How to prepare for a showreel shoot: a 7-day plan
How to prepare for a showreel shoot: a 7-day plan
Lock your material a week out, get off book by day three, and spend the last few days playing rather than learning. Sort wardrobe early, sleep properly the two nights before, and arrive fifteen minutes early so you change and warm up instead of walking in cold.
The session is an hour. The week before is what decides how much you get out of it.
Here is a plan that works for most people. Adjust it, but do not skip the first item.
Day 7 — lock the material
Choose your pieces and stop choosing. This is the deadline.
Send your shortlist to us if you want a second opinion — we will tell you which will cut best. There is more on the criteria in choosing a monologue.
Late changes are the single biggest cause of a disappointing session, because they trade a prepared piece for an unprepared one.
Days 6–5 — get off book
Not nearly off book. Off book.
Any attention still on the lines is attention not on playing, and it shows in the eyes immediately. This is the highest-value thing you will do all week.
Days 4–3 — play with it
Now stop rehearsing and start experimenting. Run it faster. Run it barely above a whisper. Run it angry, then amused.
You are building options, because a director will ask for them. You do not want the first alternative version to be attempted for the first time on camera.
Also: film yourself on your phone once, and watch it with the sound off. It is uncomfortable and it is useful.
Day 2 — wardrobe and logistics
Lay out two or three options in plain mid-tones. No logos, no tight patterns, no pure white — the full list is in what to wear.
Check your travel. If you are coming in from out of town, book the train that gets you here with a margin, not the one that gets you here exactly on time. Journey times are on where we film.
Day 1 — leave it alone
One gentle run, then stop. Sleep is worth more than another rehearsal at this point.
The two nights before matter more than the night before, so if you are going to be nervous and sleepless, at least have banked one good night.
The morning
| Do | Don't |
|---|---|
| Eat something proper | Skip breakfast and run on adrenaline |
| Warm the voice up on the way | Run the piece obsessively |
| Leave early | Cut the travel fine |
| Arrive 15 minutes before the slot | Walk in at your start time |
Those fifteen minutes are not padding. They are the difference between performing and recovering from a journey.
In the room
You will be directed. Adjustments, alternative approaches, several takes. Nobody leaves on take one because the clock ran out — that is what you are paying for, and it is described on monologue showreels.
If something is not working, say so. We would rather drop a piece and do the other two properly than spend the hour rescuing one.
If you would prefer nobody else in the room at all, say that too. It is easy to arrange and it sometimes produces the better take.
Afterwards
Five to ten working days for the edit, grade, sound and one round of revisions. Send notes as one list rather than three emails.
Details on sessions and pricing, general questions on the FAQ page, and 15% off for students via the student page.
Anything you are unsure about before the day, call 0161 706 3220 or use the contact form. It is always a shorter conversation than you expect.
If you are travelling in
Add an hour to whatever the timetable says. Arriving flustered undoes a week of preparation, and it is the one variable entirely within your control.
Journey times and honest advice on whether a trip is worth making are on the regional pages — Leeds, Liverpool, Birmingham and the rest are all listed on where we film.
From further out, book the hour rather than the half hour. The travel costs the same either way — the reasoning is in how many monologues to film.
The short version
- Lock material seven days out. Changing your mind late costs the session.
- Off book by day three so the rest of the week is playing, not learning.
- Sort wardrobe early — it is the thing people leave to the morning.
- The two nights before matter more than the night before.
- Arrive fifteen minutes early. Warmed up beats on time.
Frequently asked questions
How off book do I need to be?
Completely. If any part of your attention is on remembering, it is not on playing, and that is visible immediately in the eyes. Being solid on the lines is the single best preparation you can do.
What if I want to change my piece a few days before?
Tell us, but be honest with yourself about why. A late change usually means arriving underprepared, and an underprepared strong piece plays worse than a prepared safe one.
Should I rehearse it the same way every time?
No. Once you are off book, play it differently on purpose — faster, quieter, angrier. You want options in the room, because the director will ask for them and you do not want the first variation to be a surprise.
What should I do on the morning?
Eat properly, leave early, and warm up your voice on the way. Avoid running the piece obsessively — it tightens people. Arrive fifteen minutes before your slot so you can change and settle.
What if I have a bad day on the day?
Say so when you arrive. We can shift the running order, start with the easier piece, or take longer over the first setup. A session is not a take-one-and-hope situation — that is the point of having a director in the room.