Editing Reel (section)

==Motion picture terminology==
<!-- Section is linked from "Short film".-->
{{Redirect|Film reel|reels used to process film|Developing tank}}
[[File:35mm reels and boxes.jpg|thumb|35mm film reels and boxes]]
[[File:16mm_film_reel_(6498649123).jpg|thumb|16mm empty film reel with its metal container]]

It is traditional to discuss the length of theatrical [[Film|motion picture]]s in terms of "reels". The standard length of a [[35 mm movie film|35 mm film]] reel is {{convert|1000|ft|m|0}}, which runs approximately 11 minutes for [[sound film]] (24 [[frames per second]])<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QKQFAQAAIAAJ&q=11+minutes |title=Journal of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers, Volume 26. Ed. Society of Motion Picture Engineers, 1936. P. 93 |access-date=2023-03-14 |archive-date=2023-07-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230701083654/https://books.google.com/books?id=QKQFAQAAIAAJ&q=11%20minutes |url-status=live }}</ref> and about 15 minutes for [[silent film]] at the more or less standard speed of 18 frames per second.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Kawin|first1=Bruce F.|title=How Movies Work|date=1987|publisher=[[University of California Press]]|isbn=9780520076969|page=[https://archive.org/details/howmovieswork00kawi/page/46 46]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/howmovieswork00kawi/page/46}}</ref> Most films have [[Cue mark|visible cues which mark the end of the reel]]. This allows [[projectionist]]s running reel-to-reel to change over to the next reel on the other [[Movie projector|projector]].

A so-called "two-reeler" would have run about 15–24 minutes since the actual short film shipped to a movie theater for exhibition may have had slightly less (but rarely more) than {{convert|1000|ft|m|0|abbr=on}} on it. Most modern projectionists use the term "reel" when referring to a {{convert|2000|ft|m|0|sing=on}} "two-reeler", as modern films are rarely shipped by single {{convert|1000|ft|m|0|sing=on}} reels. A standard Hollywood movie averages about five 2,000-foot reels in length.

The "reel" was established as a standard measurement because of considerations in printing motion picture film at a film laboratory, for shipping (especially the film case sizes) and for the size of the physical film magazine attached to the motion picture projector. If it had not been standardized (at {{convert|1000|ft|m|0|abbr=on|disp=or}} of 35&nbsp;mm film), there would have been many difficulties in the manufacture of the related equipment. A 16&nbsp;mm "reel" is {{convert|400|ft|m|0}}. It runs, at sound speed, approximately the same amount of time (11–12 minutes) as a {{convert|1000|ft|m|0|adj=on}} 35&nbsp;mm reel.

A "split reel" is a motion picture film reel in two halves that, when assembled, hold a specific length of motion picture film that has been wound on a plastic core. Using a split reel allows film to be shipped or handled in a lighter and smaller form than film would on a "fixed" reel. In the [[Silent film|silent era]], the term was used to describe a single reel that accommodated two or more individual titles.<!--In the early silent era, it was not uncommon for studios to distribute to theaters a split reel that housed up to three or four very short films.!-->

As [[digital cinema]] catches on, the physical reel is being replaced by a virtual format called [[Digital Cinema Package]], which can be distributed using any storage medium (such as hard drives) or data transfer medium (such as the internet or satellite links) and projected using a [[digital projector]] instead of a [[Movie projector|conventional movie projector]].

A [[newsreel]] is a short documentary film.

A [[showreel]] or demo reel is a short film showcasing a person's or organization's previous work.