ACTORS WITHOUT DEMO REELS

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ACTORS WITHOUT DEMO REELS:  WHAT'S UP WITH THAT?

By Dr. Melissa Caudle

Do you want to be taken seriously as an actor? Of course you do. That is why you have spent hundreds of dollars on your head shots, countless hours in acting classes, sougt an agent, and obtaining and going to auditions. Then why don't you have an acting reel?

During the online audition process for my new project The Keystroke Killer, I was shocked at how many actors who submitted for roles didn't have an acting reel or at the very minimum a reel with a monologue.  This is only an estimate, but out of the 2500 actors you joined The Keystroke Killer Fan Site, less than 100 acting reels were submitted.  There could be a variety of reasons for that, but still, your acting reel is very important.  Why?  Because your acting reel demonstrates to agents, casting directors, directors, and producers the variety of acting skill and characters that you are able to portray.  

Simply having a reel, doesn't mean you'll get more auditions, callbacks, and land a role.  However, it will help you to secure them.  And, if you are wondering, there are some really good acting reels and some really bad ones.  What do you need to do to make sure that your acting reel does the job in which it is intended to do?  Follow these guidelines and you will be well on your way to creating your actor's reel that catches our attention.

1. Do your homework.  Watch as many acting reels on YouTube and Vimeo that you can.  Keep a notebook handy and write down your thoughts and impressions on each one.  Be sure to jot down what you really liked and didn't like about a reel and ask yourself, did it hold your interest until the end.  If it did, watch it again and look for reasons why.  Pretty soon, you'll have a general idea of what you like and don't like for your own reel.
2. Make a decision of who is going to edit your reel.  If you have the skills and equipment to edit your own, then by all means do it yourself.  Just make sure that the finished project is professional looking. If you don't have the skills, research editors. There are as many good editors out there as there are bad ones.  Ask for their own demo reel or to let you see samples of demo reels they have done for other actors.
3. Assemble your footage that you want to include in your demo reel.  Include your recent work as well as your past work.
4. When editing your footage, make sure that you have the editor start your reel with YOUR FACE.  That is the first thing that a producer, casting director, and director wants to see.  Why?  We look first to see if your physical traits match the description of the character.
5. DON'T start your reel with a black screen and text.  We want your face.  (That is why number four is so important).  Also, since most scenes in a demo reel contain more than one actor, by putting your face first it allows viewers to know which actor they are supposed to be looking at. It is important that you make it completely obvious to the director and producers that it is your reel and not one of the other actors.  A huge tip that I like to do when editing actor's reels is to grab a still from the first scene of a close up of the actor to use as the "FACE" in the beginning of the video. That way, it is obvious as to what actor the reel is for.
6. Remember, that your reel is a reel and not an audition tape, therefore; there is no need to slate.
7. Put your best footage first.  Avoid the thinking pattern that you will save the best for last. Your goal is to catch the viewers attention from the get go. Otherwise, they may turn it off and never get to the good footage.  When deciding what is your best footage, the footage that best demonstrates your acting ability, is professionally shot or from a high concept feature film, is usually best.
8. Your goal is to market yourself in your demo reel and not another actor. If you aren't featured enough, have your editor "Edit" out the other person as much as possible, and use more shots of you by layering your footage from that scene.  For example, lets say, the footage shows you listening to the other character, then shows you talking, then back to the other acting talking.  Instead of having the other actor talking, have your editor copy the footage of you listening on top of that so we see you again.
9. Keep your reel less than five minutes.  Actually, three minutes is best.  This means you do not have to include every thing you have acted in.  Instead, use only those parts that feature you and presents you as the actor.
10. DON'T use copyright music or the latest hit song if you have a picture montage. This violates copyright infringement and serves no purpose.  If music is needed, ask your editor to use royalty free music or find one on the internet that you can download and use for a small royalty fee.
11. Once you reel has been edited, make copies.  DOUBLE CHECK each copy on several different computers to make sure they work.  There is nothing more frustrating for a casting director or director to want to watch an actor's reel only to discover it is not on the disc supplied by the actor.
12. Every copy of your reel, the disc and not just the case, MUST BE labeled with your name, your agent's name, and contact information. Often, in the fast and furious world of casting, discs get misplaced from the cases. That is why it is important to label your disc as well.  Also on the disc itself, have your editor place a thumbnail of your head shot that matches the one on your resume.

Be sure to visit the archive section for more articles.  Also, go to www.drmelcaudle.blogspot.com for even more articles for screenwriters, actors and producers.