Showreel Design

 Showreel:

I found a photography showreel on youtube (link) by David Tabagari; he basically just shows a collage of photos taken by him in the showreel, and he uses fun transitions throughout the video just to keep it entertaining and keep the viewers attention- the images also change to the beat of the music. In the beginning of the video he just has the name of the video and the year it was created, as well as his name just so the viewer doesn't have to move their eyes away from the screen to find that information. Overall, Tabagari created a very simple but effective showreel; it entertains the viewer without being too flashy.

When I was creating my showreel (link), I decided I wanted to do something fun rather than just being a boring collage of photos. I downloaded a big explosion effect video on YouTube and put text which says 'Photography Showreel" over it- I thought it would be a fun and creative way to start the video and it'll catch the viewers attention. I felt as though something was missing from it though, so I found a gif of a spinning skull and erased the background through a website so that it would be transparent and I could add to my video under the text. I used an effect called 'Film Dissolve' so that the intro would fade into the next clip seamlessly. Having it just cut straight to the next clip is far too sudden, so a slow transition is preferred. To transition from image to image, I used an effect called 'Additive Dissolve' which is like a small flash and fade into the next image. I used the effects to separate the video clips from the still images. I used an effect called 'Dip to Black' to fade the video out at the end and an effect called 'Constant Grain' to fade the music out (and in) too. I used upbeat, copyright free music because the overall vibe of the clips and images is people singing and having fun, so it was more fitting to use upbeat music rather than something that's quiet or slow. 

Showreel Feedback:

I sent out a google form asking for feedback on my showreel, the first question I asked being what the form filler(s) liked about my showreel to which most replied with that they thought the intro was entertaining, and that their attention was fully on the video. When I asked what could be improved, some said nothing, though others said that I could have perhaps used some more photos instead of ones from the same event.

Unfortunately, I only had a few images and clips to use, otherwise I would have definitely added more and made the video longer than just under 30 seconds. However, I think it's actually better to have shorter videos, as viewers are more likely to sit through the entire thing compared to a video that's a few minutes long. I'm satisfied that the intro was entertaining, as that was mostly my intent with it- I would not want potential clients to think that I'm boring and don't know how to have fun with my work.