archived-videos My First Showreel

[Hbendaas11]

Hi there,

I'm a student (21) looking to have new (read: strangers') eyes to critique my first showreel before sending it off. Specifically if anything stands out as subpar in quality or awkward in the edit. It's 1:20 so also let me know what should/could be cut out.

Showreel is intended to show off my ability as director, shooter & editor, though I also did the audio capture & music composition.

Be harsh! All comments appreciated.

https://vimeo.com/115464921

 

[gorillaonabike]

Showreel is intended to show off my ability as director, shooter & editor, though I also did the audio capture & music composition.

Be harsh! All comments appreciated.

https://vimeo.com/115464921

If I were to be really harsh I'd say it depends what you're going for. If you were going for an AP's gig on a documentary where the APs had to shoot stuff, I would say it's fine but lacks dynamism.

For a DoP - no way. A couple of nice shots at the beginning were OK but the rest was not strong enough. As a director's reel, there is nothing here that shouts 'director.' There is no direction in this. As an editor? Well, it might get you hired on the lowest rung so it's OK for that although lacked some of the editing tricks which might make it really shine.

So depends what you want it for.

 

[Hbendaas11]

Thanks for that critique. I am applying for documentary/videography jobs mostly right now, along with editing gigs, rather than studio/set jobs, so I guess what I'm most going for is to show competency in a wide range of skills & settings. I agree DP is maybe my weakest point (or at least was while I was shooting a lot of these).

I guess the two questions your comment raised for me is how I can show off my directorial/producer ability in a short video like this. I'm also worried if the video seems undynamic or doesn't show strength as an editor, and would definitely want advice on how to look better on that front.