Your reel is so many important things. Not only is your reel a collection of your prized work from the past year, it’s a statement and ultimately a piece of art. This is your artistic statement. There’s a special nuanced art in crafting a cohesive story pulling from many different pieces while making it stand out from the rest — music can help make this happen. 

We collected some of our favorite reels and narrowed them down to five films that use music creatively to tell their unique story. Enjoy and let us know what you think.

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1. Film Lab Creative // 2015 Demo Reel

Film Lab Creative is an awesome production company out of Houston that makes some of the most striking, human portraits out there. When watching their reel, you immediately become fully immersed in this ode to inspiration. Driven by an anthemic voice-over that feels vintage yet timeless at the same time, there’s a pensive nature to this film as it treks into intimate landscapes of the human experience. “Release Me From This Snare” by Beautiful Eulogy provides a moody backdrop that gives room for introspection and allowing the imagery to speak for itself.

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2. Cinco Design // 2015 Showreel

The new reel from Cinco Design effortlessly blends together a sense of cool and excitement. Drawing from different aesthetic  inspirations, this collection of disparate scenes are threaded together with fluid movements and a badass electronic trap song from RL Grime. Thematically, sleek images are tied together by common actions and at times, intense eye contact. This is one of the more engaging reels we’ve seen in a while. 

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3. Chris Fenner // Demo Reel

The cinematic work of filmmaker, Chris Fenner is striking. And it really comes through in his compelling reel. While often using music as a subtle presence in his stories, his reel actually flips roles and creates a larger-than-life atmosphere with the electro-pop track “Honest Affection” by Kye Kye. Keeping consistent with the moodier color and hue of each scene, the somber, yet anthemic soundtrack pairs perfectly with the imagery. Check out our interview with Chris Fenner here.

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4. Caravan // Reel

This one blew us away. Using the orchestral-folk track “Run Boy Run” by Woodkid, Caravan‘s reel lets the song lyrics shine through to add another element to the stirring imagery. One of the most incredible things about this film is how it evolves, making each scene feel like it was meant transition to the next — this has a lot to do with how the dips in and out of intensity, eventually building to a beautiful crescendo at the end, marking a triumphant end to a cohesive story.

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5. Romain Leclerc // Nvmero Reel

This unique reel starts out in an interesting way. Filmmaker, Romain Leclerc delivers a voice-over introduction and artist statement before leading you into a journey of his beautiful work. The dreamy electronic soundtrack hovers with the surreal and beauty imagery, all coalescing into one hazy dreamscape that’s hard to leave. Check out our interview with Romain Leclerc here.

Join the conversation and share your recent reel with us at: sharing@marmosetmusic.com. Sharing is awesome.

Check out our reel here and check out our Soundtracks For Reels mixtape here.