Directing a "fake" reel

I

ICD Films

Well-known member
Anyone done it? Maybe even a more appropriate name for it, "Demo?"

Seems like the best way to me, pick a kwel song & let your imagination go crazy. Guess i'm thinking 50/50 director/DP now but anyhow seems like a great idea if you don't have a portfolio to actually *make* a reel from.

Guess it may be called a short film then... or still legit to call a made-up reel a reel? Detalis, obviously ;)
 
Do you mean, going out and shooting many different stylized shots to make a demo reel?

Kind of like when people make a spec trailer to sell a feature film that doesn't exist?

I'm not sure I follow.
 
Why not just make a short film and use that as your demo instead of a reel? I mean, the best thing you'll be able to show anyone if you do what you're talking about is show them that you can come up with interesting camera angles, unless you're staging scenes/lighting them you're not really showing people that you have the ability to create a mood or anything. I guess the better question is, what is this for? I did something similar to what you were talking about when I applied for a video internship and didnt have a portfolio, it got me the job but I don't really think something like that will get you any film-related work (unless your footage is absolutely stunning).
 
I just worked with a bunch of actors to create reels for them. They picked a variety of different scenes in similar locations, then we lit and shot each one of them. We shot something like 8-10 scenes in two days. I think doing something similar could work out quite well. Just pick a bunch of scenes that you've wrote or someone else has and then just shoot them.

Might take a few days, but then you have a variety of different styles and genres to show off.
 
randomname said:
Why not just make a short film and use that as your demo instead of a reel?
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You're saying short films generate more gigs than reels...? Just asking, i'm a noob outsider, if you have tips for sucess please do share.

Gut feeling? I'd expect the one activly looking/stumbling over talent has web ADHD just like the rest of us... and hardly spends his time watching a random short.

randomname said:
best thing you'll be able to show anyone if you do what you're talking about is show them that you can come up with interesting camera angles, unless you're staging scenes/lighting them you're not really showing people that you have the ability to create a mood or anything.
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Don't you think that sounds very... paradoxical?

I'd rather spend a couple grand on a fantastic 2 min DP reel with a story baked into it & sucks you in every second of it & then stamp your phone number in ya FACE at the end. But again, I have no idea how the business works either here on in the US, so please do share, just using my gut.......
 
Personally Martin, I think you've got the right idea.

Sure, you could make a short film. But generally that would only show what you're able to do in a single genre, with a small group of actors. By doing a number of 'demo' scenes, you get to play around with all kinds of genres and visions, and work with a wider number of actors -- most of whom would probably love to have the footage for their own demo reels.

What you have to convey is whether or not you can successfully tell a story. Every scene is a mini-movie unto itself, with a beginning, middle and end, just like any other story. So doing a variety of scenes allows you to tell a variety of different kinds of stories.

Make sure you caption each with "Demo Scene" and a title of some sort, to ensure no one thinks you're trying to claim these are real scenes from real films.

I say go for it!
 
chapelgrovefilms said:
Personally Martin, I think you've got the right idea.

Sure, you could make a short film. But generally that would only show what you're able to do in a single genre, with a small group of actors. By doing a number of 'demo' scenes, you get to play around with all kinds of genres and visions, and work with a wider number of actors -- most of whom would probably love to have the footage for their own demo reels.

What you have to convey is whether or not you can successfully tell a story. Every scene is a mini-movie unto itself, with a beginning, middle and end, just like any other story. So doing a variety of scenes allows you to tell a variety of different kinds of stories.

Make sure you caption each with "Demo Scene" and a title of some sort, to ensure no one thinks you're trying to claim these are real scenes from real films.

I say go for it!
Click to expand...

+1
 
chapelgrovefilms said:
Personally Martin, I think you've got the right idea.

Sure, you could make a short film. But generally that would only show what you're able to do in a single genre, with a small group of actors. By doing a number of 'demo' scenes, you get to play around with all kinds of genres and visions, and work with a wider number of actors -- most of whom would probably love to have the footage for their own demo reels.

What you have to convey is whether or not you can successfully tell a story. Every scene is a mini-movie unto itself, with a beginning, middle and end, just like any other story. So doing a variety of scenes allows you to tell a variety of different kinds of stories.

Make sure you caption each with "Demo Scene" and a title of some sort, to ensure no one thinks you're trying to claim these are real scenes from real films.

I say go for it!
Click to expand...

sure, THATS a good idea but I was under the impression that the OP was just talking about driving around town and getting shots of flowers/old people in the park/whatever looked kind of interesting
 
chapelgrovefilms said:
Personally Martin, I think you've got the right idea.

Sure, you could make a short film. But generally that would only show what you're able to do in a single genre, with a small group of actors. By doing a number of 'demo' scenes, you get to play around with all kinds of genres and visions, and work with a wider number of actors -- most of whom would probably love to have the footage for their own demo reels.

What you have to convey is whether or not you can successfully tell a story. Every scene is a mini-movie unto itself, with a beginning, middle and end, just like any other story. So doing a variety of scenes allows you to tell a variety of different kinds of stories.

Make sure you caption each with "Demo Scene" and a title of some sort, to ensure no one thinks you're trying to claim these are real scenes from real films.

I say go for it!
Click to expand...

Great advice! To add just a bit, make sure that your demo follows a story-style pacing. That is, don't shoot 5 climactic scenes. People need to know you can handle the quiet scenes as well as the loud. If you follow the rise-and-fall climax progression common for good films, I think it will demonstrate not only that you can shoot individual scenes but you can cut 'em together as an entire work.
 
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