Cinematography Reel 24-25 | Simon Finkel - ID# 100
Highland Park
Cinematography
Entry Description
A compilation of Simon Finkel's work from 2024-2025.
Copyright Info
Recent Teacher Comments
- 4/14 9:15 am - Camera: Excellent framing choices. The subject placement and negative space guide viewer focus naturally. Camera movements generally feel motivated. The tracking shot at 0:42 pulls the viewer into the moment. Suggest using tripods, sliders, or gimbals for extra stabilization where appropriate. Lighting: Lighting setups show good intent: natural window light, motivated practicals, and dramatic shadows. Standout lighting at 0:18—warm backlight combined with soft, cool front fill creates mood. A few shots could benefit from increased contrast or more deliberate direction (see 1:05). Reel Edit: Pacing is tight and flows well—no filler shots. Seamless transitions support the visual rhythm. Good match on color tone and exposure between shots, which adds to the reel’s professionalism. Your reel demonstrates clear technical skill and visual storytelling ability. It balances creative camera work, mood-setting lighting, and polished editing. A few refinements to stabilization and lighting control in extreme contrast scenarios would elevate it to the next level.
- 4/9 8:07 am - Nice variety of shots, great uses of both natural and artificial lighting to showcase your technical abilities. Great job using both natural sound and the music to promote and accent your shots.
- 3/20 8:51 am - Your reel uses sound in a way that distinguishes it from others - rather than just simply using montage with orchestral music, you fade dialogue and ambient sound in and out and that makes it engaging. Overall your shots are well composed and well lit. Periodically some shots could be exposed a little better and showcase a more purposeful/intentional use of lighting. Your use of stabilizer is effective and it's super impressive how you visited and effectively captured far-off distant locations. One thing to know though, is that in a cinematography reel, there should be no treated video or effects applied because that can be seen as confusing or manipulative of the material in which we are assessing the raw skill of cinematography.
Judge 1
Positives: Demonstrated an ability to see and capture the world in a unique and creative way. 16-9 punctuated by the use of live audio tracks provided a rich range of work not seen in competing compilations..
Improvements: More attention to controlling the lighting in the scenes where the lighting level falls below the contrast ratio of the medium.
Judge 2
Positives: Great work, Simon. I'd say your passion leans more towards cinematography, not videography. You've got a good camera and you know how to use it. way to go. Good music. Your editing rhythm aligned well with the music. The music in no way took away from showcasing your shooting/editing skills.
Improvements: I'm going to get picky only because your package is very good. The shots from the first to the second and third to the fourth edits were jump cuts. This doesn't bother most people, but seeing your otherwise attention to detail, I"m guessing it may bother you as you grow in your craft. again with the picky part. :) At 1:23 audio/video of speaker didn't sync up. careful to let your edits extend long enough for the shots to finish. I hope that makes sense. Keep pursuing this passion of yours. It's a wonderful form of expression.
Judge 3
Positives: Many shots looked fantastic and had a high production value. The use of depth of field was especially strong, drawing focus where needed and adding a cinematic feel. The color in the outdoor shots also stood out, making the visuals vibrant and well-balanced. Great work!
Improvements: I’d suggest opening with your best shots to grab attention right away. Also, trimming the reel by about 30 seconds would help keep the pacing tighter and make each moment feel more impactful. Quality over quantity!
Judge 4
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Judge 5
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