A good showreel is the perfect way to present yourself and your skills for whatever role you may be applying for!
One of the most important general characteristics is that it needs to stand out and also present your best work in an effective and straightforward way.
Here are a few tips that may help to make your showreel a really effective one and improve it for every situation:
1) Think about who is going to see it
Exactly like a CV, it’s always good to customize it in a personal way keeping the audience in mind. Who are the people who will watch it, what may they be looking for, what are they likely to prefer
2) Focus on the essential
Try to keep it short and effective, don’t play full scenes but edit them in a short and straight-to-the-point format. You don’t need to include all your work, focus on the best bits and the most recent ones.
3) Include a range and variation of work
Try not to limit yourself to just one type
4) Don’t save best for last
More often than not, a good first impression is all it takes! If the beginning of your showreel is not engaging, the possible recruiters will pass on the next one very quickly.
5) Look at others
Find examples and references and take inspiration from them for your own.
6) Ask a stranger
Ask someone that doesn’t really know your work to revise it, watch it and give you feedback
7) It may be necessary to adapt it to different platforms
Think about where are you going to upload your showreel, whether your own website or on social media, think about the aspect ratio.
8) Always keep it up to date
If necessary don’t just add new content but try and keep the editing and style relevant as well.
9) The look of the showreel has to mirror your skills
The final result of the showreel depends on what are you going for and also the level of your skills.
10) Include your contact detail
Both at the start and at the end of the showreel and remember to always keep them updated. You can also include your details wherever most visible depending on the platform of choice so recruiters don’t have to skip the video to know how to find you.
Choosing to include clips where your work and your style is most visible is always the best option, and if you don’t have enough footage from productions that you worked on, you could also film some for yourself on your smartphone.
Bonus tip ?
If you are starting new you could consider joining the HND acting and filmmaking course at Raindance Film School where you can not only study acting but will also learn how to make film and create your own showreel by the end.
