemed to be solid work.

I work for a TV production company as a motion designer/ animator. I see a lot of reels. I'm going to assume you want to use this reel to attract clients? My biggest, overarching note is that your reel is far too broad. As much as I commend you for learning so many skills, many clients are weary of reels like this. You don't want to come across as a "jack of all trades, master of none." I'd suggest cutting a separate reel for all of your different skills. That way, if you bid on a shooting gig, the client won't have to look at a bunch of motion stuff that they don't give a fuck about, and vice versa. Only the shittiest clients are going to want you to do everything.

I'm not a huge fan of jumping between letterbox and full frame. Its better than cropping, of course, but it still comes across a little bush league, unfortunately.

This all depends on the clients you want to attract, of course.

Hope that helps

[DanBLI]

Not a good cut for a reel. Your name and contact info need to be in the very beginning of the reel, AND at the end. Some people leave their contact info up the entire way through the reel, this practice is probably better suited for reels submitted via DVD.

A demo reel is a presentation of your best work NOT a music video. This is almost 2 minutes long, cut it down to between 1:00 and 1:15.

Put your best work first, your absolute best, keep in mind those that are looking at your reel could be watching at least a thousand a month, possibly 50-100 in a day if they are looking to staff up for a big project. If you don't catch their eye within the first 10 seconds it's likely they will shut it off. In the vain of it not being a music video, some will watch your reel without sound, in which case your fucked because you cut to the beat the entire way through at a steady, FAST pace. I couldn't tell why you put many of the shots in there, probably because they weren't on screen long enough for me to evaluate them.

I'd trim this by 60 seconds, then let your best works linger on screen for a few seconds longer each, eliminating the fast paced cuts. This cut you made here was for you, not for a potential client/employer. You can get 30 seconds back simply by cutting the intro out.

Best of luck to you.

[AJ Pow]

Good stuff, overall. Definitely seems like you're good at what you do. Here are my suggestions, though:

1. Lose the quote at the beginning ("The possibilities are limitless"). It doesn't help, and comes across as kind of cheesy.

2. Less jump cuts. It was a nice stylistic editing choice at the beginning, but then got repetitive and slightly annoying by the end. Maybe this wouldn't be the case if it was shorter, as other people have said, but as it stands it's a little much.

3. Your end slate- I would put cinematographer, not cinematography. Nit-picky, but all the other titles you included are just that- position titles, not just words. Also, the phrase "digital film editor" is contradictory. I would reconsider that one too.


Again, good stuff. Just my opinions, hope they help!

[wujcik]

the guys above are right....


and, you do realize this is not a skateboarding forum, right?

[fast eddie]

"jack of all trades, master of none."

That's the vibe I was getting.

[kmediavideo]

Pretty solid, but everyone's comments above are true. Shorten it up for sure, and make sure the first 10-20 seconds really pop. I was most impressed by the 3d animation stuff, but I think you need to be more direct about what you do. And if the case is that you can do them all, make different reels. This way if someone is looking for an editor, you can show them your editing reel, or vice versa.

[pHaTdProductions]

Thanks for all the feedback guys

[Muppet4Eternity]

I liked it up until about 1:20 when it began to drag a little. Needs a bit less filmburn though.