When I cast my first short film, actors were sending their showreels on VHS tapes.
Years later, as digital technology advanced, filming bespoke showreel scenes became key and I had the privilege of being a big part of that movement.
Then Covid hit, and nobody could film anything. After years of Casting Directors demanding professional showreel scenes, suddenly things got a lot more flexible. ‘Just put something on tape’ became part of the language.
Pretty soon, showreels became a mixed bag; clips from films or shows an actor had been in, from scratch scenes, self tapes, sometimes even a social media sketch.
The texture of an actor’s reel changed and suddenly anyone who had hard and fast rules like “it must be TV credits only!” Or “It must be under three minutes,” sounded antiquated.
As self-tapes became centred in the casting landscape, where did this leave the showreel?
One thing I’ve noticed from the clients I write and direct showreels for is that my clients now tend to come to me a little later in their careers. Years ago, nearly all of my clients were fresh graduates – new to the industry and needing material.
But now, so often the clients are actors who’ve been around a fair while, tried many different things, only to realise they have showreels they’re not very proud of. They feel like the material doesn’t represent them.
I still get the graduate clients but they seem to get different advice now; namely to put self tapes up on Spotlight, and to build a social media presence.
Nothing wrong with any of those things, but the showreel can do for you what those other things can’t. I still get younger upcoming clients, but they tend to come to me a little later, after they’ve burned out trying other things to capture their essence on screen.
A showreel shows your humanity and complexity in a way you don’t get from headshots or posting ‘on set’ pictures on Instagram.
When a showreel is done well, it tells the story of you as an actor. And as a person.
Self-tapes serve a purpose, but there’s always an element of ‘performance’, regardless of how good you are.
Whereas a traditional-style showreel scene has you actively in a story, in a world, and opposite another character. The way you handle telling the story, being in conflict with another character — the very way you live and breathe that character — that’s how we truly get a sense of who you are.
Self-Tapes are crucial, but they’re at their best when they’re being used for a specific casting. To post them online as your portfolio feels a bit like sharing a picture of some tomato sauce and some cheese but not letting anyone see the whole pizza.
A showreel scene is still the best way of showing you as a believable character; navigating a storyline and pulling us into your world.
I have limited availability in coming months to produce original, unique showreels that are tailored to you individually as my client. You can see details on my showreel page. Get in touch to book a consultation.
