A showreel by definition is a short piece of film footage showcasing an artist’s previous work. It is vital for presenters, actors, dancers, and singer when auditioning. It used to supplement the résumé. But nowadays with the high competition in the entertainment industry especially in Dubai, it is most definitely a must to submit your showreel sometimes even before your resume in order to promote your skills, talent, and experiences to casting directors.

Our Mixfame experts have seen countless of showreels from many talents in Dubai. Knowing what’s needed in the market, our team has put together a great guide for you, who would like to increase the chances of finding jobs when casting next time. The guide will give you a professional critique and advice on what to do and what NOT to do when making a showreel. So take some notes and get ready to contact your production company.

Why do I need to do a showreel

Nowadays most casting professionals and agents won’t even consider looking at anyone without a showreel. Think of your showreel as a visual 2D resume with an amazing sound track that promotes you. Your showreel is your glamorous glittery CV that should have the WOW factor. Once the casting team is wowed by your footages, you will definitely be busy getting jobs all over the place. That’s why it’s easier and faster to have a quick-reach method to endorse yourself through a showreel.

What to do in a showreel

Here are some key ingredients for a professional showreel:

1. Only include your best work. The key to a good reel is outstanding performance, not any performance. The casting team has become very critical to the scenes you might include. If something is kind of old, out of date or just not as good as your other work, then leave it out. The temptation is to feel like you might not have ‘enough’ stuff on your reel, but avoid that temptation! Quality over Quantity.

2. Keep it short . Reels vary in length quite dramatically. The golden duration of a reel is between 1 to 2minutes max. Bear this in mind when you’re putting your edit together. Less is More.
3. Put your best work FIRST. It is what called “Front Load”. It should take the first 10 seconds to amaze the casting directors with your most fascinating work. Make sure to give them a good impression from the start. Decisions are usually made in the first 20 seconds of your showreel. The old belief of “keeping the best to last” will only make your reel boring, long, and pointless.
4. Use a killer soundtrack. The right music has the power to make your edit stand out from the crowd or suck. Don’t mess around here. And please please please, don’t fall into the trap of choosing music you like. We do appreciate your type of music if it is Katy Perry or Miley Cyrus but please pick something relevant to your showreel content.
5. Your personal photo is your cover. With the hundreds of showreels given to directors, it is hard to remember names. Sometimes it is easier for them to remember faces and scenes. So have your photo as the cover of your showreel.
6. Display your contact info. If you really want to be called after viewing your showreel, you need to give the casting team the means to do so. Use either the opening or closing to put your contact info. Think of putting your name, email, phone number, and your reel title.

What NOT to do in a showreel

• Never rely on one scene throughout your showreel
• Do not make it too long, the first 20 seconds counts the most.
• Never use someone else’s work, they will catch you.
• Refrain from using your favourite music.
• Do not leave best to last, they would have already made up their minds.
• Avoid using bad / irrelevant materials.
• Avoid doing it yourself, get a professional to do it for you, it is worth every penny.
• Never think of quantity over quality, it’s not how many shots, it is how GOOD of a shot.

How much does a showreel cost in Dubai

The price of making a showreel can vary depending on; the type of entertainment business you are in, wether the showreel is made from scratch or from existing footage, the duration of the reel, how many scenes, and the location of your production. Companies usually have a set price for each category with attractive packages with headshots or voicereel that might fits your profile and domain.

For a great showreel, you can expect prices in the following range in Dubai:

– TV Presenter Showreel in Dubai will cost around AED 6.000 to AED 15.000 from scratch, including locations, camera crew and editing. While a screentest with a few lines of presenting will cost you little to nothing. It is recommended for TV presenters without experience to have more than a screen test, as this will cut time from casting directors and hiring personel and increase chances of getting a role a lot. Here is an example of a great showreel from Mixfame.com member Sadiece  (https://mixfame.com/talent/sadiece)

– Acting Showreel in Dubai can be done around AED 3.000 to AED 8.000 professionally, but we have seen everything from iPhone videos from a bathroom and a cost of AED 0,- to high-end productions costings more than AED 20.000 to produce.

Before you do a professional showreel it might be a good idea to create a simple introduction video, contact support@mixfame.com to book a time with our videographer to create a great video. See an example of an Acting Introduction Video; Armen, Professional Actor.  ( https://mixfame.com/talent/924/ )

– VoiceOver AudioReel in Dubai is usually done in a sound isolated studio with a great mic or simply edited from your best voice over pieces, usually not very expensive to produce and can tremendously increase your chances of landing a casting since a casting director can actually listen to your voice as it would sound on real studio equipment.

– Modeling showreel in Dubai, although not very often seen, is typically an on-set recording of a photoshoot and requires very little besides good light and a decent camera. Prices vary from AED 2.000 to AED 10.000, but remember – editing the modeling showreel is of high importance as this will allow effects, color correction and other goodies essential for models.

Remember, getting started is the hardest part, once you’ve got something down, you’ve got a movie trailer about YOU. The faster you work on it, the closer you are to your dream job.

– Entertainment showreel, are you the next great Dancer, Singer or Ballon Blower? Show us! A casting director loves to see video because this reflects your style/personality/skills much better than still images. See a great Dance Showreel from Rich ( https://mixfame.com/talent/48/).

Ready to build your own showreel ? 

Get in touch on support@mixfame.com and we will help you create the best promotional material for your professional career.

Thanks for reading and we’d love to see your reels so please leave a link in the comments below.