Showreel A whole art...
Adam Gault
English By Stéphane Zissu
SHOWREEL, A WHOLE ART Showreel is an essential marketing tool and has emerged in recent years as a mass phenomenon on all online platforms. From its first major broadcast source, DVD to Internet, the phenomenon got carried away and every kind of creators have emerged. But doing your show is above all knowing how to sell yourself. More than ever, at a time when competition is unleashed, studios and freelancers need to compete imagination to stand out. What’s all about ? Whether it’s called showreel, demoreel or quite differently, these montages are some kind of video portfolios for all motion pictures enthusiasts. A reel is traditionnally illustrated by a compilation of someone’s most significant work, a kind of more or less elaborate montage ponctuated by a music of their choice. Montage is the priviledged means of expression of the base identity / design / creativity that aim to translate the creatives. Oddly, the use of sound design is more anecdotal here even if it’s an intricate part of motion design and any efficient projects. The practice has a lot of good pieces and the main attraction depends of the quality of the work gathered in a new presentation. Catalog 1961 from digital animation pioneer John Whitney Sr. is certainly the first demo reel of the digital era. In order to promote his precursor motion control system1, he created new optical effects to reveal the year 1961. His performance also inspired Douglas Trumbull using slit-scan2 technique in 2001, A Space Odyssey. Beyond the story, the example illustrates the limitations of the simple compilation. Nevertheless, it’s a very use1
ful yardstick to assess the result. For years, the model remains the same with only few examples (Sullivan & Marks in the 70s, Robert Abel & Associates in the 80’s). It was not until the late 90s that the phenomenon has strongly accelerated through the democratization of tools (Flash, After Effects, the proliferation of 3D softwares) Also, the main title of Se7en (1995) directed by Kyle Cooper has made a deep impression on a new generation of creatives. Obviously, the compilation model is necessary but the most interesting pieces are at the margin, fueled by more ambitious creations which make the show that’s worth the premium label. When the show becomes new object of creation, a playful exercise its creator is appropriate in order to transcend it. The act of creating is first and foremost at the heart of his motivation. Whatever the approach, the introduction is a major concern that nobody would ignore. It’s a concentrate of know-how the challenge is twofold: establishing an identity and a singularity. Not an easy task. Recently, the opening reel of Sander van Dijk is a beautiful signature that immediately gives the extent of its poten-
Control system of a camera movement with an analog computer built by converting the mecanism of a World War II M-5 antiaircraft gun director. The slit-scan photography technique is a photographic and cinematographic process where a moveable slide, into which a slit has been cut, is inserted between the camera and the subject to be photographed. (Source : Wikipedia) 2