So you’ve done some ground breaking and employee work. You can also have characters in your commercials or on a sitcom. So now, your diverse production is starting to grow and grow. So what do you do with all this work you’ve put together throughout your career?
Well, if you don’t already have it figured out, it’s time for you to move your demo. Demo points to distribute to possible agents, actors, and also for casting directors to see you in action – outside the audition room. But how is the demo disturbed? What are some key demo reel tips that will create a level of professionalism?
During my years in the entertainment industry, I have gathered many tips on the great demo mess. It’s not as simple as you might think. When I first started I thought that making a demo reel would mean just recording some scenes with your coach, or a friend, and then making VHS copies and distributing them through the agent chain.
However, this process is slightly more complicated. Below you will find some very useful tips that I have collected, and when you put them to use, your mess will be polished, professional and show your talent effectively without being overbearing.
If you can, use only professional footage. Some say that you can only put a professional on your demo reel, while others say that if you don’t have enough professional credit to put on your demo reel, you might as well record it and put it on your own. What I have found to be most effective is that your professional productions will be disrupted in the demo. This can be challenging when you haven’t worked hard enough, or haven’t had the features in a professional production.
However, we’ll get to that in a moment, first of all, what should be discussed in your demo demo. When composing your footage, make sure you only feature in them. If you have a long distance scene, you need to focus on this scene. Casting agents, producers or directors don’t want to watch a few minutes of someone else talking to see you.
This demo reel is about YOU, not the other actors. Sometimes you can’t help but have a few other actors in your mess, and that’s fine – but only in moderation. This can make some improvement, but only choose the works that are within you. You can include footage from actual television shows, movies or commercials. If you’ve made a commercial video, you can include a short clip from it if you think it’s useful to show your performance as an actor.
However, if you don’t do any of these things, the agent is still asking for trouble demos. In this case, inform the agent – if they don’t already know – that you are not yet involved in any professional productions. This discussion with them will teach you to do a short scene with someone else. If so, make sure the camera stays on you the whole time. Also, find a CAMERA.
I cannot express this enough. Don’t just use a standard, grainy, camera. If necessary, go out and get your high definition camera from a local rental company. This will allow you to report your scene in a high-quality format, adding a level of professionalism that would otherwise be left out. But they are only equipped to do this. If you don’t have any professional production footage, start working harder. Because not only do you want to build your resume, but you also want to build your demo reel.
· Include your best material at the beginning. More than likely, anyone who bothers watching your demo will have about 100 other demos to watch, so the outcome of watching the entire video will look extremely slim. This is where you put your strongest piece of footage first. Choose topics that reveal your raw talent as an actor in the beginning. After these scenes, put the second scene on. But this is the most important step, because if you put the scene “yes-” first, the likelihood of having the agent or the casting director see it further is very slim. Most actors, producers or casting directors know an actor’s talent within the first few moments of watching a motion demo. So that the first time you see it is perfect and professional.
· Don’t use game play unless you’re running a demo for a theatrical agent. This is the most important thing. Your demo mess has to have a flow to it and if you have a commercial, a film and then a television function with a rental production, you are not going to get the result you want. Yes, it’s good that you can do both film, television and theater, when you approach an agent, theater doesn’t do it, when they watch you in vain on stage. Plus, the video quality of most theatrical shows is poor. This will make your demo reel look amateurish and is annoying and embarrassing for the agent/casting director who is looking at your confusion. Keep all the material in the same style. If you’re sending your demo to a theatrical agent or casting director, it’s best to include as much of your acting as possible, if not more, and separate it from them.
·. But for those who aren’t technically inclined, finding a company that specializes in demos is perfect. There is an extra cost to this, and depending on where you go, it can cost quite a penny. Instead, search the Internet or your local arts and crafts newspaper for demo reproduction companies. More-than-likely you’ll find a great one that does just as great a job. This will help make your demo look polished and extremely professional – which is key in this business.
· Your test will be disturbed at the appropriate time. Demo will be disturbed never longer than 7 minutes. An ideal demo reel length will fall between 4 to 7 minutes. But it is good if your disorder is shorter than that. As long as it’s long enough to show anyone your talent and talent as an actor, that’s enough. It has been said that when it comes to live demos, “the shorter, the sweeter”. This is because I fully understand the lives of industry professionals (managers, producers, casting directors, etc.) “>phone calls, e-mails and conversations. When they sit down to consider new material, they have to go fast. So if your resume is polished, professional, and time-perfect, you’re more likely to make an impression on prospects. Every time I put together your demo, remember, “If I were to do a thousand things the day I looked at this, would I be able to grasp who I am, my talents, and abilities within the first minute or two?” If you answer “No”, how hard they will be upset. However, if your answer is “let’s do it”, congratulations, you just made a good demo reel.
