What is a reel in film editing?
A reel is essentially just a 15 – 25 minute segment of a feature film, most often used to enhance speed and efficiency during the collaborative finishing process… A 90 minute feature film for instance, might be sliced into 4 – 6 individual reels that can then be ingested into ProTools, DaVinci Resolve, etc.
reel, in motion pictures, a light circular frame with radial arms and a central axis, originally designed to hold approximately 1,000 feet (300 m) of 35-millimetre motion-picture film.
With Reels, you can record and edit short videos. Learn how to add music, effects and voiceovers to the clips you record, manage who can see your reels or use your audio, and discover creators on Instagram.
A demo reel is a collection of an actor or filmmaker's best on-screen clips they compile into a short video. A typical demo reel has a timeframe of approximately two minutes or less, as the entire purpose is to show the creator's range through a series of filmed snippets.
The standard length of a 35 mm film reel is 1,000 feet (305 m), which runs approximately 11 minutes for sound film (24 frames per second) and about 15 minutes for silent film at the more or less standard speed of 18 frames per second. Most films have visible cues which mark the end of the reel.
An average movie would weigh about 60 lbs.
Since movies average around an hour and a half each (90 minutes), and 1,000' of film is good for 11 minutes of sound film, that means most films use around 9 film reels.
Film Reels at the Movies
In most cases, movie theaters are no longer using the traditional film format for showing movies. Since the early 2000s, digital projectors have been the industry standard around the world. As movie projection technology advances, older methods such as film slowly become more and more obsolete.
To make a demo reel, you need four to five clips of your best on-screen performances. Each clip should be between 20-30 seconds long, and the entire demo reel should be two to three minutes long, maximum. Your reel should also include your name, contact information, headshot, and website.
Since Reels are set to music, businesses can create catchy and memorable content that is easy for users to share. This can be especially effective for products or services that are visually appealing, as Reels allow businesses to showcase their products engagingly and interactively.
Editing Your Reel
Hit “edit clips” in the bottom left hand of my screen. There, you can tap and hold your clips to rearrange the order or adjust the lengths. I love that Instagram has added a transition feature now. By tapping on “transitions”, you can select how your clips will transition between each other.
How long should a filmmaker reel be?
Typically, a showreel should be around one-minute long, but some filmmakers whittle this down even further to just 45 seconds.
Film cameras and projectors have sprockets, which are round components with teeth. The teeth fit inside of film's perforations to move the film through your device during recording and playback. The magnetic tape in an audio reel does not have these perforations and instead gets pulled through machines by friction.
- The 16mm Film Reel. The lengths of 16mm film reels vary, although they usually range from 50 to 800 feet. ...
- 8mm Film Reel. The playing duration of an 8mm film reel is about twice that of a 16mm reel of the same size. ...
- SUPER8 Film Reel.
Width | Length | Approximate running time |
---|---|---|
4 inches | 100 feet | 6 minutes |
5 inches | 200 feet | 12 minutes |
6 inches | 300 feet | 15 minutes |
7 inches | 400 feet | 24-25 minutes |
Reel diameter | Feet length | Time length |
---|---|---|
4” reel | 100 feet | 5–6 minutes |
5” reel | 200 feet | 12–14 minutes |
6” reel | 300 feet | 19–22 minutes |
7” reel | 400 feet | 26–29 minutes |
Louis Le Prince and the first motion picture
So, it wasn't technically filmed footage. But in 1888, a Frenchman by the name Louis Le Prince took out a patent for a 16-lens device while working in Leeds. This device combined a motion picture camera with a projector to create a more sophisticated movie projector.
If your 16mm film has sprockets on both sides, it is a silent film. If it has sprockets on one side and a rust colored strip that runs along the edge of the reel, you have sound! This strip denotes the magnetic portion where the audio is stored and it will run alongside the reel.
All films are best stored in a 35% +/- 5% relative humidity environment. For optimal storage, 16mm, 35mm, and 70mm films should be wound onto chemically inert, polypropylene film cores. 8mm films may be wound onto reels for easier handling. Films should then be placed in chemically inert, polypropylene film containers.
Simply use a ruler or measuring tape to measure the size of your reel at its widest point. If your reel has markings on it, they're a guide to how many feet of film are on that reel. Round up to the nearest number wherever your film stops.
For a producer, brand, or agency looking to begin a new production, a company's reel is the first place they will look to make their hiring choice. What these decision makers are looking for is a company that they feel will fit the right creative style and artistic tone for the project at hand.
How do you make a film reel for actors?
- Book any role you can. ...
- Obtain your acting footage. ...
- Hire an editor or learn to use editing software. ...
- Keep your reel short. ...
- Lead with your most impressive credits. ...
- Keep the focus on your own performances. ...
- Include your contact information. ...
- Keep improving your reel.
For new film actors with no prior on-camera work, it's also possible make a demo reel without prior footage by piecing together various monologues and scenes that show off your range. In this case, it's a great idea to work with a videographer to compile them into a final product that will catch agents' attention!
Instagram Reels are often short. While this makes them easily consumable, it also makes them easily skippable. If you don't engage someone in the first few seconds, there's a good chance they'll just swipe through, hurting your chances of making it to someone else's Explore page.
Unlike Stories, Reels don't disappear after 24 hours and remain on Instagram until you delete them. Reels are full-screen vertical videos up to 90 seconds long. They now feature a suite of editing tools and audio tracks as well as trending voice and sound snippets.
Reels should have a minimum frame rate of 30 FPS (frames per second) and minimum resolution of 720 pixels. We want to create the best possible experience for everyone on Instagram. That means reel that don't follow our Community Guidelines may be removed from Instagram.
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