Podeloy Productions Blog

Podeloy blog reader John Wouk asks:

“I’m trying to apply for a job I found on Craigslist directing a short industrial film.  The person who placed the ad is asking for applicants’ reels.  I’m a student at a local college with a few student films and short documentaries under my belt and am confident that I could do a good job on the industrial film, but I’ve never created a reel for myself.  How is it done? Is there a difference between a good reel and a bad reel? Should I just give him one whole student film I made or should I just show the best parts? Any advice would be appreciated.”

Thanks for writing, John.  Its a great question because it applies to directors, actors, editors, cinematographers, and anyone else who needs to create a reel to show off his or her work to a client or producer.

There are two broad categories of reels: (1) specific and (2) eclectic.  A specific reel shows off long scenes of projects (or perhaps even entire projects) whereas an eclectic reel shows off very brief clips of a variety of different projects.  Whether you want to create and submit a specific reel or an eclectic reel depends on a variety of factors including the project you are applying for, the client you are applying to, and your own personal strengths and experiences as an artist.

Cutting an specific reel is fairly easy.  You hardly need any editing skill at all.  All you do is choose the best scenes from your best projects, put them on the timeline, and add your fade ins and fade outs as necessary. This is best for directors and actors who want to show off their skills at creating and sustaining emotion.

Eclectic reels are a little more tricky.  What I like to do is get some fast-paced music (make sure to get the rights first) that would appeal to a variety of musical tastes, lay it on the timeline, and then just cut cool looking or action oriented shots from projects together so that it looks like you’re a jack of all trades.  The eclectic reel should look a little bit like a music video.  Confidence in getting the job done is the dominant feeling the client should be getting, rather than the sensitivity that the best specific reels are best at.  Eclectic reels are best for cinematographers, visual effects artists, and (sometimes) editors who want to highlight their technical craftsmanship.

A director I respect wrote me a month ago telling me that she met a nice guy who just graduated film school and wanted to network and learn more about editing. She asked me if I wouldn’t mind meeting him and just talking about my experiences with him. That was fine with me, so I sent him an email asking him if he wanted to have lunch with me.

A week later, the director who recommended him asked me if I had heard anything from him. I told her I didn’t. She frowned and said, “Oh well. I gave him an hour of my time.” We both assumed he either chickened out or didn’t care. I could tell that she lost respect for him at that moment.

Then, yesterday, the guy e-mails me back. This is more than a whole month after I sent him my invitation to have lunch. The guy apologized for getting back to me so sluggishly and explained that he was out of the country and hadn’t checked his email the whole time. I sent him back a response asking him to call me if he wanted to meet up. That was four days ago and I haven’t heard from him since.

I’m sorry, but unless you’re in the heart of rural India or something, prompt e-mail/phone responses are essential for building relationships. Promptness ensures that you are still in the mind of the person you are trying to network with. The guy in this story has not been in my mind for a whole month and I completely forgot about him before he e-mailed me. Furthermore, if I’m to trust the guy and possibly work with him, sluggish responses to e-mails is not a good sign of a dedicated colleague.