FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

HOW TO CHOOSE YOUR MATERIAL

Remember it’s all about you! The best scenes are the ones where you drive or are at the center of the action. They should show your range and sell your unique qualities. It is also important to showcase scenes where you play opposite a recognizable actor and/or scenes from well-known TV Shows or films, as long as you are active. If you are a host, consultant or expert look for clips where you are poignant or provocative, the best moments of your interview. One-liners are also great tools to use in a demo. They can be used as transitions, buttons in/out, bookends, or simply to get a laugh.

HOW LONG SHOULD A DEMO REEL BE?

The shorter the better!

ACTORS

If you are an actor with a lot of credits, we strongly advise a reel between 3 and 4 minutes. If you don’t have a lot of network TV or film work yet, or haven’t worked in awhile – and have little recent footage – 1 to 2 minutes will do. Remember, a short, professionally crafted demo reel will give you a much greater chance at catching the attention of an agent and getting work than no reel at all.

Remember less is more! So, no matter how difficult it may be, let go of moments or scenes that slow down the reel by being repetitive or do not showcase you at your very best. Because you want to keep your audience wanting more, the rule that applies to good screenwriting applies to good demo reel design, enter your scenes late and exit them early!

HOSTS & TV CONSULTANTS / EXPERTS

Host demo reels are different to the extent that their focus is to encapsulate your personality and interaction with guests, rather than the depth and range of your acting abilities. This is why host reels tend to be dynamic and fall within no more than 2 1/2 minutes. As a TV Consultant or Expert you need to showcase your personality, wit and ability to hold your own with hosts and other members of a panel. In this case, the reel could be as long as 4 to 5 minutes.

Sometimes agents and/or managers have specific requests that do not fall within the above-mentioned criteria. They may want a Speed-reel or a Specialty-reel that, for instance, only highlights your work on a specific TV series. You may be a Director or Cinematographer in need of a demo reel. Whatever your needs are, we will meet and exceed them!

MONTAGES

Agents, casting directors, producers and directors will usually determine within a few seconds whether or not they are interested in working with you. It is therefore important to impress them from the opening shot and to sustain their attention to the very end. This is why montages are, for the most part outmoded. Instead, it is important to begin with your best work and build from there. However, if you are certain a montage can add something special to your reel, consider using it at the end and choose shots where you are NOT talking. You could be emoting or just looking like a star in your close up. In fact, montages work best for model types who want to display their glamour or sex appeal, or character actors who have a variety of looks.

MUSIC FOR DEMO REELS

Not all demo reels need music, but some benefit from having something that helps create a mood. Bring us three choices. Take some time to think about how the music can market what you are trying to sell by matching the essence of the type of roles you play. Instrumental is the best bet. If you choose something with lyrics try not to choose familiar songs that people have heard one too many times.

HOW TO PREPARE THE FOOTAGE

The more prepared you are, the more cost-efficient the editing session(s) will be. Select your material thoroughly before the session and cue up your tapes. For DVDs, write down the Time Codes. If there is more than one scene on a VHS tape you should write down the Time Codes at the beginning of each scene. Also, rewind the tape to the beginning and reset the counter to 00:00. This pre-selection will give us a great starting point from which to design your reel. If your choices overwhelm you, don't worry! We will help you chose the footage that serves you best.

FORMATS

Bring all your original material (e.g., complete movies, full scenes), not only your previously edited reel(s). This will give us more editing options. We can import footage from DVDs, VHS, Hi8, Digital 8, MiniDV (recorded on SP mode only), Iphone, Ipod. You can also bring material on your TiVo or DVR and we will transfer it into our system. High resolution QuickTime files (.mov) are very easy to use. We can also transfer formats such as Window Media Video (.wmv) or pull material off the Internet (these options may be a little more time consuming as we will have to find settings that maximize the resolution of your source footage). If your material is on other formats such as D5, HDCAM, DIGIBETA, BETACAM, etc., please have them transferred onto DVD. If you are appearing on a TV show, give us the time, date, network name and channel and we will do an Aircheck (record and burn a DVD for you). If you would rather record it on tape, make sure to select "SP mode" for better quality.

THE EDITING PROCESS

CAPTURE

First we digitize or "ingest" your footage. That is the process of capturing your material into the computer off of the various tapes, DVDs and hard drives you bring. Since this is done in real time, it gives us an opportunity to brain storm and discuss your reel's design.

EDITING

How do we design your reel and put the pieces together? That’s your choice. We work one of two ways.

  • Leave It To Us: We design and edit a rough-cut, send you a screener for approval, then implement notes you may have until you are fully satisfied with the result.
  • You’re The Boss: You design your reel and we edit. If you are certain of what you want and/or have editing experience, then this method is for you.

Most clients would rather leave it to us because we have had the experience of editing every type of demo reel there is – we know what works and we can be objective. We promise that your satisfaction is our number one priority.

Want to show it to your manager or agent, family and friends for feedback? We will send you a link to your screener that you will be able to forward to whomever you want to for up to seven days.

PRODUCT

Once we finalize your reel we make a DVD master for you as well as any web conversions you may need (QuickTime, Windows Media Video, Flash, etc.). We can then make DVD copies with or without your photo and contact info directly on the DVD.

UPDATING

You have an outstanding demo reel that’s getting you lots of work. So much work that now you want to add your latest stuff. Bring in your DVD Master or Copy and we’ll find the best way to incorporate the updates as efficiently as possible.

FOR OUT-OF-TOWNERS

If you are out-of-town or have no time to drop off your material, call us. We will set-up a phone consultation to determine what your needs are. Next mail your tapes, DVDs and/or USB flash drives. We will create a first cut and send you a screener for approval and notes. We will then implement your notes until you are fully satisfied with the result.