Showreels, Pilots and Taster Tapes

Speaker: Jeremy Gibson

Background: Jeremy has been in the business for 36 years, 30 years of which were spent at the BBC. He’s now working as an Independent Producer in Cornwall and finding it’s not an easy thing to do, due to the geographical distance. With new technology; emails, conferencing etc., it shouldn’t be an issue but Commissioners still like the personal, one to one relationship approach which requires living in London or in close proximity to them. The penalty if you live outside London is cost, time, and the waste of time. With repeat business and project supervision the travel isn’t necessary.

The showreel - Handy hints

It should be a calling card, the best you can offer. It should work without you being there to pitch it personally. If you’re a Director your CV is very important, it should state what roles you’ve played on which production and the showreel should back it up. Make it very clear what role you played in relation to each clip on your showreel.
For beginners, the showreel is very useful. If you don’t have the CV and/or experience, include self made work that’s good.
Captions are very important to introduce each clip, otherwise it all blurs together and the viewer has no idea what they’re watching.
CV’s should show career progression. The employer will look at whether you’ve received second bookings – shows someone was impressed enough to re-employ you. Also, don’t stay too long at a single company. Move on. Move up.
Showreels need to trigger an emotion, elicit an engagement. Build in the emotion somehow. Tell a story.
Re-edit your clips, don’t put in a big chunk of something pre-existing, it may not work out of context.
Work with a good editor.
Ask yourself hard questions about the content.
Ask other people for their input.

The meeting then viewed a few examples of showreels from production companies.

The Pilot or Taster Tape

Commissioners like to see raw footage rather than polished product, it gives them a chance to shape it.
Costs range from £2k to £10k to £20k depending on the project.
BBC3 recently gave 2 weeks notice of a pitching opportunities, Seven Stones had to come up with ideas and taster tapes in that time.
An email at the right moment can get results.
Seven Stones turn out 5 or 6 ideas a week.

Companies need to nurse submissions through by contacting everyone who may come into contact with the submission as it moves through the Broadcster.

Commissioning Editors don’t look at emails often. Find out when they do. EG Jeremy knows that Richard Klein only looks at them on Sunday afternoons so he emails on Sunday morning.

Commissioners et al., network in pubs/clubs around TV Centre – disenfranchising the non-London based producers. Go to festivals. Very valuable for networking to meet and, importantly, to listen to people about what they’re really looking for.

Cornwall Film will be launching an innovation fund soon. Plymouth’s PMP and the ITV Roadshow provide access to Commissioning Editors.