credit: Steven Fernandez

Having discussed the broader issues of Building a Spectacular Spec Reel in Part 1 and Part 2, we now get down to the nitty-gritty of putting together your spec reel.

If you’ve been following this series, you now should have a grand concept and genre of commercials you want to get into. You should also have an idea who you want to be involved in this project.

Before we move on, I want to add something that I haven’t mentioned in the first two articles. Get as many people as possible to read your concepts for valuable feedback. If you’ve been living and breathing your spec reel for a while, you will have developed tunnel vision and will not be able to see the strengths and weaknesses of your ideas. Try to avoid getting feedback from family members and close friends though. Their opinions are suspect by virtue of the fact that they might not want to hurt your feelings by being honest.

Rest assured the hardest and most crucial parts are over. As I said before, the concept will make or break your spec reel. Now we just have to make sure you’re able to execute your grand concept.

What do you have to consider next?

Format Wars - I’m sure everyone can agree that film is the best option regardless of cost. But that doesn’t mean you can’t get your foot in the door with a reel full of video shoots. With the technology we have today to make gorgeous video, most people won’t even notice the difference. Refer to this article on how to make your video look like film.

Having said that, you should do whatever it takes to shoot your spec on film.

Why?

Your actors and crew will take you more seriously. They know that you’re spending big bucks on your project and that you will more than likely see the project all the way through. Many of your crew have already been burned on projects that never even get finished. With big bucks on the line, the odds of the project coming to fruition is increased. Hence, they will put in more effort.

Crew members, especially actors, also need this material for their reel. So by working on a project on film, they simultaneously enhance their reel.

I’ve done both video and film projects in the past and have noticed a marked difference in the level of professionalism on set with an imposing Arri film camera standing by.

Use Professional Audio - The surest way to tell the difference between an amateur project and a professional one is through the audio. Don’t take shortcuts here.

If you’re using a video camera, don’t record audio to the camera itself. Get some help from a professional sound recordist who can mix and clean up your audio recording.

In post production, you may need to dub some lines that didn’t come out perfectly. Do it! The actors will be more than happy to put in the extra time if it means their acting will come across stronger.

Add appropriate score and sound effects. Of course, it goes without saying that if your concept works better without a score then so be it. If you do go with a score though, you wouldn’t want tin can music to ruin your awesome visuals. If you can’t afford a professional scorer, there are plenty of great royalty-free music available online.

Bookmark this site for follow up articles in this series.

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Tags: Advertising, Directing, directing commercials, directors reel, filmmaking, spec reel