Showreel

A showreel is a short compilation of highlights, the audiovisual business card of people from the creative industry. Also known as a demo reel, the collection of the best work samples serves to convince potential clients.

A selection of professional groups for whom showreels are important:

• Actors

• models

• artists

• agents

• cameramen

• photographers

• presenters

A showreel has to be short and snappy and get to the point quickly. Decision-makers in show business are confronted with an immense flood of requests every day. There is simply not enough time to deal with each individual applicant in detail. Therefore, the length of a showreel should be between one and a maximum of three minutes.

If you want to create a showreel, you should proceed in a systematic and structured manner. Only a well-structured highlight clip will increase your chances of actually landing the job you are hoping for.

Guidelines for a good showreel:

• Start with a bang: The best scene right at the beginning ensures the reel gets the producers' attention. The rest of the reel then offers the opportunity to show the full range.

• Emphasize the strengths: If previous projects have been particularly successful or if certain photos have been published more often than others, then these works should definitely be included in the showreel.

• Copyright issues: Many artists have a showreel clause included in their contracts. This allows them to use material from the respective production free of charge for the creation of the highlight video.

• Music or original sound: In many cases, the original sound of the scene is the right choice for the showreel. Sometimes music is better suited to increase the emotionality, for example. Whether a soundscape is necessary at all or whether the work should speak for itself is a particularly relevant question for visual artists such as photographers.

• Contact details yes or no: The question of whether contact details need to be included at the end of the showreel is now a divisive one. In the past, this practice was commonplace. Today, however, demo reels are sent digitally, so the relevant information can easily be included in the text of the corresponding email.

There are no two opinions about the importance of a showreel. A successful clip opens many doors that would otherwise have remained closed, and the reel increases the chances of casting success.

A specialized industry has therefore developed around the creation of showreels. Agencies help with the conception and production. Many of these companies even offer the opportunity to shoot completely new scenes with the support of showreel actors.

Showreels also play a key role in many advertisements on Jobwork. That's why a good, professionally produced video is important for artists in all fields.