The Weakest Link

Goooood morning actors.

I recently had a question from an actor, and it's a great one, very relevant.

The question was:

What order should the footage go in? Should you put your weakest scene last?

It's a great question and one that I think all actors need to be aware of when they are selecting scenes for showreels, and communicating with their editor.

The answer in itself is simple but it does open up a wider discussion as to what a showreel should be, how you should approach it and how this can affect your work and career.

In short NO material on your showreel should be considered your "weakest". It seems obvious but at the same time it can be a hard concept to grasp. I frequently get sent a plethora of scenes from actors requesting I look at them and see which would be best. Now that's not a problem, I'm happy to do it, but often times I find myself looking at scenes which are poorly shot, badly lit, have a lot of audio issues or sometimes just aren't the best work of the actor themselves. and I have to wonder, do you really think this is suitable for a showreel?

Let's break down what a showreel needs to be, this is a video representation of you turning around and saying "This is what I am capable of, hire me." It needs to be a collection of scenes that give casting directors not only video evidence that, yes you can act, but also a summary of the roles you are best suited for in line with your abilities and look.

This brings us onto how this can affect your overall work and career, it is important for an actor to be able to look at both the work they produced their career with a critical eye. I don't mean overly critical, God knows there's enough of that out there. What I mean is that when looking at your scenes, or your new showreel it is important to consider:

1. What does this scene say about me as an actor?

2. Does the scene fit the professional standards with which I want to be associated?

3. Does the scene showcase my abilities in a positive light?

Let's address these one by one.

What does this scene say about me as an actor?

An important question when it come to you as an actor is, what kind of roles do I want/am I most suitable to play? This is essentially knowing and understanding your branding, something I'll cover in more detail another day, but it is probably the most important question to get you a leg up on the competition. Play to your strengths visually and emotionally and use each scene to display those varying characteristics, e.g. I recently edited a showreel for a very talented actress who's primary branding is a tough hard cop. So I included two varying scenes, one in a higher status position and another in a low status, it can be that simple!

Does the scene fit the professional standards with which I want to be associated?

This one is more about the quality of footage, it is all very well doing a hundred student films, trying to get as much footage together as possible and hone your craft. But once you have that footage, no matter how much hard work went into it from your end, you have to be willing to bin it. This is the point where your critical eye needs to come away from yourself and focus on the film. Now the whole film itself doesn't necessarily have to be a master piece, but your scene, is it well lit? Do the camera angles work in your favour and show off all that work you're doing? Is the dialogue well written? Does the footage meet the sort of standards you expect from a professional piece? Because although the casting directors will be looking at you, all of this will play a part in forming their impression of you.

Does the scene showcase my abilities in a positive light?

This is a two parter really, first off is a simple one, that can get complicated. Was your acting good? Simple question right? But really, was it good, did you convey emotion and communicate visually as well as audibly with your scene partner? Were you in the moment? Really take yourself out of the equation and with your work with an objective eye.

The second part of this is, does the scene do service to YOU! Remember this is YOUR SHOWREEL, and you don't want your best bits of dialogue, or the majority of the scene focussing on another character. Be selfish because this is your moment.

Remember if you do have a scene you believe you were great in but you felt the editing didn't showcase you enough, don't be afraid to ask the filmmakers for the rushes so that it can be edited together as a short excerpt that is designed to showcase you.

Remember guys Your showreel should be designed with your needs in mind, never accept anything less.

Remember guys if you have any questions regarding showreels you can email me at actorsedits@gmail.com.

Until next time Thesp's.