FAQ

I’ve got a bunch of footage here, and not sure what to include? Where do we start?
OK, well first thing is to organise the footage that you have. Sort it into clips from scenes that you think showcases your acting, characters, accents, castable roles; and footage which perhaps would be better placed in a montage, the odd line, action, running (always stick in a bit of running). Your looking for footage that sells you at your best, if you have walk- ons or a bit part somewhere that look interesting, make sure we can actually see you for more then a fleeting glance of a whisker of a second.

What do you mean by “castable” roles?
What I mean by “castable” role is your average Joe, normal person that has potential to get you roles in contemporary socio realist dramas (soaps or daytime dramas). Don’t knock it, it’s a good card to have, it’s great having accents, costumes, characters, but you should generally have one scene where you are playing a down to earth character, as these roles seem to be cast a lot.

I don’t have that much material just yet, it’s quite bitty, can you do anything with it?
I can indeed, but first check whether you think you have enough for a decent showreel, do you have at least 4 scenes that demonstrate a bit of your range as a performer? Is there stuff to pad out for an intro? If your footage is a bit bitty, we can work it into a montage; a punchy selection of your best bits.

How would you structure the reel?
Everyone has different needs for their reel. A popular way would be to start with a montage of your different looks, a bit of running and perhaps the odd line shouted out, give a flavour of who you are and what your style is. Then move on to a selection of 4-6 scenes perhaps, depending on what you have. The idea is to create a narrative, a wave that keeps the viewer interested all the way through your best work that showcases you.

For example?
After the montage, you’ll want to start off quite punchy with something quirky to get people’s attention, then perhaps take it down to a quieter piece of footage, then end with your set piece scene, your strongest piece to end with a bang.

What music should I choose for the montage?
Choose something which reflects your style, to give it a bit of punch to start off with, set the mood

What length should my showreel be?
Generally between 3 - 4 mins is best. Spotlight only lets you upload a reel under 5 mins. It’s that balancing act between wanting to shove everything that you’ve done in, and keeping it as short and punchy as you can.

What formats will you accept?
If you have it on DVD, I can rip it that’s probably the best format, if you have the video as a file on a data disc that’s better, saves ripping! I can upload from MiniDV and HDV tapes as well.

One of my scenes was filmed on a phone, will that be good enough?
No. (Although the quality of phone video is undeniably getting better these days) Please check the quality of the footage that you do have. The main thing is the sound, images can always be cheated, but if your sound is screwed up, badly recorded or we can’t hear you it’s not going to look good. Need it to be the highest resolution that you have.

So, how do I get you to cut this masterpiece then?
Come to my office in central London, we can have a shift through your material and discuss how best to shape your reel. I’ll then spend a bit of time ripping your material, and come up with a rough cut which I will put up on a password protected video site and we’ll email cuts back and forth until such a time as we can’t stand looking at the damn thing any more and just end up making a 10 second video with your initials enigmatically fading on and off screen to the sound of African drums.

But I can just cut some stuff together on iMovie, that’ll work won’t it?
You can indeed, that is what iMovie is for. But you can either cut “some stuff together on iMovie” or we can craft you a narrative with your work that best reflects your style as a performer or creative, showing you off in the best possible light so you can go out in the world and get thems actoring jobs.

Is that just a politician’s way of saying that you are better then me?
Well, it depends what you mean by ‘better then me’, in Roman times……

What if I want to update my reel?
I can keep your files on my hard drive for about 6 months, so for easy updating. Outside of that I’ll have to delete them to save on space.

I would like to film a short monologue, presenter spot or scene that I have written to fill in some gaps in my reel
That sounds great, I can work with you on this. As a rule, try and make sure that the scene is less then a page (roughly aless then a minute of screentime), short and to the point, able to showcase your abilities in the gap that you feel is missing.

Can I rope one of my actory friends into my scene?
Of course you can, find someone you have worked with before and that you trust, and can get the best out of each other’s performance.

Will you source costumes, props etc.?
No. It’s up to you to source out any props or costumes that you may need. Locations we can discuss depending on what the scene is.

How will we film it?
Depending on what the scene is, and how fast you work we can use 3 different angles for other people.

What equipment do you use?
I specialise in shooting with DSLR cameras, which is a photography camera which turns out amazing High Definition footage with a unique look. To record the sound I use a Zoom audio recorder with a mic that records audio… obviously…

Do you cut crew reels?
I do indeed, crew members need reels too- Cameraperson, Composers, Costume makers

What about Voicereels?
I can also cut voicereels yes, same rules apply as to the video reels with regards to montages and recorded scenes, please get in contact to see what I can do for you.

What will I end up with?
I will provide you with 2 copies of a formatted DVD which will have a menu with your headshot and details on it, also a Hi Res web version which is small enough for uploading to video websites but also gives HD sized video showcasing you with the best quality.

Do you know anything about social media and promoting yourself online? Someone told me to sign up on MyFaceBook and I’m all in a Twatter about Casting YouCall Tube, and the interweb hates me….
I do indeed, I can send you a PDF I’ve put together of how to market yourself virally, and the sites where filmmakers advertise for actors. I always upload all my work to my Vimeo and YouTube websites, so they’re always be a copy of it there.

How can I book a session?
Send me an message using your email, or tweet me up @danieldmoses that’s what people do nowadays don’t they?

How can I pay you?
You can pay with cash, cheque or whack it in my bank account using the interweb (BACS). I can give you an invoice for your records and half of the agreed amount is to be paid upfront.

Can I pay with Magic Beans?
Magic Beans are not being accepted at this time, but should their monetary value increase in the future ( not completely beyond the realms of reality given the current economic climate) I may consider it.

Do you do headshots as well by any chance?
I do indeed, please visit the other minisite for headshots here

Wow, you must be some sort of Superman
Not really… ok I am, but don’t tell anyone, seriously, it could compromise world peace…. You don’t want to be responsible compromising world peace do you?