Lighting Reel 2011

[Starman]

I re-took my lighting class this past summer from years ago when I got my Video Technology degree. I learned a lot.

Lemme know what you think:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9Stn1I7wBM

 

[AKinDC]

I like the opening, with you arranging your gear. I like the product shots and the time lapse.

The rest of it is rough.

Your first set lighting shot has the actress walking through a huge black hole before she gets to the window. You're overdoing the blue on the moonlight as well. I like the second vignette under the lamp. The third part where the patient? walks in, he starts out badly overexposed...don't know if that's the transfer or not. Again, overdoing the blue. I know you're trying to emphasize creating lighting, but if you're advertising yourself as a gaffer you need at least one of the scenes to look as natural as possible.

I didn't like the 1st two shot you open your interview segment with. The shirts are both blooming and the faves are two dark. The second shot is your best there, although we're seeing far too much of that guy in general....makes it look like you haven't done much when you have to use so much of one guy.

I'd kill the creative part completely. If you're gonna title a section creative shots, they better really blow me away, and they're just not very exciting. I don't know what the overused guy is doing in that section either.

Finally, I really wanted to hear a little of the audio under the music. I found seeing lips moving while hearing nothing distracting.

 

[Starman]

This was actually what I had to turn in for my classes lighting portfolio, so all of that content had to be in there. The scene with the patient and detectives is the copy of a scene from the movie Shutter Island. I actually looked at the original, (with a black orderly instead of me) and he was overexposed as well. I see people overexpose scenes in movies a lot.

 

[AKinDC]

If it's a school project where whomever is grading it knows the parameters, that's one thing.
If you're going to put it on your professional website where someone will see your reel without any explanation, that's entirely different.
My remarks are made as the latter obviously. The demo reels on your web site are very good, but I simply don't feel that the lighting reel is up to the quality of the others. Of the nine videos you have up, eight would make me want to hire you, the lighting one would not.