Good Reel for Film and Commercial Work?

[Silas Barker]

My new reel for film and commercial work, does this seem good?
I have a little event stuff at the end, but I still do some events.

Thanks for suggestions and advice!

Watch Video

[Nate Haustein]

Looks really great. I would maybe take out the 2 or 3 wedding clips though - seems like a different market you could address separately. I really liked all the cinematic stuff at the beginning, but felt a little left down at the end when all you showed were progressively more typical, boring event shots (no offense - I do them too!). Could you save a few of your very best clips for a stronger finish?

[Paul Mailath]

Hi Silas,

I personally found the cuts a little fast, like I didn't have enough time to cast my eye over the scene and while I didn't have a problem with the event stuff - I felt the wedding footage didn't fit in - not sure why

I noticed the title of the page used the word videographer which might detract from what you're trying to sell.

The transition from wedding & event work to the commercial sphere is not a clear path - funny considering the number of people that have made it across (and then decry the thought of ever stooping the the level of the 'wedding videographer')

I'm walking the same path, but I'm a few K's behind you - some really nice work there.

[Silas Barker]

Thanks guys,
I think your right to take the wedding and event stuff out, and it is a little fast, and yes some cool shot at the end to finish sounds right!

I have the word Videographer on my website mainly because people who search for video service search for a videographer. Otherwise I would totally change it to Cinematographer or Director of Photography. Right now, Google is nice to me for having Videographer, should I take that out and have Cinematographer instead though maybe?

Thanks!
Silas

[Roger Van Duyn]

Videographer is much more effective as a search term. In my experience, once a person becomes a client, they just call me by my name anyway.

Back in my previous career, there was a big argument for years over whether those of us doing that work should be called "Medical Technologists" or "Clinical Laboratory Scientists." Even the professional organizations took sides.

Personally, I doubt the title used influenced anyone's opinion of us or our work, especially those people who actually knew us and understood our work. The title certainly didn't influence what we were paid.

The general public called us lab techs. Doctors and nurses tended to call us lab techs. If I was going to be a freelancer in my old line of work, I'd probably use "lab tech" prominently on my web site because it is the most commonly used term, and the term most people would use in an online search if they were looking for a "lab tech."

On my web site, I call myself a videographer. The term is used a lot on my site. I want prospects that are looking for a videographer to find my site. Google, at least according to their own documentation, ranks based on relevance. Most of the time, I work as a one man band. If most of my work used a crew, then maybe video producer or video production company would be the term of choice. I've been told by more than one marketing consultant (clients of mine) that in business, our external image should correspond to our internal reality.

And Silas, I think your reel and your site are very good. Less than 10% of my bookings are for weddings, but I'm not removing my weddings page from my site. In fact, I've gotten wedding business from corporate clients. I'm not so busy that I can afford to over specialize. If you're that busy that you don't need weddings and events anymore, then drop 'em.

Most of my corporate work is for "events."

Again, both your reel and your site look good. Are you a big company, or a small one? Do you fly solo? It's not clear from your site. The name "Silas's Videography" makes me suspect your company is somewhat similar to mine, at least in size, but it's not clear. Small doesn't mean no good. Your site certainly seems very professional.

Are you going after the kind of customers who are looking for a big production company, or are you targeting customers looking for a professional freelancer, or even an expert consultant? There are quite a few clients that want to hire an individual to help them solve a particular problem or meet a particular need with media, who don't want to deal with a larger company. The converse is true as well. Don't shy away from letting prospects know who you are and what you offer.