Showreel turnaround times: what 5-10 working days really means
Showreel turnaround times: what 5-10 working days really means
Five to ten working days covers the edit, the colour grade, the sound pass and one round of revisions. Working days, not calendar days — so a Friday session realistically lands the following week or the one after. Tell us at booking if you have a hard deadline.
Five to ten working days. Here is what actually happens in them, and why it is not instant.
Working days, not calendar days
Worth stating plainly because it catches people out.
A Friday session is not delivered by the following Wednesday. Five working days from a Friday is the end of the next week, and ten is the week after that. Bank holidays push it further.
If you have a deadline, that arithmetic matters more than the headline number.
What the time is spent on
| Stage | What happens |
|---|---|
| Select | Choosing the take. Rarely the one you think. |
| Edit | Cutting in and out at the right moment, trimming run-ups and tails. |
| Grade | Matching separately lit pieces into one consistent look. The slow part. |
| Sound | Levelling, cleaning, making sure it holds up on laptop speakers. |
| Revisions | One round, once you have watched it properly. |
The grade is where the time goes. A comic piece and a grief piece are lit differently on purpose, and making them read as the same film afterwards is careful work.
Skip it and you get the scrapbook effect — one of the faults listed in the mistakes guide.
If you have a deadline
Tell us before you book. Not after.
Sometimes the diary allows a faster turnaround and we will say so. Sometimes it does not, and we would rather decline the date than take your money and miss.
If the deadline is genuinely this week, a reel may not be the right tool at all — a properly recorded self-tape can often be turned around the same day. See self-tape and promo and the comparison between the two.
Making the revision round count
Watch it twice before you write anything. First time as a viewer, second time with a notepad.
Then send one list. Three separate emails over three days produces a worse result than one considered set of notes, because we can see the overall intent rather than reacting piecemeal.
Be specific about timecodes. "The second piece feels slow at the start" is actionable. "It does not feel quite right" is not.
What you get
A master file plus versions sized for Spotlight, Mandy and Casting Networks — the platforms are covered in the Spotlight guide. Plus a vertical social cut if you took the £49.99 promo add-on.
All digital. Nothing to collect, nothing to convert.
Planning backwards
If you know when you need it, count back. Ten working days, plus a few for your own revision notes, plus a day for the upload.
That is roughly three weeks from session to being live on a profile. Book accordingly — especially around showcase season, which is our busiest period and where the graduate window collides with everyone else's.
Prices and inclusions are on sessions and pricing, the student rate on drama students, and journey times on where we film. To check a specific date, call 0161 706 3220 or use the contact form — same working day reply.
Why we do not offer a rush tier
Plenty of studios do. We would rather not, because the thing that gets dropped under time pressure is always the grade, and the grade is what stops three separately lit speeches looking like three separate videos.
Charging extra to do the job worse is a strange product. If the date genuinely cannot move, we will say whether we can make it — and if we cannot, a self-tape may be the better tool for that specific deadline.
Planning around the busy periods
Showcase season is our tightest window, because every graduating year arrives at once. Book earlier than feels necessary if you are filming then.
The rest of the year is steadier. Prices do not change seasonally — everything is on sessions and pricing, with the student rate applying whenever you book.
The short version
- Working days, not calendar days. Bank holidays push it.
- The grade is the slow part, and it is what makes three pieces look like one film.
- One round of revisions is included — send notes as a single list.
- Tell us about a deadline before you book, not afterwards.
- If we cannot make your date, we will say so rather than promise and miss.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a showreel take to arrive?
Five to ten working days from the session. That covers the edit, colour grade, sound and one round of revisions. Working days means a Friday session typically lands the following week or the one after, not within five calendar days.
Can you do it faster?
Sometimes, if the diary allows and the session is straightforward. Ask before you book rather than after — we would rather turn down the date than take it and miss your deadline.
Why does it take that long?
The grade, mostly. Matching lighting and colour across separately lit pieces so they read as one film is careful work, and it is the difference between a reel and a set of clips. Rushing it is visible.
What if I need changes?
One round is included. Send everything as a single list rather than in three separate emails — it genuinely produces a better result, because we can see what you are driving at overall.
What do I actually receive?
A master file plus versions sized for Spotlight, Mandy and Casting Networks, and a social cut if you took the promo add-on. All delivered digitally; there is nothing to collect.