Critique My Film Sample for College Apps

I think colleges will want more than just a guy trying then finally doing the same trick for 90% of the video

i kinda agree with the previous comment. i really like the color correction/grading and the whole look of the video. i think that area is awesome and you could have done a little more right in that spot with the fall colors and leaves falling imo. just add some variety it started out well but after we watched him crash and then just gap the cones and rail it was a bit anti climactic i thought. but it was put together nice and i liked the colors and thought the song fit just maybe add some more shots of "cool" tricks being landed and some of the surrounding area.

I think you need to ask yourself "what does this video show about myself and my skills" because all i see is the same thing over and over, no shot variety, very simple editing and some poor focusing and exposure control in some spots. A college sample should contain the best shots you have, should have a lot of variety and really showcase your editing skills. I feel like this sample doesn't fill any of those three categories.

Yeah I see what you guys are saying about the repetitiveness. I was trying to convey determination, and thought the best way to do it would be showing the process of getting a trick from start to finish.

Did anybody pick up on this at all or did i totally miss the mark?

Thanks for the critiques, +K to everybody.

I had picked up on that but as Heath had said there needs to be more variety in the shots and they have to be your best shots. These shots have to represent you and show who you are to the college admission board. This should more of be a reel of all your shots rather then on one specific topic. Also you need to show some stuff of your editing skills.

why would you show a skateboard edit to a college. it just tells them your like every other hot headed skateboard filmer who entered their program. You need to show something special

tellastorytellastorytellastorytellastorytellastorytellastorytellastory!

Film schools are more focused on your ability to tell a cohesive and well thought out story than cinematography or proficiency in an editing software. Show them that you can tell a story. Write a short film. You'll inevitably stand out from the crowd based on the cinematography and editing talent you've already displayed.

Where are you applying?

Not to be bold or cocky by putting my own video in your thread, but it may be of help to you. This is what I used to get into film schools, maybe you can sort of understand a bit better what schools like to see- I got lots of positive feedback for my entry.



Again, didn't want to come off as cocky-- I did do this video a year later than you are because I took a year off after high school, so I had quite a bit of time to work on it. My biggest suggestion would be to try to do a narrative that's incredibly basic... don't even need dialogue, like in my case, but you can add it if you want. Just try to show something with your work.

Also, don't add too many flashy edit techniques. Any film school will be looking for/prefer to see you using the rules of cinematography and editing. You'll have your chance to add your own flair eventually- but you have to learn and use the basics first. Show them you can put a scene together.

Good luck!

This was really something special man, I know for me it provoked a lot of thought and showed the character (The girl) changing and coming out of her shell much like the butterfly did. Thats what it meant to me at least. OP Try to do something like this as a showcase, you'll have plenty of time to film skating in the future. Try to provoke emotion like this film did.