Advice on cutting a Reel

A

andrew00

Well-known member
Hey,

So I'm gonna cut me first reel over the next few days! Up until now I've been working in house w/a record co and doing their vids and now want to go out on my own to try to get some bigger gigs.

Does anyone have an advice - length, feel, tips/pitfalls etc?

For example - do I go with 'cool' music, or something ironic or just something generic enough to blend.

Also - on these jobs I basically did everything myself, so yes I directed, also produced, edited etc etc. Is it wise to make a note of that or to just let it talk for itself?

Cheers!
 
best stuff at the beginning

avg time 5min no longer than 8 or 9, you'll lose your audience

cut different reels depending on what kind of work you're trying to get...short reel, long reel, motion graphics, editing, shooting, whatever you do
 
Listen to Keegan. Do not make a reel crediting yourself for everything, I guarantee that true professionals will be turned off by that. Might you still get hired anyway for some jobs? Sure, but you won't break through to where you want to be.

I basically ignore someone completely if I see "Director / Producer / DP / Editor" on their reel because I assume jack of all trades, master of none. Or I wonder, and this happens a lot, if this person edited some of the footage, directed other footage, produced other, etc. So I'm not sure which shot is which, or if they did it all for every segment, etc.

I think a directing reel should be 3-4 minutes at most personally. You're asking a lot of people now days to sit through anything longer than that.

I'm excited that later this year, we're finally going to have a few reels rather than just projects. I am going to have one reel commissioned for my production company, with a lot of our marketing points and statistics about the importance of online video, and it will be focused mostly on the best corporate work / training videos / etc. that we've done, with a bit about our company probably delivered in a mix of voiceover and text. Then I'm going to have my editor build my first reel ever as a director. Currently, for both my company and myself, I've just shown completed projects relevant to the job at hand, like a bed and breakfast virtual tour for landing a hotel or bed and breakfast property, or a music video to do another music video, etc. This will be the first time I have a reel for myself as a director, using parts from my short, my feature film, and my music videos (leave the corporate / industrial work for its own reel).
 
Hi!

I am just editing my first Directors reel with focus on Live Action (OK. a couple of animation scenes are included).
I have worked a lot with motion graphics but I now want to work more with live action.
And I do not want to show whole projects after each other because then I just can show a couple of projects.
And if I just cut clips with fancy music i feels more like a DP reel.

SO, I have tried a new approach. I have ripped the soundtrack of a famous trailer and then put my work on it.
Sometimes everything make sense and somtetimes not. But I do not think it matter.

Some of the clips are offline versions and not color corrected.
It´s a work i n progress so I do not have and ending and so.

Bit please watch it. Does the idea work?

Some of the clips look the same so I have to replace them with others.

The material is from various commercials and shorts that I have directed.

http://www.karsvall.com/MatsRegiReel.mov


Mats Karsvall
Writer / Director
Sweden
 
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