Showreel Critique...

[acearchie]

Created this last week for a Broadcast Technology Interview at Brunel University.

Just wondering what you all thought!

Thanks

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDJWDOnV6dQ

 

[chrismacguy]

Well made, but some of it seemed a little unprofessional - such as the part with the "Frankster" (childish undertone is ok, but the directness was slightly immature). I loved the way the audio meshed however. And that seems like a good showreel for Uni - Good luck with your course

 

[acearchie]

Thanks for watching!

Unprofessional you say... In what way? I think the technique used it pretty advanced. It may be a matter of taste and perhaps since you don't actually know "frankster" you may not get the humor behind it. Are you suggesting it might be a bit too childish to perhaps show as a showreel to a company?

Thanks for your feedback.

 

[pigbat]

I wasn't crazy about the Frankster section either but I doubt something at that detail level will make or break the application. The after effects explosions, etc are over done on most application reels.

I know many of the university's that focus in film/new media are looking for a reel but are also looking for some non digital artistic samples.

 

[chrismacguy]

Thanks for watching!

Unprofessional you say... In what way? I think the technique used it pretty advanced. It may be a matter of taste and perhaps since you don't actually know "frankster" you may not get the humor behind it. Are you suggesting it might be a bit too childish to perhaps show as a showreel to a company?

Thanks for your feedback.

Its just that section had some immature humor and just didnt fit with the rest of the professional reel. So maybe just a lil bit.

 

[MattSepeta]

Wha tis it for?

Sorry, but I do not understand what, exactly, this reel is for?

I completely agree about the "frankster" part. I understand the technical aspect of it, you did it pretty well, but as a professor, employer, etc... I would be IMMEDIATELY turned off by a bunch of footage of kids and a poop joke.

You said it yourself... "perhaps since you don't actually know "frankster" you may not get the humor behind it"

That being said, you will probably be the only person getting it, and it can/should be removed. If you really want to communicate your after effects competence, make a fake commercial, or some sort of fake show opening, one similar to something you would actually see in broadcast.

Another little personal annoyance is footage shot from a moving car. It is wayyyy overused and forcibly "creative", for lack of a better term, cliche.


All in all, the reel leaves me feeling a bit confused. I would use one single audio track throughout the reel, rather than breaking it up into different songs.

Good luck with the schooling, looks like you are learning alot!
PS The explosion at the end was great, did you use action essentials or what?

 

[acearchie]

Thanks for the feedback everyone.

I agree now that the Frankster part probably is too immature. I forgot about the bit with the cow pat. It was actually part of a film I made only for my friends and I simply thought the part before with the city scene showed off some good compositing.

This is my first reel and roughly chucked together in an hour.

I know one music track would have been preferable however I found that currently must of my cuts are set quite heavily to music and the tracks that I picked for the original films help create the emotion of the piece (for example the frankster part wouldn't have really worked with the first music) so I am still a little behind in terms of editing regardless of the music.

The part in the car maybe seen as cliche but that was the look I suppose I was going for. It was a case of I already had the clips from a holiday trip and that seemed the best way to put all the footage together. Sorry if it's not to everyone's taste but it is a nice momento of the trip.

To be exact the reel was to show of that I knew how to film and edit using after effects and final cut. It was for an interview I had at Brunel University on a course which has a strong film making aspect.

I know many of the university's that focus in film/new media are looking for a reel but are also looking for some non digital artistic samples.

Not quite sure what you mean... I have also a collection of stills photos which I took.

To be honest it is a fairly new course in the UK and is seen as a dropout for most students as the grades needed are pretty low. The portfolio (in my case the showreel) is not required but more of an extra as you are not expected to know much already. However the tutors and equipment are top notch and it seems silly to accept students who have yet to have created any films!

PS The explosion at the end was great, did you use action essentials or what?

Several explosions from Detonation Films (only SD as well) composited together with some black smoke and artificial camera shake. There is actually a telephone mast on that hill so I masked it out and got a picture from google and placed it where it should be. Then at the right moment increased the scale and rotation to create the feel that it was coming towards you. There is a small dust cloud created with a semi transparent layer of grey colour. A flash frame as the explosion starts and camera shake added in after effects as the original footage is just a still picture.

I am remembering those things off the top of my head however so I might have missed something out!

Thanks again for the positive feedback which should help me towards creating a better showreel for this year which may potentially be going to clients!

 

[ezkimo]

Good start.

Cut the first half in the car down by half and color correct it all. Stabilize the more shaky footage as much as you can.

Cut the cow pie.

Think about if you really need the guy running in the camo & the fighting bits -- that's in about every single beginner's reel I've ever seen and looks silly more often then not. You're trying to stand out, so try to cut out anything that is overused.

You didn't make the 'ATAC Films' logo at the end. Cut it.

The part in the car maybe seen as cliche but that was the look I suppose I was going for. It was a case of I already had the clips from a holiday trip and that seemed the best way to put all the footage together. Sorry if it's not to everyone's taste but it is a nice momento of the trip.

People that didn't go on the trip don't care if it's a nice memento. Think of everything as somebody that has no context for the work.

Sorry if this came across as harsh. You've got nice bits, just take a critical eye to the whole thing and tighten it up. Edit edit edit.

 

[puckhead193]

I thought overall it was really good. Are you a High school student? Does your school have a video production club or is this something you picked up?

I would cut down the car scene its really boring.. (sorry) The viewer is looking at a ton of these if he/she doesn't like it within the first 30 seconds to a min and half at the most, its in the trash can or has clicked the red dot in safari. I like watching demo reels that are fast paced. All the special effects and graphics were very well done.

PS is that your family's Rolls?