Website feedback

Michele Peterson · June 26, 2008

Thanks to anyone willing to give me constructive criticism on my website. I know the quality of my reel is very low, but that can't be changed, since the production company didn't give me copies of the footage, most of it was taken from a recording when the show aired.

http://tigershell.googlepages.com

Tim Terner · June 26, 2008

Hi Michelle, sometimes one has to be cruel to be kind, and here I'm going to be cruel. The 'photograhy' page contains nothing that comes remotely close to inspirational and the 'Reel' was even worse.

It takes time to build a decent reel but great pics can come from mistakes. I really wish you every success in a very very difficult business but urge you to wait untill you have something that will impress before posting links to your site.

Come on MIchelle, go and shoot something whacky tomorrow (even on a mobile phone) that can go on the site and I'm gonna be the first to applaud you

Adrian Sierkowski · June 26, 2008

Agreed here. From the page, i get no sense of what you want to be. Camera? Grip? or EMT? If it's EMT, well then no need for the site, same really for Grip, for Camera, focus on camera!

You have a Nikon F, a nice camera, and some lenses (I have an F4 and FM10, but who cares?) Go out and shoot some interesting artsy thing to show off your talent!

You have a 3 chip camera, which is fine, but who advertise it? it would again be better to shoot some footage with your lights and the like, showing a wide range of ability. Polish it up in a color correction program, and put it out there!

There's nothing stopping you from building your skills and showing your ability away from a production, is there?

Also, for the reel, avoid google videos and/or youtute and the like, and try to give us a link to a nicly compressed (for download) h.264, or something like a at home created .flv (premier can do this in CS3 iirc) to make something pleasing, ya know?

Michele Peterson · June 27, 2008

I'm not expecting anyone to hold my reel up to a DP's. You have to consider it in relative terms. I'm just starting out (as my resume suggests) and working on it. The footage I currently have up is from a reality/doc show. The jobs I go on don't expect it to be compared to a DP twice my age and experience. I was hoping for my suggestions on the layout of the page, as I am not a graphic designer and not an expert in that area.

Why not list the camera I do have? I never said it was spectacular, but I often get asked what camera I do have, so I list it and put a picture up so anyone asking isn't deceived thinking I have something more.

I don't get why so many people are so against someone doing more than one thing. A well rounded person has additional hobbies and life experiences. I'm not trying to do every single job on a production. Yes I'm an EMT, I do set medic work and have been asked if I have a website, so I include it. I'd much rather be on set as a medic than sitting at home not earning any money and missing out on an opportunity to learn something on set and meet people. Other camera people constantly tell me never to mention, or leave it out completely, but it has been the skill that tops the cake and separates me from everyone else and helped me get A LOT of jobs. I also have done grip work. I think gaining experience as a grip is great knowledge for working my way up to being a DP. Since I'm just starting out, I'm willing to do more than one job in order to keep employed and learning. So that my reasoning for including multiple things.

~Michele

Adrian Sierkowski · June 27, 2008

All of that is very true, but the problem one could counter with would be, why get an all around guy for x job, when there is a specialist for the same job.

As for camera, it's a 3-chip, so you can just state you have a 3 chip miniDV camera, and then if they ask, get into specifics, ya know?

For the reel, with that little footage, it would be best to show a finished product, or bit of product, as opposed to try to cut a reel to it, ya know?

Site layout needs work with being able to go back and forth and keeping it interesting, is all. It's just basic stuff, background pictures, tables, the like; nothing extravagant needs to go into it, but polish it up is all.

It might be better to say, Camera OP and then under special skills list Certified EMT; and let the resume do the rest of the speaking.