Demo Reels

A professional actor that has been featured in a film, or has acted in several television commercials would take there scenes and have them edited onto a VHS tape and sometimes submit these to a casting director or mail them to out of town auditions. This is what was to become know as "the demo reel" as we know it.

Today in the professional business of acting if an actor doesn't have a demo reel, this usually means the actor has no experience in film acting. A person with a reel basically states from the get go that they are trained and experienced to do the job. With a "custom made reel" you can show off your talent and abilities as an actor. As a matter of fact the custom made reels produce better results. Why? If you are lucky enough to get a part in a film it will probably be a non-speaking part. It takes most actors many years of being cast as an extra on a film set and if they are lucky they have the small chance to have a small speaking role. The small role they put on a demo reel would never impress a casting agent or director.   Example; Waiter comes to table

Scene 32 ;"WAITER"   Here's your water!

For your custom made demo reel your scene you will be rehearsing for and eventually filming is a script centered around and featuring you as if you were the star, not just a background character. That is the difference of a custom made reel and an actors reel. Don't let anyone tell you that you don't need a demo reel and that you should only put scenes from a Hollywood produced film on your demo.

That's complete non-sense. First, a director does not look at production values the same as a producer doesn't listen to a songwriter's song for production values. A poorly written and arranged song can be produced with church choirs a symphony orchestra with all the bells and whistles you want but it won't make a bad song any better.

The same standards apply for acting.

There are "Hollywood production looking" films produced everyday with bad actors and poor acting. If an actor were to show these scenes on a reel they would never get work just because it's a "professional production. In fact the opposite is true.

Today record companies and producers look for songs that are raw, songs without back-up music and big production. Songs that are good enough to stand on it's own merits. Great songs that can sang and performed with just the guitar.

Then it can be produced to the next level

The same common sense principle applies to custom-made demo reels.

Although we do use a set, and good lighting the idea is not to look too slick as if we are trying to cover something up like "your acting"!. We want the acting to shine. Any qualified film director is looking for quality, not in production but in YOUR ACTING! This is just a means to show the hard work and training you have invested in yourself and SHOW IT!.