Joshua Reis Posted June 27, 2006 Share Posted June 27, 2006 Hi, I posted my first Cinematography reel a few days ago. I am curious to hear what people like or dislike. I've cut commercials, and music vidoes, but I'm sure many people will agree that cutting ones own reel is probably the toughest thing to edit. I've been building my DP portfolio for about a year now. Since graduating from college two and a half years ago, I've been working as a motion graphics designer, which is reflected in my work. I was a Fine Art major with an emphasis in large format photography and motion design. Its been tough getting into the Dp business, but I enjoy every momment of it. So here it is... (TRT: 2 minutes) http://joshuareis.com/quicktime/Quicktimes_JR_REEL.html Regards, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Aaron_Farrugia Posted June 27, 2006 Share Posted June 27, 2006 very very nice id be proud great work Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morgan Peline Posted June 27, 2006 Share Posted June 27, 2006 Very nice! Wish my reel looked as professional! Good work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles Haine Posted June 29, 2006 Share Posted June 29, 2006 I might be alone in this, but I would get rid of the tiled transitions and the intertitles. A DP reel is really all about the cinematoghry of the shots, not the editing, which should be fantastic but invisible. I found myself getting distracted, and would rather just see a series of evocative shots that let me know you are a DP I want to work with. The work is pretty great, though, I'm very impressed. Especially with what looks like a dolly through a European courtyard, drenched in Orange light. very slick. chuck haine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael LaVoie Posted June 29, 2006 Share Posted June 29, 2006 How effective the reel is really depends on what kind of work you're seeking out. If you're looking for commercials and music video's, I'd leave the reel alone as it's really good. On the other hand, if you're seeking out independent films, there's some things I personally would change about it. The tiled transitions calls attention to how much the shots themselves have or haven't been "worked on" in post. You don't want people thinking that you've spent hours in after effects to get those images. I'd lose the transitions and the titles. Maybe try and use longer takes. American Cinematographer did a great article on how a reel should be cut together and what people are looking for in it. One of the points mentioned is this about the temptation to use montage style editing. The montage element should really only be the bandaid when you begin to run out of really great shots and it's best left at the end of the reel to pack a punch. Your entire reel is a montage and according to some quoted in American Cinematographer magazine, that could work against you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles Haine Posted June 30, 2006 Share Posted June 30, 2006 Do you know what issue of AC that appeared in? I searched their website, and couldn't find it, but I imagine a lot of us on here would love to read it. thanks, chuck haine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshua Reis Posted July 3, 2006 Author Share Posted July 3, 2006 Hi, I want to thank all the responses thus so far. I think all the posts have very valid points even if you don't entirely agree with what I have done. I think now would be a good time to perhaps explain my thinking. My reel is designed to give someone a general feel for the style and work that I have done without demanding more than two minutes of his or her time. If a producer has a pile of DVD reels to go through, I want be sure that my presentation (reel) immediately grasps their attention. No one can truly understand your style and qualifications unless they watch "your full body of work," which isn't going to happen. The quality of ones DP work (lighting, composition, etc) does speak for itself. But remember, a Cinematography reel strips away the narrative context in which your work was intended to be originally shown. What you choose to edit in or out and how you choose to present your work to a client is just as impressionable as the work itself. The music that you choose, edit tempo, design, and other aesthetic decisions is an artistic statement. My reel is the first thing that plays when my DVD portfolio is viewed. If the viewer likes what they see and is now "motivated" to take the time to view more of my work, they can view extended montages, commercials, or music videos. I realize the risk, but wanted to try something that was creative and bold. Like the movies we shoot, our reels are creative statements, a rare opportunity for us as DPs to "edit" and present what we want our viewers to see. I don't think there should be a general rule for how a reel should be edited or made. The only rule to making a reel is that you should be encouraged and allowed to take full advantage of all creative possibilities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick Neary Posted July 3, 2006 Share Posted July 3, 2006 Hi- I think you're spot-on with that assertion. It does help to taylor a reel though if you know the kind of job you're going after. I'm depressed about how good your reel is! Was a lot of your stuff shot clean and messed with in post, or affected in-camera or a mix? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ryan McMackin Posted July 3, 2006 Share Posted July 3, 2006 josh. i agree with your philosophy there. i think a short, well cut, montage-style reel is the way to go and yours is very good! i also agree with those above who think the transitions and titles throughout are distracting and unecessary. your motion graphics work is great, i think the clip at the end is worth keeping in and while the tile transition is nice; i think it is used too much. i think it would be better if you only used it at the beginning and end of your reel and did away with the titles throughout the piece. just my two cents... -ryan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jennifer leigh rice Posted July 10, 2006 Share Posted July 10, 2006 In Which issue of AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER did the aforementioned article appear? Sounds like one I need to read as I'm working on my first reel now. How effective the reel is really depends on what kind of work you're seeking out. If you're looking for commercials and music video's, I'd leave the reel alone as it's really good. On the other hand, if you're seeking out independent films, there's some things I personally would change about it. The tiled transitions calls attention to how much the shots themselves have or haven't been "worked on" in post. You don't want people thinking that you've spent hours in after effects to get those images. I'd lose the transitions and the titles. Maybe try and use longer takes. American Cinematographer did a great article on how a reel should be cut together and what people are looking for in it. One of the points mentioned is this about the temptation to use montage style editing. The montage element should really only be the bandaid when you begin to run out of really great shots and it's best left at the end of the reel to pack a punch. Your entire reel is a montage and according to some quoted in American Cinematographer magazine, that could work against you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshua Reis Posted July 11, 2006 Author Share Posted July 11, 2006 The International Cinematographers Guild has an interesting article online, "The New Demo Reel." here is the link. http://www.cameraguild.com/index.html?tech...tml~top.main_hp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael LaVoie Posted July 11, 2006 Share Posted July 11, 2006 (edited) The American Cinematographer article I referred to was called "Cutting an Effective Reel" and it appeared in the December 2000 issue. It's almost six years old but it's still very relevant information and though the montage vs complete spot style is a personal choice, I have to agree with agent Stacey Cheriff who said that "People want to see spots in their entirety, it's a rhythm they're familiar with. A montage just makes you say, 'Well that's a pretty image' but it's almost like stills. It's not motion: it's not a coherent, cohesive piece." I also agree with Allen Daviau A.S.C.- "Go with your own vision. If you chase down the marketplace and try and get this current look or that current technique, it will all be out of date by the time you get your reel out. You're better off trying to present something that coherently represents your own vision and the kind of work you'd like to do. It may not work, but at least you'll be going from your own passion and not second-guessing what people want to see." Edited July 11, 2006 by Michael LaVoie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Bill Totolo Posted July 11, 2006 Premium Member Share Posted July 11, 2006 I don't know if you thought about or mentioned what type of work you're looking for but I would put you in the commercial/music video category. It seems heavily biased in that discipline of the field. Don't know if that helps. If that's what you're looking for I think your reel is pretty slick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chayse Irvin ASC, CSC Posted July 12, 2006 Share Posted July 12, 2006 Really awesome man. Left me wanting more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Workman Posted July 12, 2006 Share Posted July 12, 2006 (edited) Hey Josh, That is a really nice reel. I also do VFX work and I think that the transitions are very appropriate. There are a lot of cheesy wipes/fades out there and I think yours are very sophisticated. I think that the idea of just a DP is fading. New DP's are going to have to understand post production, with DI, LUT, and the ever more prevalent VFX out there. Look at the Kodak Look Manager and LUT/Scene files for HD cameras. While I don't think that a DP needs to have a perfect command of shake or know how to actually do a DI color correct, I think that a DP that understands the WHOLE process will be better during the shooting. IMO. A DP that understands post well enough to do it, is a better DP. I vote for keeping the transitions. Edited July 12, 2006 by mattworkman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ari Krepostman Posted July 18, 2006 Share Posted July 18, 2006 (edited) The American Cinematographer article I referred to was called "Cutting an Effective Reel" and it appeared in the December 2000 issue. It's almost six years old but it's still very relevant information and though the montage vs complete spot style is a personal choice, I have to agree with agent Stacey Cheriff who said that "People want to see spots in their entirety, it's a rhythm they're familiar with. A montage just makes you say, 'Well that's a pretty image' but it's almost like stills. It's not motion: it's not a coherent, cohesive piece." I also agree with Allen Daviau A.S.C.- "Go with your own vision. If you chase down the marketplace and try and get this current look or that current technique, it will all be out of date by the time you get your reel out. You're better off trying to present something that coherently represents your own vision and the kind of work you'd like to do. It may not work, but at least you'll be going from your own passion and not second-guessing what people want to see." I don't know how long it takes for people to get their reel out, but there is certainly value to being able to show people that you are "with it" and not a stodgy old luddite who hasn't mastered techniques that are actually in demand by agency creatives, directors, and producers who want fresh lensing that is applicable to todays marketplace. We should always be predicting (not 2nd guessing) what we (and by extension other people) will find visually interesting & attractive -- that's a big part of our job as (creative) DPs. Nevertheless, it's true that people want to see spots in their entirety. It's just that after a few, people get tired of watching. Better to start with a short montage and then let potential employers choose from buttons that visually represent some of the images they're seen in the montage. Josh is obviously getting some great work, as evidenced by his reel. I doubt many of us have the authority to 2nd guess his wisdom right now. Great work, Josh Edited July 18, 2006 by Donnie Wells Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeyow Evangelista Posted August 12, 2006 Share Posted August 12, 2006 That is so ASTIG! you are very good! wala lang sana naiintindihan moko.. hehe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris caliman Posted August 12, 2006 Share Posted August 12, 2006 yeah realy nice and professional i liked it a lot if you like, here is my small camera showreel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9bGRfHqvo4 by chris caliman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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