We’re thinking about cutting ourselves a new reel, which got us thinking about what makes a dope reel? Obviously, having great work to showcase is helpful, but I’ve seen plenty of reels, fantastic producers/creators that are super lackluster. A couple tips on how to make a solid reel.

1.) Hot, uptempo, but unobtrusive track. Nothing slow, nothing too recognizable, and nothing that will detract from your work.
2.) Don’t worry too much about graphics (that is, unless you’re a graphics person)
3.) A concept beyond “here’s my work as a shooter, here’s my work as an editor, here’s my email address…” Below, our good friends the Bajillionaires Club have a killer showcase for not just their work, but their sensibility.

4.) Sound-ups. Not too much but not too little. Since I’ve mostly worked with non-fiction producers in the past, I always want to be able to see what the work on their reels was about, which can easily be accomplished by some expertly picked sound-ups from their films/shows/videos which encapsulate what the work is about.
5.) Keep it short. I don’t care who you are or how many awesome projects you’ve done. If I want a breakdown of everything you’ve done, I’ll check your LinkedIn page. For the reel, I want to see the best, most representative work.

Anyways, we like checking out reels and want to showcase more of them here, so send yours to us at urgensia@urgentcontent.com