The ultimate showreel? Check. Time to reveal the process behind the magic. We’re giving you our 5 simple step guide to creating a reel that stands out from the crowd.
1. What are your goals?
First things first, you need to think about what you want your showreel to achieve. The obvious is to showcase your work, but have you thought about the nitty gritty?
Start by deciding whether you want a mashup of everything or if you’d rather focus on films from niche industries, to reach a more specific audience.
2. Get inspired!
Inspiration is key. Not only should you be looking for visual inspo, but structure, pace, and music too. The best way to do this is by making sure your social feeds are full of other creatives. Follow people that excite you and make you think differently about things. If you just surround yourself with people who are on the same level as you, how are you meant to grow?
3. Pick out your killer content
Sieve through your films and saturate your reel with only the best stuff, If you’ve got an abundance of visuals lined up, you can afford to be picky.
Once you’re happy with what’s sitting in the timeline, cut it down into shorter, more workable sequences. Ideally, you want to be left with no more than 60 seconds of footage, so your audience is more likely to watch from start to finish.
4. Add music to the mix
Source a soundtrack that’s fully licensed and make sure it’s covered for commercial use. Think about the genre of music too, as this will affect your reel’s style and the way your audience perceives it.
Satisfied with your song choice? DJ mode activated. Follow the next 5 steps to perfect your edit:
- Start by cutting down your track to the ideal length.
- Then, identify the key points in the track that you want the visuals to respond to, i.e. the drop.
- Begin working in those visual sequences to the points you’ve identified, typically using the most impactful footage.
- Follow this by building upon this with content that hasn’t been used yet, until your reel is full from start to finish.
- Wrap it up by making sure the visuals flow with the soundtrack and cuts on the major beats. Ta-da!
5. The finishing touches
Time to jazz it up. Introduce additional transitions and effects to add a little bit of spice. We like to try out new things and see how far we can push the edit, and then reign it back in if we’ve overcooked it.
Like what you’ve seen?
If you’ve got a project in the pipeline that you’d like us to get our hands on, give us a nudge. You can get in touch with us here.