Actors:
Get ‘Showreel Ready’ during the Coronavirus Pandemic

It’s a scary time right now and there’s a lot of uncertainty but one thing is for certain and that is; Coronavirus won’t last forever. So we wanted to share a few helpful tips to get ahead of the competition when this all blows over. If you haven’t got a showreel already then there’s so much you can be doing right from the comfort of your own home. If you do have an actors showreel already or you are fortunate enough to have a collection of existing material from films, TV shows, short films and commercials, (like our recent client Freddie Fox), we can still help but you’re probably best reading; Preparing your footage for a Slick Showreel. 

Making a showreel from scratch still requires work from you (the client) and the hardest part is choosing what type of scripts you’re going to shoot. So firstly we want you to take a good look at yourself in the mirror and really think about what your casting type is. You will be far more successful as an actor if you know your casting and the type of parts you are suited to. As much as most of us dream of playing leads like Batman, James Bond or Wonder Woman, not everyone is a leading lady or leading man. Your destiny might be similar to some of the greatest supporting actors in Hollywood like Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight, Melissa McCarthy in Bridesmaids or Jennifer Hudson in Dream Girls. 

Just because it’s your showreel it doesn’t mean you have to choose scripts that cast you as ‘the lead’ or the ‘superhero’. So our first major tip is play to your strengths and make sure you cast yourself appropriately in your own showreel. 

Our second major tip is to source your own actors. As a performer it’s quite likely that you will know of other actors to help you out and appear in your showreel. If you don’t, we have a database of fantastic actors all vetted who meet industry standards, but we still recommend using people you know. Not only will it be cheaper but you will already have a rapport with them which will make you feel a lot more comfortable on set. 

It’s so important that you choose good actors to appear in your showreel acting reel. Choosing actors that aren’t so good to make yourself stand out doesn’t work like you think it will. We’ve seen many clients make this mistake and it only lowers the overall standard of your showreel. So choose your actors wisley. 

Our final tip is to use this time to think of how you can be resourceful with costumes and props. These are things that are often organised by yourself unless you’re shooting a contemporary scene in a location and everything you need is already there. 

So once you’ve found your scripts, what details can you add to them to enhance the production quality?

Production design is essential in movies but in a showreel it is often something that gets left behind due to budget restraints. Some of the best showreels we have ever shot were headed by clients that went the extra mile in terms of costumes and production design. Amelie Leroy really went to town in her showreel in every single scene. We asked her how she did it:

“For the locations, a friend recommended having them as close as possible or even in the same location. I rewrote the first scene, once I realised that I could shoot at a warehouse where I knew the manager. I was allowed to film there for free and also dress two of their office spaces. It became clear quite early on that finding an affordable 17th Century establishment was almost impossible. So I went about to order cheap wallpaper and drapes for the period scenes and plundered many charity shops. Fortunately, there was a storage room for a charity shop literally next door. I borrowed quite a few bits of furniture from them for free as well as using the pallets of the warehouse for the bed in the period scene. It just meant having to be as inventive as possible. For the artist scene, I drove most things from my own flat to the location the weekend before. I also ordered an old Kama Sutra calendar to add some fun pictures to the walls. We dressed both rooms the evening before, which took about four hours. We managed to borrow the male outfit for the period costumes from a theatre costume department, again free of charge. I found my dress in a Gothic Victorian shop in Camden town at an affordable price. I did pay for various costumes and bits and pieces I couldn’t get for free but overall I saved hundreds on just being resourceful”.

Actor and firefighter Olly Mayo shot this stunning scene just a few weeks ago. He braved the winter temperatures and although his costumes appear to be rather warm he was actually “Bloody freezing”. Olly didn’t have the time to shop around for a bargain, so he decided to hire his costumes which added so much depth to this scene. We asked him how he sourced them and what the costs were:
“I used a company called The History Bunker. They posted them directly to me. I hired them both for three days and posted them back. Both full uniforms and the webbing cost me £140 for the three days. I’m so glad I hired these costumes. It really helped create a special scene for me“.

We hope these tips were helpful. If you want any more advice about preparing yourself for shooting a showreel with Slick Showreels then just email info@slickshowreels.co.uk or Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for inspiration. 

Stay safe.

Slick Showreels

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