How to Make a TV Reporter Reel
Most job seekers use resumes as their calling card, hoping to obtain an interview that can help them showcase their best qualities. A few jobs, however, such as a TV reporter position, allow you to demonstrate your expertise before you are hired. Almost all news and sports stations require prospective reporters to submit demo reels, which are video samples of news stories and anchor work. Create the most effective demo reel by selecting material that demonstrates your reporting versatility.
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Instructions
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Review all your reporting work to select the stories for your reel. Typically, a reel contains anchor or host work, a report from a location, a feature story and a montage that showcases the breadth of your work.
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Edit the selected stories into 15- or 30-second pieces. Your goal is to give a news director a sample of your style and writing ability, so edit the pieces in a way that showcases your talent. If you have editing experience, edit the pieces yourself. If not, pay an editor to do it for you, but sit with him as he does the work.
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Start the reel with a graphic that shows your name, phone number and email address. If you have prior reporting experience and are represented by an agent, list the agent's name, company and phone number instead of your personal contact information.
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Open the reel with an attention-grabbing piece. The first 30 seconds of your reel often determines whether a news director will keep watching, so you have to open strong. Choose an emotional news story, a story about an odd event or a live event that you covered, but make sure you are featured in the first frame, so news directors immediately know what you look like and how you present yourself.
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Customize the reel to fit the parameters of the job for which you are applying. For example, a reel for a sports reporter opening should focus more on features and live reporting than anchor work.
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Tips & Warnings
Limit your reel to three minutes or less, which is enough time to showcase all elements of your versatility.
Share your reel with a colleague or university professor of journalism to solicit their opinion and make any changes.
Though many reels are edited onto a DVD, create a Web link as well that lets you send the reel as an email attachment. This gives you flexibility if a news station only accepts email submissions.
Treat your reel like a job audition, and dress professionally in every clip you show.
Avoid sending comedic or wacky clips unless the job you are seeking specifically requires an outsized personality.
References
Resources
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