Putting Your Best Self Forward in Your Demo Reel

In an industry that seems to change by the minute, it’s important that actors have the tools they need to get themselves in front of the right people. That’s what makes an actor’s demo reel so important, as it showcases their range, skills and years of on-camera experience.

Luckily, there are a few helpful tips to help make your reel truly sizzle. 

“Think of your reel as an advertisement: You’re the product and your reel is your commercial, and it has to highlight you and your brand,” said SAG-AFTRA member and SAG-AFTRA Foundation Small Group Sessions Instructor Scott Krinsky during Biz Basics: Tips for Your Professional Reel on July 17. The event was organized by the SAG-AFTRA President’s Task Force on Education, Outreach & Engagement. Whether your reel focuses on your acting, commercial, dance or stunt work, there are many factors to consider when you put your reel together or update its content.

ACHIEVING THE INDUSTRY STANDARD

Your material is one of the frst of many factors to consider before drafting your demo reel. Demo reels are nothing without clips, but not every scene is useable. Before getting started, review your clips for lighting, visuals and crisp sound.

“You want to emulate what you see on television or in a flm,” said Krinsky. “Even if the quality of acting is great, if [a casting director or talent agent] can’t hear you or see you well, it’s going to be hard to focus on your acting.”

Krinsky’s sentiment is echoed by Paul Norton, veteran professional demo reel editor and founder of Paul’s Video Production, an audiovisual, editing and auditioning service business based in Hollywood, California.

“You want to consider everything that you can use and then, when you put it all together, get a better idea of what you don’t need and why. If the issue [is] color or the image quality, that’s easily fxed, but sound is … more diffcult to clean up, [and] it gets pretty obvious which things can’t make the fnal cut,” said Norton.

PUT YOURSELF IN THE SPOTLIGHT
In addition to reviewing clips for their audiovisual quality, be sure to discern that you and your performance are the main focus in your footage, even if a chosen clip features another well-known performer.

Additionally, if you’re looking to expand your work across different genres, make sure that your reel demonstrates what Krinsky calls “emotional value.” In other words, showcase a range of emotions.

“If you have a multitude of scenes showing the same kind of emotion … it may begin to be a little boring,” said Krinsky. “Try to mix it up and show different [types of emotion] from the projects you’ve done.”

STAYING FRESH AND CURRENT
A fnal rule of thumb for your reel is to keep your content recent — after all, this is not only an opportunity to showcase your work, but a chance for casting or talent representatives to assess your current look and skill level. Still, keeping your reel updated doesn’t always mean discarding all your old work.

“If you’re an actor coming back to the industry and have an abundance of scenes from different projects over the years, it’s good to have some older stuff [in your reel],” said Krinsky, who suggested adding older content midway or toward the end of the reel.

The same is true if your older content comes from programs or flms that are still widely popular. “If you’re doing a comedy reel,” said Norton as an example, “you can still use a clip from Seinfeld or Cheers because it’s such an iconic thing. Everybody knows those shows and they’re kind of fun.”

Overall, don’t be afraid to make your reel well rounded, with clips from older and newer works across different genres.

KEEP YOUR REEL SHORT AND SWEET
The ideal length of a demo reel is a contentious subject, with some sources putting an emphasis on a total number of clips to include, and others recommending a specifc time limit of anywhere between two to fve minutes. There are many circumstances that will affect your decision, but the footage you use may end up being the deciding factor.

Norton said that the length of the reel is dependent on the footage available to an actor. While some may struggle to put together three minutes’ worth of quality material, others will have to carefully choose what they use and keep the fnal reel to three or four minutes and the clips themselves should not be longer than 30 to 40 seconds per character.

Norton’s rule of thumb is important when considering your audience. If your ultimate goal in creating a demo reel is to showcase the full range of your talent, multiple shorter clips may work better than fewer long or more drawn-out scenes. That way, even if a casting director or talent agent has a minute — or less — to look at your reel, they can quickly assess what you’re bringing to the table.

“Remember that casting directors are watching other actor reels, auditions and self-tapes, so you really only have their time for a few minutes,” said Krinsky. 

NO SUPERFLUOUS DETAILS!
When you begin editing your demo reel, you may start to think about ways to make it stand out from the rest and be tempted to add music to “silent” clips, title cards with the project’s name and date, or a slide with your email or website URL at the end of your reel to make sure casting or a talent agent knows how to find you. It’s understandable to want to do these things, but Krinsky and Norton opine that what will ultimately make your professional reel dynamic is the footage you use rather than effects that can be distracting or even date your work.

“The whole point of an actor’s reel should be contrasts, harsh juxtapositions of totally different-feeling pieces,” said Norton. “It should jump around because you want to make everything look as different as possible.”

RIGHT PLACE, RIGHT TIME
Once you’ve decided on your clips, their length and arrangement, and have put together your demo reel, the next step is to make sure it’s seen. And in today’s industry, where a multitude of casting sites are available, it’s easier than ever to ensure that you’re where casting directors and talent agents are looking. “If casting is browsing reels, these sites give them the chance to [conduct] very specific searches for actors,” said Krinsky, “and if they come across your profile, they’ll easily be able to see your demo.”

But what about other viewing or video sites, your personal website or social media? Krinsky’s advice is clear: Let nothing go to waste. You never know who may come across your work or where, so be open to using your clips and footage in new,
innovative ways.

“You can always reserve newer clips just for your reel, and [use] some of the older stuff that you’re really proud of from earlier in your career as clips elsewhere,” said Krinsky. “That way, if you have something really specific that you’re proud of, it’s easily accessible.”

Demo reels are a great way to cast yourself in the best light, and it doesn’t have to be an intimidating process. Evaluating your work, talents and skills — and displaying those performances in new, compelling ways — may help you take things to the next level.

To watch the full replay of Biz Basics: Tips for Your Professional Reel, visit sagaftra.org/videos.

This item originally appeared in the SAG-AFTRA magazine fall/winter 2021 issue.