Greg Johnson Posted February 17, 2007 Share Posted February 17, 2007 Demo Reel - Standard (20 MB) - Large (58 MB) I'm submitting this to some producers next week to try and get my first feature gig. I hope I got the chops. I'd love some feedback. Please help me out, make suggestions and let me know what you think. Thanks in advance for your help! - Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cole Webley Posted February 18, 2007 Share Posted February 18, 2007 Greg. I like the music and there are a lot of great things in your reel. There are some shots which I don't think help your reel...they are alright in and of themselves but I don't think they showcase your talent as much as some of the others...and of course you only want the "best of the best" I love the music though, its pretty catchy for all your epic stuff and the paintball stuff which looks great. Good luck, I hope this helps. Well done. Shots to re-evaluate: *2 shot in the reel of the guy on the sidewalk *The wide shot of the old car...I know you need something like this to introduce the interior stuff but that shot is pretty flat...maybe use another spot in the shot where the light is coming through the trees more??? *I think the whole sequence of the dude walking down the alley and looking at the picture can go...doesn't do much for the body of work *The shot of the boy with the stick gun...nice editing with the previous shot...but this shot is pretty flat and doesn't do anything... *The two-shot of the hooded guys near the end which is followed by the single of the guy on the right...nice rim lit but...well, I don't think they help it...they guy with the beard probably did a great job acting but his single isn't that flattering, (not necessarly your camera work or lighting) and you need images that are nice to the eyes... These are the ones that stuck out to me. I hope that helps! Best of luck on your ventures--hope you get the feature! Let us know if you have another cut. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Bennett Posted February 18, 2007 Share Posted February 18, 2007 (edited) How comes it's 'illegal' for cinematographer's demo reels to not have any dialogue or sound from the films they reference? I watch people's reels and feel that there is something missing.. I think it's production sound. Good vocal performance/audio is half of the 'physicality' of what's on screen. Try putting in some of the dialogue and see what happens. And also lose the flat shots previously mentioned, there's no need for that. Edited February 18, 2007 by Matthew Bennett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Salzmann Posted February 18, 2007 Share Posted February 18, 2007 I agree with the above and also think it's a bit long. Go for a shorter more "seductive" cut and if they want to see more then you can show the films with the dialogue. Seems like most producers have to look at a lot of reels so cut to the chase. Show only your very best because everything else dilutes it. It's hard to cut out shots that you may have gone through hell to get but sometimes you got to lose an arm to save a life so to speak. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cole Webley Posted February 18, 2007 Share Posted February 18, 2007 I agree with the above and also think it's a bit long. Go for a shorter more "seductive" cut and if they want to see more then you can show the films with the dialogue.Seems like most producers have to look at a lot of reels so cut to the chase. Show only your very best because everything else dilutes it. It's hard to cut out shots that you may have gone through hell to get but sometimes you got to lose an arm to save a life so to speak. well said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Chris Keth Posted April 19, 2007 Premium Member Share Posted April 19, 2007 well said. I'm impressed by the work. The cut could use some work, though. The music is awesome (what is it?) but the cut is too long. I feel satisfied with the amount you show where I think I should be cut off wanting more. It will feel like a more impressive body of work that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morgan Peline Posted April 25, 2007 Share Posted April 25, 2007 Hi, Nice! The reverse of the mother crying whilst the boy in the bath tub looks on is flat as well. And personally I wouldn't keep coming back to the same films once you've showcased some of the good shots e.g. the man drawing on the car window, the paintball platoon. Once you've shown the best shots of these films, I think you need to move on. And yes I feel it's a bit long as well by 15 to 30 seconds. Nice music! What is it? And where did you get it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Johnson Posted May 4, 2007 Author Share Posted May 4, 2007 Thanks! I agree, I shot a new film and it blows most this stuff away so,.. I get to redo the reel anyway. I'll take all this into account. Thank you very much everyone! The music is from the sin city trailer. The song is the minus track to "Cells" by a British group "The Servant". A few here have already added it for their reels, so it's not very original anymore. :rolleyes: Thanks again for the comments, and look for the new reel in a few weeks! - Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Bill Totolo Posted May 5, 2007 Premium Member Share Posted May 5, 2007 You know... Keeping some of the flat stuff in there really helps sell the flashier imagery and shows you have range. If you're going out for a feature the producers may welcome that. A reel with all flash may be totally appropriate for a commercial or music video but movies have pacing. You might want to be the guy that has some subtlety to his work. And all your work is very good so that's not an issue at all. Hey, just an opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saba Mazloum Posted May 13, 2007 Share Posted May 13, 2007 I agree with Bill. Were the Paintball shots mini35? Great music!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Williams Posted May 13, 2007 Share Posted May 13, 2007 Great reel with a good combination of well done difficult shots. I didn't understand 00:50 the soldiers were out of focus and the wood closest was in focus for no reason. I'm keeping this as reference and a reminder for great compositon, scene dressing, Lighting, framing, etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Johnson Posted May 14, 2007 Author Share Posted May 14, 2007 I agree with Bill.Were the Paintball shots mini35? Great music!! Yes. All the "Blackcell" Paintball shots from the Ghost Town were shot using a home-made "Letus 35" adapter I bought from adapterplace.com. I used a Nikon E-Series 50mm lens. Except for the first few shots in the snow episode, I used the Redrock M2, but the cold weather made it wobble,.. it was a horrible day, everything froze. :D Great reel with a good combination of well done difficult shots. I didn't understand 00:50 the soldiers were out of focus and the wood closest was in focus for no reason. I'm keeping this as reference and a reminder for great compositon, scene dressing, Lighting, framing, etc Thank you for the comments Mark, it means alot to me. As for that out of focus shot; It was just during the opening establishing shots to a little mini-series of ads. (I was just teasing the audience because it was a highly anticipated paintball product that the kids were dying to see. ) - Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now