Showreel workshop.
Week 4 was dedicated to another big task and assignment element for the Virtual Networks class, showreel making. It not only requires preparation, planning and designing the reel but also working on the content for it, and what is equally important, being able to create the reel. I have not had a massive experience with video making and/or editing, therefore working on the reel was a huge task and consumed a great amount of my time.
Showreel is a visual representation of my skills and abilities and it should communicate my talents and strengths. It should not be shorter than 1 minute but any longer than 3 minutes is also not good. It should present the best of my work in a condensed way as the time in the creative industry is often limited – the reel might not even be all watched.
It is a good idea to have several different reels appropriate for various positions I may be interested in and want to apply for. This will increase the chances of being hired.
The content I have already had or curated for the purpose of creating my first reel showcasing my creative practice is limited and allowed me to produce one video. The reel I produced promotes my skills and abilities, as well as my interests in a visually attractive and compressed way – in over 1 minute video enriched by the appropriate audio track which is royalty-free and sourced from the online music service called Uppbeat.
DaVinci Resolve is the name of the tool I used to create the reel. Along with discussing the reel do-s and dont’-s during the class, we also had a quick tutorial on the above software which is, next to the Adobe’s offerings, an industry-standard tool for creating and editing video content. At first glimpse, DaVinci seemed user-friendly and not that complicated to navigate through, however, for the person without prior experience it wasn’t that straightforward once I opened it at home. I had to spend additional time watching online tutorials to be able to start working on my reel. Then, I came across complications blocking my work that I had to troubleshoot. Eventually, I was able to gather all the video material I wanted to include in this production – mainly videos created by animating the camera in both, Maya and Unity as these are the platforms I use most. The next big step was to work out the order, timing and other details of the reel. I also added the board with my name at the beginning and contact info at the end of my video.
I am satisfied with the reel I created, especially considering that as a graduating student and a person entering the creative industry after a career change, I do not have a massive amount of projects to present. The ones I completed and included in the reel are good enough to show my skills and abilities but also present that there is a space to grow. I am hoping that my reel will increase my chances of getting noticed and hired for my dream job.