How Long Should A Cinematography Reel Be

When filming a documentary, there’s an average length for a cinematographer's re-roll of footage or a new take. This is called a "re-shoot." The number varies depending on the project, but most are around one to two minutes long.

On larger projects with bigger budgets, re-shoots can easily cost over $1,000! That means that if the director feels that your technique isn't good enough, they will probably ask you to do it again within a few days.

It’s important to remember that while a re-shoot may seem like a hassle, it really isn’t. It takes time to master lighting, composition, and storytelling, which makes re-shots a very valuable tool in the filmmaker’s toolbox.

This article will talk about why having a short cinematic reel is so important, and some strategies to create yours.

Be consistent

As mentioned before, no one really sets in stone how long a cinematographer’s reel should be. It is dependent on so many different things: genre of film, overall length of project, number of scenes, etc.

However, what most people will agree on is that it should be around two minutes longer than the actual run time of the movie. This is because filmmakers typically have a minute or two at the beginning and end of their feature films to show off their talent and showcase their work, respectively.

This gives your potential employer enough room to describe you as an incredible artist and creative person who can convey strong messages through storytelling. You are also given chance to talk about anything beyond just your artistic skills, such as why you would make the best team member for the position.

Take our professional profiles as examples. While his profile only has a short sentence and some links to his social media accounts, he has described himself as a passionate leader with a knack for creating engaging experiences. He also listed several of his strengths, like his ability to bring out the best in others. All of these qualities could easily translate into the workplace.

His profile ends by asking you to do the same but adds “Give us a call! We're looking forward to talking more.” By doing this, he is letting the reader know that he is someone worth contacting and gathering information from.

Length of clips

Beyond length, another key factor in choosing your reel style is how many individual shots you include within each longer segment. This is typically referred to as “clipping” or “breaking up the reel.”

Clipping can be done for any number of reasons; creating variety, emphasizing an element in the scene, or just because it looks good!

Some people recommend leaving at least 30 seconds between two separate pieces to keep the viewer interested. But that depends on the content and what kind of flow the movie maker wants to create.

You should consider yourself well-trained in cinematography already - but don’t take this article as gospel! Different directors have different styles. What works for one may not work for you.

Duration of shots

Another important part of shooting is determining how long each individual shot will last. This is called the duration of the shot. The length you give to a particular shot depends on many different factors, such as the number of people in it, what angle it is at, etc.

When setting up a camera for a given scene, make sure to leave enough time for your director to get through his or her dialogue before moving onto the next shot. When going from one location to another, ensure there is adequate time to move the vehicle, set up the new lighting, and so on.

General guidelines say that a minute is the minimum needed to start recording the next shot, but I always like to be slightly longer than that. A standard rule of thumb is to add two minutes to every second of film we have! (This way if we run out of film early, we still have some extra headroom.)

This article will go more into detail about other tips to help you with this.

Touch up shots

After filming your story, there will be times when you need to touch up some of the scenes or add additional footage. This is typically due to poor lighting, natural distractions like cars driving by, people moving around, etc.

These kind of “mistakes” can easily be corrected in the editing room, but it is best to do so during production.

By adding this content while shooting, the film doesn't have to stop until they are able to correct these issues. By having a short time frame for each shot, the filmmaker has more leeway to fix them later.

We recommend using one camera per scene unless otherwise stated. This way, the director has full control over what happens next.

Keep it simple

There is an assumption that longer cinematographic reels are better, but this isn’t always the case. Lengthy cinematic reels can become very tiring for both your viewer and filmmaker.

After watching a long movie with no breaks in between scenes, people get tired. You have to take break after break to refresh their eyes and brains! This is why some of the best run time films have been under 30 minutes.

A short film gives your viewers a sense of closure at the end. They walk away feeling good or even happy because they wanted to see what happened next! The filmmaker has left you with a desire to continue reading, listening to music, or whatever else comes up in your daily life.

This article will talk more about the benefits of having a short cinema reel.

Visual storytelling

As mentioned before, it is important to have enough content for viewers to understand what the film is about. But how long that content should be depends largely on your style as a filmmaker and personal preference. Some like short and concise, while others prefer longer pieces with more detail.

There’s really no right length unless you are very well known or your movie has received plenty of attention. A good rule of thumb is to include enough material to tell your story, but not so much that people start skipping scenes to make sense of things.

Timing also matters! If you go too fast, people may lose focus or even get distracted. You want to create suspense, keep interest up, and make sure the audience does not skip any parts. And if there is a lot happening in a scene, try to slow down and add some silence or neutral background music to give it context.

And lastly, know when to stop! Sometimes a shot or sequence is just way too beautiful or interesting to cut off.

Ensure good lighting

The length of your cinematographic reels should be dependent on the length of the movie you are filming. If it is a short film, then having a shorter cinematic reel is appropriate!

For most feature films though, we recommend that you shoot at least 20-25 minutes of footage to ensure the best quality image. This way you will get enough content for the cut edit without running out of space!

When deciding how long your shot list should be, think about how many shots you have per scene and what order those scenes occur in. For example, if your first scene is establishing setting and tone, then your second could be main action or dialogue, etc.

Tell a story

As mentioned earlier, cinematographers spend A LOT of time editing their reels! This is an integral part of what they do as artists. They develop strong relationships with their directors so that they are able to collaborate and create aesthetically pleasing shots while also telling the intended narrative of the film.

As humans we relate more strongly to stories than anything else, it’s our natural instinct. The best filmmakers know this and use it to strengthen their bond with each other and promote storytelling through photography.

The length of your cinematic reel depends mostly on how long you want people to watch it! If you're making a feature movie then your reel should be longer than if you're making a TV show or short film.

It's great to have a short trailer but most audiences don't connect well with brief snippets of footage. It can make them feel detached from the product and even turn off potential customers.