How to Create an Actor's Demo-Reel

An actor's demo reel is video or audio presentation that's used to show off your acting skills to an individual or company you'd like to work with. It's full of clips of your past work. Demo reels are sometimes called demo tapes or show reels. They're a crucial marketing tool for actors, so it's important to learn how to create an effective actor's demo reel.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Contact the directors of the various projects you've worked on. Get them to send you clips of the sections where your work appeared.

2. Sort through the clips you get from directors. Select only the absolute best. Be brutally hard as you eliminate some clips. You need to make the best impression possible on your demo tape, and one lousy shot could ruin your chances of getting the job.

3. Make your demo reel the length of an average television commercial. An actor's demo reel should only be 30 seconds long. When you make the reel, see yourself as the producer of a TV commercial that promotes you. If you must make your demo reel longer, never exceed 4 or 5 minutes.

4. Hire someone to compile the best clips onto a professional DVD. Get a digital file of it so that you have the option to post online on your website.

Tips & Warnings

• Be sure to include your contact info on your actor's demo reel.
• Never include home videos, no matter how great or funny you think they are. You'll only succeed in looking unprofessional.
• Never appear to take credit for another person's work. If other people are involved in any segment on your demo reel, then make that fact very clear to your prospective employer.