First DOP reel... at DVinfo.net

Reinis Traidas · December 7th, 2009, 05:50 PM

Hi there,

I've just recently graduated the Victorian College of the Arts in Melbourne, Australia as cinematography major. I've shot a few short films over the years in film school. I recently shot my graduating project (a 14 min film) on RED ONE and a short project on 35mm. I've shot other projects on HVX202, Phantom and 16mm film.

Please take a look at my reel - it's the first one I've ever made and I'm still not sure how to do "reels". I don't think I'm a great fan of reels, because they don't really let you showcase the mood of the film, the editing and how your choice of angle helps it. Regardless, I've tried to include some variety. Any criticism is welcome.

Just briefly about myself - apart from my bachelor degree I've interned at a rental house as assistant prep tech for a couple months and I've interned as video assistant on an Australian feature. I've also just recently returned from the Budapest Cinematography Masterclass 2009 led by Vilmos Zsigmond, ASC.

Again, any comments welcome re: site or reel or both. My reel is also available on my site that I just put online - Reinis Traidas

Thanks guys! Give feedback! There's no other way for me to know if my reel does what it's supposed to do!

Paul Inglis · December 8th, 2009, 06:00 AM

Well in my opinion a showreel is something you make to show prospective employers what you can do. I believe a showreel should be about five minutes long of varied footage demonstrating your skills as a DoP.

If I am looking for a DoP I’d expect to see a showreel that demonstrated to me his / her camera work. I’d expect the follow types of shots in the reel;

• Locked-Off Shots
• Survey Pan Left and Survey Pan Right
• Follow Pan Left and Follow Pan Right
• Whip Pan Left and Whip Pan Right
• Tilt Up and Tilt Down
• Zoom In and Zoom Out
• Track Forward and Track Back (Both Steady)
• Lift Up and Lift Down

I like to see about three minutes of material focused on just one subject demonstrating the ability to make a sequence with obvious cut-aways. The remaining 2 minutes I like to see something different such as what the DoPs special interests are and how they tackle it (their own style).

Hope this helps!

Paul Inglis · December 8th, 2009, 06:31 AM

This is my opinion so take it with a pinch of salt but the first 20 seconds doesn’t show me anything, so it could lose a viewer before you even start.

From then on, I’ll admit to not likely the shaky gun fighting scenes.

At 1:13 I start seeing the types of shots that I mentioned above. If you ditch the first 1:13 and improve on the other part you’re heading the right direction for a good showreel in my opinion.

December 7th, 2009, 05:50 PM	#1
Reinis Traidas New Boot Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Melbourme, Australia Posts: 6	First DOP reel... Hi there, I've just recently graduated the Victorian College of the Arts in Melbourne, Australia as cinematography major. I've shot a few short films over the years in film school. I recently shot my graduating project (a 14 min film) on RED ONE and a short project on 35mm. I've shot other projects on HVX202, Phantom and 16mm film. Please take a look at my reel - it's the first one I've ever made and I'm still not sure how to do "reels". I don't think I'm a great fan of reels, because they don't really let you showcase the mood of the film, the editing and how your choice of angle helps it. Regardless, I've tried to include some variety. Any criticism is welcome. Cinematography Showreel 2008-2009 on Vimeo Just briefly about myself - apart from my bachelor degree I've interned at a rental house as assistant prep tech for a couple months and I've interned as video assistant on an Australian feature. I've also just recently returned from the Budapest Cinematography Masterclass 2009 led by Vilmos Zsigmond, ASC. Again, any comments welcome re: site or reel or both. My reel is also available on my site that I just put online - Reinis Traidas Thanks guys! Give feedback! There's no other way for me to know if my reel does what it's supposed to do! __________________ Reinis Traidas, DOP (Melbourne, Australia) http://reinistraidas.com

December 8th, 2009, 06:00 AM	#2
Paul Inglis Major Player Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: British Isles Posts: 415	Well in my opinion a showreel is something you make to show prospective employers what you can do. I believe a showreel should be about five minutes long of varied footage demonstrating your skills as a DoP. If I am looking for a DoP I’d expect to see a showreel that demonstrated to me his / her camera work. I’d expect the follow types of shots in the reel; • Locked-Off Shots • Survey Pan Left and Survey Pan Right • Follow Pan Left and Follow Pan Right • Whip Pan Left and Whip Pan Right • Tilt Up and Tilt Down • Zoom In and Zoom Out • Track Forward and Track Back (Both Steady) • Lift Up and Lift Down I like to see about three minutes of material focused on just one subject demonstrating the ability to make a sequence with obvious cut-aways. The remaining 2 minutes I like to see something different such as what the DoPs special interests are and how they tackle it (their own style). Hope this helps!

December 8th, 2009, 06:31 AM	#3
Paul Inglis Major Player Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: British Isles Posts: 415	This is my opinion so take it with a pinch of salt but the first 20 seconds doesn’t show me anything, so it could lose a viewer before you even start. From then on, I’ll admit to not likely the shaky gun fighting scenes. At 1:13 I start seeing the types of shots that I mentioned above. If you ditch the first 1:13 and improve on the other part you’re heading the right direction for a good showreel in my opinion.