Leeds actors: filming your showreel in Manchester

Leeds has a serious performance scene and almost nowhere that does nothing but film actors' reels.

That is the whole reason the Manchester train gets used as much as it does.

The journey

TransPennine runs Leeds to Manchester Piccadilly in around 50 minutes, several times an hour, all day.

From Piccadilly it is roughly fifteen minutes to the studio — Metrolink to Deansgate-Castlefield, then a short walk into St John's. The address and full directions are on our Leeds page and filming in Manchester.

Book ahead and the advance single is usually a few pounds. Against a £295 session that is a rounding error.

What a Leeds session day looks like

Half a day, comfortably. Nobody books a hotel for a showreel.

Why the room matters more than the postcode

Here's the thing about hiring a space closer to home. You get a room. You still need a camera package, lighting, sound and someone who knows how to direct a monologue to camera.

We run one permanent blacked-out set. Same camera, same lights, same person behind them every week. There is nothing being rigged for the first time on your morning.

For 50 minutes on a train, that is the trade being offered.

Yorkshire training

We film actors out of Leeds Conservatoire, the University of Leeds performance courses and the independent Yorkshire scene.

The 15% student discount applies to all of them — £165.75 for one monologue, £250.75 for up to three. Details on the drama students page.

For graduates, the useful window is the months either side of your showcase, while the pieces are still rehearsed and agents are still deciding.

What Channel 4 changed

More commissioning in Leeds means more auditions and more competition, including from actors whose reels look expensive.

That cuts both ways. Being local gets you on the list; the reel decides whether you get read. There is more on what casting actually does with it in the mistakes that make casting directors click away.

Booking from Leeds

Sessions are £195 for one monologue and £295 for up to three — the full inclusion list is on sessions and pricing. What actually happens in the room is on monologue showreels.

You can watch reels filmed on ordinary sessions in the gallery first. Then call 0161 706 3220 or use the contact form and tell us roughly when you want to travel — we will fit the slot around the timetable.

If you are elsewhere in Yorkshire, the regional page has journey times for Sheffield, York, Bradford, Huddersfield and Hull.

What to prepare before the train

Two or three pieces, learned properly. The session is for performing, not for getting off book.

Wardrobe in plain mid-tones, nothing with a logo or a tight pattern. And a shortlist sent over in advance if you want a second opinion on material — we will tell you honestly which will cut best.

If you have nothing ready, that is fine. There is a monologue library across genres and casting types, covered on monologue showreels.

If you already have footage

Do not book a shoot on reflex. Plenty of Leeds actors have short-film or broadcast material sitting unedited, and cutting that is usually cheaper and faster than filming new.

Send it over and we will quote a flat fee — see showreel editing, or the guide to updating a tired reel for how to tell which you need.

The London comparison, from Leeds

Leeds to London is over two hours and a comparable director-led session there typically starts around £450 against our £295.

So the northern trip is shorter and cheaper in both directions at once. The full breakdown is in Manchester vs London.