Let's talk showreels.
WHAT IS A SHOWREEL?
Showreels are an important part of any actor's tool box. Your showreel is the personification of your CV. From a business perspective, it is the TV Commercial of your product, which is you.
WHAT IS MY BRAND & WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
You need to figure out what your brand is otherwise your showreel could look like a total mess. You can read up about branding here in "What Is Branding Part 1" & "What is Branding Part 2".
Branding is important for your showreel because there needs to be a message that is consistent in your reel that will be clear to it's audience. If the message is not clear, then the audience will get confused and won't know where or how to cast you.
In most cases, this is when the CD or rep says "I don't know what to do with you" or "I don't know where to put you". If you've ever received these statements before or something to that effect, then your branding may be muddled and not clear enough.
HOW LONG DOES A SHOWREEL HAVE TO BE?
In my experience, a showreel should be no longer than 2 mins.
The trend in the US is to have what's known as a Speed Reel which is only 1 minute long whereas here in Australia, showreels are standard.
A Speed Reel is a trailer for your showreel so if your audience wants to see more, then they can move on to your showreel.
I believe the shorter your reel, the better, because if your performance is amazing, you will leave your audience wanting more which should result in either a request for more material or an interview (which is what you're aiming for). Sometimes it can even lead to a booking!
As an agent, the more time I'm spending looking through your material, the less time I'm spending pitching my clients.
WHAT DO I NEED IN MY REEL?
You need 2 contrasting scenes of your best genres; minimum.
Generally it's one drama and one comedy with your strongest first however it could be one sitcom and one horror. One drama, one rom-com and one action scene.
Depending on your strengths and credits, you need to spend time with your reps discussing what is the best way for them to sell you so you can create your reel to their needs.
Eg: My actor reel is under 2 mins and has 4 scenes: 1 sitcom with a US accent, 1 drama with an Australian accent, 1 drama with a Latino accent & 1 doco with a Filipino accent.
WHAT SHOULD I NOT PUT IN MY REEL?
I don't need to see your name or headshot at the beginning of your reel, especially as it should be in your submission email.
I don't need to see a montage - I don't have time. I just want to see your acting.
I don't need to see a personality piece - I can meet your personality in an interview if your acting is good enough.
DO I NEED A PROFESSIONALLY SHOT REEL?
I'm sure I will ruffle a few feathers with this one. I don't believe you do.
If you're a well seasoned actor, then I'd expect your reel to be a majority of your professional booked work. If you are a student, a fresh graduate or a lower tier actor, then I don't expect you to have professional booked footage.
Of course, if you have professional work, please put it in. However I don't believe you should spend $5K on a professionally shot reel.
This is the way I see it:
1. When you audition for a casting director in the room, they record you. This is essentially a self tape. This is not "professionally shot" by any means. Actors get booked from this footage - so why can't you do the same with your reel?
2. If the quality of your acting is still green or not as strong as it could be, especially on the day of your organised $5K shoot, then the quality of your footage won't matter if the acting is terrible.
It's like watching a film with bad acting; sure the cinematography is brilliant but if you walk out of the theatre saying the acting was terrible, it doesn't change terrible acting. Don't waste your money!
As long as the footage in your reel has good lighting, good sound and brilliant acting, then you should easily have a showreel and have zero excuses.
CHECKLIST:
- What's my brand?
- Do I need a showreel or a speed reel or both?
- How long is my showreel?
- Do I have at least 2 contrasting scenes in my reel?
- Have I made sure I don't have the "should nots" in my reel?
- Do I have any professional footage from booked roles to add to my reel?