There is a lot of confusion among actors regarding what constitutes an effective demo reel (sometimes called "ShowReel" or "Sample Reel" among others. I have been cutting reels for professionals on both sides of the camera, in Hollywood, for many years.

While there are as many ideas about reels out there as there are actors, editors, agents and all those who hire them. I will narrow my experience down to a few observations.

The most effective demo reel is the reel that gets the actor the most work.

While most reels can present the actor in the best light in one to three minutes, scenes that may get the actor work should not be discarded simply because of the one to three minute rule.

The actors acting must be showcased with nothing to distract or confuse casting. Don't tell the story, eliminate other actors except when they feed you cue lines, no flashy editing bells and whistles, no long establishing shots (except where the shot demonstrates the size of the budget) no stunts unless the actor in question performed them. Don't use vocals as a music bed unless sung by the actor.

Use only the actor's best performances. ("Our phrase is: "When in doubt throw it out"). Put the actor's best scene first and second best scene second.

The first face we see on the screen should be that of the actor we are featuring. The last image we should see on the reel should be that of the actor.

The sole purpose of the reel should be to get the actor work. There are as many reels flooding casting as there are hopefuls lined up down the street for an open call. Make it easy for casting and they will appreciate you. They are looking for "the steak" (actor's talent) not "the sizzle" (editors' skill with bells and whistles).

An actor with more experience will have a longer reel. It only slows down when casting loses interest because they are not being shown new things.

There is a use for a flashy reel, that is to introduce an actor, as in a general interview with no immediate role in mind. This type of reel should not be submitted for casting.

Hope that helps any actors out there wondering about their reels.

Special thanks to Matthew Yang King for generously sharing his reel with us.

свернуть