What really pulls you into someone's cinematography reel fast?
Cinematography : What pulls you into someone's cinematography reel fast? by Laura Margosian
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as a person struggling intimately with this ephemeral, unending popularity contest I can tell you that the biggest thing about DP reels is they want to see shit they recognize. celebrities, scenes from recognizable TV shows and movies, whatever. strive for that. people are star-fuckers and for some reason that's more important than composition, color, mood, tone, what have you. sucks but true
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If you don't have the mentioned recognizable materials to share, then go with the most technically interesting shot you have. Probably a moving shot with some dramatic lighting. Beyond that, keep it short and make sure you show what you have as far as variety for tone, shot style, framing, etc. etc. But really ... keep it short.
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How well you light the frame corresponding to the story and composition,choose a bgm that reflects the sequence plus include creative shots that actually triggers for movement of the camera.
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Sorry for the delay everyone, it's been a busy week! I love everyone's responses. It's been one of the things I criticise myself over the most and there's always room for improvement. I'll have to update mine and share on here and get some really awesome constructive criticism. :)
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Effective coverage of a scene, period. Too many reels today are " cool shots cut to music". Unless you are shooting a music video, that tells you very little about the DP at all, it's just an editing reel. Anyone can turn some knobs, set 2 lights and get a stellar looking image in 2018. One thing that defines a skilled DP in a reel is a sequence of intentional, chosen coverage of a scene that is both creatively story- effective and visually consistent. When you see that, you can then investigate from references if they are fast, efficient, collaborative, good natured and so on. Most of all, remember a reel never tells you who to hire, only who not to bother with.
Nothing draws anyone into a reel. They had one purpose; to assuage directors and producers long enough to meet face to face. To suggest reels are good for nothing is to give them credit for something. The face to face meeting will get you hired, the reel will keep that from happening.
People who watch reels need to ask questions like: what was the budget, how much time did it take, what was the crew size, what was the intent of the scene and the intent of the shot within the scene, and the big question… why did you include this in your reel? This assumes that the person asking the questions would have some understanding of the answer. Without answers to these simple revealing questions just watching a reel means nothing. I have never been asked any such questions. Ever. Hard not to be contemptuous of the whole situation.
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I always demand to watch full length films. Anyone can get great shots by accident. Seeing how a DP lights, frames from scene to scene you can tell if they've got the chops.