ASK & DISCUSS INDEX

12 years, 8 months ago - Marlom Tander

I use Windows Movie Maker if it's simple and Sony Vegas if it isn't. Vegas cost more than I planned but a 30 day trial sold me on it and I've used it for years with no problems. I probably use less than 10% of it's power.

12 years, 8 months ago - Vasco de Sousa

I agree that moviemaker is pretty simple. So is iMovie, which comes free with Macs. Moviemaker doesn't seem to do all the formats I want, nor does it publish to them.

I've seen some pretty impressive showreels for camera people made with final cut pro, including the new edition. The transitions are professional, and so are the titling options, plus it includes a lot of great music. There are some excellent tutorials which take you through the basics pretty quickly (one available on the mac store for £2). It has a pretty easy pan and scan for stills.

I'm also impressed with Corel's video maker (for Windows). Unfortunately, that doesn't do HD 24p. But, it has more options than MovieMaker, and it is still relatively easy to use. It has pan and scan capability and can do most of what people want.

12 years, 8 months ago - Philip Delancy

I've been using Windows Movie Maker which comes free with Windows XP. I looked at the samples in Spotlight and used their format. I could put music, etc on but I've heard many casting directors find that distracting. It's not as sophisticated as professional packages but it does the job and has got me work. Here's my film showreel done on Movie Maker: https://shootingpeople.org/watch/109797/Film-Showreel-2012.

12 years, 8 months ago - SP User

If you like what you just read, watch the reel before reading this next bit... So, if you like the look of my reel and want to know more about how its all put together, look at the way the scenes (not clips) are joined in my reel - they don't cut abruptly one to the next, if you watch, they fade quickly into black and then up into the next scene - the audio fades as well, sometimes into silence, sometimes on a cross fade depending on whether or not I am going from a quiet scene to a loud scene and so-on, but it all means that you are less aware of the jump from one scene to the next - it flows better so its easier to watch. The easier you make it to watch, the longer someone might look at it for. The end montage, each shot cuts with the exception of the end clip which cross fades because it goes from one gentle image to another. So the cuts match the feel as much as possible. Its all useful but unspoken stuff but it makes for a more easy and comfortable watch of a reel...

12 years, 8 months ago - SP User

Hi Scott,

Firstly what I tell you is just how I would do it, so make of it what you will, but to be honest it genuinely doesn't make much difference which editing package you use. They all do the same basic job. Let me explain. I use Adobe Premiere but simply because I am an ex-tecchie!! You simply needs something that allows you to carry out the small unspoken touches that is what will make a showreel stand out such as letter boxing, easily matching audio and editing to frames rather than just to seconds, which most basic software will allow you to do now. The technical stuff is mostly irrelevant if you get the stuff that really matters in a reel correct - showing what you can do as an actor!!

I only know about showreels as I went on a lot of seminars about them and spoke to a lot of people including leading agents and I was astounded by some of the things I learned. Take a look at my showreel and judge the results for yourself - my latest reel took me about 20 hours to think about carefully and edit - its here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=coYuQmvLabk

The most important thing to ask yourself when watching a reel (for example mine) is, are you ever for even a single second tempted to fast forward through it. Think of someone in a casting office who watches literally thousands of reels a week - most of which are rubbish. They get bored in ten seconds and they can tell if someone can act in 3 seconds, often before that person even opens their mouth. They won't give you the grace of sitting through even 2 minutes if the first 30 seconds is bad.

...anyway, back to reel making. For example making sure all the clips in your reel look like they have been filmed by a professional crew not just a cam-corder - it sounds daft but people forget that bad sound and poor lighting is enough to turn some people off totally - they will watch that and ignore your performance because they are distracted by everything else they see, so make sure your reel has good quality clips that communicates you are used to working with pro crews. The only reason a montage should ever be used is to establish who the person is watching - for example if there are two people in a scene and both are male or both female. So a montage should have a point to it or don't even bother with one - most CD's skip montage sequences anyway. I have one on mine only because the footage really tells a story and really shows a strong character, and the reel goes straight into some action to watch so its not boring to look at. I even have more clips at the end with a bit of music but ONLY because they are strong reaction shots and they may not even watch that far in to my reel. Its better to leave stuff out unless there is a real point to it. Your reel should be max 3.30mins - in the US for example they usually last max 90 seconds and this is what my next one will run at. It should have your name at the beginning and a single still headshot at the end with your name and contact info on it. Personally, I would avoid putting more than one still shot into a reel but that is just based on what I have been told by CD's and general consensus. If you are filling a reel with stuff that isn't live action think about why you are doing it - is it because you lack enough footage - this is what someone who watches a lot of reels will ask. Never put scenes that run for more than 30 seconds and never put scenes where someone else is holding the most screen time - someone watching will ask themselves why is it that you have less screen time when its your reel...

Put clips that show your type and range. A clip of you acting naturally/normally as well as shouting is something people always leave off but it can speak volumes about how believable you are on screen. People hate being type cast but everyone was in their early years - even Jim carrey. Showing your type allows a CD to remember strongly what they can cast you in. We all have a type whether we like it or not.

Finally, make sure all the audio levels on each clip are of around the same volume - there is nothing more distracting than volume that bounces around and surprisingly, people can actually start to think the picture is bad even if it isn't if the audio is rubbish. Before you finalise the project, walk away for 24 hours then come back to it and watch it again - you will be surprised what you see. Get other people to watch it too - not friends - people who are impartial.

...and remember to put matching letter boxing on all the clips so it looks like its all from a movie, additionally, subtly adjust the contrast (brightness) on each clip so that between one scene and another is not too much of a massive change.

Hope this all helps.
Good luck!
Pete
www.petergreenall.com

12 years, 8 months ago - Scott Barclay

Peter, thank you so much. That is a completely awesome answer, I really appreciate you taking the time to offer so much great advice and information. I shall study your showreel, re-read your messages many times and use both to template my reel. Once again, fantastic of you, I owe you a beer or two if ever we should meet.
All the very best
Scott