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Some Student Work


Spencer Katz

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Hey, I'm a thesis student at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan.

 

This is a collection of films I've shot a few years ago on 16mm.

 

This is a montage of shots from a thesis film I shot in Colombia on the 7D.

 

Check 'em out!

Edited by Spencer Katz
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Very nice. I don't have any experience with film, but for me, your 16mm reel felt less consistent. It's hard to judge things on a reel, but the black and white stuff stood out to me as your strongest. I thought these shots had a nice sense of atmosphere and movement, but I also thought they could've used some more contrast (like I said though, it's hard to judge things on a reel - that may not have been what the director wanted). I also thought the section near the end with the red volvo was interesting. You nailed the dingy grindhouse vibe across the board with your lighting and shot selection.

 

However, some of your shots did not feel very motivated or reflect your talent (which you clearly have). Shots like the man on the beach or the dog in the snow felt like filler no do they really feel connected to any of the projects/segments. Some of the shots (the first few color shots and the one at :37 sec really had that student film vibe that I'd think you want to avoid on a reel. The lighting felt too obvious; like I felt as if I could draw the lighting plans for them just from seeing the shots. With that being said though, nice job!

 

I thought your 7D sample was great. I've used the 7D quite a bit so I feel more comfortable commenting on it. I got a much better feel for your storytelling abilities. Your wideshots were great, particularly the hallway and the church. The shot of the family sitting together in the church pugh was very well composed (as were most of the shots throughout). One minor critique though - the skin tones, especially on the young boy. Is this from the color grade or make-up? I can't really put my finger on it, but they just felt a little strange.

 

Anyways, that's just my opinion from one student to another. I'd really appreciate if you took a look at my reel a few posts below yours and left me some feedback.

 

-Henry

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I thought your 7D sample was great. I've used the 7D quite a bit so I feel more comfortable commenting on it. I got a much better feel for your storytelling abilities. Your wideshots were great, particularly the hallway and the church. The shot of the family sitting together in the church pugh was very well composed (as were most of the shots throughout). One minor critique though - the skin tones, especially on the young boy. Is this from the color grade or make-up? I can't really put my finger on it, but they just felt a little strange.

 

 

 

 

I agree about the skin tones with the 7D....I think all of the color actually looks like it could be better. This looks very "7D" to me and with some good lenses, lighting, and color correction I've gotten 7D footage to be more mistakable for RED footage. I'm not sure what you could have done to make it better except for maybe some better lighting and color correction. I don't know if you shot the footage 'flat' in camera but that would help with your color correction in post.

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