Showreel Trends 2022 📈
Hey folks! Here is a rundown of some of the 2022 trends to think of when making your showreel:
NO MUSIC 🎼
The rule still stands for 2022, don’t use pop music in your reel. Casting directors don’t want to see your face (although fantastic) to pop songs; it doesn’t tell them anything about your casting. Sadly, you’ll have to save “Can’t Feel My Face” for the dance floor 🕺🏻.
MONOLOGUES ARE IN
It’s true that monologues don’t work in movies, but in showreels they’re great! Casting directors like seeing you in isolation giving a solid monologue to someone off-camera. Make sure it’s not too heavily edited - if it can be one take, the better 🎭.
FAMOUS SCENES A NO NO 🙅🏻♂️
Don’t feature scenes already made famous by other actors. It will only draw comparisons to the original performance, so make sure to use lesser-known scenes or get original scripts written for you.
KEEP IT SIMPLE
With the, let’s call it, Showreel boom of the late 2010s, filmmakers became more experimental with their scenes; writing big concepts, science fiction, film noir! But this has since backfired by making casting directors weary of showreel scenes. To prevent your reel from being “silly”, aim at shooting scenes without any shocking twists or big concept ideas - keep the concept simple and relatable. You should be able to understand the scene and the characters within the first five seconds.
LOOK TO TELEVISION, NOT FILM 📺
Scene from HOMELAND
With so much to choose from, look to television for inspiration for your scenes, not film. The format of television works perfectly for showreel scenes, whereas film is generally more visual, requiring more blocking and less dialogue for you to act. Television is also more geared towards writing than film, which is more of a director’s medium. Television roles will give you more to play.
SHORT IS GOOD
Showreel scenes have generally been 2-3 pages long, but recently clients have been requesting 1.5-1 page scripts, which have been very effective. Generally, clients only use 1 minute of a scene anyway so only shooting 1 page makes the script easier to learn, shoot, and makes for a more compact piece.
SHOWREELS AS PILOTS
Some clients want to show their skills as a writer, so have been using their showreel scene as a pilot for something longer. Great idea! Why not show your versatility as a writer as well as an actor.
To book a showreel scene with my production company, click this link…