Thank you for taking the time to comment Tripp.

One disadvantage I think I have is not enough quality footage to cut into a reel. I haven't done any commercial work at all. A couple of weddings for friends (one with a prosumer camera). I think the lack of footage does something to limit my story telling.

As far as my editing is concerned, I've been playing with FCP, FCS2 for the last year and learning something every time I use it. I have a full time job, so I'm not editing full time.

I'm nowhere near where I'd like to be with all this. I've watched a lot of other demo reels and understand what you're saying about the "wow" factor.

Thanks again for your comments.

this is a really rough cut and I'm working on it at the moment but any comments would help - just in case you're wondering, I'm not looking for affirmation - I'm looking for things that need fixing.

surfing presentation night on Vimeo (http://vimeo.com/2217984)

I've gathered the footage over the last 12 months filming the local boys surfing. My intention is to make a doco on surfing and I've got a couple of ideas for short films so I thought I'd best practice capturing footage of surfers first - it ain't as easy as it looks.

Nothing is going top happen with this footage but the boys said they'd like to see some of it on their presentation night (excuse to hand out a few trophies and get drunk). It's this Saturday.

Looking at the footage I had and the lack of good surf, I decided to take the piss out of them - this is the result.

My aim is to give them a laugh and show as many of them as possible up on screen

Things to do
- add comic voiceover to blank sections
- add music track to 2nd half
- fix transitions between clips

It's a freebie that I've done to help me learn but I'd like to make it as good as I can in the time available

I was recently informed that the custom preset BitBlack is one of the better presets to use in conjunction with Magic Bullet so I filmed a series of test shots last weekend, applied a little Magic Bullet, and I was very pleased with the results. Here's a link to the video:
Ominous Garden on Vimeo (http://www.vimeo.com/2217825)

Hi

Stiletto is showing at deaffest in Wolverhampton:
http://www.deaffest.co.uk

And it's been shortlisted for Clermont-Ferrand and Rotterdam. Will keep you posted with further news of screenings.

Kind regards

WLM

Interesting trailer, I thought the edit could have been a little better though. It looks well shot and the performances look good. Perhaps the film is edited better than the trailer. Would have loved to see the entire movie, any chance you'll put it up online sometime soon?

Based on the wealth of replies and outstanding critique ;-) I've cleaned it up and here's the second version

surfing presentation boardriders on Vimeo (http://www.vimeo.com/2235733)

Anything that really needs fixing? - apart from applying the 're shoot' filter

Hi everybody!

I've now made a new short for a competition here where I live.
The theme was "safe sex between the same gender".

This is my result:
snutter.no (http://www.snutter.no/app/viewMovie.action?id=24309)
Please give me some feedback ;-)

The words are in norwegian but the SMS screen in the opening sais "I got to know Im hiv positive. You must take a test you too!"... the end title sais "Always protect yourself"

Please keep in mind that it was made "just for fun" with very limited budget. Actually the budget was zero. It's shot with a Canon XL1 camera only with it's 16x zoom lens and wide angle in some shots... hand held and on a tripod... a terrible dolly was used in the final shot. and a few 500watt working lights

I like the style! The retro titles remind me of french cinema of the 90's.
The only thing that really disturbed me was the sound (when the music comes in and the sound is cut of, and after the end credits when the sound comes back).

But overall nice trailer!
Can I the result in the future somewhere?

this looks like its going to be a very good film man! like the trailer you put together and also the music was perfect! i wish i could see the actual film

Hey,
Carrotkid!
Remember me?
Kevafi on youtube!

Ironically, we now have the same camera. xha1
It's weird how small the internet world really is.

ps, nice video!

One disadvantage I think I have is not enough quality footage to cut into a reel. I haven't done any commercial work at all.

Don't let that keep you down. Be creative and shoot short films, spoof commercials, or even non-profit psa's. You can always find some nonprofits' that are willings to take free work - and it's for a good cause! My roommate and I started out simply with a music video spoof and it allowed us to get more work. All that continued to build, and we are now freelancers.

Also one quick tip. Anyone can use a zoom on a camera or a pan/tilt, not everyone can do camera movements (Dolly/Truck) - Use these to your advantage. Even with a 25$ dolly system, the audience can not tell a difference, and it adds production values to your overall product. Production Values is just one thing to get you closer to being hired.

You can find that dolly system here:
Digital Juice DJTV - Billy's Blueprints: The Wheel Deal (http://www.digitaljuice.com/djtv/segment_detail.asp?sid=186)

-Edit-
You can take a look at our show reel in my signature. It's nowhere near your Hollywood's finest, but it's ever building. It might help ya get some more ideas.

This short film was shot in London Soho's district notorious for being the red light area of London. I have recut this by popular request and called it the Directors Cut!!

Can be found under the films section at

Londonmark Films (http://www.londonmarkfilms.com/soho.html)

Soho - The Directors cut on Vimeo (http://vimeo.com/2253242)
Soho - The Directors cut By Mark Dawson On ExposureRoom (http://exposureroom.com/sohodirectorscut)


__________________

Hi everyone I recently shot this dance film in the East End of London, take a look tell me what you think feedback would be great.

Enjoy - can be found at

Londonmark Films (http://www.londonmarkfilms.com/remote.html)

REMOTE on Vimeo (http://vimeo.com/2066705)
REMOTE By Mark Dawson On ExposureRoom (http://exposureroom.com/remote)


best wishes
Mark

Hi, Mark!
I've already seen it on Vimeo. It's beautifully done and the choreography is beautiful too.
I didn't quite get the idea, and what the paper cut-out dance partner represents, but it's very pleasant to watch, even if a bit dark.

I like the use of DOF and the color grading. The music also fits with the subject matter. Good stuff.

Director's demo reel - Andzei Matsukevits on Vimeo (http://vimeo.com/2270424)

here is my website, if you want to see videos: fff.ee (http://www.fff.ee)

My latest short film... 6 minutes. Use headphones for optimal listening enjoyment.

Calls From The Führerbunker

After a lengthy security screening process, janitor Chris Flegel has transferred to the night shift in a partially-abandoned area of a Canadian military base. His predecessor explains a few of the area’s idiosyncrasies, then gracefully bows out.

Dark tunnels, unused rooms, and communications equipment left over from days gone by are now Chris’ responsibility to maintain.

On Chris’ first night he hears a telephone ring. He remembers being told to just ignore it, but the incessant ringing is too much, and Chris answers the phone. Mysterious voices and transmissions can be overheard. Chris spends the next few nights trying to find the source of the voices, and after some careful research and a little snooping around, the pieces all fall together.

Calls From The Führerbunker (http://www.morecowbellpictures.com/downloads/CFTFB.mov)

It was made with the Twilight Zone in mind.

Hope you enjoy it.

Mike

This was a Q&D piece for my friends at a local race track. I had miles of footage from all the races in HD and the on-camera talent was an authentic savant at recalling specific information about races, events, drivers. The interview was literally done in one take.

At 15 minutes, it's long, but I cut it for the track's award banquet so everyone was looking for their car on track. I'm particularly interested in your thoughts about the last 2/3 of the piece. The segment called "Saturday Night, Makin' Friends" and the one that follows.

Yes, the graphics are rubbish but I had but two days to put it all together.

Be honest. Be brutally honest, since I'm old and only have a short time to get any of this right.

Oxford Plains Speedway - 2008 Year in Review on Vimeo (http://www.vimeo.com/2277113)

Yay for internet contests, check out my submission for the Doritos "Crash the Superbowl Contest"


"Dorito Fingers"
A Sunspot Pictures Production
Written, Directed, and cut by Charles Rhoads and Nick Harris
Produced by TK Sandal, Charles Rhoads, and Nick Harris
Cinematography by Nick Harris

Starring Adam Schomer, Marlina Moreno, Andrew Frischers, and Jan Ibarra

Shot on HPX500 with Fuji HAc15x7.3 cine zoom lens

Doritos® Presents: CRASH THE SUPER BOWL (http://www.crashthesuperbowl.com/#/gallery/video/1230/)

Long title..... fun video. The back story: I'm temp-ing for a digital hardware company that is developing a wireless weather station device. The engineers wanted to see how the device handled a few Gs as well as how responsive the sensors were to changes in conditions.

So they package their $300 development board into a rocket propelled by compressed air and water using 2L bottles. Then they sent me off to grab my cameras and shoot video so they could send it around to the rest of the other company locations worldwide to see the results.

naturally the launch went ...... sub-nominal. Not exactly on the same scale as the DeltaII launch last year, but still interesting.

YouTube - Experimental Weather Station Water Rocket (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZQr2agzmG4)

As a childhood "ESTES Model Rocketeer" - I LOVED IT! Well done.

I like the concept, it was well written. I watched the whole film curiously and I don't do that a lot. I also liked the old man's acting. So, great storytelling, but there's always a but:

-The acting from the main character sometimes was a little too cartoony. I don't know if that was on purpose, but it struck me as odd.
-Some camera-angles were a little weird as the rest of the camerawork was pretty straightforward. A shot like filming through the fence at the beginning pulls me out of the story.
-I expected a little more from the ending. Now, he realizes something, and the end-credits begin. But I think the ending missed one thing (can't say what, exactly).
-The music helped the film, and I really liked it. But it was also a bit cartoony. The ghosty-melody made me think of scooby doo, and I don't know if that was what you wanted me to think.

Overall: pretty good movie! But: don't know for shure how cartoony you wanted it to be.

I like the concept, it was well written. I watched the whole film curiously and I don't do that a lot. I also liked the old man's acting. So, great storytelling, but there's always a but:

-The acting from the main character sometimes was a little too cartoony. I don't know if that was on purpose, but it struck me as odd.
-Some camera-angles were a little weird as the rest of the camerawork was pretty straightforward. A shot like filming through the fence at the beginning pulls me out of the story.
-I expected a little more from the ending. Now, he realizes something, and the end-credits begin. But I think the ending missed one thing (can't say what, exactly).
-The music helped the film, and I really liked it. But it was also a bit cartoony. The ghosty-melody made me think of scooby doo, and I don't know if that was what you wanted me to think.

Overall: pretty good movie! But: don't know for shure how cartoony you wanted it to be.
Great comments! Cartoony, no. But definitely old Twilight Zone in a way. That's why the music has the theremin in there. Just like the emmy winning score of one of the episodes in the old B&W show. That was definitely on purpose.

The ending of course was left as a cliffhanger. Many of the old shows did that on occasion.

The shot through the fence is actually one of my faves. You can hear the phone ringing off in the distance from the bunker. The ramp up towards him was to imply that it was oddly reaching out. He heard it.

Great comments though. I really appreciate the time.
We may tone down the theremin a bit in the final cut. Still playing around with that idea. I think it suits the time/theme though. Still, not sure if it works 100%.

Cheers,

Mike

We entered the 2008 Insomnia 24-hour Film Festival this year and had our entire project planned and ready to go. But when Apple called it off due to technical reasons, it was too late for us to cancel our arrangements. So we went ahead and made it just for fun.

YouTube - SSR (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqHDcwIAAcY)

All comments welcome.

Thanks.

I guess I'm not that familiar with the old tv-shows. But thanks for explaining and good luck with future projects!

Hey Guys,
Just finished a rough cut of my demo reel. It's about a minute long.
I'd love to hear people's thoughts on the content, length, cut speeds, music, etc.

Vimeo Link:
Demo Reel - 2008 on Vimeo (http://vimeo.com/2326740)

I'm not sure about the music - it is peppy enough, but seems a bit too canned. Also, the ending shot does not seem in place with the rest of the reel.

Otherwise, I like it! It moves right along, and your work is quite good to my eye.

I present The Clueless Competitor, a 7-minute video that has been causing quite a controversy on the bodybuilding forums.

Here is the post as presented on Musculardevelopment.com...

"Should there be minimum requirements to enter a bodybuilding contest or does anything go at the local level?

What if someone seems not to be in possession of all their faculties? Can just anyone get on stage at a bodybuilding contest?

Where do we draw the line?"

The Clueless Competitor on Vimeo (http://www.vimeo.com/2292882)



Anyone interested in reading some of the reactions from the BB community can do so here...

The Clueless Competitor - a mini documentary - Muscular Development Forums (http://forums.musculardevelopment.com/showthread.php?t=47042)

I present The Clueless Competitor, a 7-minute video that has been causing quite a controversy on the bodybuilding forums.

Here is the post as presented on Musculardevelopment.com...

"Should there be minimum requirements to enter a bodybuilding contest or does anything go at the local level?

What if someone seems not to be in possession of all their faculties? Can just anyone get on stage at a bodybuilding contest?

Where do we draw the line?"

The Clueless Competitor on Vimeo (http://www.vimeo.com/2292882)



Anyone interested in reading some of the reactions from the BB community can do so here...

The Clueless Competitor - a mini documentary - Muscular Development Forums (http://forums.musculardevelopment.com/showthread.php?t=47042)

I guess I'm not that familiar with the old tv-shows. But thanks for explaining and good luck with future projects!No problem. It should also appeal to those who are not familiar with the show.

Thanks for commenting.

Cheers,

Mike

Great! I loved it! I can not even critique, the film grabbed me. Thanks! :)

edit: With one exception, the first time the phone rings, it can't be heard in the film. The scene where the janitor is cleaning up the floor, then curses and races to the phone. Just before he curses, I can't hear anything, so there was sort of no reason for him to curse and throw down the broom.

Hi everyone my new short

Paradise Lost - Inspired by Milton's 'Paradise Lost' some of the images include drawings by Gustave Doré. This short film explores some of these themes with reference to the modern world. Shot in London featuring Stanislas Torikian.

Music 1492 'Light and Shadow' by Vangelis

Can be found at

Londonmark Films (http://www.londonmarkfilms.com/paradiselost.html)
Paradise Lost on Vimeo (http://vimeo.com/2326764)

Best wishes
Mark Dawson

Great! I loved it! I can not even critique, the film grabbed me. Thanks! :)

edit: With one exception, the first time the phone rings, it can't be heard in the film. The scene where the janitor is cleaning up the floor, then curses and races to the phone. Just before he curses, I can't hear anything, so there was sort of no reason for him to curse and throw down the broom.Yah, the phone is ringing on and off during that sequence. It rings again right before he gets pissed off. :)
It's low, but it's there.

Thanks for watching and commenting! Glad you enjoyed it.

Mike

Hello!

here are two rap videos shot in the JVC HD101:

1. Shot in Tampa, Florida:

YouTube - Mr. Smith - "Fresh White T" (OFFICIAL VIDEO) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ChHPFJPBXA&fmt=22)

2. Shot in Norway:

YouTube - Jesse Jones, Ken Ring & Saigon - "Drabant" (OFFICIAL) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oro-y6pdv5c&fmt=18)

- Nima

http://www.digitalcribs.net/DisplayV...x?id=942875439

This was shot in 4 hours, edited, modeled, motion-tracked & composited in 3 days.
Music was composed, arranged and recorded in 48h.

We have heard very late about the contest and made the last entry, few hours before closing time.

thanks for any critique ...

Edi

Clicking on the link I get a 404 - File not found error

Digital Cribs (http://www.digitalcribs.net/DisplayVideo.aspx?id=942875439)

Hi crew ... here my first music video example ... it's the fourth one down on the list entitled "Darker, Longer" by Calliope's Radio.

http://surveys.therecord.com/TakeSurvey.aspx?PageNumber=1&SurveyID=l4KIlom

Your comments are much appreciated. A nice bunch of kids with their first ever effort to showcase a selected original song with moving images.

Jimmy.

Got hired to DP a music video for a contest being held by Coldplay for their song Lost?. I used my Red One camera recording in 2K (the director wanted to do a lot of slo-mo 120FPS, can only do that in 2K). We shot it all over last weekend in the Boston area...mostly outside with temps in the 20's! Small crew...DP, Director/Producer, Gaffer, 2 grips, PA. Edited in 2 days (not by me...I wasn't involved in post at all). The director posted it on youtube yesterday. Click the option under the vid "watch in high quality". It looks much better than the low res. We were not able to record every shot he wanted in the script in the time we had. I plotted out 67 individual shots for the video from his script. There was no way we could do them all in the time (and budget) we had. So he had to sew it together with what we were able to get. see it here:
Lost? - OurFilmSpace.com (http://www.ourfilmspace.com/video/2045657:Video:116214)

It took two days to shoot and edit this.
I think the results came out ohkay.
Any comments would be greatly appreciated.
Feel free to ask questions!

Plot:
A Rabbit gets Revenge.

Hunting Season on Vimeo (http://vimeo.com/2387231)

Thanks,
Kevin

This is a first draft of my latest project. It's about a 5 mile charity run held on Thanksgiving Day.

The challenge with this video is that it is intended for TWO outlets. I am making it for a fitness website and also for the sponsoring organization, an insurance company. I attempted to give equal time to both the fitness aspect and the charity aspect of the run. How well did I do? Your opinions and suggestions are always greatly appreciated.

Turkey Trot - 2008 on Vimeo (http://vimeo.com/2380371)

Pure genius! And I'm serious.

The camera, editing and sound (although the sound wasn't that bad) could have been much better. (But hey, it's a first time). There were some technical glitches which were distracting.
But all that was overshadowed by great storytelling. I liked the bunny's acting and how the scene at the table was lit. the flashback of the kidnapping was not nescecary. The shots in the field were good, I liked the shot of the running man.

Overall a film I will remember!

Thanks!

Care to go into detail about my editing, camera, and sound?
I'd like to learn as much as possible.
Maybe point out specific flaws?

Great videos! Both of them. I was thoroughly digging the vibe ;) And I'm not even into rap music!! You got some real nice footage to work with, and the edits are great too!

Hm, ok. Some tips:

-I had the feeling you sometimes use autofocus? Try to manually focus everything you shoot.
-The tilt from the ashtray was not that fluid. Make sure to use a good tripod, if you haven't got one, try the tilt handheld.
-The scene where the hunter gets knocked down by the bunny (the flashback) the sound of his 'hello' sounds bad.
-You could have made the music louder when the hunting-scene begins. For the dramatic effect. But that's taste.
-While the man is running through the forrest the camera zooms and focusses. It breaks with the simple, elegant way of filming throughout the movie. It doesn't really make it more exciting.
-A little detail: when the rabbit screams: I can see you! The audio begins exactly on the videocut. Try starting the audio or video earlier. You'll see that it's more pleasant to watch.
-When the man is shot, he falls down but we don't hear a scream, thud, anything.

All of the above are just details. The fact is: I liked the film because of the good acting and storytelling.

Your reel looked really good. What did you shoot with?

There is not enough for the substance of directing to get a sense of what your abilities and talents as a director are. I think we need to see something in a demo reel that demonstrates either your work with the character arc or story arc. And not the full scene - unless it''s a short one, but something that collapses your directorial efforts down to a few minutes.

If I didn't know you were a director, I wouldn't be able to tell from that reel. Now as a prelude to a reel or something like that, I think it's fine. Snazzy images - I like the two people facing each other on the cliffs and the woman in the high heels walking away from the bed.

I read your update page - congratulations on your successes. Very nice.

Nice work.
I'd be interested to know what camera gear you used.

Really enjoyed the reel. Some lovely moments (the people on the cliff tops, the lighting on one of the drummers, the kid rolling in the grass, the TV in the shopping cart - although that was a little close to Come To Daddy by The Aphex Twin!).

If I had one constructive criticism to make it would be that the soundtrack coupled with the regular clips from music videos kinda made the reel look like a single (but disjointed) music video. That's it - nothing else to complain about - I thought it looked great.

I echo the enquiry about the gear and edit software you used.

Just a single editing observation (in addition to things already mentioned):

When the guy starts his run, he runs into a wooded area with autumn leaves on the ground, then you cut back to a quick clip of him running over open ground before we see him in the woods again. Just a bit disorienting.

I thought at first that the moving/defocusing camera was deliberate (a la Battlestar Galactica, NYPD Blue, etc) but a little understated, giving the unintended impression that it was accidental. If it was deliberate, there need to be faster zooms and more obvious focus slips. If it was NOT deliberate then you need to focus more carefully and use a tripod, as per Ivo's suggestions! :-)

Enjoyed the story nonetheless. Well acted (with the possible exception of when the guy gets hit on the head and falls - ever so gently - to the floor!), appropriate music, good length. And fun.

EDIT - just realised I went further than a single observation. Sorry . . .