03 Mar new director’s reel
howdy fellow travelers of the intertubez!
I’m happy to share with you my brand new “Director’s Reel.” this has been a work in progress for the last several months. does it take months to edit a director’s reel? no. then why, you may ask, has it taken this long?
well, the answer is pretty simple. the music. finding the right track takes time. there are a lot of things that I look for in music track.
1.) Do I like it?
it is after all, MY reel. I should enjoy listening to it.
2.) Is it too [BLANK] for the casual listener?
some of my music choices can be a little too eclectic for the average listener. the goal of a reel is to have people get excited about the pretty images, NOT to be distracted by their dislike of the song.
3.) Does the tone of the song match the tone of the reel?
it’s important to have the song reinforce the images. for my reel, I wanted to combine playful and quirky with serious and cinematic.
4.) Is the song editable? That is, can it be rearranged, shorted, and modified to provide not only the desired DURATION, but also the right EMOTIONAL beats for the reel?
there are 4 different parts of the song used in my new reel. can you figure out where I made the edits?
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once the song has been picked, the next step is to find the shots that best represent both the pieces they are from AND the overall needs of the reel.
since I’ve made a few demo reels, I already had the shots for some of the projects picked out. and the other projects weren’t that hard. because I the emotional beats of the song and plan for the impression I wanted the viewer to have, it was simply a matter of selecting the shots that best fit with those. this is sometimes referred to as “pulling selects.” back in the days of editing FILM, as assistant editor would literally PULL the best shots and hang them in a trim bin for an editor.
after I had my “selects” I began work on the order and timing of the piece. I knew that I wanted to start with “The Real Luke: Pursuance of Justice” and to end with “APT. 5” and “Certified.” the other projects I moved around a bunch until I settled on the current order. a lot of the order has to do with the transitions in between the pieces. for example, “Updating Paige” ends with a person jumping through the air and the “Got A Nerve” segment starts with two people flying through the air.
any ideas on other devices I used to transition between projects?
well, enough talk…here’s the reel. enjoy!
-Luke
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