not sure if i am in the right place

[jellymax]

a recent demo reel for a variety group outta the SF bay i been performing with

 

[JamesGrant]

Not sure the camera is in the right place!! For a personal record of the gig that's fine but that isn't a demo reel for sharing with potential clients I suggest.
On YouTube search for 'function band showreel' or 'function band demo' to give yourself an idea of what other bands are using as promo.
Best of luck!

 

[tpaul]

I'd also suggest using a board mix for any demo you plan to use in promoting the band. This sounds like it was recorded from a single mic (possibly the camera mic?) and it's not doing your sound justice.

 

[HardNHeavy]

nice playing!

 

[Michedelic]

a recent demo reel for a variety group outta the SF bay i been performing with

Please tell whoever is setting up the phone to use landscape mode, and frame the shot accordingly. 2/3 of the field of vision is wasted otherwise.

 

[drpepper]

a recent demo reel for a variety group outta the SF bay i been performing with

I think my feedback echoes bits of what everyone said...nice playing, fun band, good song choices. IMO, as a keepsake and something to casually share (the purpose of my personal youtube channel), this is fine...you can hear the bass clearly. But I'd agree that as a "demo reel" or highlight video for a broader audience, you have some challenges there that come from how it was shot.

The main issue is that it's essentially a dark, tight, static phone shot...was the original landscape and then put into that portrait framing? That kind of footage can still be used, but it makes it harder to turn into something that feels like a polished (even if not professionally produced) promo. A demo reel can be pretty flexible, but both the video and audio quality going in set the ceiling. That said, even with phone video, some thoughtful editing and basic audio cleanup can go a long way toward making something more engaging than just trimming down a longer video.

Putting those challenges aside, outside of people who already know you, most viewers are giving you maybe 90ish seconds (and that's if they're engaged). So either put everything you want seen in the first 90 seconds or edit. I've been working on this myself, and it can actually be harder than it would seem, not technically, but in letting go of footage. As a performer doing the editing, you're attached to it, so without a limit and attention span in mind, what are supposed to be "highlights" creep and creep and next thing you know, you have 10 minutes. I've found that once I actually have some success cutting things down, I can see how much more impact shorter clips can have. People get the idea much faster than it feels like they should when you're the one doing the editing.

For future stuff, if you're planning to build an actual demo reel, the biggest help would be starting with better source footage where you have the ability to plan...wide framing (at least the whole band unless you don't want to appear in the video), shot in landscape, even if it's still just a single camera. That gives you a lot more to work with.

Again, if developing this is something that you're looking to do, on the editing side, DaVinci Resolve is worth a look. The free version is really powerful for cutting, color, and adding some movement to static shots in software. The learning curve depends on the person, but you don't need so much to get solid results, and there's self-guided learning material online.

With audio, you're obviously limited to what was captured (with an impromptu, after-the-fact reel project), but you can often improve it a bit. Running your result through an online AI mastering tool can help clean things up. It can't work miracles, but it can take the edge off and make it more presentable.

I think if the goal is a demo reel for some level of promotion, what you have should be shorter with cuts with the purpose in mind. If the raw video wide, and somehow put into that portrait setup, use that landscape video.

 

[jellymax]

thanks to everyone for the constructive criticism! as far as landscape mode goes, yeah, i do not know what heck she was thinking
lol! i'll tell her. her phone was on a stand. it happened to pick up a lot of bass so, i thought i would go ahead and
post it. rig was an accugroove tri112 with a th700 head.
bass was a Sterling ray5 i picked up for 200 bucks and upgraded with nordstrand pickup and 3 band. and light gauge ernie ball
rounds

 

[jellymax]

my main bass was in for repairs an stuff

 

[2saddleslab]

Please tell whoever is setting up the phone to use landscape mode, and frame the shot accordingly. 2/3 of the field of vision is wasted otherwise.

Never understood why anyone would take pics or video in portrait mode. Do you watch TV that way? It's like looking at the world thru a keyhole.
Old man rant over..................for now.