Acting : Demo Reel by Joshua Estrada

Hi Joshua, It makes a huge difference! I posted the following elsewhere that should help... But first let me answer a couple of your specific questions. Brevity is your friend. "When in doubt leave it out" Do not put theatre on your reel, leave that on your resume. If you need to shoot something do it as a taped audition. The reader should be off camera but standing close to the lens. Make sure you have good lighting (it's simple) and clean sound. Do not put it on your reel. As you will see from reading on, agents and casting are leaning to posting individual clips on Actors Access. Glad to help if you have further questions Joshua. Here's what I posted elsewhere... I am a professional reel editor and author on the subject. Just last Thursday I gave a 3 hour seminar at SAG in Los Angeles for actors interested in editing their own reels or guiding their editors. Here is what I am told by top agents in the year 2014. Your very best work should be on your reel and nothing else. Your reel should begin with a close up that looks like the person who eventually walks into the room, if they call you in. Please keep it under two minutes. Do not tell the story other than what is necessary to support your performance. The news is, that while a sample reel is useful, agents want you to upload individual clips to places like LA Casting or Actors Access. When they are pitching an actor for CSI they will tell casting to look at their NCIS clip and so on. For actors creating their own reels, or pulling scenes from their shows, there is. nothing wrong with shooting a comedy scene and a dramatic scene, just don't put them on the same reel. As soon as casting gets confused as to how they see you they will move on. Larry - Lawrence Benedict SAG-AFTRA AEA Apple Certified Final Cut Pro Trainer/Editor (also Avid)

thank you so much larry! it's easier for me in the theatre market as i have a degree in theatre performance and a pocket full of monologues to use for auditions. but i find that everyone like me who transitions to the world of film has the same question, "how can i make a demo reel if i don't have anything?" i'll be sure to keep you posted on my success!

I'm a theatre actor first, American Academy, then graduated National Theatre School of Canada. For my first lead role in a television show I stuck scotch tape all over my face (when not on the set) to make sure i didn't bounce my eyebrows lol. We are lucky because we are trained actors, already. Find an agent who will listen to a monologue in person. Shoot "taped" auditions of scenes you'd be right for and post them. Don't use footage of stage performances. You have a good headshot. I'd say "tape" some comedy. Try the soaps, you'll have footage for a reel in no time. Brayquelaig!

the scotch tape thing is hillarious! the first time i taped myself to get some practice on film, my facial expressions were out of control! i finally understood what i was doing wrong.

The question keeps getting asked here what to put in your reel. I'll make this incredibly simple and straight forward. First, you need 3 reels. Each reel needs to be 90 seconds or less. Reel 1: Comedy. Your best charactery stuff. Funny, over the top, dry humor, deadpan. Variety, but all humor. Send this into comedy casting directors for comedic films. 2) Drama Reel: Nity gritty, tears, arguments, action moments, fights, stunts, etc. Again variety, but all dramatic. 3) Combo. You may not know what kind of film the reel is going to. So you need one that has the broadest spectrum showing the biggest range from comedy to action to hard drama. Keep it 90 seconds. Casting directors have a never ending stream of reels thrown at them daily. Keep it short. Let it be something they can review in a taxi, and elevator, on the toilet. If you can't show them how amazing you are in 90 seconds, you can't show them anything in 5 minutes. Additionally, don't get fancy. Transitions, and effects, and title cards...no. Are you an editor? No? So don't show me how awesome you can cut a reel. Just show me an amazing talent in the reel. Further questions? Feel free to inbox me.

Alle, respect your opinion of course, but I work both sides, have casted, and am personal friends with several CDs. A CD casting a drama doesn't need to see half a reel of you being funny. Your comedy "range" is irrelevant.

thanks to everyone who posted a comment! if there's one thing i've learned in the business is that it's never black and white for anyone. there are shades of gray; in fact blues, greens, reds, yellows. i'll be posting some reels to my actors access account and will keep everyone informed. again, i am so grateful that there are people who care enough to lend a hand.

I agree with Joshua about your comments, Lawrence, having started off first in live theatre. When doing the musical Oliver! in the role of The Widow Corney (cast against type as a petite ogre) the director told me to "stop wiggling." I couldn't understand what he meant until I watched what someone had filmed during tech week. Instead of tape, I believe restraints would have worked best. Thank the Baby J I saw this before opening night! I also found when I started going on commercial auditions that my eyes/eyebrows were far too "expressive." It's tough to figure out what you're doing wrong on your own, so very good to have these comments expressed elsewhere. And, I'm happy to say that I've gone on to score some nice commercial, TV & film gigs -- and plan to keep on learning how to be the very best at this craft, with a little help from my friends!

the term always thrown at me was "mugging"; stop mugging. glad i'm not alone! and much more success to you liz. i hope to join the ranks of commercial, tv & film folks.

Thanks for those kind words, Joshua. And the very best to you, too! I've come a long way from my "wiggling" days...LOL And many thanks as well to Lawrence Charles Benedict, Joe Bohn and Alle Segretti for sharing their words of wisdom. http://www.imdb.me/lizchuday

Joe, As a director I'm looking for someone who makes a character genuine. Is your performance in the scene believable? Is the "actor" not present, just the character you are portraying. That can be accomplished in a short scene. I prefer a professionally shot scene where you really are good. Have 1 or two great scenes (short!) on your reel says to the staff or cast director and to me that you A) have professional experience (whether you have a lot or a little) B. You are capable of BEING a character. A professionally shot and acted scene does separate you from the masses. For my last feature (independent) we had over a thousand responses for several speaking roles (SAG) for a one or two day gig. It was a scale job. All of the responses were represented by agents. My production staff culled it down to about a hundred, I looked at the most promising, then had auditions for 20 to 30. Those who had a great head sheet with multiple looks AND had a good short clip got to the head of the list. In my opinion the head sheet along with your experience, gets you up the list. The clip can move you ahead of others into the audition loop. We won't look at more than a minute or two, maybe three if you are really good. If you submit a scene with another really good actor in a supporting role instead of just a monologue all the better. We want to see you act, speak, and react. Before you put a scene on your reel, compare your performance to what you see in good actors on TV and film. If your scene puts you in the pro ballpark, include it. If it's less to really good, its better to not have a reel attached. That's one directors opinion. (I am a non-Hollywood guy with over 150 mil in completed productions and over 100 awards. I so appreciate the uphill climb for actors, and even more appreciative of a good one. Best of luck to you.

Thanks Fred! I do have a question: as a director in California, do you use Actors Access to post casting calls? Or does your Casting Director request submissions from agents directly? Or both? I currently do not have representation in New York (my goal at the moment) but my agent in Houston used both methods. For folks who do not have an agent in New York, it is recommended you submit through Actors Access (one of I think 3 websites) for employment opportunities. By the way, if this is all old news to you, please disregard the explanation. So, in brief, do you use Actors Access?

Also, Alle, I'll direct the same question to you. I noticed you do a lot of work in the UK; is Actors Access used there?

Alle, I realized that might be a dumb question. I just looked at my Actors Access page in the breakdowns and I don't see one for the UK. But have you had experience with that service?

I have a question for you, Joshua. Is Actors Access really all that helpful? Have you been called into auditions or actually landed roles by submitting on there?

Hi Joshua, I have a comedic and legit reel on AA. It's a bit costly. The only reason I have them on there is because my manager uses them for submissions. However, before I had representation I had one reel on there and found that it didn't help me at all. It's ridiculous how subjective theater is. Some CD's and agents love my reel (that's how I got my manager) and others think it's awful. You just have to make it the best you can and use it when you think it will benefit you. I get the same reactions to my head shots. Some love it and others hate it. Did this help at all? Gina

Tyson: I have gotten some small gigs from using Actors Access. But a few of my colleagues have advised if I have don't have a video attached to my submissions, most casting directors won't even look at me. I take it that casting driectors get hundreds if not thousands of submissions and will usually find what they need from the pool of actos who have video attached. Whether that is true or not I have no idea. But a very legitimate question and one I ask myself everyday in this business. Gina: That absolutely helps! I have joked with my wife that some people look just at my headshot and toss it in the garbage while I'm screaming from afar, "Look at the resume!" My current plan is to add one dramatic and one comedic reel and see what happens. It's $22 per 60 seconds, so I figure I won't go out to eat this weekend and use the money for that. I am very interested to see if anything comes out of this; I'll definitely post on this feed the outcome.

on AA, submissions with reel attached are given "priority" (i.e., appear closer to the top of all submissions)

That is correct. I have edited thousands of reels over the years, and cut several a day to go to Actors Access for the past several years. Agents and casting absolutely depend on AA, and the more quickly they can make a decision and move on, the better their reputation will become, and the more casting they will be asked to do. Back in the days of Performers Audition Showcase, in LA, where agents would troop out to watch audition scenes at lunchtime, more agents than i could count told me they mad their decisions in the first ten seconds of watching an actor. On the other hand, you have to use what you have as long as it's good. I made a reel for an actor last year who played a maid on a popular episodic. Her appearance was literally 8 seconds long. She posted it on AA. Now she is now a regular on the show as "the maid." That may not have been because of AA but it didn't hurt. I have a rule when editing; "when in doubt, throw it out." If it's not your best acting don't show it. Also, if your footage doesn't look like you, don't show it. If you're playing a deranged homeless person, don't show it first, unless that's what you want to be cast as. Make sure it's the highest quality you can reasonably produce. I will be posting an article on how to "self-tape" with your iPhone. It is never recommended, but if your on location in Antarctica, it may be your only option. The main considerations are: make sure the sound is clean, you're in a medium close up, there is light on your face and the camera doesn't shake. You can purchase a little book of mine from Barnes and Noble, Lulu.com etc. How to Shoot Better Camcorder Videos Help from the Hollywood Pros or just read what I post on Stage 32. A last suggestion, for now, is to also post your Reel on L.A. Casting, IMDB, and other places it might be easy for casting to access. If there is a network watermark on the video, YouTube will pull it so be careful of that. Scenes from shows you've been in are legal to use on your reel for the purpose of getting more work.

You are absolutely correct, Alle. I would love to have had more time to talk further about this. Three point lighting, and a mic that's close to you, can give you great results no matter what you're using. I recently shot an audition for a major star on his iPhone, when the studio we had booked screwed up. We had no lights, but a lovely warm light was coming through a window and the hallway of the building made a neutral background. We dragged some fake trees over to cut the echo of the hallway and held the iphone as close as possible to him. The results were excellent. I've heard people were shooting movies, just like you, on their iphones and I'll bet there will be iphone festivals springing up all over, if they are not already! I learned a great lesson some years ago when a gallery portrait artist hired me to put his work on video. He had shot his entire exhibition with an ancient Hasselblad and one single open incandescent light bulb. The results were stunning. Sometimes, "the medium really is the message." I'd love to see some of your movies, even if they're no-big-deal :)

Thanks for bringing me up to date on mobile phone cams. I think it's fantastic and i'll be looking at your page right away. Oh no! The fake trees were not in the shot! It was all I could find to cut the echo of the hallway and it worked. The late afternoon (golden hour) sunlight was just right, cut by some pretty grubby windows and we used an extra white shirt my actor brought along to add some bounce. For my first book, I made up a ton of little rules to ease the stress of production and one of them goes "Don't shoot what you went to shoot, shoot what's there." I'm looking for two young Quebecquois (one male and one female) actors to do some narration for a fireworks competition. Must speak educated French Canadian; just putting the word out. I'll get back to you after I view your mobile movies.