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Help with demo reel report for school
Hey everybody. My name is Luke Pearson and I am a film and communication studies major at the university of north carolina at wilmington. I’m doing an independent study on demo reels and what role they play in the hiring of new media professionals. I’m trying to get peoples opinions or views on some questions. If you could help me out with these by answering the questions and stating your name, profession, position, and location. Thanks so much for any help.
1) are demo reels required to be submitted for new hires at your job?
2) How crucial is a demo reel in the selection process for new hires?
3) Do reels need to show specialized work that refers to that company or a reel that shows all past work and abilities?
4) How long should a reel be?
5) What format should it be submitted in? (DVD, Mini DV, etc.)
6) Are online reels a possibility?
Thanks so much for any help. I’ve researched this for a few months now so I have my own opinions. I just need some from real media professionals and I knew I could count on the COW.
Thanks. -Luke -
4 Replies
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Hello Luke,
Good to see another Wilmingtonite on the COW. To answer your questions based on my experience…
1. Yes.
2. Very. You can tell an employer how good you are at any program but they wont believe it until they see it.
3. Take the best of everything you have to put on your reel. It’s good to pick the ones you’re most proud of. Then again if your trying to get a job at a production house that specializes in real estate, you may want to “tweak” your reel to show more footage of the work you’ve done in that particular field.
4. I enjoy the ones that are 3 min or a little over. My advice is to pick a good song and edit your reel to the music, that way you can also show off your editing ability as well.
5. DVD or VHS, but DVD preferably
6. Oh yeah.
Demo reels are basically the resume for people in the film world. It’s possible to land a job without one, but not likely.
I hope this helps. Cheers Luke. Go Seahawks!
Jon Etheridge
Editor/Motion GFX
Inspire Productions
Wilmington NC
inspire2film.comJon Etheridge
ethproductions(at)yahoo(dot)com -
[Luke Pearson] “1) are demo reels required to be submitted for new hires at your job? “
No, but they help. Here we usually sit down and go through a short exercise based on an actual project with potential new hires.
[Luke Pearson] “2) How crucial is a demo reel in the selection process for new hires? “
It can make the selection process much easier, you definitely have an advantage if you provide a good one.
[Luke Pearson] “3) Do reels need to show specialized work that refers to that company or a reel that shows all past work and abilities? “
Very generally I would say that you want to give a quality selection of your abilities/experience as a whole, but also try to throw in a mock up (or a few) of something you think the company might actually use.
[Luke Pearson] “4) How long should a reel be? “
Not very long. I would say under 2 minutes. You shouldn’t be too concerned with the time, focus more on showing your best work succinctly. This should be the best work you’ve done, don’t throw everything in there just to make it longer.
[Luke Pearson] “5) What format should it be submitted in?”
Depends on what is expected, but I would say DVD in general. There’s no telling whether they’ll have something readily available to view MiniDV.
[Luke Pearson] “6) Are online reels a possibility? “
Definitely.
Darby Edelen
Designer
Left Coast Digital
Santa Cruz, CA -
Hey There Luke I also want to give you another Good Luck.
My answers to your questions:
1) When I was going through the process, it was more than helpful, but I have seen some guys make it with out. I had to go through tests to better insure my employer.
2) I agree with Darby, it does make the selection process easier for any employer. Proof you can do what they are looking for.
3) Definitely reels that better fit the needs of the company are great. And a few twists that you may think they would like is good plus as well.
4) 2-4 minutes MAX, People in general have a short attention span, plus you need to think about how many reels they look through when finding the best candidate for the company. So 2-4 is a great time span to best catch their attention.
5) I also think DVD would be the best, of course depending on how the company utilizes media a BETA or VHS would also be good.
6) Online reels are probably the best out there. Especially since many cliental project their projects on line.
Again Good Luck and be patient.
-Raymond Tuquero-
Houston Editor -
Thanks everyone for your help. I knew I could count on the cow.
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