Updating a tired showreel: what to cut and what to reshoot
Updating a tired showreel: what to cut and what to reshoot
If your footage still looks like you and still shows what you play, cut it — editing is cheaper and faster than reshooting. Reshoot when you have changed visibly, when the footage no longer matches your casting, or when there simply is not enough usable material to build two minutes.
An out-of-date reel is a specific problem, and reshooting from scratch is usually the wrong answer to it.
Start by working out which kind of tired it actually is.
Cut, or reshoot?
| Symptom | Usually the fix |
|---|---|
| Too long, badly ordered, ungraded | Edit |
| Good clips buried behind a weak opener | Edit |
| Clips look like different films | Edit (grade) |
| You look visibly different now | Reshoot |
| Your casting bracket has moved | Reshoot, or hybrid |
| Under a minute of usable material | Reshoot |
So let me be plain about it. If the footage still looks like you and still shows what you play, you have an editing job, not a filming job. That is on showreel editing and it costs less.
What we actually do to old footage
Select. Honest triage. Two strong minutes beat six mediocre ones, and most reels are twice the length they should be.
Sequence. Open on your clearest, strongest moment. Order the rest so it gains rather than drifts.
Grade. Match clips shot years apart on different cameras into one consistent look. This is the step that turns a scrapbook into a reel.
Finish. Sound levelled, titles minimal, exports sized for Spotlight, Mandy, Casting Networks and social.
The hybrid, which is usually the answer
Most working actors land here. Your existing footage proves one or two things well and says nothing about the rest of your casting.
We film one monologue to cover the gap, then cut it in so the whole thing reads as one piece rather than an old reel with something bolted on the end.
A 30-minute session for the new piece is £195 — see sessions and pricing — plus the edit quoted on the material.
When we will tell you not to bother
If there is genuinely not enough usable footage, an edit is polishing something that was never going to work.
We say so. We would rather lose the job than take money for two minutes that will not get you an audition.
Same the other way round: if you send us three strong broadcast scenes, we are not going to sell you a shoot.
What to send
- The highest-quality originals you can get — ask the production if they still have masters
- Not platform rips if the originals exist; they are already twice compressed
- A note on which projects you are proudest of
- What casting bracket you are aiming at now, which may not be the one the footage shows
How to tell if yours is tired
Show it to someone who has never seen you act. Ask them to describe what you play.
If they cannot, casting cannot either — and no amount of grading fixes that. There is more on the specific faults in the mistakes that make casting directors click away.
To get a straight opinion and a flat quote, use the contact form or call 0161 706 3220. If you are travelling in for a reshoot, where we film has journey times from 43 cities.
How old is too old?
There is no number, and anyone who gives you one is guessing.
The real test is whether someone who watched your reel would recognise you walking into the room, and whether the parts it shows are the parts you are being submitted for now.
Plenty of five-year-old reels still pass both. Plenty of eighteen-month-old ones do not, because the actor changed direction.
The case for leaving it alone
If your reel is working — you are getting auditions off it — do not touch it.
Actors redo reels far more often than they need to, usually out of anxiety rather than evidence. That money is often better spent on a headshot round, covered on headshots and showreel package.
We will say this on the phone too. It is not in our interest and it is still true.
If it turns out you need to film
A monologue session covers what old footage cannot: a new bracket, a new look, a piece that shows what you play now.
£195 for one piece, £295 for three, with the full list on sessions and pricing and 15% off through the student page.
Journey times if you are travelling are on where we film, and there is a walkthrough for actors with nothing at all in showreel with no footage.
The short version
- Cutting is usually cheaper than reshooting. Try that first.
- Reshoot when you no longer look like the footage, or your casting has moved.
- A hybrid — old clips plus one new monologue — is often the strongest option.
- Send the highest-quality originals you can find, not platform rips.
- If there genuinely is not enough usable material, we will tell you rather than take the money.
Frequently asked questions
How often should a showreel be updated?
When it stops representing you, not on a schedule. That might be two years or five. The test is whether someone watching it would recognise you walking into the room, and whether it shows the parts you are being submitted for now.
Can you edit a reel from footage I already have?
Yes. Send whatever you have — broadcast clips, short films, student work, even stage footage — and we will cut, grade and sequence the usable material. If there is not enough there, we will say so.
What does showreel editing cost?
It is quoted as a flat fee once we have seen the material, rather than an hourly meter running while we sift a hard drive. Send it over and you will get a number before anything starts.
What is a hybrid reel?
Existing footage plus one or two newly filmed monologues to cover what the old material does not show, cut together and graded as one piece. It is often the strongest and cheapest route for a working actor.
What files should I send?
The highest quality originals you can get hold of. A YouTube or Vimeo rip has already been compressed twice and it shows in the grade. If the production still has the masters, ask them.