Shermy Show Reel
A Hand-Crafted Reel That Helped Pack the Room
Client Need
Shermy, a Seattle-based power pop band with a chaotic live energy and a strong DIY aesthetic, needed an Instagram Reel to promote their upcoming show in a way that felt as alive and handmade as their music.
They wanted a video that captured the messy joy of a house show flyer — something grainy, fun, and tactile, not polished or corporate. They needed a promo that would:
Match their chaotic, analog-leaning style without losing legibility or punch.
Work seamlessly on Instagram Reels — sized right, with key info clear despite vertical overlays.
Show off the lineup and location without sacrificing personality, texture, or movement.
Challenge
We started with a pile of mixed-quality iPhone concert footage and a general direction: “lo-fi, chaotic, fun.” The band’s aesthetic lives somewhere between Nickelodeon slime, photocopied show flyers, and old Mac desktop interfaces — so I leaned into that spirit.
Originally, I was going to just color correct and cut the footage to music. But the more I played, the more it became about layering — textures, logos, text in motion, and type that wiggles like it was photocopied too many times.
My goal became clear: make it look effortless and messy, but only after obsessing over every pixel.
My Solution
I cut together mixed-quality concert footage, unified it with black-and-white treatments and grain overlays, and built the aesthetic around Shermy’s chaotic, analog energy. I brought in their bubble-letter logo as a hand-animated, squiggly loop, layered over purposeful cuts and stop-motion-style text blocks — all designed with Instagram’s vertical format and UI overlays in mind.
The goal: make it feel raw and handmade, without losing clarity or momentum. I let the show footage lead the energy, and designed text and motion to support, not overpower, that spirit.
“Matt made something really special. It really felt like us. People really connected with it, and it helped the show feel like something to look forward to.”
— Shelby Turner, Singer/Guitarist, Shermy
Results
Reel received 77 likes and positive feedback from Shermy’s audience, including comments like “Love the vibe in this shot” and “Aw I love this vid!”
Show was standing room only — well-attended and high energy.
Reel was used as Shermy’s official promo across Instagram, posted with a public thank-you from the band.
Captured the band’s tone — grainy, fun, stylishly chaotic — while making all show details readable and Reel-optimized.