How many monologues should you film in one session?
How many monologues should you film in one session?
Two or three contrasting monologues is the standard. One is enough if it is genuinely strong and you need footage this week. Past three, a reel stops being a showcase and the weakest piece becomes the one that gets remembered. Our hour covers up to three for £295.
This gets asked more than almost anything else, and the honest answer is boring: two or three.
What is worth explaining is why, and when the answer changes.
What two or three actually buys you
A casting director watching your reel is asking one question: what can I put this person up for?
One piece answers it narrowly. Two pieces at different emotional gears answer it with some confidence. Three gives them enough to place you without any doubt.
Four does not add a fourth data point. It adds length, and length is what loses people — there is more on that in the mistakes that make casting directors click away.
What fits in the time
| Session | Realistically | Price |
|---|---|---|
| 30 minutes | One monologue, properly directed | £195 |
| 1 hour | Up to three, relit between each | £295 |
The relighting is the constraint people underestimate. A comic piece and a grief piece do not want the same light, and rebuilding it takes real minutes.
Shooting everything on one flat setup is how you fit four into a half hour. It is also the fastest way to make a reel look cheap.
When one is the right answer
You have a submission on Friday. You have nothing on your profile. Get one piece filmed and get it up.
That is not a compromise, it is triage. A single strong monologue on a profile beats an empty video slot every single time, and you can always add to it. See starting from zero if that is where you are.
When three earns its place
You are travelling any real distance. The journey costs the same whether you film one piece or three, so £100 more turns a fragment into a reel that lasts two years.
From Newcastle, Cardiff or Glasgow we would steer you to the hour every time. Journey times for every city are on where we film.
You are also at a career pivot — moving from theatre to screen, changing casting bracket, coming back after a break. Those need more than one piece to make the case.
Choosing pieces that contrast properly
Contrast means emotional gear, not genre tourism.
Something naturalistic and contained, then something with more heat. Both inside the bracket you would actually be submitted for tomorrow. Not a Shakespeare, a sitcom and a soap.
If you are unsure, send a shortlist before the day and we will tell you which will cut best — that is part of what a monologue session includes.
The concession
If you already have one strong broadcast clip, you may not need three new monologues at all. One new piece cut alongside it can be the stronger reel.
That is a hybrid, and it is covered on showreel editing and in updating a tired showreel. Send us what you have before booking anything.
Booking
Full pricing and what is included sits on sessions and pricing. Students and recent graduates take 15% off through the student page — £165.75 and £250.75.
Watch the standard first on the gallery, then call 0161 706 3220 or use the contact form and tell us what you are trying to get in front of. We will tell you how many pieces that actually needs.
The short version
- Two or three contrasting pieces. That is the answer for most actors.
- One is fine for an urgent submission — it is not a failure.
- Four or more dilutes rather than adds. The weakest is remembered.
- A 30-minute slot realistically holds one piece properly directed.
- If you are travelling far, book the hour. The travel is the same either way.
Frequently asked questions
Is one monologue enough for a showreel?
It can be. A single strong, well-lit, properly directed piece beats three rushed ones, and if you have a submission deadline this week it is absolutely the right call. It is a smaller calling card, not a lesser one.
Why not film four or five to cover everything?
Because casting rarely watches past ninety seconds, so pieces four and five are usually never seen — and the weakest of them is what gets remembered if they are. Range you will not be submitted for costs you focus without buying anything.
What can you realistically get in 30 minutes?
One monologue, properly. That means lighting built for it, a few takes with direction between them, and time to reset if the first approach is not working. Trying to squeeze two into a half hour produces two mediocre ones.
Should the pieces contrast, or show one thing well?
Contrast, but within your casting bracket. Two pieces at different emotional gears show adaptability; two pieces from wildly different genres you would never be seen for just look unfocused.
Can I film two now and add one later?
Yes, and if you are local it is a reasonable way to spread the cost. It works out dearer than booking the hour in one go, but nobody should be told that cash flow is not a real constraint.