{"id":11854,"date":"2012-02-07T20:54:51","date_gmt":"2012-02-08T04:54:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.unifiedmanufacturing.com\/blog\/?p=11854"},"modified":"2012-02-07T20:54:51","modified_gmt":"2012-02-08T04:54:51","slug":"ingredients-impressive-demo-reel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unifiedmanufacturing.com\/blog\/ingredients-impressive-demo-reel\/","title":{"rendered":"Ingredients for an Impressive Demo Reel"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"demo-reel-tips\"<\/a><\/p>\n

A demo reel is the best way to showcase your talent to potential clients. Whether you\u2019re a filmmaker or a designer, a demo reel is a must so your clients can quickly see your previous works without going through a pile of DVDs. So basically, your demo reel is meant to make your potential client\u2019s life easier and, above all, it is meant to impress them.<\/p>\n

Here are some tips for creating an impressive demo reel:<\/p>\n

1. Concentrate on the first 30 seconds.<\/strong> Do not just showcase one or two videos in the first 30 seconds of your reel. The first 30 seconds should \u201csummarize\u201d the whole reel and should contain the best parts only. Clients and employers have been viewing lots of reels all their life. They have sharp instincts and little patience. Impress them during the first 30 seconds of your reel and you just might get their call.<\/p>\n

2. Keep it under 2 minutes.<\/strong> Yes, I know you have lots of great skills you want to show-off in your reel but choose the best of the best only. If you make it longer than 2 minutes, the impact of your demo reel starts to wane (even if you\u2019re first 30 seconds is powerful). So keep it short and sharp.<\/p>\n

3. Make different reels for different roles.<\/strong> Some filmmakers have so many skills and want so many positions. They are the jacks of all trades. This isn\u2019t a bad thing. You\u2019re actually lucky if you are one. But, do not show this in your reel. If you\u2019re sending a reel for a company that\u2019s looking for a cinematographer, only show them your cinematography skills. Not PD skills, not directing skills, not editing skills. If you\u2019re sending a reel to Pixar for an animation job, only send them animation work. This is pretty obvious but some filmmakers only make one reel with a little bit of this and that. This is not the way to go. Make one reel for every position you like.<\/p>\n

4. Put the Names of your Big Clients.<\/strong> Did you work with Disney or a big TV network? It would be ridiculous not to put their names in your reel. But once you\u2019ve put a client name, make sure you do the same with the rest, or at least half of it. It will surely look awkward if you only put 2 client names in the 20 videos you showcase.<\/p>\n

5. Don\u2019t Steal.<\/strong> It is unethical to put a video of your friend\u2019s work (maybe film classmates in college?) and claim it as yours. Even if your friend agreed to it, people will eventually find out sooner or later. Put your reel on your website and people will surely find out and start talking. This is a big industry but word travels fast-especially if it\u2019s something bad. Another thing: Don\u2019t steal music. Don\u2019t use copyrighted music. It is illegal and will likely turn off some employers. Use royalty-free music instead. You can get them online.<\/p>\n

6. Put it in a Good-Looking DVD Packaging<\/a>.<\/strong> A good reel is a good reel and a bad reel is a bad reel, right? Of course! But for a good reel to really get noticed and gain extra points, you have to show that you\u2019re not just good in filmmaking. You have to show these guys that you\u2019re professional and that you do care about aesthetics (you\u2019re a filmmaker after all!). A good DVD packaging also shows that you\u2019re willing to invest in your career. It may also reflect your personality and show that you are responsible and smart. A good- DVD packaging can\u2019t save a bad reel but it can surely validate a good reel.<\/p>\n

7. Highlight Your Contact Info.<\/strong> On your website, make sure that your contact info is very easy to find. To test this, ask your grandpa or 7-year old brother to locate your contact details after watching your video. This is common sense I know but some blogs and websites have contact info links that are quite difficult to find. If you\u2019re sending DVDs, make sure your website and contact info are visible in your DVD packaging, DVD label, and in the video itself.
\nThere you go,folks! I\u2019m sure your demo reel will be impressive if you follow these steps. It also helps if you watch and study good demo reels. It\u2019s time to compile those footages and make a kick-ass demo reel.<\/p>\n

There you go,folks! I\u2019m sure your demo reel will be impressive if you follow these steps. It also helps if you watch and study good demo reels. It\u2019s time to compile those footages and make a kick-ass demo reel.<\/p>\n

_______________________________________________________________________<\/p>\n

Unified Manufacturing<\/strong>\u00a0is an L.A. -based one-stop-shop that offers very affordable CD\/DVD\/USB replication, custom printing, promotional products, warehousing and fulfillment and many more. If you need an Instant Quote on a project and you want FREE SHIPPING, simply\u00a0CLICK HERE<\/a>. \t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A demo reel is the best way to showcase your talent to potential clients. Whether you\u2019re a filmmaker or a designer, a demo reel is a must so your clients can quickly see your previous works without going through a pile of DVDs. So basically, your demo reel is meant to make your potential client\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":23043,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11854","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dvd-packaging","category-graphic-design"],"contentshake_article_id":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unifiedmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11854","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unifiedmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unifiedmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unifiedmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unifiedmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11854"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.unifiedmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11854\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unifiedmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23043"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unifiedmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11854"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unifiedmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11854"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unifiedmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11854"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}