archived-videos Cinema Spatula Demoreel 2008

Spatula

Spatula

Hey dudes and dudettes,

After finishing TIFF this year I couldn't be more motivated to work on more and more projects, but as I'm finishing up the last of my current ones, I decided it was about time to cut a demoreel from all my older stuff (so I can finally move on, LOL)... and within a couple days it magically came together!

So without further ado, here is the 2008 Demoreel from Cinema Spatula:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TY5EJnxX4Ng


I'd love to hear feedback, good or ill, as I'm probably going to try and get some jobs with the reel... thus would like to make it as good as possible. Lemme know if anything drags, if there are some "questionable" shots, and so on and so forth. Appreciate it!
 
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I would open with the orange crush travel montage, then hit the intro/title card, and get into a bit of the other stuff from that, but end before the sandbox guy hitting the alleyway. That is the prettiest and most immediately engaging footage in the reel. From there, the rest is good - some of it runs a bit long, you've got just a couple of seconds up front to catch their attention and then have to keep it... in fact, I would lose the special thanks card altogether (they are all mentioned in their respective films, and this is your resume).

All of the segments can be shortened, there's no time for the viewer to invest in plot in here, so plot footage/dialog is a good place to cut it. Since you've edited most of it down already, you may want to focus on segments that showcase a particular aspect of your work (i.e. cinematography, directing, acting, writing, etc.) although I do like the format you've got going. The transitions between segments seem like they could flow a little better rather than just jumping to the next project, I didn't notice any thematic transitions between the shorts.

I really like the end bit with the cliche film that's a fun way to end.

so, catch attention, keep attention, end with a bang... and contact information on screen at some point if not all times (yes the internet's a scary place, but it's a resume).

Tighter edit, the people who will be viewing this will be busy folks and not have too much time to watch it, they will get bored easily and move onto something else.

I hope this gets you work!
 
Awesome knightly, thanks! That's great feedback... I've been digging up some other demoreels as well to get more of an idea for what the standard is, but that's really great (specific) advise!

I actually found that it felt like I was cutting a trailer of all my works essentially, so it was a lot of fun... might cut a few more before I even settle on a solid one to send out! Thanks again!


Oh, btw.... what's a good "average time" for a demoreel... 4mins? 3mins? 5?
 
It depends on how much "GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!" material you have. I just went through all this and was told that my Reel is still too long. I changed alot of it to make it tighter and more concise though. As mine is basically a Cinematographer's reel, it's simply a series of my best shots that kind of tie together from the end of one to the beginning of the next.

I'm still toying with the narrative aspect of the thing and it's a pain in the arse, but it did land me a gig :) Basically, if you (as an unencumbered by the "I love that piece" bug viewer) don't think the shot/sequence is the absolute best thing you've done in whatever piece you're putting in there, cut it out.

It's the same editing advice I give all the time... If you think it's really tight at 4 minutes, I bet I can get it to 3 without losing the story :) Keep it lively and flashy at the beginning and the end (hence my suggestions for crush and cliche) and you'll have some swagger in the middle to showcase stuff that will play a little slower. Once the point of the particular segment is across...cut to the next one. You want to hit them before they get bored with the last one.

I spent alot of times consulting pros in the industry as to what a particularily good reel contains and what they look for (I don't feel I've hit it with mine yet though - mine's still too long too ;) ), and short and concise seems to be the common answer. I've heard recommendations as low as 30 seconds! I think 2 minutes is probably ideal for the amount of material folks like you and I have to pull from.

Here's a guy with a Reel that absolutely gets him jobs. http://www.charlespapert.com/ I really respect him as he's not only painfully talented and has shot lots of the stuff I've watched without knowing it was his, but he's really supportive of the low/no budget community and helps out inexperienced folks freely (as he has time in his busy work schedule). Pleasant guy too :)
 
See if you can sync up the dialogue bits where the music dies down, and let the music swells match up with the non-wordy parts. Some of the music got a bit loud and distracting.

I agree with Knightly about the arrangement. Get better looking footage upfront and push Sandwich further in. Perhaps you may want to consider a cut where you group similar moments from different movies -- like a segment of couples talking, bouncing between the movies...intercuting the scenes. Then do the same for the faster paced action shots like French Onion in the park intercut with the street scenes. I like it overall, but I agree it could be shaved by a minute or so.
 
Yeah, like me, I know you have a bunch of brilliant moments to put in there. (specifically, I like the bar scenes from BH and almost every moment of OC and the park scenes from FO) It just hurts to cut it out of context, but you're showcasing your absolute best stuff (you know which those are). Don't be afraid to take it out of context, the prospective employers want a quick overview of your talents.

You could also make more than one Reel for each of the parts of the job you're trying to show. So your directing/acting reels could showcase more of the dramatic bits where the cinematography reel can show more pretty shots.
 
Hey thanks again for the feedback guys... I've gone back and reworked it mainly based off the info and think I've made it helluva better... Divided it into Drama/Comedy with drama at 3 mins and comedy at 2 (so a 5 minute total) to make the pacing a little faster and less stale, and cutting heavily and altering the arrangement. I love how I can whip up a demoreel in a weekend, have it online, get a critique and whip up a new one in another day and begin the whole process again! Love the internet and Indietalk!

Anyway, now I present "DEMOREEL II: THE REVENGE":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5VAsOnAFGo

Which do you like better? Do both work together to show range, or should I cut them up when using them for different applications?
 
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