Hi everyone. So i want to create a showreel but i have no 'professional' work. I've written some scenes and filmed them but they're just amateur, I've also edited them together in a bit of a montage but it's a bit boring and not very memorable. I was wondering if anyone has any other ideas of what to do? Thanks in advance : )
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Get a professional vdeographer and editor for your reel. There are also lots of services out there for actor's reels. They actually film your scene/scenes and edit it for you.
Hey Rachel, try to stay away from montages. Most casting directors just want to see that you can act, and montages are distracting. Im not sure where you are located, but submit to audition for as many student films as possible. Yes, you can also pay a company to make one for you.
I actually am a videographer and editor so is the guy I work with so we have all that covered thank you : ) I was just wondering more about content! How do you not make it look so 'montagey' if your editing lots of clips together?? Those comments have been really helpful thanks guys : ) I shall go back, have a few re-writes and re-edit! Thanks : )
I would just be careful adding really quick clips (like a few seconds each) and adding music. That's what I mean by montage. That makes it look more like a music video. But if the clips are like 15 seconds or more and they showcase your talent, I think thats fine. :)
Oh ok thank you : )
Also watch as many reels as you can. You know what you are good at so pick your best scenes, decide on the order and transition and stay on a scene only long enough to establish your character and show off you stuff then on to the next.
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Thank you : )
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Rachel ...go to my Pioneer Award Wining site 3 Day Demo... http://www.3DayDemo.com and contact me ...blessings
A lot of people in your situation use a reel service to shoot scenes for them. I've done that and I've self produced. Both cost money, but worth it to have some good clips. Relentless Films here in LA are friends of mine and I think do the best job out here. They hire me as scene partner for clients sometimes. You can see my own stuff at youtube.com/fsuchrisconnell or on my profile page here on stage 32.
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Some thoughts: I understand the Catch-22 of needing to show good work in order to book good work, but honestly, you may need to wait until you book some good professional work before cutting a demo. It can be indie or student film stuff, but it needs to look and SOUND great. On top of that, it needs to feature you. The problem is that CDs would rather see NO reel than a BAD one. I've seen many actor reels, and a lot of them start with a great professional clip, and then halfway through the reel, they include a crappy independent film that has poor lighting and sound. My opinion of the actor starts to go down at that point. I'd rather see ONE good clip of you than 2min of good and bad clips. As stated above, avoid montages (especially with music) at all costs. Oh, and regarding "professional" services that will write/shoot/edit scenes for you, most of them suck. Honestly. There is a pseudo-famous actor in Atlanta who was using his name to draw in business for this type of service, and his product was laughable given the hundreds of dollars he was charging.
I'll throw out some suggestions. If you did theater, assuming it went well, ask if you can record a scene from rehearsal. A sample form a staged reading is a possibility. Frankly, and I work in low budget indies, I look for anything in which the actor looks good. Recently, I saw a short film which an actor had written and produced. Very low budget but I factored that in and made a note of the actor's name for future reference . Hope it helps.
After reading Douglas' comment, I'll raise another question: who is your target? Are you trying to get cast in an indie film or other local production? If so, then a lack of production value in your reel probably won't be a deal breaker. However, if you're trying to get representation, or your agent is trying to pitch you for a role on a network TV show, then you need all your clips to look as good as the jobs you're going for. Trusting a network producer/writer/director to ignore the production quality and instead focus on the acting is a losing proposition.
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Thank you to everyone who has commented, I really appreciate it and will have a re-think into everything. : )
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Good question and great answers. I'm in the same boat.
Tara offers some excellent advice. I would add a suggestion. Recently an actor friend of mine asked me to shoot his audition for a TV role. (I have worked with actors on scenes occasionally.) We used his camera. I read the dialogue for the role opposite his. We did it several times and took his best read. So in addition to doing a monologue yourself, you might try a scene or two opposite another actor and see how it looks when you're done.
They're things i'm trying but i'm not sure if casting directors will take them as seriously asI have no 'professional' credits. Also would it be best to use famous scenes re-done or written for me/original? Thanks for the feedback guys.
Rachel, who is your target audience? Are you in a big market like LA, NYC, or Atlanta? A smaller market? Are you trying to get an agent? A better one? Or is your agent needing a reel so they can pitch you to CDs who haven't requested you yet? You MUST answer these questions first before you move forward with advice from this thread. Research the people who will ultimately see your reel and find out the common elements they look for. Because while some of the advice on here may be ok for a local commercial CD or indie producer, most "high level" targets will be very picky about what should and should NOT be on a reel. In fact, a lot of the prevailing wisdom these days is to have individual clips on Actors Access, 800Casting, etc, instead of (or in addition to) a reel. If you want to share the specifics of your situation, I'm sure the advice will become more targeted and therefore more helpful.
Chris, thanks for responding to my actor request. It's just one scene from my thriller script to be posted to my Youtube channel. I can send you a synopsis and the dialogue. You look young, don't know if you could play someone close to 40? I will provide food, credit on the scene and a minimum payment for 1-2 hrs. of work. My cell is 404-290-0022. Feel free to call and talk about it.
...here is my historic Award Winning Pioneer 3 DAY DEMO work to help Actors...have a great Journey http://www.3DAYDEMO.com