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By Nicholas Pinzon

Art is subjective. Demo reels aren’t, not entirely at least. There are certain standards that professional directors, producers and casting agents look for when they watch reels.  In short, a demo reel is a careful video assemblage of the footage that best characterizes you as a film or television professional. This collection of work will represent you in two ways; in the most obvious way, it will speak for your talent, what you are able to do as an actor, TV host or personality, cinematographer,  etc. But in another perhaps less evident way, it will also denote your level of experience and professionalism. A demo reel isn’t only showcasing your craft, it is telling people whether or not you have the experience of working with professionals and at a professional level. Even if your individual performance is great, an amateurish reel might tell the employer that you don’t have enough career practice to work on their production.

Just like you could ask your brother who just bought a camera to shoot a scene for you and your cousin who has a mic to do the sound, you could also decide to edit the reel yourself. But you will undoubtedly take the risk of appearing unprofessional. A good reel, one that captures your individual essence and personality, requires skilled editing and cutting. There’s a reason why they give Academy Awards for film editing. Anyone can load up their laptop’s editing software and put clips together, but a good film editor will give the reel character and dynamics. Additionally, there are numerous questions and challenges that an amateur will struggle with and an experienced reel editor will solve in seconds. For example, how long should my reel be? Should I put in my amazing performance at the community theater? What format should I export to? Am I competing too much with another actor in this scene? How do I handle different aspect ratios? Should I hold off my best scene for last or should I open the reel with it? Am I using adequate labeling? Are there any technical errors that I don’t notice but might turn a more experienced watcher off? 

A high quality reel is an essential investment towards your career, and choosing the best editor to work with is crucial.  Reel editing should be collaborative as it involves a high level of trust. You want to work with someone who not only has experience with editing but more specifically with editing reels. A high quality reel editor will objectively look at the footage you have selected and help you choose the material that best serves you. He will look at the visual quality in each clip, and of course, your performance in order to craft a visual experience that exemplifies you - even perfecting technical aspects of the footage like color or sound that are not at the level you want to display. At Award Winning Reels, we specialize in producing and editing reels for actors, TV hosts, and TV personalities who want to present their individuality and talent in the most professional way. In the case that you don’t yet have the quality of footage you wish you had, we will also write, produce, and shoot professional level scenes tailor-made to showcase your true potential. Ultimately, A compelling reel is an asset that can boost your career and propel you to the next level. 

Enjoy some examples of acting demo reels cut by Award Winning Reels Here. 

Your thoughts are not real, but if you think the same thoughts long enough they become your beliefs, and what you believe influences your reality, may even create it in so far as what you experience. If enough people buy into the same thoughts the collective unconscious goes to work and a belief is born about a group, an idea, a philosophy; it becomes a trend that affects the masses. It’s a powerful phenomena. Understandably societal beliefs are the hardest to change. Deep stuff huh? I don’t mean to get too heavy in this little blog, but considering the current climate surrounding the LA theatre scene something occurred to me, an opinion that I wanted to share with all actors. 

I think we can all agree that a societal belief exists about “the starving artist”. What’s worse is that many artists have bought into that belief and romanticized it; that somehow art is more legitimate and morally superior if it is created through suffering and sacrifice, even poverty. I strongly disagree. I believe being a conscious human being, in touch with oneself, having  accessibility to emotion, an awareness of others, compassion, and a refined solid craft make for great art. Cory Huff of theabundantartist.com says, “Poverty and suffering are distractions that pull us away from being able to do the things we really love doing.” I couldn’t agree more.

How can an artist avoid being sucked into a belief that society has perpetuated for centuries? By giving yourself permission to make money at your craft. First step would be to change your personal beliefs about self-worth and money, that’s an internal job. The next step would be to find out and learn what you need to do in order to make money doing what you love. Yes, that means becoming entrepreneurial, embracing business sense, and engaging the left side of your brain a little more. It will not make you any less creative, in fact it will make you more so. It will not take you away from your art but rather put you in touch with the rest of the world so as to bring the world to your art. What better way to change hearts and minds? To say that business has no place where art is concerned is naive and quite frankly hypocritical. To disregard this and allow others to control the “business side” of your art is foolish.

Change is inevitable in all things. The artist is no exception. Adapt, reinvent if you must, and you will flourish. Like all businesses in order for there to be growth and evolution we need to embrace change. It’s important as an artist to be aware of your industry, how it fits in with the economy, and how it’s reaching people. Because as artists isn’t that one of our driving needs, to reach out and affect others? Isn’t it the responsibility of an artist?

What about value? At what point do you stop working for free? And what about your time? How much is your time worth? I suppose these questions are relative to the individual but if we as artists want to bust the starving artist mentality than consider this point by Cory Huff,  “You only have so much time to create. If you take a job that doesn’t pay or pays too little, you won’t have time for the ones that do.” Something else to keep in mind is the value you place on yourself and your work will reflect in the opportunities presented to you.

The responsibility lies with us all artists and producers alike to clarify what is volunteer work, and what is a job. What is for profit and what is non-profit. What is done to benefit the community, and what is done for self-promotion. What constitutes an acting class, a club of like minded artists, or a legitimate business. It’s when these lines are blurred that problems arise. And when artists succumb to desperation or artistic self-importance these lines blur even more. Until artists are ready to stop perpetuating the myth of the starving artist they’ll continue to be treated as such.

References: 
• Cory Huff: www.theabundantartist.com
• Ramit Sethi: www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/blog/artists-are-terrible-at-money/

Marketing is important to any business, but especially so for actors. The Internet has provided people with more opportunity than ever to reach out to just about anyone! Facebook, free blogs, Twitter and other social networking sites are just a few examples.

But how can you market if you don't know your product? Duh, marketing for dummies right? Yet we're always surprised how overwhelmed actors are when it comes to knowing their strengths, or how casting sees them. Often actors want to put everything but the kitchen sink on their reels. We say, 'Not necessary.' One minute of high quality amazing work showing your strength as an actor supersedes that scene with the celebrity where you have one line.

Know your essence and be specific! If you were an ad executive you wouldn't sell a bottle of Veuve Clicquot the same way you would a bottle of Bud! Learn to observe how others perceive you. Yes, your personality is part of that too. Know how that translates to casting. Are you the professional, or the blue collar all American dad? "But I'm the all American dad who becomes a psycho-serial killer!" Great, you've got a niche, even better! Your specificity just narrowed your competition. You never limit yourself when you truly know who you are. Because knowing who you are exudes confidence. And confidence inspires trust. And casting directors want to trust the actor they are sending into a producer's session. The more you accentuate your strengths the more unique, complex, and interesting you become.

We all fall into "types". I prefer to go with archetypes, a la Joseph Campbell. It's the starting off point for all actors. And all characters fall under an archetype no matter the story. Then of course, we factor in age, genre, and current trends in TV and Film. The fun part comes when you walk into the audition for your "type" and you take all your complexity, uniqueness, life experience, and personality into the room with you and put your stamp on the character. No one else will read the all American psycho serial-killer dad quite like you.

"I did that and gave a damn good audition. So why didn't I get the role?" Never ask why, because it is out of your control. The only thing you can control is giving your best, your all, letting yourself shine, that's it. They could have wanted a taller all American psycho serial-killer dad, or an older one, or one from a particular agency. It's an imponderable question that will drive you nuts, and make you question the "Know Thyself" principle.

What's the bigger picture? Knowing yourself gives you a profound sense of understanding about all humanity; a great asset for an actor. It also brings contentment, happiness, and self-love. So embrace who you are and bring it to your work. Cast aside doubt and get yourself out there!