Quick question about director reels?

[jax_rox]

Thank you. I suppose it's better to be safe than sorry, even if a producer won't always ask to see the original pieces

Most Producers will want to know they can trust you to deliver. No professional credits and no material that can be watched doesn't really instil confidence.

 

[Sweetie]

My only question now is if it matters whether or not the reel contains credited material. As in, would someone only take you seriously if your reel was made of commercials, music videos, and other paid assignments? (as opposed to small, short films you do on your own)

Showing examples of the work that you're going for is showing relevant experience.

 

[WalterB]

This. A director with a 'sizzle' reel and no credits sound kinda sketchy to me

If you're being asked to Direct something, it's generally based on a good recommendation or your past work. Or both. Very rarely is it due to a showreel. If a Director were to have a showreel it would need full scenes.

+1

Or a Director reel shows short scenes with titles credited, so the interested people can watch the whole movie.

The cat in the windowsill is not about directing, that's about a pretty (or not so pretty) shot.
That would be a DOP-reel or for a production company.

My showreel is a variety of cool, nice and beautiful shots (at least I like to think that) plus a few shots to add diversity. It ranges from shorts to corporate animations and registrations of live-events.
It shows a lot, but not that I'm a good or bad director.