To celebrate Slick’s 10th birthday we wanted to review our 5 favourite showreels from the past decade. From the launch of Slick Showreels in 2010 we’ve (quite literally) shot thousands of scenes and worked with just as many actors. We’re taking into account; performances, direction, cinematography, writing, editing, sound (recording, mix, design), costumes and locations. We think all of the showreels below excel in every area.

It’s been a fantastic journey for Slick Showreels so far so let’s find out why these reels made it into our top 5.

In no particular order…

Catherine Kohl
Catherine Kohl’s showreel really blew us away. It’s rare to find someone that can write just as well as they can act but Catherine is one to watch out for. She wrote all three of her scenes and each one contrasts beautifully; Sharp, witty dialogue in unique and original situations, each one is like a micro movie within itself. Catherine chose her own actors all of which hold their own, creating an impact but not stealing the limelight.

The direction by Louis Russell is superb. Bold staging and camera movement with intelligent ideas behind each scene moves us through the showreel seamlessly with multiple styles complementing one another. Qudous to Bryn Williams for executing the cinematography and editing with engaging camera angles and cutting that help to bring out the humour in the comedic scenes.

Top Trump: Scripts by Catherine Kohl + performances

 

Grant Harris
If we could describe this showreel in a word it would have to be Brit-Grit. Everything about it has that British street vibe that we’re so used to seeing on our TV screens. From performances to location (those trains in the background were of course planned) this reel is near perfect in every department.

The flat lighting was a key element to the success of this scene, allowing consistency for cinematographer Neal Parsons to spread his wings and indulge with more time than if he was battling the sun popping in and out of the clouds. The extra time blessed by the weather really shows.

The three actors; Grant Harris, Alex Da Silva and Nathan Whitfield really deliver the goods and lift the punchy script by Danny Ormerod right off the page. It’s like a 3 way mexican standoff in the scene’s peak, giving director Louis Russell exactly what he needs for the scene to flourish. This combined with detailed shots and rack focussing really accentuate the storytelling. Louis intelligently guides our eye around the actors and through each segment of the scene as it unfolds. A cracking single scene which will surely see client Grant Harris on his way to securing jobs alike on our TV screens.

Top Trump: Direction by Louis Russell

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPm2CVz7KDg

 

Nathan Collins
Nathan’s showreel stands out immediately for all the right reasons. One of the most focused showreel clients we’ve ever come across, Nathan was sincere and professional right from the off and got in touch to collaborate in his final year of drama school. He knew what he wanted and knew what the industry needed from him to be taken seriously. Nathan had a great plan, which was to be completely ready and equipped with a high standard showreel that would see him seamlessly transition into the industry by the time he graduated – and it worked. Since the showreel shoot he hasn’t stopped working.

This showreel has a high production value and credit must go to production designer Alled Williams and producer Rebecca Harris for finding the details in the props, locations and supporting artists. It’s always the small details that are just hiding in the background that add the most texture.

This reel is another example of great actors effortlessly lifting the words off the page. With a stand out supporting performance from veteran actor Glenn Spears in the interrogation scene, director Tom Turner guides his bubbling anger with real subtlety peaking just at the right time and matches the camera style for the scene perfectly. With nifty inserts and poignant POV shots – this is the stand out stylistic scene of the reel for all the elements coming together in unison.

Top Trump: Production value, Alled Williams and Rebecca Harris

 

Wreh-Asha
It’s certainly one of the most visually striking showreels we’ve ever produced. There’s something about it that seems so authentic, particularly the period scene ‘In The Clouds’ written by Rebecca Harris. It has such a beautiful opening with silky smooth camera movement crawling through the golden grass which marries so well with Wreh-Asha’s stunning ‘Southern American’ vocals. We hear her before we see her. What a reveal and what an intro. The experience of director Louis Russell and cinematographer Ali Farahani is completely in sync with Rebecca’s script which flows gorgeously from Wreh-Asha and Warren Sollars. The accents are perfect and so is their frosty chemistry. This is visual storytelling at its finest. You’d never know this was shot just outside of Central London.

The quality of the image is one of the most striking elements of this showreel. There’s not a single shot that isn’t composed to perfection or a single frame out of focus. It’s razor sharp. This is down to cinematographer Ali Farahni who also edits this reel equally as well as he shoots it with artistic ideas throughout the camera movement and cutting.

Wreh-Asha also did a great job with costumes and props. With little resources she manages to make each scene individual and inject those fine details that are so important to a quality showreel.

Every supporting actor in the reel (from our Slick Showreels Database) has a knack for relaxing our clients. Warren Sollars, Walles Hammonde and Alice Stokoe are pros at it and it really shows in each scene. Cheers guys, you do us proud.

Top Trump: Cinematography by Ali Farahani

 

Mirabel Stuart
One of our supporting actors from the other showreels above is hiding underneath a Balaclava in this reel. Can you guess who it is? It’s Walles Hammonde. Now that’s versatility, flipping opposite sides of the law. Apparently he can speak 7 languages. Anyway enough about Walles – this scene holds a lot of punch. A dramatic script from Rachel Shenton (who also acts opposite Mirabel in this scene), sets up a whole lot of drama and intensity.

The location needed a lot of work to pass for a terrorist captivity spot but production designer Valentina Turtur was super resourceful with little to play with. She was given a very blank white wall and used her imagination to dirty the walls and source simple props to add texture and layers to the scene. There was also an empty black spray can by the end of the day to transform toy guns into real ones.

It’s beautifully edited and shot even better from cinematographer Dan Gregson. He perfectly maneuvers the camera around the set with a clear handheld style perfect for this type of scene. The natural light is timed to perfection for the sunset to ease through the window adding contrast and a warm glow of hope to the overall tone of the scene.

Top Trump: Cinematography by Dan Gregson and Production Design by Valentina Turtur.

 

We hope you enjoyed our review from the last 10 years and if you haven’t already, please make sure to Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for more showreels.