stephen
07-03-2003, 12:19 PM
Less Is More ... or How to Cut a Great Showreel
Ever agonised over that phonecall "Send in your reel"? Here are some suggestions ...
THERE'S AN ART to cutting a showreel, especially for an editor. How do you demonstrate skill in an art which - when well done - is by definition for the most part unseen? And, because its an art that deals with temporal juxtaposition, how can one possibly condense those attributes into a watchable videotape?
Think about your audience. What are they hoping to see?
Inexperienced filmmakers ask for a reel as a kind of reassurance that you have indeed got some "films" under your belt, especially if they don't know you by reputation.
Experienced filmmakers won't try to judge your editing on the basis of a showreel. More likely - if they ask for a reel at all - they're interested in seeing the range of material you've had to work with.
Some prospective employees (I won't call them filmmakers!) ask to see a reel as a matter of formality, some don't even have the courtesy to watch it, and worse, some play the video - sometimes on fast forward - and then proceed to ignore it completely while they tell you about themselves!
Tailor your reel for the market you're going after. This may mean making more than one version.
How long? 10 minutes is plenty. Sure, it's very hard to fit a lot of material into 10 minutes, especially if you want to include some good dramatic scenes - but if you ever sit through your showreel during an interview, you will soon realise that shorter is better and more material is not going to convince someone to employ you! If you are lucky enough to have a lot of material, leave everything out except the BEST ten minutes.
A lot of producers are very busy people and getting them to watch anything is often an achievement in itself. Make it easy for them. Don't keep all the good stuff for the end ... it may never get that far! Keep it snappy and interesting, put as many recognizeable people, companies, logos, etc in your reel, with the best stuff up-front. Trailers and opening/closing title segments are often good to include, as they already encapsulate the content and feeling of a program.
Though it's tempting to put the scenes you are most proud of into a showreel, often your best editing is not necessarily the most watchable material. A series of long segments interspersed with black or titles can get very tedious to anyone who is not passionately interested in your work.
Most importantly, a showreel should be a self-contained piece of work ... think of the reel as your trailer, and pay attention to flow and pace just as you would for a "real" job. If it isn't watchable on its own merits, then it isn't worth watching at all. Paradoxically, you mustn't become too obsessed about showing off your editing! Keep it snappy, entertaining and fun. A boring reel - no matter how good the editing within it - reflects on work you might do for a potential employer.
And if you have good references, they watch the reel, take a liking to you, and then REALLY want to judge your work, they can always ask to see a copy of your best movie or documentary. If you get that far, you're doing well.
Matthew Tucker
(With the help of some collective wisdom shared by some of the contributors to the Editing-l mailing list!)
Ever agonised over that phonecall "Send in your reel"? Here are some suggestions ...
THERE'S AN ART to cutting a showreel, especially for an editor. How do you demonstrate skill in an art which - when well done - is by definition for the most part unseen? And, because its an art that deals with temporal juxtaposition, how can one possibly condense those attributes into a watchable videotape?
Think about your audience. What are they hoping to see?
Inexperienced filmmakers ask for a reel as a kind of reassurance that you have indeed got some "films" under your belt, especially if they don't know you by reputation.
Experienced filmmakers won't try to judge your editing on the basis of a showreel. More likely - if they ask for a reel at all - they're interested in seeing the range of material you've had to work with.
Some prospective employees (I won't call them filmmakers!) ask to see a reel as a matter of formality, some don't even have the courtesy to watch it, and worse, some play the video - sometimes on fast forward - and then proceed to ignore it completely while they tell you about themselves!
Tailor your reel for the market you're going after. This may mean making more than one version.
How long? 10 minutes is plenty. Sure, it's very hard to fit a lot of material into 10 minutes, especially if you want to include some good dramatic scenes - but if you ever sit through your showreel during an interview, you will soon realise that shorter is better and more material is not going to convince someone to employ you! If you are lucky enough to have a lot of material, leave everything out except the BEST ten minutes.
A lot of producers are very busy people and getting them to watch anything is often an achievement in itself. Make it easy for them. Don't keep all the good stuff for the end ... it may never get that far! Keep it snappy and interesting, put as many recognizeable people, companies, logos, etc in your reel, with the best stuff up-front. Trailers and opening/closing title segments are often good to include, as they already encapsulate the content and feeling of a program.
Though it's tempting to put the scenes you are most proud of into a showreel, often your best editing is not necessarily the most watchable material. A series of long segments interspersed with black or titles can get very tedious to anyone who is not passionately interested in your work.
Most importantly, a showreel should be a self-contained piece of work ... think of the reel as your trailer, and pay attention to flow and pace just as you would for a "real" job. If it isn't watchable on its own merits, then it isn't worth watching at all. Paradoxically, you mustn't become too obsessed about showing off your editing! Keep it snappy, entertaining and fun. A boring reel - no matter how good the editing within it - reflects on work you might do for a potential employer.
And if you have good references, they watch the reel, take a liking to you, and then REALLY want to judge your work, they can always ask to see a copy of your best movie or documentary. If you get that far, you're doing well.
Matthew Tucker
(With the help of some collective wisdom shared by some of the contributors to the Editing-l mailing list!)