The Reel Deal
A few months ago an industry person came across my reel and reached out to tell me that it was really great. “Really?” I said. “Are you sure you have the right actor?” Said person assured me that it was quite good and said some other nice things about my acting that may or may not have been true. But look, I don’t even think it’s that good. It’s okay. It’s something. Which is better than what I had two years ago which was nothing.
To be honest, it bugs me. I’ve certainly done more projects that I have on my reel, but once I wrap my end of the shoot there is no telling what the final product will look like and if it will be a viable addition. I’ve done projects that I thought would be fantastic for my reel, only to find that the sound was horrendous or the picture quality not good enough. Sometimes the dialogue has been too cheesy to stomach or, my favorite, I dislike my performance.
I have two pieces of tape that I already know would exponentially elevate the level of my reel, except that the tape is tied up in red tape and there is no telling when the Powers That Be will release it to me. I understand the hoopla behind the theory, but a lot of time has passed and it’s maddening.
What’s a girl to do but take matters into her own hands? It’s time to create my own content and stop the insanity. Especially in this YouTube age we’re living in, there aren’t many excuses not to shoot your own material. I’ve already set the wheels into motion. I have a solid writer on board, excellent actors, an amazing director with mad camera skills, my go-to editor, lighting materials, a tentative shoot schedule and a positive attitude. As I mentioned in my last blog, I’ve created a “30 Day Challenge” to accomplish, or at least put into action, a variety of personal and professional goals. This is one of them.
I have produced content for my reel in the past, so I am aware of certain pitfalls that I want to avoid. First and foremost, the quality of the picture and the quality of the writing and acting are of utmost importance to me. It must look as close as possible to legitimate professional tape from a paid gig on television or film. I’m shooting with a couple of actors and directors and filmmakers who also want content for their reels. Since we’re shooting on the same weekend, we are splitting the cost to rent some higher-end equipment and we’re committed to helping with the production end of the various projects when it isn’t our turn to shine.
This time, I’m scaling down my ambition. I don’t need to shoot a five page scene (and editing nightmare) to get what I need. I’d like to shoot two meaty contrasting scenes at the height of the conflict at about a page to a page and a half each. Reels are getting shorter and shorter these days. No need to drag out a scene. I just want to cater to one of my casting “types,” show a snippet of solid work and then move on to something different.
Finally, there are roles that I know I can play that aren’t on my current reel. Those are the roles that I’m interested in shooting this time around. Mostly, I’m looking to balance out my comedic roles by showing that I’m equally strong in dramatic roles. Before I signed with my current agent, I had to do two contrasting scenes in her office before she would consider adding me to her roster. When I finished, she said, “So, do you do comedy or drama?” I was pretty sure I had just shown I could do either. I don’t want be pigeon-holed right out of the gate by my own marketing tools. I’ll keep you posted.
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