MY MISSION TO MAKE SELFTAPES FUN AGAIN
The self-taping and showreel creation process is one we all know too well. Often gruelling and overwhelming, Reel Thang was created in direct opposition to this feeling. Born out of the desire to create a professional, supportive and technically exceptional space for actors to rediscover that joy and play that so often gets lost in the hustle.
Say goodbye to fold-out blue screens, iPhone audio and wrangling housemates to shoot with you. With high-quality audio and film equipment, editing and direction sorted, Reel Thang allows actors to focus on what they do best. With a variety of backdrops and lighting setups, the studio allows us to curate the right look and feel for your chosen scene.
The studio operates within the understanding that all actors work in different ways. Want to workshop the scene beforehand, need help nailing those lines, want an outside perspective, or maybe you just want to get in, shoot and get out? Reel Thang embraces actors’ individual methodologies and provides flexibility to work the way you want.
As simple as it sounds, Reel Thang offers actors the opportunity to work with someone who loves to work with actors! As a performer, director and filmmaker, Polly has a sharp eye for detail, a strong understanding of feedback, and a knack for extracting, adding, and enhancing nuance, play, and truth of each scene.
Leave the studio knowing you will receive a tape that not only matches the quality of your acting but enhances it!
ABOUT ME
Polly Garrett (They/Them) is a director, camera assistant and filmmaker working, collaborating and creating general mischief in Naarm, Melbourne.
No stranger to the acting hustle, Polly graduated from BAPA (Bachelor of Acting) in 2018 before expanding their work, writing and directing a successful run of ‘Estimated Time of Arrival’ at the 2019 Fringe Festival. During this time, they continued acting, performing productions including the original conception of ‘Trophy Boys’ and an almost sold-out season of ‘Coming Out.’
During their time employed at Acting Performance Studio, Polly worked with casting agents and Australian actors, including Rhys Muldoon, Thea McLeod, Jasper Bagg, Megan D’arcy and Lou Mitchell, gaining incredible insight into the Australian casting industry.
But Polly’s true passion has always lain in filmmaking. Previously freelancing, editing showreels for both actors and cinematographers, Polly has a knack for creating flow, mood and stories through often unrelated images.
Accepted into the Master’s of Film and TV (Directing) at VCA, Polly worked closely with actors throughout their writing and development process, leaning on their unique ability to communicate with actors in their own language.
As a result, they have created films varying from surreal, queer, coming-of-age shorts to high-production sci-fi dramas. Always striving to create films that inspire hope without shying away from the struggles and complexity of this big adventure we call life. Their most recent film, D-TOX, is currently screening as part of the Best Aus Shorts at SKFF.
Reel Thang is the accumulation of several years of work and the ultimate intersection of Polly’s skills. They couldn’t be more excited to share the studio with you.
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Wominjeka. Reel Thang acknowledges the Traditional Owners, the Wurundjeri and Boon Wurrung people of the Kulin Nation as the custodians of the land on which we work, operate and rest. We pay our respects to Elders past and present. We recognise that sovereignty has never been ceded. Always Was, Always Will Be, Aboriginal Land.
