Showreel - feedback please

[Mark Whatmore]

Just finished editing a new showreel - mostly shot on my Red One, with a 16mm sequence to remind me of the old ways - never easy to put your best foot forward, would love to know how it looks to others.

 

[Will Keir]

Nice job Mark!

here is my semi-detailed honest break down.

-Good opening shot. Made me look closer to figure out the reflection with the ripple.
-2nd shot, nice color work, great landscape and mood.
-Did not like the time lapse of the bridge, boring.
-Country side time lapse is of an incredibly beautiful place and you got some great cloud work. That shot alone was worth the time spent.

NOTE: Careful with time lapse, makes you look like you got nothing else to do. Only show your best here.

-Speed ramping of the birds in flight is a poorly used effect, editing here is distracting and looks unprofessional.
-Slow motion of the birds in flight, excellent, image is very sharp, shows you know how to get difficult focus targets.
-1:07 chopper shot is awesome. The ones that come after... not so much, ordinary = takes away from the great shot that came before.

-I didn't like the interviews as your reel. Who does a reel with interviews? Maybe if they are widely recognizable or a celeb right? Interviews... okay fine... but with audio too? No, no, no.

The interviews, except one where the natural lighting was great, show you have no lighting experience and the interviews look flat, not interesting. The audio disconnect here is also something you should consider if it's in your best interest.

-1:55 time lapse construction single shot is nice. Again, too much boring city time lapse for little excellent time lapse images. I do hoever, get the feeling you travel from these shots, which is excellent. This would all be used as TV work, or stock footage right?

As always, thin the fat, better to show less and more top quality, IMO.

Overall it's hard to get a sense of who you are Mr. Camera man Mark Whatmore. Very little dolly, crane or steady cam work so far? Are you a feature film guy, TV interview spot guy, or nature photographer? The reel lacks definition maybe consider breaking it up into three distinct reels?

Magic is out there, but often illusive, you have some magic, keep up the good work, keep shooting.

 

[Mark Whatmore]

Hi Will - thanks so much for taking the time - very helpful, constructive and honest.
Much appreciated.

Mark

 

[Will Keir]

sure Mark, keep up the good work.

 

[Frederick von Sulle]

Really nice..., I got the idea and... liked it!

 

[Mark Whatmore]

Thanks

 

[Ryan De Franco]

I liked the opening time lapse. Less the city time lapse at the end. The strongest bits for me came just before the couple lying in bed, in which his acting and her lighting didn't live up to the moments that came before. The slow observational shot of hundreds of men at prayer was also powerful.

The interviews came out of nowhere for a reel of this type--keep those that look better, like lioness lady, and perhaps move away from those that have distracting content & lighting (I'm lookin at you, mr we can't just research for fun).

The snowmobile doesn't lead to anything striking, it's an observational pan and a bumpy low mount. Neither bad nor good but a very neutral, road to nowhere beginning. I respectfully disagree with Will, I think the shot of the rescuer and person-in-white loaded into the helicopter is crucial. It shows you know how to tell a story and show the human moment after the cool looking shot at 1:07. The camera spinning up towards the helicopter is dizzying, shows you like to mount cameras in cool places but subtracts doesn't add.

Overall... the powerful images you have are less memorable than the odd, incongruent ones--the couple in bed, Mr. Research, "there is only one God," the opening snowmobile.

 

[Chris McKechnie]

I do think there is way too much time-lapse stuff. They get boring quick if they are static shots. Loved the mini-dance, helicopter, and kids running segments.

 

[Jason Beckwith]

I agree about too much time-lapse, and lose the interviews for a narrative reel. Put together a separate reel for industrials/talking heads.

At the end, I think you have a typo, it says Camerman as opposed to Cameraman.

Lots of good stuff in there, though.

 

[Mark Whatmore]

Thanks so much to you all for taking the time. I really appreciate it.