I need "Reel" advice

C

chitty

What should go on a director's reel and how should it be organized?
I don't have a lot of finished stuff, most of it is in post, but there is interest in hiring me to direct a feature, and the producer wants to see a reel.

My question is what to put on it and how!

Are trailers acceptable? I don't know if they really show any directing talent, or just editing skill.
I can throw a few short scenes on, seperated by explanatory titles, and throw some trailers on at the end.

Is that acceptable?
He was impressed enough with my resume to ask for a reel, so I want to impress him enough with my reel to hire me!

Please email me with any suggestions, but time is of the essence, and I'm broke and need this job because it pays union scale!

Thanks.
Jeff
passmeabeerprod@hotmail.com
 
If I were in your shoes, I would probably do a 5 minute montage of my different directing styles / scenes from movies I've done. I'm not 100% sure if this is a good idea though, so you may want to consult with others for feedback.

And good luck!
 
The problem with trailers is that they aren't any better for a reel than they are for selling a prospective film project to investors; as you summise, trailer creation is essentially an editor's art, and a specific one at that.

I'm not sure, honestly, how far that reel can go without a finished film, because that's the yardstick by which direction is measured. People always want to know what you've finished.
And, of course, if it sold.

If you can't get a feature together (which isn't easy,of course) you might try a short film. I think the idea here is getting from start to finish. A reel with a collection of scenes from an unfinished film is as likely as anything else to communicate the idea, "I haven't finished anything", which can be percieved as, possibly, "I can't finish anything." I'd start with a short film, honestly. But then again, if someone is hiring and you have only but a short collection of clips from an unfinished film, unless you're concerned about making a possibly bad impression the first time out, I'm not sure it would hurt all that much either.

But as for a reel proper, I think the clips should be from a finished film, and a short film I think would definately represent your ability to tell a complete story - and fnish a film - than a collection of clips from an unfinished project.

But hiring directors isn't what I do for a living, so take it with a grain of salt. A big one.
 
I would guess that since it is for a feature he's probably most interested in seeing your skill in directing actors. Of course there is much more to directing, but if I were searching for a director for a feature I would probably look at that first and foremost.

Yes, it would be better if you had a project, or many projects finished, but if you have some footage that's just awaiting editing and such, use some of your best work and make something to show it off. However you piece it together is really up to you, but it can also go a long way to showcase your particular "style".. even though a good portion of that style will be showcasing your editing skills, the content of each cut (between the edits) should show off your direction skills. :D

I feel like I just wrote the same thing a couple times just worded differently, so I hope that reads ok.
 
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I'd say go with a 3-5 min. montage of the coolest shot you've ever done. Then put on two short scenes, one being dialogue and the other could be an action scene to show that you can direct actors and put togehter a coherent action scene. Montages are cool, but they don't prove you know how to cover a scene.

Good luck.

Scott
 
My reel consists of 1 minute from each of my 4 short films. I just picked out the best minute and put them back to back with a nice fade in between and titles before each clip giving the title of the peice, the date it was completed, what my credits were (i.e. directing, cinematography, and editing) and any awards the piece won. I would say skip the montages. Unless you are going for an editing job, montages are just fluff. Make your cake before you go smearing it with icing.

I don't think there's any formula for how a reel should be. I think that it should be short (no more than 5 minutes) and it should show off your best work. Remember you only want to give them a taste, if they want to see an entire peice then you give them the tape or DVD. I would also mention that you are showing some unfinished stuff, just don't dwell on it. :director: And finish something for crying out loud. An unfinished peice doesn't do you any good.
 
chitty said:
but there is interest in hiring me to direct a feature
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Oops, I missed that part. Never mind.
 
I look at director reels a few times a week, but the reels I look at are for commerical directors. Their reels are pretty simple. Name slate, spot , spot , spot, spot,.....Name slate. They are just wall to wall spots with like 1 second between each one. There may be 5 spots on a reel, or they may have 10. I have noticed that some of the directors that aren't as experienced have put entire short films(under 5 min) on their reels, usually towards the end. Spike Jonze's reel starts off with a few spots, then has a few music videos, then a short film. Jeff Cronenweth's reel has like 6 spots, then 2 trailers, one for One Hour Photo and another for Fight Club.


ktdamien said:
...nice fade in between and titles before each clip giving the title of the peice, the date it was completed, what my credits were (i.e. directing, cinematography, and editing) and any awards the piece won.
Click to expand...

I was told to do this exact thing in school, but I've never seen a reel where this is done. They are usually just back to back spots or clips. You can include all this information on the enclosed log. And you should enclose a log of what is on the tape. You should keep in mind that a producer is usually pretty busy, so you don't want to make them sit around reading titles on the screen, rather, you should show them your work. I work with 5 producers and the way they watch reels alone is ridiculous. They fast forward through just about anything that they aren't looking for. If they get bored, they instantly start fast fowarding to get to the good stuff.

And I think everyone else has said to steer clear of montages. I've only seen montages for directors that are good for shooting food and table top objects. There is no point in having a montage unless you have like 5 hours of apples bouncing through crsytal clear water.
 
We are kind of in the same boat. For our site we put a 2 minute clip on to help sell your film to the worldwide audience. Your reel needs to be the same. It is funny how all those cliches seem to come into mind.. short, sweet and to the point. Leave them wanting more, but not to much. Show the footage that YOU love and everything will fall into place
 
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