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Writers pitch, actors audition, and cinematographers, editors, animators, and visual effects artists create reels.

When competition is fierce, standards are high, and jobs are at stake, a good reel is a key tool in landing jobs and attracting clients. We spoke with Erik van der Wilden, Owner and Director of Editorial and Animation at New York based motion graphics company Nailgun*, as well as two successful freelancers, cinematographer Sean Morrison and editor Dave Marcus, about how to create a winning reel.

What is a Reel?

A reel is a selection of clips from
work that you've created that show cases your skills,
talents, and experience. Quite simply, as Morrison
puts it, "A good reel makes you want to pick up the
phone and work with the person and a bad reel doesn't." Just
as important to your reel as the quality of your work
is presentation, and today, because of the affordability
of DVD burners and programs like DVD
Studio Pro, competitive reels are more than just
a string of clips on a VHS dub.

Morrison shed light on current industry conventions for reels by giving some context, saying, "Up until a few years ago a commercial/music video reel used to be between 5 and 10 minutes in length and distributed on VHS or 3/4" tape. Commercials would usually go on the reel in their entirety and music videos would be cut down to approximately a minute in length which required some creative editing to get the best bits in from a DP's perspective. A narrative reel could be longer - usually around 20 to 30 minutes - and consists of trailers and a scene or two from the films."

Now, because DVD burners and authoring programs like DVD Studio Pro are so affordable, reels are becoming more elaborate. Morrison's own reel is divided into two sections: music videos & commercials, and narratives & documentaries, and he says that he could easily add more section categories if necessary. "My thought was to make the reel fairly simple for someone to pop in and watch without surfing through too many screens. Sometimes I need to tailor the reel to the client which sometimes requires completely rebuilding it depending on the nature of the job and whether it justifies the investment of time."

Putting a Reel Together

Erik van der Wilden from Nailgun* has a lot of experience both watching reels and updating his own company reel, and he gave us a primer on how to build an eye-catching reel, saying that old adages give the best guidance.

Short and Sweet

"I believe that the viewer (the hiring person) knows quite quickly whether or not they like what they see. Therefore get right to your best work. Remember that most of us are presenting on DVD and as soon as they're bored they'll hit the fast forward or eject button. It's also important to realize that people really don't have ten minutes to watch an anthology of your work. Be respectful of their time. Remember, unless you're pursuing long form, most of the work we do begins and ends within 30 seconds or less.

Quality, not Quantity



"Only show what is both your best work as well as what is still popular in the present environment. Some of the 'big shops' put
reels together that feature more than ten minutes worth
of what they consider their best work.

Work as cool as it seemed when you
did it 4 or 5 years ago, is probably showing it's age. Also if you've been sending out reels for a few years to the same clients, the old work starts to say that you haven't been doing much lately. That's what's great about DVDs. You can make an archive section for your classics and the people who just can't get enough of you!

Use Original Montages

"[Rather than just offering excerpts from your work,] always start with an original montage. It's your opportunity to show both your best and most diverse work before they might check out. If you begin with individual pieces, the first one or two may not appeal to their taste or project they're casting and they'll never get to see the stuff that might excite them. It's also an opportunity to set the mood.

You get to choose the music, the
pace, what gets in and what's left out. You are your own client. That being said, remember 'short and sweet.' I try to limit the montage to about 1:30. A minute and a half is more than enough to show me your talent and the breadth of your work. I see the montage as the dessert plate in a fine restaurant. You present it so that they say 'I'll have a little more of that, that and that.'"

Allow Music, Movement and Color to Guide the Edit

"Continuing with the montage, musical choices can be anything, but try to find something with some variation. This allows you to slot the pieces into areas of the music that can carry them better. I feel montages work best when they follow an old editing credo; follow the bouncing ball. Let the movements [within the shot or graphic] (left, right, push, pull) dictate the edit.

Keep the viewers eyes moving in one
direction through a series of cuts. Then change it
up. Color palettes also are helpful in determining
an editorial decision. Don't
show the same elements from a piece all over your montage.
I prefer to use a couple of cuts from each piece together
to make mini segments and may revisit the logos from
these pieces in a little logo parade at some point
later in the piece."

Good Reels, Bad Reels

Van der Wilden also has some words of advice on how to avoid making common mistakes on your reel. " Very often in freelancer's reels are montages that keep showing me the same type of animation over and over. It leaves me feeling as though it's in there to make me think they've done a lot of work. I would prefer to see 30 great seconds and the 3 full pieces that contributed to the montage. Less IS more. Don't be afraid to leave me feeling teased and wanting more. That's a good thing. It will probably get me to call asking to see more, and guess what, you just got another opportunity to sell yourself!"

This might seem intuitive, but you must give credit where credit is due. Failure to do so is professional and unethical, and van der Wilden says that it could lead to serious consequences- even the end of your career. "What you don't want is to be hired because I think you can do that, because when you can't, you haven't just let me down, you've probably put me behind the eight ball with my client and you're about to ruin our potential relationship. Don't forget that it's a very small community and quite incestuous. Everyone discusses [their experience with specific] freelancers. Especially the ones that have let us down."

Working Reels

For his reel, freelance editor Dave Marcus created a narrative to keep things interesting and show his creativity. He chose the theme of "going to work," and also incorporates this theme into his website, business card, and other branding. "The DVD main menu starts with a subway train arriving at a station, and when the user clicks to play the reel, the train leaves the station and my reel begins with me actually leaving the train and walking to work. While I'm walking to work, I throw in samples of my projects. I did this because I was interested in telling a story with a beginning, middle and end to, as opposed to a flashy montage which [is what] everybody else does." Morrison shot the footage for Marcus's reel as a favor, saying, "I knew that I would need Dave's valuable talents and skills on any number of projects that I was working on at the time so we agreed to barter for each other's time."

Morrison, van der Wilden, and Marcus all advise updating your reel whenever you can. Morrison shoots a lot of music videos, so staying current in his reel shows clients and producers that he's constantly improving his craft. "If it's a high-profile piece I try to include it as soon as it's completed. Sometimes I'll send a new piece out to potential clients on it's own just so they don't have to search through a menu- they just pop it in and it plays."

Your reel is your calling card, and, in most cases, your first impression. It's worth spending the time and the money to keep it current, creative, and competitive.