I've noticed that many casting directors like to see a showreel as part of their selection process.
As this is totally new to me I would really appreciate some advice and guidance from other NAPM members who may have had one of these produced for their DS/DD's.
Does anyone have any recomendations for companies who produce showreels (North East of England)?
What should/shouldnt be included in a showreel?
What is the normal charge to have a showreel produced?
Any advice would be very much appreciated.
What is a good showreel?
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Irishdancer
- OSCAR Award
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Re: What is a good showreel?
It really dose bot matter where u live as u can send any thing u have over the net I had my ds showreel done by The Showreel Shop http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFmE6SRJEnE it cost £150 you can have 2 more things put on with in a year for that price and then £35 for putting something else on after that. The man who dose the showreel is an actor himself and has worked as a proficional edetor as well, he really nos what he is talking about I was really pleased with ds showreel would recoment any one who wants a showreel to go there. You can also do a showreel yourself can buy an editing cd or download some thing from the net. If you do no have a lot of things to put on a showreel TCS can video you and give u some thing to put on a showreel not sure how much that is.
Re: What is a good showreel?
I love your ds showreel he is really a fab little actor, you must be so proud. 
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Irishdancer
- OSCAR Award
- Posts: 1541
- Joined: Tue Nov 13, 2007 5:33 pm
Re: What is a good showreel?
Thanks Bruno2. Spotlight will edit yr clips for u for an extra £10 u give them all the clips and they will do it for u not sure what it's like as I do not no any one who has used them, but feel as it's a spotlight service should be good quality
Re: What is a good showreel?
I used Round Island to edit my latest showreel http://www.roundisland.net. In the past I have also asked knowledgeable friends or been offered help from independent film makers. I'm also in discussion with Mark Kempner http://www.markkempner.co.uk/actors%20showreels.htm about arranging to get some scenes shot for some actors who don't yet have any showreel footage. I'll let you know how that goes.
A CD won't necessarily expect a child to have lots of material to put on a showreel.
In terms of what makes a good showreel:
It is obviously preferable to have a compilation of excerpts from broadcast material you have appeared in. When you're starting out though this often isn't possible. If you do have several clips you want to put together then you can, as Irishdancer says, send them to Spotlight or get someone else to edit it for you. You might find a local enthusisast who would do a really great job for you or you can go to a professional editor. Take a look at lots of different showreels (Casting Call Pro is good for this and Kids Casting Call Pro) and see what you think of them.
If you just want "something" to put up, then a monologue to camera should be relatively easy to do at home. Make sure the lighting is good - sometimes being outside is a better bet as long as the sound isn't going to be a problem. I think a monologue NOT to camera sometimes works better - so that the actor imagines the person they are talking to is JUST off camera. The camera then catches everything the actor is thinking but you're not put off by the fact that the actor is staring down the lens - which scarcely ever happens in film/TV. Choose something very "conversational" - I don't mean casual, just that it should be modern and delivered at normal "real life" speed, or possibly even faster! Children don't normally have a problem with this! Keep the eye line up and leave time for the thoughts to register for the viewer. Sometimes the acting when the actor is not speaking are the most interesting bits (which is why a monologue is rarely the best choice to show how good you are at acting for screen!). You don't need to to "show" your thoughts, just genuinely think them.
A showreel should be SHORT. An absolute maximum of 5 minutes. 2 to 3 minutes is probably ample as this is probably all a CD will watch. If you are taking bits of scenes then make sure it is really clear from the very start who the showreel is supposed to feature! I've seen showreels where it has taken me almost a minute to work out which actor I'm supposed to be watching. Have your best clip first, as this may be all the CD will watch. Don't bother with flashy montages and music, all the feedback I've ever had is that CDs just want to get straight to the acting. Make sure you have plenty of close-ups. Don't worry about the showreel telling a story or making sense - that's not what it's for. At its most basic, a showreel is to show someone how you come across on camera and to give them more to go on than just a photograph.
P.S. I love your son's showreel Irishdancer! He is a great little actor and I love the way the showreel has been put together. I think the montage works really, really well at the end (much better than having it at the beginning) and it leaves you with a smile after quite a lot of serious stuff. Brilliant!
A CD won't necessarily expect a child to have lots of material to put on a showreel.
In terms of what makes a good showreel:
It is obviously preferable to have a compilation of excerpts from broadcast material you have appeared in. When you're starting out though this often isn't possible. If you do have several clips you want to put together then you can, as Irishdancer says, send them to Spotlight or get someone else to edit it for you. You might find a local enthusisast who would do a really great job for you or you can go to a professional editor. Take a look at lots of different showreels (Casting Call Pro is good for this and Kids Casting Call Pro) and see what you think of them.
If you just want "something" to put up, then a monologue to camera should be relatively easy to do at home. Make sure the lighting is good - sometimes being outside is a better bet as long as the sound isn't going to be a problem. I think a monologue NOT to camera sometimes works better - so that the actor imagines the person they are talking to is JUST off camera. The camera then catches everything the actor is thinking but you're not put off by the fact that the actor is staring down the lens - which scarcely ever happens in film/TV. Choose something very "conversational" - I don't mean casual, just that it should be modern and delivered at normal "real life" speed, or possibly even faster! Children don't normally have a problem with this! Keep the eye line up and leave time for the thoughts to register for the viewer. Sometimes the acting when the actor is not speaking are the most interesting bits (which is why a monologue is rarely the best choice to show how good you are at acting for screen!). You don't need to to "show" your thoughts, just genuinely think them.
A showreel should be SHORT. An absolute maximum of 5 minutes. 2 to 3 minutes is probably ample as this is probably all a CD will watch. If you are taking bits of scenes then make sure it is really clear from the very start who the showreel is supposed to feature! I've seen showreels where it has taken me almost a minute to work out which actor I'm supposed to be watching. Have your best clip first, as this may be all the CD will watch. Don't bother with flashy montages and music, all the feedback I've ever had is that CDs just want to get straight to the acting. Make sure you have plenty of close-ups. Don't worry about the showreel telling a story or making sense - that's not what it's for. At its most basic, a showreel is to show someone how you come across on camera and to give them more to go on than just a photograph.
P.S. I love your son's showreel Irishdancer! He is a great little actor and I love the way the showreel has been put together. I think the montage works really, really well at the end (much better than having it at the beginning) and it leaves you with a smile after quite a lot of serious stuff. Brilliant!