<aside> 🎞️

Whether you want to commentate events at the Regional & Major level, or you want an easy-to-share highlight reel for Netplay opportunities, there’s one big thing you’ll need for applications: your Commentary Reel!

Figuring out what to include, how long to make it, and how to find/structure your clips can be super confusing when you start out. Here’s how I go about making & reviewing my reels!

</aside>

Making a Reel

  1. Download VODs of your commentary -- preferably only your best performances so that you have less hours of footage to sift through.
    1. Twitch VODs: https://twitchlink.github.io/
    2. YouTube VODs: https://www.4kdownload.com/downloads/34 or https://stacher.io/
  2. Drag & drop your VODs in your video editor (ex. DaVinci Resolve), and listen at 2x speed in the playback preview.
  3. Find and clip a solid intro introducing yourself w/your name, tag, & face on-screen.
  4. Listen for any sound bytes that show your skills (analysis, hype, play-by-play, player knowledge) or personality (humor, hosting, downtime filling, etc).
    1. When you hear something that sounds decent, rewind and play it back at 1x speed to see if you still like it.
    2. If you do, trim that clip out (i.e. Blade Edit), delete the rest of the VOD you've watched so far, and continue watching at 2x speed.
    3. Repeat until you get to the end of the VOD, then export your trimmed edits as Separate Video Files.
    4. Repeat steps 4.1 - 4.4 until you get through all of your best VODs!
  5. Once you've clipped everything you like, now it's time to assemble the reel. The general structure:
    1. INTRO - acquaint the viewer to your face/voice with a well-spoken first impression.
    2. BODY - fill in the bulk of your reel with clips that show your skills & personality per above. try to include footage of EVERY game you plan to apply for.
    3. OUTRO (optional) - a clean signoff & fade to your contact card. not nearly as essential as the intro, so don't worry if you don't have a great closer.
    4. CONTACT CARD - can be super simple, just a picture of your face + your Discord / Twitter / Email [contact info] is perfect to leave up for 3-5sec at the end. use large, easy-to-read text!
    5. Try to keep the reel between 2m-2m30, 3min MAX.
  6. Upload Unlisted to YouTube, and try to get peer review from friends in and out of the FGC.
    1. Let them know you’re looking for feedback on whatever they notice! Good, bad, or even just distracting.
  7. Once you make all your revisions & you're satisfied with your reel, upload the real deal as a Public YouTube video! Now you have a highlight reel that shows your style & best moments, ready to copy-paste as you fill out Commentary Applications.

<aside> 💭

“What if my clips aren’t good enough to make a good reel?”

You can use the missing pieces to guide what you want to focus on improving in future blocks, but don’t let perfect be the enemy of good enough.

You can’t apply without a reel, ****so better to have SOMETHING uploaded that you want to improve on, rather than not being able to apply at all.

</aside>

Reviewing Reels

<aside> 💡

Here's what I look for when peer reviewing friends' reels, and when I review my own drafts:

</aside>