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My 2012 Cinematography Reel

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.Max.
Posts: 2930 - Karma: 701
Alright guys, here it is. I've been working really hard this past year and hopefully it paid off, that's for you to decide. I spent the last week cutting this together and I think I got it to a presentable stage.

This reel encompasses the fall winter and spring of 2011/2012. I shot over 23 narrative and documentary films (some of which can be seen on my vimeo), as well as a little skiing.

I know some of you are going to complain about length. From my understanding someone who would be willing to hire me would be willing to watch anything under 5 minutes and probably make their decision within the first 15 seconds of the reel. I'm not too concerned about the length issue.

I would love to hear what you guys think of this. It's tough to judge your own work and outside opinions would help.

Things I'd like to know are:

1.) Are there any shots that are just so bad they shouldn't be in there at all?

2.) Any awkward cuts?

3.) Anything you would add to improve it?

4.) Every other thought you have on it... Haha

Okay, no more writing, here it is. Enjoy:

2012 Cinematography Reel from Max Erickson on Vimeo.



Thanks ahead of time for those that took the time to watch!

-Max
Jul 11 2012 4:04PM
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norgeanders
Posts: 1051 - Karma: 367
i loved it man really good work! i wish i could make something that good,

the only thing i would say was actually kinda akward, which is kinda funny to say,was the skiing i felt like you should make it i don't know like when it cut to the skiing it seemed very fast and not as smooth as all your other transitions

But seriously man that was awesome i loved it, That fist shot was soooo epic and like all the shots i felt like it was a cine reel from some big time producer haha
Jul 11 2012 4:55PM
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BROBRO
Posts: 563 - Karma: 1,245
that was a really awesome reel!
something to change or review would be the 2 skiing shots a 1:49 they seemed choppy and misplaced they just didn't fit
Jul 11 2012 6:57PM
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@ScubaSteve
Posts: 378 - Karma: 822
That was really sick. You have a good eye.
I like the color grade alot as well.
Just wish there weren't so many tight/close-up shots. It seems a little weird not having many wide shots
Jul 11 2012 8:18PM
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Frosty
Posts: 1738 - Karma: 797
weird cut at 2:19ish? when the guy shoots his gun, the flash goes into the next scene. i just thought that was kind of awkward, but it could very well just be me.

other than that, it was great, especially the beginning. and if your application process is anything similar to a music audition, you are certainly correct that the first 15-20 seconds are key. good luck!
Jul 11 2012 8:41PM
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CrotchKiller
Posts: 9037 - Karma: 6,943
i loved it, everything was on point. Loved all the cuts how they were
Jul 11 2012 8:46PM
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juicedrummer11
Posts: 1960 - Karma: 1,331
i also thoroughly enjoyed that. colors were spot on for every piece it looks like. nicely done
Jul 11 2012 9:12PM
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1337
Posts: 31054 - Karma: 29,246
only shot that i didnt like was the gun firing the bullet. The shell just looked fake
Jul 11 2012 9:39PM
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Roachey
Posts: 611 - Karma: 209
^Agreed. I know it was part of a short film you were doing but I really don't think that clip fits the rest of your reel. Apart from that everything look really good. Nice job man!
Jul 11 2012 9:51PM
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MatRich
Posts: 4789 - Karma: 1,813
It was a bit long for most people, try to keep it as short as possible.

if you want to keep it that long, I would recomend having sound clips of the action were seeing during key moments ( not all the time) just so its more engaging.

Shots: first shot when you go down into the herbs: Suspension of disbelief was broken. what this means is that the second your camera bumps the strand of grass, the viewer has a moment when in his mind he either imagines the camera hitting the grass or at least he is conscious that there is a camera. this is something that, to me, always has to be avoided. The viewer must never be distracted by a technical aspect, he should remain in his bubble of emotion that you have created for him. that is your suspension of disbelief... a huge concept that is often neglected. Huge rant about a little detail, I know! you could just cut the shot by 1 second and instead of a nice shot, its now a great shot.

There was a nice shot where there is a van driving in and a man gets up. orange sky filter from magic bullet was applied. if possible, stay away from this. first because of what I said earlier but it often looks fake, clouds like that are never tinted orange, the sky around it can be, but not the clouds. its more distracting also when the guy gets up and is now dark and orange.


Those are my critiques, other than that, you had some nice shots, seems like you did a lot including short films which is great!
Jul 11 2012 11:51PM
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B.Taillefer
Posts: 420 - Karma: 321
Overall I thought it was fantastic apart from the length! A reel should only be really 2 minutes or so, but as you stated length was so object to you so thats alright!

I thought that your shots were done fantastically well and you had a very diverse collection of shots, not just the obligatory shots of skiing and summer activities (cliffs, skating, that sort of thing) that a lot of other filters on here put out for their cinematography reels. For the most part the colour grading was done well, but as stated before a few shots were a little too orange, but for the most part they were good. Some of them were a little too dark (the "detective-esque ones got a little dark sometimes), but other than that I really enjoyed the colour grading you did!

The song went well with the collection of shots, and the cuts were timed very well, and everything flowed, which really is the main goal of editing. I thought that it was fantastic overall so good job man!

As a side note what did you shoot on?
Jul 12 2012 12:09AM
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miroz
Posts: 10333 - Karma: 3,945
I didn't think length was a problem at all, that held my attention well throughout. If you decide you need to cut it down, though, maybe pull out some shots of the two detectives. They were in there a lot.

Threads for more thoughts later. Gotta re-watch this a few times.
Jul 12 2012 12:23AM
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jeb_b_vt
Posts: 1047 - Karma: 1,294
I thought that was an awesome reel! The ski shots did seem a little out of place but maybe if you had had that shot of the guy leaning on a tree lead into the ski shots it might have flowed a little bit better, but other than that it was a really sick reel! Good work!
Jul 12 2012 10:49AM
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SSteezle
Posts: 9297 - Karma: 7,719
great reel man. I love that song. The ski shots were the only thing that didn't really flow, maybe add some ski setup shots so it's not so sudden. awesome work though
Jul 12 2012 4:05PM
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goodiepocket
Posts: 950 - Karma: 641
really nice work. loved the first 30 seconds the most. for a reel, I think it could have been tightened up a bit; it's a bit long. Also, as mentioned before, the skiing shots seem a bit out of place. I think if you added some b-roll, perhaps some details shots or lifestyle shots before the skiing, it would help lead the viewer into that subject you know? Nice work though, your cinematography is great!
Jul 12 2012 4:33PM
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.Max.
Posts: 2930 - Karma: 701
Wow, thanks everyone! It really means a lot. I'll work on it and take all of your points into account. I really can't thank you all enough. Please continue to critique/comment!
Jul 12 2012 5:10PM
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Z-Juice
Posts: 3151 - Karma: 1,504
My computer is a little laggy and I have no sound but all I can say is that it was entertaining and I liked it, but maybe try focusing on different angles and more interesting/unique camera work alone instead of just filming interesting things/scenes, try to combine em.
Jul 12 2012 7:11PM
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CrotchKiller
Posts: 9037 - Karma: 6,943
nope
Jul 12 2012 7:27PM
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Brock.
Posts: 5698 - Karma: 1,332
Good, actually.

The only thing that really bothered me was that the CC in a few shots was a little much. It would have looked good in an individual movie, but the back-to-back sequencing caused them to contrast arbitrarily and unappealingly with other shots. I would have recommended a little desaturation for consistency and continuity, because the strong CC threw off the sense of unity, which I think is very important in a reel
Jul 12 2012 11:13PM
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