Acting : Showreel - Feedback & comments please! by Peter Halpin

Well done. My only note would be to not show the woman open the door at the beginning. I like hearing the siren and door knock, but I would cut straight to you. Every piece of advice I've ever heard about showreels is to start and end on your image. CDs, agents, and directors who watch this are not going to be concerned with plot or continuity, they just want to see and hear you on screen. Other than that, I thought it flowed very well and showed a good range (plus all the footage was of top-notch production quality). Great job!

Well done!

Thank you so much for taking the time to watch and feedback. I completely agree too. I saw it straight away in the edit! I'll revisit it to see if that cut is possible without jarring. My thought was that if a CD is watching it, it's pretty obvious that's not me opening the door! Back to the edit suite....! :)

That change has been duly made Matthew. Thanks. It works just fine. :)

I like it, you have some great scenes. Very realistic and shows a great range. I have to ask, is the short haired lady in "3some" the lady from one of the early episodes of Dr. Who?

Solid acting. My favorite part is when you say "she wasn't cheating on me..." that was great. I would even consider opening with it. As soon as I see that scene I think of you being cast in so many movies I can think of--dramas, romantic comedies--where the guy is cheated on. It's strong. I would cut the part out that focuses on the woman's face and the boy's face in the beginning. They are interesting to look at and stay in my head, but YOU are interesting to look at too and we want YOU to stay in the viewer's head. This is your reel, you don't need to compete with anyone :)

Thank you Teri. I am actually considering a new edit, opening with that clip. :) The cut-aways to the woman's and boy's faces are during my line, so cutting them would slice up the line oddly. I know what you mean though, I've done lots of cuts through the scenes to focus on me but they're unavoidable unfortunately. Thank you so much for taking the time to watch it and give feedback. :-)

Thomas, thank you. Yes, she is. She's called Annette Badland and she's both great & lovely! :)

Alle, Feel free to watch and give feedback on as much or as little as you want. This is just to help go through the edits. It's had one since I posted on here (cutting straight to me at the opening) & is in the process of another. One or two of your points are already covered in comments above yours and the piece you refer to is credited on screen, so you'll see it's not The Bill (which was taken off TV 4 years ago) but The Mirror Boy, a feature film that had a UK cinema release. Thanks, Peter

It's cool .. i like you work :)...WOW reel!

Alle, if I cut out every second of everyone else's face there'll not be a single full sentence and it will look like the worst cut, most amateur looking reel ever seen. Obviously these are from productions I am in, that if didn't direct or edit so I can only use the footage given. What you suggest regarding cutting out all other faces is not what is regarded as a professional reel here in the UK. So there's clearly a cultural divide/difference with that. The credits in screen are highly encouraged and recommended in the UK to reference alongside the CV. Casting Directors here are very pro-credits.

Peter, I am going to agree with you. While some tightening might be good you have to leave other actors, as much as the reel is about seeing you, it is very much about existing in a real environment... one in which you're not talking to no one for a few minutes. And the title are important over here as well, it gives everyone looking at the reel a clear indication of the separation of the project as well as the name to go out and look for more from it... I know my reel has only been done for 2ish weeks now but I've already had a few emails come in in which they directly reference the projects by name in the reel.

Thanks Thomas. I have of course spliced it as much as possible. There are cuts through each piece to concentrate on me more, even slicing out other characters' lines completely. If it was ALL on me, sentences would be like this: "hello Ma...I'm PC Andrews and thi... we're here in... ding your son TJ..."! Nonsense!! Anyway, a new cut will be coming around mid-week. Thanks all for taking your time. It's appreciated to hear the different views and opinions. :-)

Alle, what if you're and actor and do know what J and L cuts are?

lol :p

Very nice Peter! very impressive Acting & who ever you hired to put the reel together is very good too! Congrats!

Nice presence on film. Especially liked each film name identified on screen with your name. Impressive acting. Continue with your craft. Wishing you good luck Peter.

It's good... a bit dark in spots though...

John - I agree and have tried to have the lighting issues corrected as far as possible. As with any of us, I can only use the footage I'm given though! OK, after many of you have been so kind to watch this and Alle's high horse has ridden her off into the sunset... here's the next edit. Some bits and a new clip in, some chops, a re-ordering, a few seconds sliced off and more focus on me without it being a hash of everything but me cut out. Constructive criticism is absolutely welcomed and helpful. Arguments fuelled by and swathed in arrogant egotism, not so much! Thank you. :) www.vimeo.com/peterhalpin/actor

Good stuff, Peter. My notes are easy...remove the 2nd placement of your contact info before the musical medley. Some people may assume the reel is over. You list it again at the end and that's where it should be. I'd love to se how you do with comedy.

Thank you Jon. I totally see your point. I just put it in because some CDs say they don't watch montages, so it's there for them. I'm trying to please everyone, I guess! I love doing comedy and have done a lot, though largely on stage and in stand-up. The web series I'm in (3some) has a second series coming up that I'm told has some comic moments in. :)

Ok, I'd hire you!. You have strong niche. You should work alot. I would however recommend you trim both the number of clips and the length of each clip. Loved the ending. www.bryankent.com

Hi Peter! I liked very very much! Congratulations, you are a great actor.