different types of reels?

[vertigoanton]

Hey guys -

Just wanted some of your thoughts as to what type of footage should appear in a director's or editor's reel. I've seen a lot of reels from DP's that show awesome lighting, composition, camera moves, etc. And I've also seen a lot of reels from Motion Graphics Designers/Editors that show off that particular skill.

But if you're a director putting a reel together, it would make sense to put some of those same "beauty" shots in it as well, right? And if you want to show off a certain actor's performance, would you include clips of that?

And as far as an editing reel goes...a friend of mine asked his editing instructor if he had a reel and he replied, "what reel? I just send people my imdb page". This is great, but what if you're not at that level yet? Any thoughts on what to include in a non-motion graphics editing reel?

 

[milksac]

Directors and editors work with the entire story, whereas DP's and motion designers work with smaller moments in time; individual shots. A directors reel is similar to an editors reel. You need complete segments to convey story telling. A fast cut montage of various works is fine for motion designer or a DP reel, but for a director or editor a montage it's useless. For broadcast work putting together a reel is relatively easy. Just pick 5-6 of your favorite spots that show a range of work, add quick opener (a montage is OK for an opener), close and you're done. For long form work the task can be much more difficult. Finding :30-:45 that accurately conveys the message from a much longer piece can be a tall order. Pick the best moments from your best work, move it around and cut it down until it feels right. Whatever you do don't cut together a montage for a director or editors reel - show some finished segments.