#showreels

I've been gone so long, take revenge against those AI suckers

As an actor or film crew member the worst thing you can say is, ‘I haven’t updated my showreel for years’, or roll your eyes at the thought of putting together a reel. Creating a reel should not be treated like a tiresome task , it should seen as something fun and exciting.

Your showreel is a chance to shine a spotlight on your talents and say, I’m talented, check out these great scenes and cast me!

After making hundreds of showreel scenes and some award winning ones here are my top tips to make your reel as strong as possible.

Only use your best work! I cannot stress this enough. People want to see 30 seconds of greatness, and not 1 and a half minutes of average inconsistent sludge. The truth is, you are not judged upon your best work - you are judged upon your worst work. If you have 3 really good shots followed by an average shot, your entire reel will be brought down to the level of your average shot. Keep the level of your work consistent and as high as possible.

Start strong & end strong! What’s the first rule about showreels? Only show your best work. What’s the second rule about showreels? Only show your best work. Start with your best shot, then your next best second, and your third best third and so on. Do not leave your best shot to the end because you risk it never being seen. If you have any doubts as to what to include in your reel, refer to rule №1.

Keep it short. No longer than 3 minutes max! 3 minutes is more than enough. 2 minutes is perfect. If a casting assistant hasn’t made up their mind to offer you an audition after the first 30 seconds, then adding another minute and a half is not going seal the deal. Less is more.

No long title sequences, no montage of stills. No-one wants to waste time with a 20 second intro title. No one wants to see various still shots of you. They want to see you act or your best video photography, director clips etc. In fact you only have roughly 20 seconds to make an impression, so don’t waste it on your name. If a casting agent likes your reel, they’ll go back to find your name once they’ve seen your work. A simple 3 second title card with your name, what you do (eg: James Parfitt / Actor/Director of Photography, VFX creator etc) is all you need with an agents name and contact details.

Give due credit on your various clips or scenes . Make sure to indicate the name of the project, and even the name of the company or copyright holder. For example; Title: Lost Love (Lumino Films) If you are a Director or DOP give credit to the music track used where applicable.

If you use Vimeo do not password protect your showreel. It’s a pain and less eyes will be on it.

Lastly show a link out on your social media every month or so. Just another reminder to anyone out there looking to cast that you are great and interested in being cast.

Always do the showreel share days on Twitter #showreelshareday. These have become very popular and top agents and directors do look with a view to cast.

Conclusion.

The objective of a showreel is to demonstrate what you can do in the most concise, entertaining and easily digestible manner possible. If you don’t have a showreel and work professionally in a creative industry, you need to stop watching Netflix or playing Computer games for a couple of days and put one together. If you have a showreel that is more than 3 years old, then it’s time for a tune up. Follow the steps above to see the benefits.

Your work is your showcase. Do you want to open the door a little it knock it off it’s hinges?

There are many companies out there who make showreels from scratch or help you put a reel together from footage you have. Lumino films make period and contemporary reels. Take a look at www.luminofilms.co.uk/workshops. We have won 9 awards for our period showreel scenes as they are also stand alone short/shorts

Fantasy Fotografie (Natalia Lefay)

This is very cool showreel by Fantasy Fotografie (Natalia Lefay), a German photographer who specializes vibrant, powerful fantasy style imagery, usually of women wielding swords and posing in rivers and lakes or on the side of mountain. This showreel displays how much work goes into the production and post production effects. A lot of time and effort clearly goes into it.    

Nicolas Bruno 

Nicolas Bruno is a surrealist photographer whose inspiration comes from his struggles with suffering from sleep paralysis. He creates unique, lavish and unworldly nightmare images with a range of props and models. In this showreel he displays several pieces of work while promoting a solo exhibit and his new range of tarot cards featuring his work.

Bill Elis 

Bill Elis is a 3D visual graphic artist, I’ve been following for a few years. He creates striking dark art with amazing intricacy, usually featuring skulls and skeletons, and a few pop culture icons, often created in a mouthwatering Gold and black style. In this showreel he displays his artisit journey from where he started and to what he creates now.