Resume Reel

AKinDC

Well-known member
OK, let's start from the beginning.
What are you trying to show in the first montage that goes up through :46? After Effect skills? Is so, make that clearer.
The first edit in the clip from the court piece crosses the axis. I'd toss your resume right there. Also, why is there music under it?
What was the shot of the fire there for?
Why the stand up vo/sot at the car race? What does that show about you as an editor?
There's nothing particularly bad about the salon story, but nothing particularly interesting either.

To be completely honest with you, and I'm sorry for not being more constructive, you should trash this completely and start over. If you're looking for a job as a news editor, pick three or four complete packages that you feel show you in your best light, and string them together. If you have specific AE work you want to highlight, do it at the end. There is simply nothing on here that would help you get a job.
 

op54321

Member
I appreciate your opinion....I see your point with showing complete packages, etc., but this was experimental as I have done my reel that way before and coming from a promotions background as well as news, I felt its much easier to lose momentum and the viewer's interest by showing an entire minute long piece. The after effects bits at the top of the reel are titles describing different skills that I posses, as an intro if you will. The titles themselves are done in After Effects and show different camera movements, animation and 3D building skills. I chose those stories because they were significant moments from my time working in this market that I worked on and felt were compelling sound bites and video. I have been experimenting with a few different formats, and my main goal with this was to keep a viewers attention...Big overlook on my own part for not noticing the crossing the axis bit. No excuse there haha. Thanks
 
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cyndygreen1

Well-known member
First, you need to know what job you are aiming it. Your reel is not a news reel - it seems more a spec reel for FX. You can't have one demo that fits all job apps. Decide what it is you want the reel to do and go for that. If FX, dump any video. If news, show how you can edit a news story (without all the FX). And KISS (keep it simple silly for news).

Before you ask for examples of a reel, explain what kind of jobs you are looking for so folks can make suggestions based on that. (BTW don't think I'm getting down on you - you are a far better FX person than I would ever attempt to be...)
 

cyndygreen1

Well-known member
"I chose those stories because they were significant moments from my time working in this market that I worked on and felt were compelling sound bites and video. I've been told by a few people that there is no written in stone, "right" way to make a tape, so I have been experimenting with a few different formats. My main goal with this was to keep a viewers attention..."

Choose stories based on how well they were done - not by how important or significant you think they are. Query your co-workers about which stories they think you did well on.
And your main goal should be to grab the guts of the chief photog or news director so they want you.
 

AKinDC

Well-known member
Do you know of any examples of a reel that you would consider the ideal?
Not that I have a link to off-hand, but the reel I would consider ideal is simple.
A slate with your name, the job you're looking for and contact info.
Three packages...ideally a mix of hard news and features.
Slate again.

That's it.

That's for a news editor position, obviously. For promotions/graphics...not a clue.
 

Latin Lens

Well-known member
Okay...so I do and explain why I do what I do when I look at resume reels so if this turns out a little long-winded bear with me. There's something to take away from it I hope. First off, it appears you are making this reel to land a promotions job...it just has that feel. And its a pretty good resume for that. If you're trying to get a reporter job then its not gonna help you one bit, sadly. While you are taking snipets from pkgs (?) because you think they are the most compelling (?) is acuallly somewhat of a disservice to yourself and here's why...anyone can look good for a snipet but what about the rest of the story...why didn't you show me that? Those are the concerns and questions someone will/might have when viewing only snipets. Showing the whole story shows your good work on a particular story from START to FINISH. And you show your good work with various types of stories like breaking news, spot news, feature, etc. Your reel showcases your storytelling ability not only with pictures, but words and your flow and your creativity. If you have after effects skills then show me some graphics that you did in a story so I understand context and see how skillful you are at either jazzing up documents or using your creativity to jazz up a boring story. Showing a moving background with generic words flying around again show me nothing for news usage...so me context cuz that showcases skills you have. I also think the music does the same for indicating that this is promotions reel. Very rarely do news stories use production music...hence, the vibes that gives off apparently to not only me but to the others that have commented. Without knowing the full extent of your job search I'd suggest that as a reporter you'd probably want to gather about 4 good stories of various categories to show your reporting skills in each. If you want to show snipets then show snipets of creative standups back to back to back...that's where its okay to only show part of a news story. While there is no one true way to make a reel you just have to understand what job you're going for and showcasing the skills you have as why you think you can do the job and any individual story you're most proud of should show that off. But when you look at your own stuff you have to be extra critical of your own work...coworkers and family members and friends can think any and everything you do is great but its possibly not a reality...someone who doesn't know you and is purely looking at your work is going to judge you a lot more harshly cuz they don't know how you like to buy a round of beers at the bar or know how cute you looked in diapers. I've learned that lesson the first time I listened to my family when making a resume reel. I got crushed...hard...but it was a wake-up call. Good stories never go out of style so collect your best stuff so you have a good selection to choose from and have a good backup in case they want to see more.
 
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