Please tell me, do I suck? ;-p

[Cal Johnson]

Mike, you have one major advantage over so many of us; you can take critcism well! I can tell you're sincerely trying to get somewhere with this, and I'd like to help. I totally see where Dana is coming from. I think you're main difficulty is that reels like your misc images are just that, a bunch of misc images so that cutting between them doesn't real demonstrate a decision making process as an editor.
Putting that issue aside for now, I think you need to first determine what do you want to get employed as? A camera op? DOP? editor? director? Or are you looking to do it all? Do you want to do any kind of work (weddings, corporate, event coverage) or are you looking to do something artsy and have strong boundries for what kind of work you will accept.
For myself, I do corporate production work. I shoot, edit, and add post-production graphics for my clients. When I went to do my reel, it was important to me that it let people know I do more than just shoot. I also wanted to get that message out quickly, so I decided to cut back and forth between graphics production and camera work, so that if someone watches just half of my reel, they'll still see that I do both production and post.
My reel is far from perfect, but it has got me a few gigs. You can check it out at www.burntlizard.com
Once you've decided what kind of work you're willing to do, you need to get out, shoot relevant material and bolster your reel. Keep in mind that craigslist is not the greatest place to score gigs. There's lots of flakey people out there that want stuff for free, and those can be the worst jobs. Don't be afraid to go out and just shoot some eye candy shots specifically for your reel. It'll still let people know what your style is like, and it doesn't matter if you weren't paid to do it.

[Mike Barber]

Originally Posted by Cal Johnson

Mike, you have one major advantage over so many of us; you can take critcism well!

Thank you! I know there is much more that I don't know than I do know, and in order to really learn, I have to keep my ego out of the way.

I think you're main difficulty is that reels like your misc images are just that, a bunch of misc images so that cutting between them doesn't real demonstrate a decision making process as an editor.

I see what you mean in regards to the Misc Reel, and I don't know how to show that there was indeed a decision process with that one other than "well, here's all the stuff I left out!" I like to be subtle, and I have been approaching editing in a way that way -- or at least trying to -- so that the end result doesn't feel edited... meaning I'm not hitting you over the head with it.

Having more variety of angles would certainly help, but right now I am restricted to a one camera set-up. Gigs I have gotten have been small, with no room to even rent another one for the shoot. So I am making do with what I have.

what do you want to get employed as? A camera op? DOP? editor? director? Or are you looking to do it all?

Right now, I am looking to find work as a cam operator or an editor, or both... but if i had to chose one over the other, I would choose camera operator.

I'm not being to picky about what kind of work. I have done two weddings (for friends) and am not really seeking that (pain in the ***) market, but beggars can't be choosey.

Keep in mind that craigslist is not the greatest place to score gigs. There's lots of flakey people out there that want stuff for free, and those can be the worst jobs.

True, but it's the only luck I have been having thus far. The circles I travel in (musicians, dancers, visual artists) are all poor mofos like me, and only living in the area for a year, I don't have any connections to exploit. Still, I keep trying...

[Dana Acciavatti]

Originally Posted by Mike Barber

I thought I was doing that with the Events Reel (http://arzher.com/video/events_reel.mov) and the EPK example (http://arzher.com/video/animus-epk.mov). Those two (along with the Misc Reel) have the most, if any, editing to them at this point. Is there anything I should have done differently with these two? Is there something my inexperienced eyes are missing?

Well, they're closer to what I'm referring to than the other reels are. I think, though, the shots are too static, and aren't really eye-catching; while the music is not upbeat enough to really hook the viewer in. I have some examples of what I mean in my collection, some I did, most were done by others, which, unfortunately, I don't have the rights to copy and hand out. However, I am posting a link to some great reels that illustrate the point much better than I can explain it. Of course, I realize that these reels are done by people that have greater resources than you, and you can't possibly create many of the complex shots seen in these reels, but I think these examples will give you a good idea of what works in a showreel.


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