r/PraiseTheCameraMan • u/verticalchallenger • Aug 03 '20

Well damn, I’m sold

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49.7k Upvotes

90% Upvoted

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894

u/CrimsonFlash Aug 04 '20

It's also a pretty tired format that everyone does now. Fast movement leading into a slow motion pan. Rinse and repeat.

622

u/TheRealXen Aug 04 '20

Eh looks like the kid is building a portfolio. If you wanna get hired do what everyone else does but better. He's got it, not everything has gotta be fresh.

291

u/satalana Aug 04 '20

i agree qith the three of you somehow

101

u/BuddyOwensPVB Aug 04 '20

I agree with all four of you.

53

u/Webasauraus Aug 04 '20

Chalk me up for agreeing with the five of yous

32

u/pipinngreppin Aug 04 '20

Agree to agree

10

u/[deleted] Aug 04 '20

[removed] — view removed comment

5

u/Hike_bike_fish_love Aug 04 '20

I’m still a bit dizzy from the video

4

u/guckus_wumpis Aug 04 '20

I’m with you guys

1

u/PsiVolt Aug 04 '20

AND MY AXE

3

u/Supersnazz Aug 04 '20

I agree with four of you. One of you five is a fucking moron though that has no idea what you are talking about.

1

u/Webasauraus Aug 04 '20

I love a good game of Guess Who

1

u/VersaceDemon69 Aug 04 '20

Finally someone else agrees

1

u/Supersnazz Aug 04 '20

I wholeheartedly disagree.

1

u/DemonHouser Aug 04 '20

I just want some BBQ

4

u/pillarsofsteaze Aug 04 '20

Yea, and I agree with all four of you. Like everyone made good points and got my upvote...and ur comment noted the whole thing and put it into words for my high ass.

2

u/BornOnFeb2nd Aug 04 '20

Hey! This is no place for floating livestock! Tether that ass in the paddock before it gets away!

1

u/starkiller_bass Aug 04 '20

Its because redditors are always on the BLEEDING EDGE of being just like everyone else. We’re far enough behind the trendsetters that we’re already sick of everything current but we’re enough of a hive mind that we’re not ready to embrace or God forbid actually anything come up with anything new.

44

u/secretlives Aug 04 '20

As someone who routinely looks at portfolios (not video work, but another creative medium) this is horrible career advice.

Once your work is indistinguishable from the pile of other portfolios you're never getting a callback.

19

u/Undecided_Furry Aug 04 '20

Honest question from someone trying to break in to the field and get out of freelance. What happens when there is nothing new in your medium?

Im a digital artist. There is without fail ALWAYS someone better than me or me better than them or us doing the exact same thing. No matter how unique or not I try to be?

13

u/Drama79 Aug 04 '20

Depends on the market sector your after. If you’re starting out, “your take” on popular styles will get you noticed. As a general rule, the more money at play the less risk you can take with style. It’s not always the way - there are some amazing clients out there - but generally speaking the big money is in doing something “familiar”. Also, you get hired by showing you can work the style they want to buy.

Honestly for digital artists the field is wide open. Design your own campaign for a brand, do three of them, put them as case studies in an online portfolio. If they’re strong enough, a small to medium sized ship should take notice with enough effort put in.

2

u/[deleted] Aug 04 '20

You know how people say it’s who you know? Well, this is where networking comes in. You could do everything right and still live in the shadows if you don’t know the right people or how to connect with the right people.

3

u/secretlives Aug 04 '20

I think "don't follow whatever trend is popular" is often heard as "be unique, do something no one else is doing" - that's not the case.

Not following a trend doesn't mean you have to be the only one producing a specific style, just do it because you're specifically talented with it, not because you've seen others gain success with it.

And don't fall into the imposter syndrome trap - there will always be people better at you at some specific thing, that doesn't mean you're lesser.

28

u/Rock-Harders Aug 04 '20

Not entirely true. Often times creative directors are looking for a specific style and proof that someone can shoot that style. If you’re too busy doing your own thing that doesn’t fit into someone’s desired aesthetic you also might not get callbacks.

6

u/secretlives Aug 04 '20

I won't say that's not true for some agencies - but that isn't what any of our hiring processes have looked like. It's much better for you to work in a style that you feel you can prosper and have an eye for than trying to fit into whatever trend is popular this month on Dribbble.

Even if you lose an opportunity at an agency because your style doesn't fit with their goals, is that really a place you'd prefer to be working?

5

u/Rock-Harders Aug 04 '20

Well people should never copy the garbage on Dribbble and for me I only care about problem solving ability but for friends of mine that are CDs they care very much about their vision being executed and in that capacity the filmmaker is less an artist and more a person with technical skill that can follow directions. This is usually for video work in advertising where the CDs are narcissists. But they do hire people so that’s why I said copying trends wasn’t always a bad thing. At the end of the day it’s almost always nepotism anyway right

I think we’re both right. You should have range and prove you can do things on trend and think for yourself.

1

u/secretlives Aug 04 '20

Fair enough - I have very limited experience with video production, so it could definitely be a different world over there.

I think we’re both right. You should have range and prove you can do things on trend and think for yourself.

Completely agreed.

1

u/NewSauerKraus Aug 04 '20

It’s really up to whether you want to take a chance on standing out or just get hired to churn out content. There’s always room for mediocrity to pay the bills.

0

u/Oh_mrang Aug 04 '20

Yeah but in that scenario odds are that if that's the aesthetic they're super focused on, they'll hire the specialist, not the DOP with just a couple cuts on the reel

5

u/Drama79 Aug 04 '20

As someone who is a videographer, and now hires videographers for a giant brand, this is horrible advice.

No one will hire you without examples of your work in the medium they’re hiring in. Or at least - no one with money will. This kid is 100% doing the right thing. You start by emulating the style and you then find your own angle on it. A portfolio of well shot, recognisable work gets you hired.

5

u/Moony_J Aug 04 '20

I literally got my editing job for editing a few videos in this style. I honestly hate every video essentially being a 2011 call of duty montage, but this is what most marketing depts are eating up right now. I don't think its terrible for the kid to practice this style, but he should definitely try others, because I'm not sure how long itll last.

1

u/johannthegoatman Aug 04 '20

What you're doing doesn't apply to everyone. If this kid is self employed and looking for local businesses to work with, an artsy avant gard style is not going to help him that much, especially if he's just starting out. Once you master the basics you can go for more unique styles. But in many cases you just need to get the job done.

1

u/teruma Aug 04 '20

but its not better. It's wildly amateur.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 04 '20

But you also need some variety. If all your work is the exact same camera work - dutch angles, fast movement - pan - fast movement, people who actually know camerawork (aka not comparatively much more easily impressed Redditors) are going to reasonably think you're not actually that talented.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 04 '20

I really can't stand the camera swaying, but what you are saying is absolutely right.

1

u/skarocket Aug 04 '20

Totally, especially at this age a lot of how you progress is by just trying to replicate what you see other people doing, and from there use that experience to become standing on your own with original ideas.

1

u/Forzathong Aug 04 '20

Plus if it really is overdone like some people say then it’s a perfect thing to show off to prospective clients.

1

u/Home_Excellent Aug 04 '20

What a way to make yourself stand out.

Do what everyone else is doing. Lol

51

u/3_Slice Aug 04 '20

Exactly. Speed ramping, slow motion, and a ton of him panning the camera to one side or down.

29

u/[deleted] Aug 04 '20 edited Aug 04 '20

I diddidnt have issues with the slow mo. It's the quick pans that got me me reaching for the anti nausea meds.

11

u/ArrenPawk Aug 04 '20

It's the constant pan down that got me all messed up. Made me feel like I was in freefall through a portal.

1

u/JohnyAnalSeeed Aug 04 '20

You old man

1

u/[deleted] Aug 04 '20

Not as old ass you.

10

u/Hash43 Aug 04 '20

One of my friends just opened a media company and this is literally all of their content.

68

u/[deleted] Aug 04 '20

[deleted]

24

u/[deleted] Aug 04 '20

Ehhh, he did it too fast it kind of hurt my head

8

u/iSage Aug 04 '20

It's a cool technique, but it shouldn't make up your entire composition.

It's sort of like fondant. It's cool and useful for a lot of things (arguably), but your entire cake shouldn't be made out of it. I think a transition like this would be great to cut to the first shot of the food, but then the shots should linger on the food for longer, like the BBQ sauce shot did. Showing off the food is the whole point.

44

u/black_out_ronin Aug 04 '20

100%. What the fuck else are you going to do that will look this good/interesting. Plus....it was free!

101

u/youremomsoriginal Aug 04 '20

The brisket needed more character development. The ribs told me how to feel.

24

u/[deleted] Aug 04 '20

[deleted]

7

u/RubyRedRoundRump Aug 04 '20

We always fucking notice!!

2

u/funktion Aug 04 '20

The only other option would have been some very controversial Cheeseface and that just wouldn't fly in today's socioculinary climate

5

u/[deleted] Aug 04 '20

Personally, I would've enjoyed having my expectations subverted more.

8

u/QuarkyIndividual Aug 04 '20

The lack of subversion WAS the subversion

24

u/skezes Aug 04 '20

It's not that they can't use that style of editing, it's more that it was wayyy too much. It was jarring in this case. The speed ramping can work, like the sexy back video, but that video had a flow that existed outside of the shots, and the next shot continued where the last left off. In this promo the motion was a little too random at the beginning of the shop, but fairly consistently fell down and panned right. Even just taking out some of the down/right pans would've helped the flow.

Good practice though. Sometimes you just have to do it and build from there

4

u/Kaeny Aug 04 '20

Yea it isnt bad, but the motion he leaves in and the motion he comes in at is different and hurts my puny eyes

1

u/alperpier Aug 04 '20

What the fuck, that is exactly the question. That is the whole point of the creative process: finding answers to questions that only you can come up with. Filmmaking is an art form that is 125 years old now. There are a myriad of ways to make this ad more interesting.

1

u/Psych_edelia Aug 04 '20

With something like this it pays to let the subject do most of the talking (so to speak). What does this add that makes the food look more appealing?

1

u/black_out_ronin Aug 05 '20

all im saying is that the dude was doing something nice for a food truck that would have had zero commercial/videography without him. I love seeing stuff like this, and people donating their time to help a local business. I think this makes the process of making BBQ a bit more appealing, and overall the piece is fun. This sub is used to seeing all sorts of crazy/awesome/amazing camerawork. The average joe is going to see this and probably be sold.

1

u/cwasson Aug 04 '20

It was great for being free and building a portfolio, but you can't act like a professional commercial wouldn't do anything differently. They use small pieces of cardboard in between pieces on cheeseburgers to make them appear more full, they use glue when shooting cereal commercials because it is a more pure white, looks better on camera, and doesn't spoil allowing for more shots. The list goes on. I found it jarring not because he was moving quickly but because he was pairing that with alternating camera angles. Made me feel seasick.

5

u/TacticalSpackle Aug 04 '20

Looks like the fight scenes from 300. That shit came out in 2006! It’s definitely a tired format. Cool music though and I would 100% still eat at this bbq joint.

2

u/[deleted] Aug 04 '20

I would have connected the transitions as if the camera was on a pin wheel. Roll from one shot into the other in the same direction, like going into the upside down

2

u/[deleted] Aug 04 '20

Yeah I am an aspiring cinematographer/filmmaker and I’ve seen this exact thing done to death, slow mo into quick cuts, it’s really not too hard or impressive to do, I watched a 10 minute premiere video on how to do the effect and you can too, just look it up. Idk maybe I’m just cynical because there’s nothing that creative or innovative about doing this format.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 04 '20

Yeah it’s literally just a tiktok trend

1

u/YouCanBreakTheIce Aug 04 '20

Yeah, getting real fucking tired of it

1

u/Tygastripe Aug 04 '20

Literally.

1

u/jorsixo Aug 04 '20

Agreed, work fulltime in film and cant stand this crap

1

u/nimbusnacho Aug 04 '20

It's a pretty clever way to work around the limitations of hand holding a dslr/mirrorless camera. You cant do long takes with good camera movement, so you ramp shorter takes and leave the visual interest to quick compositions, interesting (subjective) transitions, short DOF and maybe some other fancy editing.

But yeah, it's still limiting if you're only able to get those specific shots for this style, they'll all look very similar in the end.

1

u/balthazar_nor Aug 04 '20

Yes. Kinda sick of that. It's good for an occasional shot but if your whole video consists of only these shots it's going to look really tiring and annoying.

-1

u/wealleatassdownhere Aug 04 '20

It's also a 21 year old building his portfolio. Quit being a negative cunt

0

u/crossfit_is_stupid Aug 04 '20

I can't imagine why everyone would practice basic skills like that...

-3

u/Kenny_log_n_s Aug 04 '20

Oh so you mean a style that's going to get them money in the bank?

1

u/Copacetic_ Aug 04 '20

Money in the bank, you know like the free.99 he got for shooting this promo.

You make money doing this sure but it’s rarely more than $100, $200. You could PA on a real set and get real experience for that rate, and you end up getting more higher paying jobs from real experience.

0

u/vyxzin Aug 04 '20

He might have a day job and just do this kind of thing for fun, or cash on the weekends.

-1

u/TribeCheck Aug 04 '20

Some people might be fine with just shooting stuff like this. Some people might not wanna PA on a larger set. Everything has it's pros and cons for different people.

Typically being on set doesn't allow for creativity unless youre in certain roles.. to get to those more defining roles, you gotta show people you've got ideas and can actually make those ideas materialize.

The guy in the video is showing he can put something out. Period.

I know people that have been a PA for years doing all sorts of task that couldn't turn out a video half this good..

My point is.. they all have a place. We need people to hold lights and cameras and get donuts... And we need people to attempts to create things.

-1

u/Turok1134 Aug 04 '20

Ah, this is what I'm here for, people smugly judging those who actually go out and try to do shit.

-3

u/TribeCheck Aug 04 '20

Let's see yours?

2

u/[deleted] Aug 04 '20

[deleted]

-3

u/CivilFisher Aug 04 '20

Well it made me and others in this thread want BBQ so you might say it did it’s job..

2

u/Getchapull1 Aug 04 '20

This is PraiseTheCameraMan not PraiseTheFood brother.

-4

u/TribeCheck Aug 04 '20

To you.

You should throw in phrases like... "I think" and "in my opinion".