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advice on a showreel

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  • 28-07-2010 4:43pm
    #1
    101001
    Registered Users Posts: 1,071 ✭✭✭


    So ive been out of the (regular work) video world since leaving college. Ive been mostly working for myself (corporate, gig, festival stuff). I really want to just get a job at this point, literally doing anything!. Im wondering to myself about the showreel.

    How do I make an effective showreel? Every showreel I see seems so generic music/image. I find them incredibly boring. Does anyone have links to good showreels they've seen? Or notes on effective showreels?

    Any help on this would be greatfully appreciated. I do have a great deal of knowledge and a CV looks impressive on paper (some large companies worked for etc.) but I just need a way of putting this across in a showreel.

    And are showreels a necessity?


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    #2
    dacogawa
    Registered Users Posts: 1,840 ✭✭✭dacogawa


    Hi Binary,

    Well it depends on what industry you're trying to get a job in whether or not you need a showreel ? If its video/audio/photo you should have one.

    If it is one of those I'd make tailor made ones for each company you go for (i know it takes lots of time) if you look up some of the stuff they have done in the past, you'll know what they like and you can improve on it, and also show your best stuff around it.

    Hope this helped a bit :)


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    #3
    101001
    Registered Users Posts: 1,071 ✭✭✭101001


    It helps alright... I had thought of tailoring for each place... the thought of this makes me *sob*. Im thinking of making a once size fits all. Its mostly all for post-production anyway. I was going to put web animations, flash ads, AE animations, design and video that ive shot and edited all in the one 2 minutes.

    TBH I wouldnt be able to make one specific discipline look good. I wouldnt really have enough content to have a GOOD 2 minutes for say a compositing job.

    im just trying to deliver it in an interesting way and am drawing blanks. I reckon Im gonna have to bite the bullet and just cut to music!

    Cheers for the help... Oh and one more thing! For video editing/delivering video for web is a showreel a necessity? Are people doing it?


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    #4
    BlitzKrieg
    Registered Users Posts: 14,698 ✭✭✭✭BlitzKrieg


    Hey


    Yes showreels are necessary but they should be tailored towards the area you are applying in.

    The *boring music/image* set up is because you need to confirm your quality of work quickly and entice the emplyer to look further

    As such a good showreel would normally have that 1 minute music/image segment to show the standard you have worked at and the possible diversity etc but then would have an optional selection of highlights from the pieces of work that best highlight your abilities these could be scenes from a film you worked on that highlights your skill as a director/dp/editor or so on.

    This is the part that needs to be tailor made. The music/image set up is something you can send to any job in the industry just to highlight your experiance and standard so someone can know in under a minute if it is of the experiance they want, while the meat of your showreal is 2-3 clips from your work that best highlights the area you are applying for and shows your abilities.

    If its for post production as you say, then variety is the spice of life, show your post production work with different software, media and so on. I did a post production showreel recently and had a scene from a film, a sports programme I edited and a radio play that I did the post production on as my 3 clips. It showed strong sense of storytelling with my editing and technical experiance and quality with visual and audio software. This is coupled with my normal showreel of video/music with brief notes of my role and the production for each clip.


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    #5
    101001
    Registered Users Posts: 1,071 ✭✭✭101001


    BlitzKrieg wrote: »
    Hey

    As such a good showreel would normally have that 1 minute music/image segment to show the standard you have worked at and the possible diversity etc but then would have an optional selection of highlights from the pieces of work that best highlight your abilities these could be scenes from a film you worked on that highlights your skill as a director/dp/editor or so on.

    Blitzkrieg... Or from now you shall be known as Sir Blitzkrieg, admonish me at any point if I havent refereed to you thusly.

    Thanks a million for that. That actually makes a lot of sense, i like that a lot. So a section that is an over view and a section tailormade for a job. I was thinking of something similar but interactive. (if you want to see more of that click here). TBH though i havent a lot of narrative based work, that actually worries me a bit

    Would you have a copy of your showreel online? Would it be cheeky of me to ask to view it? PM me if you dont want the world to see it.

    One more thing. Is dvd of a showreel a nessesity. I plan on making a website alright. DVD necessary as the delivery of this is something Id have to think up also.

    i sincerely appreciate this


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