Hello! I'm currently pulling video to start on an acting reel/demo reel but I have a problem. The only film footage I have is from a single web series I am in. It is my only exposure to film that I have had so far. I use a different accent for that character (regional southeastern America) but I don't talk with the same "twang" so to speak. Would it be a bad idea to make a reel from only this show since it is all I have? I'd hate for people seeing it to either think that is the only card I can play or that the character itself is true to what I'm capable of. Thanks in advance for your feedback!
Acting : Creating a reel from limited sources? by HannahFaith Rader
Creating a reel from limited sources?
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I'm in the same(ish) boat as you, Hannah-Faith. I mean, I'm not pursuing acting any longer, but similarly, my film acting was limited to a sci-fi feature. Were I to want to put together a reel, that would be the only thing I'd have to pull from. If I were in your shoes, I'd get another project under my belt before creating a reel, precisely for the reason you mentioned: "that is the only card I can play or that the character itself is true to what I'm capable of." Someone might hear your accent and not realize that it was in character, you know? Plus, a director/casting director would want to see a range, not just one character. That's my two cents. Anyone else? :)
Yeah... Do some monologues that captivate. Use different well know scenes to act out. Show emotions. Cry in one, laugh in another. Be stern in another as well as kind. I would suggest good lighting or for the mood. Good Mic not the internal one on a camcorder. Use an external mic. Cant afford to spend a couple hundred on cheap equipment? See if you can borrow one and need only buy a mic. Still not in the cards? Trade Content on Clist or the likes. Change your hair clothes. We casting want to see you in different characters. Hence your 1 card pony, as you say.
Thanks for the feedback, guys! Simon, I've actually never seen a reel that used a monologue in it! I'll have to look into that!
Simon has made a good point. The only film credit you have visually is the web series version. You should play to your strength by acting out monologues or some characters that can show your range of acting. Monologues reels are still preferred amongst voice-over artists who are looking for work that I know. You are just adding the visuals.