Cut the shortest version first
Six seconds forces a decision about what the work actually is.
Handplayed Reel
A sixty-second reel cut to work with the sound off, then made better with it on.
Client
Handplayed
Year
2024
Our role
Edit, motion, sound design
Deliverables
60s reel, 15s and 6s cutdowns
The brief
Years of footage, no through-line. The reel had to work as a first impression for people who would give it four seconds.
The approach
We cut the six-second version first. Whatever survived that became the spine of the sixty.
Design for muted playback
Type and motion carry the story alone. Sound adds, it does not explain.
Grade for consistency
Footage from four sources and six years matched to one look.
Selected frames
The result
One reel, three lengths, all cut from the same spine. The six-second version outperformed the long cut as an ad.
3Lengths from one edit
6 yearsOf footage matched to one grade
0Reliance on sound
Starting from the six-second cut sounded backwards and was completely right.
Creative director, Handplayed
Got something like this in mind?
Tell us what you are trying to make and when it needs to exist. We will tell you honestly whether we are the right studio for it.