Show Me What You Got

I’m in the process of trying to get a showreel together. A showreel is an essential part of an actor’s marketing campaign and should accurately reflect you as an actor and your playing range/skills. Getting a good reel edited together can be tricky, especially if you haven’t done much filming.

In my case, most of my acting experience has been in theatre. I have played lead roles in commercials and short films but either the material is now quite old and dated and not really representative of me today, or, more frustratingly, I’ve never received a copy of the film/commercial despite numerous requests to the film/production company.  So I’m trying to make a showreel pretty much from scratch.

In the UK, the general cost of producing a showreel from scratch is in the region of £600. The companies provide the written material or basic stock scenes for an actor to play and then it’s filmed and edited into a showreel format. If you already have footage of yourself from any TV series or film and it’s of a high production quality, then it’s simply a matter of editing together the scenes that show you and your ability in the best possible light. The cost for editing existing footage is much cheaper than filming a showreel from scratch and organisations like Spotlight will edit some of your material together for a small fee. I would say, however, that a good editor can really make a difference in the way a showreel (and you as an actor) are presented. So do some research. 

I haven’t got a spare £600 at the moment so I’m enlisting the help of a friend with a decent camera to help me write and film some scenes. The aim is to produce a few short scenes that look as if they’ve been taken from a drama series or an indie film. If a casting director doesn’t know your work and you’re wanting them to take a chance and audition you for TV or film when perhaps you don’t have a lot of experience in that field, it will really help for them to see you in something that looks as if it’s been properly and professionally produced. That also means making sure that the other actor(s) in the scene with you are good as well. Although, in any scene you shoot/show, make sure that you are the one driving the scene or at least are more featured. You don’t want them casting your co-star instead of you!

I’m still doing some research but here is some advice I’ve gleaned from marketing seminars, advice sessions from various casting directors and by reading books such as Secrets from the Casting Couch by Nancy Bishop, which is an excellent read full of useful info.

TOP TIPS:  

• Keep reels SHORT! If it’s more than 2-3 mins long, it probably won’t be watched to the end. Get right to the meat of the scene so that casting directors can see you in the best light possible, as quickly as possible. (For that reason, I would say that casters prefer showreels that don’t have the montage at the beginning. If you’re keen to have a montage of all your clips with music, then you could always put it on at the end).
• A showreel should be available at the touch of a button, 24/7, so get it online (vimeo, youtube etc). It should also be on your spotlight page, website and any other databases you use.
• A showreel should reflect the types of roles you would be suitable for. That includes roles you want to play but be realistic – if you’re keen to play hardman types but don’t really have the physique, picks roles that highlight your castability. Even if you start off getting typecast at least you’ll be getting cast! Once you’re working in the industry you’ll have more chance to break any pigeonholing and expand your playing range.
• Edit the showreel as much as possible to make the focus on you. Try and vary the scenes to create more interest. E.g. a fast paced scene followed by a slower paced one.
• Make sure the sound, lighting and production values are as professional as possible. You don’t want a good acting reel to be let down by poor sound/lighting quality.
• Include contact info – it might be useful to have your name and website/agent at the start of the showreel as well as at the end. Make it as easy as possible for a potential employer to know who you are, remember you and to contact you. 
• If you don’t have a lot of experience in front of the camera, aim to get as much as you can by doing selected student/low budget films, taking film acting classes or even getting together with trusted, like-minded actor friends, borrowing (or buying) a camera between you and meeting regularly to practise. That way, if your showreel has the desired effect and you get called in for a casting, you’re more likely to feel prepared and relaxed in front of the lens and therefore more likely to get the job. So keep practising.