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A demo reel is a short series of clips that showcase one's acting ability. Demo reels (also called showreels, sizzle reels, or video reels) usually last about 1-2 minutes and give a casting director a sense of whether you'd be right or wrong for a part. In this article, I'll show you what's needed for a great one, and how to create one even if you don't have any footage/experience yet! Ready to get started?
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Martin Bentsen (author of this guide) is an actor marketing coach who uses “outside the industry” thinking to help actors book more work. He’s helped over 6,000 actors with their careers and actor headshots since 2009 and his photography studio City Headshots is ranked #1 on Yelp. He’s spoken at NYU, The New England Theater Conference, The Actor’s Green Room, and other venues. Want to book more acting work by thinking different? Start with his free Actor’s Toolkit to create new opportunities right away, or visit his website at www.martinbentsen.com. |
Some Additional Q&A
Do You Need a Demo Reel for Acting?
No. A demo reel is not absolutely necessary to grow your acting career, but it can help. Unlike a headshot, which is mandatory, actors can build a career without a professional reel.
When you're first starting out, all you need is some footage performing a monologue (you can just stand against a wall and film something on your smartphone). Eventually as you get more and more clips or begin the process of looking for an agent, you should look into creating a professional demo reel.
When you're first starting out, all you need is some footage performing a monologue (you can just stand against a wall and film something on your smartphone). Eventually as you get more and more clips or begin the process of looking for an agent, you should look into creating a professional demo reel.
When Should I Update My Demo Reel?
In general, any time you get new footage back that you're proud of, you should consider adding it into your reel. If you can find a company that offers a discounted rate for simple reel updates (like we do at Demo Reels NYC), it can be more affordable. Alternatively, you can learn how to edit these clips into your reel yourself for even bigger savings.
The sooner you update your reel with more impressive footage (and remove the old stuff), the sooner you'll start seeing new opportunities, so do it as soon as you can.
The sooner you update your reel with more impressive footage (and remove the old stuff), the sooner you'll start seeing new opportunities, so do it as soon as you can.
Do I Need Separate Demo Reels for Comedy and Drama?
You should only worry about creating separate reels once you've got plenty of footage, If you're just starting out and don't have a lot to work with, just focus on creating one primary reel. If, on the other hand, you have plenty of comedic AND dramatic clips, consider creating two separate reels. Most casting directors don't want to watch unrelated footage, so the more specific your reel is to what they're looking for, the more likely they'll watch the whole thing.
What Else Should Actors Have Besides Their Demo Reel?
As part of your primary marketing materials, you should have a high quality, professional headshot, a professionally formatted theater resume, and some independent clips – something dramatic and something comedic. For a more comprehensive list of the things you'll need to start getting auditions, I highly recommend checking out my article called The Ultimate Guide to Becoming an Actor.
Can I Use Copyrighted Music in My Demo Reel?
In general, it's only OK to use copyrighted music in a reel if the reel is not being sold commercially (meaning you're not making any money directly from the reel itself, which most actors probably aren't).
I am not a lawyer, so don't take this as legal advice, but in general if you're just starting out in your career, you're unlikely to have a problem using copyrighted music. That being said, if you're starting to build a name for yourself and have tens of thousands of social media followers, it's best practice to pay for music using a service like PremiumBeat.com, just to keep things simple and clean.
So the short answer is yes, it's OK to use copyrighted music in your demo reel if you're not selling your reel for money. But no, I wouldn't advise you do it long term. And as I said before, ask a lawyer.
I am not a lawyer, so don't take this as legal advice, but in general if you're just starting out in your career, you're unlikely to have a problem using copyrighted music. That being said, if you're starting to build a name for yourself and have tens of thousands of social media followers, it's best practice to pay for music using a service like PremiumBeat.com, just to keep things simple and clean.
So the short answer is yes, it's OK to use copyrighted music in your demo reel if you're not selling your reel for money. But no, I wouldn't advise you do it long term. And as I said before, ask a lawyer.
Further Reading:
If you enjoyed this article (What is a Demo Reel?), you might be interested in some of these:
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