I'm trying to put together a demo reel. In a perfect world, I'd like my reel to consist of great quality clips from professional productions but I am still working at that haha. I have a few shorts I've worked on and single scenes. I'd like to know what all you casting directors, producers and directors think. What do you like to see in an actors reel?
Acting : Demo Reels.. anyone have any advice for me? by Jessica Devlin
Demo Reels.. anyone have any advice for me?
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Truth! Being in the moment. Variety of character choices. (Acting Range)
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Jessica, be sure to include clips that showcase your acting ability. Those will typically be speaking roles in scenes that are well lit, and with shot(s) that are close enough to see you clearly. Use titles and music sparingly. Something important to know as an actor is this: When I have two hundred reels to review, I have a limited amount of time for watching each one, so if you begin your reel with more than a few seconds of titles, you're taking away from the time that I have to spend watching your performance. Often, after 35 seconds of titles, music, production company logos, and film titles, I stop watching and move on to the next actor's reel. The very best reels start with your name for 3-4 seconds, then go right to your performance.
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There is a co. in CA I think that will give you a script, shoot a scene with you featured. Good quality, I think it was around $300
Try to make a big punch with your first few clips; to satiate them to want to watch more. Less can sometimes be more in a reel, it'd better to have less work, but VERY GOOD work, than a lot of crap. As you go on in your career just keep adding to and re-doing the reel. I'd recommend getting a cheap NLE and learning how to do the basic cutting therein (really not that hard) so as you get more projects, you can throw the footage into your reel.