Behind the Scenes:

In the world of the entertainment industry where first impressions often give way to success, the significance of a well-crafted showreel for actors cannot be overstated.

A showreel serves as a visual portfolio, a succinct showcase of an actor's talent, versatility, and range. It encapsulates their essence, offering a glimpse into their skills, charisma, and ability to embody diverse characters. But what exactly is a showreel, and why is it such a crucial tool for actors navigating the competitive TV and film landscape.

What Is A Showreel?:

At its core, a showreel is a compilation of clips from an actor's previous work, typically films, television shows, commercials, or theater productions. These clips, or showreel scenes, are carefully selected to highlight the actor's strongest performances, capturing moments where their talent shines brightest. A balanced reel is edited as a visual mix-tape, where more restrained performances are shown side-by-side with more explosive turns. 

Actors must curate their showreels thoughtfully, selecting scenes that not only demonstrate their acting prowess but also convey a cohesive narrative or theme. Whether it's showcasing their ability to evoke raw emotion, portray complex characters, or excel in specific genres, every clip should serve a purpose in painting a vivid picture of the actor's capabilities.

Overall, the showreel is the actor’s CV and, depending on where you are in your journey, that might not be necessarily important to you. However, if you are at the beginning of your journey, or even more established but in need of fresh material, a showreel is crucial as a) it shows agents, producers or casting directors what you can do and b) tells them what kind of commercial value you can bring to their project or business. If you can encapsulate emotional complexity and diversity of performance in your reel, you are more likely to gain a foothold in the industry and find roles with more and more dramatic responsibility. 

What If I Don’t Have The Footage?:

This is the catch-22 of starting an acting career: you need a reel in order to get roles, but you need roles to build a reel. It can be tough, at the beginning, to put enough footage together that is designed to help you showcase the best performances possible. This may be because you haven’t picked up any professional work and, if you have, perhaps it is as a supporting artist or in a featured role with minimal dialogue. And if you did manage the get enough screen time, was it in a professional production? Student films are often a great way to get material as an actor, but production quality can be inconsistent.

Despite this, there is still a need for a showreel because, to put it bluntly, opportunities become incredibly limited without one. In fact, without a personal connection to someone who already has a sense of your ability, it is very hard to express who you are as a performer. One solution is to look for a dedicated production team, one that can help you create the kind of scenes that will help to show off your skills and to get the attention of the gate-keeping producers, agents, casting agents and any other film pro that could help you get work. 

This may seem problematic as a bespoke showreel, financed and executive produced by the actor, suggests that the actor is not yet of the status to work on professional projects, however this is certainly not the case. Consider an actor who has had featured roles on soaps or dramas, however their on-screen time has been limited or the speaking parts condensed. They are clearly of the skill to be cast in professional productions, but their reels don’t fully show what they are capable of. Likewise, consider a novice actor who has only just started acting, or a theatre actor whose on-screen roles have been limited. These actors are hindered by circumstance, despite their experience or ability, and so it might be necessary to hire a production team.

Hiring Production Support:

Finding the right production team to help you create your showreel material is as simple as finding a producer who is dedicated to making these types of scenes. Understanding character dynamics, story, genre, theme and structure is crucial in narrative film-making, especially when considering the best length for a showreel clip is between 60-90 seconds long. A production company with a dedicated script-writing and character/story development team, who understands narrative filmmaking, is going to deliver a product that is designed specifically to put the actor in the spotlight, as opposed to videographers or video producers who do not have the relevant experience in writing and producing narrative film.

Likewise, narrative film-making needs the right kind of technical understanding in order to capture imagery and audio that can sell the scene. Composition, character blocking, lighting, colour temperature and camera movement is key when considering the overall quality of the scene. A showreel scene does not necessarily have to be technically perfect, after all it is merely there as a showcase of the actor’s ability, but the truth is that a professionally-shot scene is going to help the performer connect with the audience far better than one that is not at least technically sound. 

Whichever production arm you decide to hire for your reel, it is important to note that it is the performance that is key. A well-written script, great direction and a well-shot scene will only be as engaging as the actor’s abilities allow, so it is important that the actor is ready for this kind of opportunity. With that said, the opportunity to build a reel from scratch allows the performer to tailor scenes directly to them and, in turn, this approach offers the chance to control your casting and how industry pros will see you. 

Showcase Your Strengths:

If the actor’s showreel is their CV, then what is its purpose of a CV in the first place? Some may argue that it can be to show experience and, importantly, who you have worked for previously. Some recruiters may find the reputation of your previous employer to be a key indicator that you will deliver the goods and, as a result, it is possible to distill the goal of your CV - or your showreel, in this case - to prove that you can do just that: deliver the goods. 

A reel is there to show that an actor can connect with their audience, that they can evoke emotional reactions in a captivating way, and that they can embody the character in a manner that can elicit an emotional response from their fellow performers. If the actor has a preference for comedy, then they should be able to show in their mannerisms, vocal approach and comic timing. If an actor prefers performing in horror or thriller roles, then they need to show an ability to embody fear and court empathy or, in antagonstic roles, an ability to be intimidating or showcase strength. 

Likewise, versatility is another hallmark of a great actor, and a showreel provides the opportunity to showcase this by choosing roles that can showcase the breadth of your abilities. Actors could include clips that demonstrate their ability to tackle a diverse range of roles, from intense drama to lighthearted comedy, from period pieces to contemporary settings. By displaying their range, actors can appeal to a broader spectrum of casting directors, agents, and producers, increasing their chances of landing coveted roles. 

Controlling Your Brand:

But further to displaying an actor’s range, a bespoke reel gives them the opportunity to cultivate their own casting type by specifically pairing scenes that portray them in a specific light. Consider, for example, how various actors craft their own branding over time and how various roles help them to be seen as the go-to actor in this area. The same ideals made Marilyn Monroe the perfect pin-up and John Wayne the quintessential cowboy.

Going back to the idea of the CV,  this is where a specially cultivated showreel can emulate experience. If the seasoned actor is able to suggest their casting through their previous roles, then a bespoke reel can piece together fully bespoke clips in a manner that equally suggests a specific casting. An actor interested in cultivating an “action hero” casting may consider a tense dialogue-driven thriller scene paired with a fight sequence. An actor interested in playing romantic parts or being in lighter fare may be interested in a meet-cute scene paired with a scene that includes expressive or even slapstick comedy. Each clip offers one of an actor’s abilities and, edited together, their overall range starts to make itself clear. 

Either as a versatile actor with a diverse range, or as an actor interested in making an impact within a specific niche, the actor’s showreel is designed to be able to communicate who you are and why a producer might want to hire you. Bespoke scenes, then, offer the actor an opportunity to build that impression from the ground up and directly suggest that actor’s casting. 

Keeping Your Reel Relevant:

There is nowhere to run in a showreel. Whatever stage of the process you are in, this will be reflected by your showreel. It is an important part of what the showreel can offer, one that shows film pros, and most importantly yourself, where you are in your journey and, perhaps, how far you have to go before you reach your own artistic targets. Actors who have an interest in developing and exploring new character types will find themselves utilizing new methods and improving their acting ability. As this occurs, it is possible then that the actor will outgrow their reel and will want to freshen it up every year or two. 

In a perfect world, the actor would have used their previous reel to get more work, thus building a reel with clips from professional TV and film performances. Of course, there is even a point where the reel isn’t even important anymore because the actor’s reputation has already been established within the industry. Of course, nothing is guaranteed and it may be necessary to hire a production team to create a bespoke scene that will adequately show off your current abilities. 

The showreel scene in general is meant to do one thing: to act as a showcase of the actor and their abilities. If the reel is no longer accurate, there is a chance your development - and any improvement in your craft - will be missed and thus a more correct impression of your abilities will be missed by those who are tracking your career. Maintaining the ability to create fresh content consistently is crucial to providing an opportunity to get more footage but, just as importantly, to improve upon your skill-set and further impress your ideal casting type.

Evolving with the Industry:

Content creation goes beyond the clips curated for your showreel. Social media allows actors to create an on-going stream of content for their audience and thus, another opportunity to create an impression with producers, casting directors and other film pros. 

This DIY sensibility can give actors a chance to develop their craft, create new contact and establish themselves with an audience with content that exists separately to the expectations of professional TV and film standards. Audiences come to social media content with more relaxed expectations of quality but, as with showreel scenes, one thing is certain: the performance is key. 

Posting over time allows the performer to create a direct bond with their audience and thus it could become a breeding ground for other opportunities within the industry. If the showreel is merely a CV that is there to prove you can deliver the goods, then consider that an actor’s social media account can serve to make that CV more accessible, ensuring that the actor doesn’t need to make a specific introduction with an industry pro in order to make them aware of their profile.

Conclusion:

In the fiercely competitive world of acting, a showreel is not just a compilation of scenes—it's a calling card, a passport to opportunities, and a testament to an actor's talent and dedication. They could showcase an ability to be versatile with a series of diverse performances, or prove they are perfect niche casting by showcasing their love of a particular genre. Either way, a reel is meant to open doors and opportunities for the actor by showing what they can do and, in essence, what they will be able to bring to a production if cast. 

Whatever an actor’s needs are, NWAS is here as a dedicated production partner. Our team is made up of film professionals working in the industry and there is a breadth of experience within producing, directing, shooting and editing globally-distributed feature and short film projects. Our production team has been working with actors since 2021, writing, developing, shooting and finalizing scenes that help to showcase their strengths and highlight their preferred casting. If you are an actor looking for an opportunity to create or bolster your showreel, or even if you are considering hiring a production company to create bespoke Short Film or Social Media content, consider looking at What We Offer and getting in touch today.