Speaker 1: Hey friends, welcome back to the channel. Do you worry if your reel is grabbing the attention of casting directors? If you're not getting a lot of auditions, it's possible your reel may need a reel revision. So today I'm going to share 10 things casting directors look for in actor reels. But first, let's talk about why reels are important. To state it plainly, your reel helps agents discern whether they should sign you and it helps casting directors, producers, and directors with a sense of whether you'd be right or wrong for a part they're casting. Casting directors tend to evaluate our skills, our voice, and our behavior on camera. And in this digital age, we need more than a headshot to get us a new door. And if you don't have a reel that showcases you well, then you probably won't hear back from that agent that you submitted to. And you probably won't receive an audition time slot as regularly as you'd like. Our demo reel is our calling card. And sometimes the reel trumps the headshot. And what's great about having a reel is you don't need a bunch of clips. In some cases, you just need one solid clip that's highlighting you so that your agent can pitch you and so that casting directors can see what it is that you can do. And as your reel and your talent gets better, you'll purge out the old stuff and add the new stuff. And over time, you'll know before you know it, you'll have built a body of work. Your headshot is usually what grabs the casting director's attention when they're reviewing or when they're casting for a role. If they're compelled by your headshot, then the next thing they're going to do is they're going to look at your reel. Especially if you've not auditioned for them before, your reel is a great way for them to decide on whether or not they're going to call you in and consider you for other roles in the future. But if your reel doesn't highlight you well, they'll probably pass on you. Because they don't want to waste their time bringing someone in for an audition if they feel you're not good at acting. After they've looked at your headshot and your reel, then they'll check out your resume to look at your credits and your training. So if you feel like you're not getting auditions, it's either your headshot or your reel or both. If you don't have a reel, don't worry. We all have to start somewhere. And there are great ways to get good quality footage. And my favorite way is student films, whether university or junior college programs. All of these schools have come a long way. Now I tend to go for a thesis project because I feel like the thesis filmmakers have been doing this a little bit longer. But we're all pretty much pseudo filmmakers thanks to the advancement of technology and social media. So I would definitely try out any film school wherever you live and see if you can audition and book something. And what's great about student films lately is that in order for the student to get their grade, they have to give the actor footage. And make sure you're seeking out stories that align with your values. Because the faster that you can show casting directors how to hire you, the less time it'll take for you to build the body of work and then you'll work more often. Now let's talk about these 10 things that casting directors say they look for in a good reel. One, production value. Quality matters. Not everyone will have access to an expensive camera. But as long as the footage is clear enough to see you, it should be fine. And if the footage is grainy, you may want to leave that footage off of your reel altogether. Get good quality footage that ensures that you are well seen. Two, opening impact. That first clip should grab their attention so that they immediately want to see more. So put your most impressive and recognizable work at the beginning. And also put the most recent footage first. However, if you have footage from a long running show like Law & Order SVU or NCIS and the footage looks like it was shot present day and it's your best footage, then by all means use that. Put you first. Make sure every clip starts with you. Sometimes your reel is being viewed before they even see a headshot. And I've seen some reels start with a group of people which leads to confusion. The casting director or the agent may not know which person is you. So make it easy and put you first. Also, I know a lot of times we work opposite a star and we may want to impress that we can act with the star. I guarantee you anyone who is looking to hire you is more interested in seeing you work. The star has already proven themselves. So right now it's about you. And as we're talking about opening reels, do not start your reel with a montage. In fact, leave it off altogether. I have heard countless casting directors state, please no montages. And the reason why is a montage is just a bunch of clips of you not talking. It's just maybe some action. And casting directors just want to get straight to you acting because they're always racing the clock and you never want to give them a reason to pass on you because they've only got eight seconds and your reel has already eaten up two seconds with a montage. No montages. Number four, show your range. If you have enough footage, stay away from showing the same type of role. It's okay if you have a cop role or cop roles, but each cop role should be different. Like one should show authority. One should show vulnerability. Another should show compassion and include scenes that demonstrate your versatility as an actor and your ability to play different characters, emotions, and genres. Five, brief context. There's no need to include a large chunk of exposition to set up the scene. Casting directors are quite sharp at piecing together story. They do this for a living. So if needed, you can provide a brief context of each scene to help the casting directors understand the character and the situation. Number six, keep it short and engaging. Now there's a lot of debate on what is short and what is long, but the consensus that I hear from casting directors is two to three minutes. So show your best, most diverse work, capture the viewer's attention quickly, and leave them wanting more. Number seven, clear branding. Now this is usually the hardest part for new actors because knowing your brand, your niche, your strong suit is how you build a body of work. And it's not typecasting. Your niche is that essence, that part of you that no matter what role you play, it always bleeds through. And if you think of any celebrity or any star that you really like to watch, you are seeing them play out their niche in every role. It's the reason why you continue to follow them, to pay tick money for the movie to go watch them. The best thing you can do is stay true to yourself. The moment you start to try to be like someone else, you are diverting from your niche, from your brand. And if you can't figure that out right away, keep playing the roles from your point of view and you'll start to see what your niche is. Number eight, title card. Bookend your reel with a simple title card. Industry standard is a black card with your full name in white letters. Some actors add their union status, some actors add their email address, which is fine. But I would stay away from adding your agent's name and your phone number. Your agent's name because you never know how long that relationship with that agent is going to last. And your agent or your reel is going to be out in the world and you may not be with them anymore. But you definitely don't want to put your phone number on your reel because a lot of times we have no idea where our reel ends and you really don't want some sort of predator calling you up to try to lure you to some fake audition. Let's be safe. Number nine, show and director's name. Always add the title of the TV show or the film in the lower thirds on the right or left of the reel with the director's name directly under the title. The title of the show, the director's name could sometimes add a little to prestige of your ability to work with a high profile director or a high profile project. And sometimes the casting director may either know the show, may have worked on the show, or may be working with the director that you worked with in the past. And number 10, revisions. Update your reel when you have a change in appearance and age and talent. Replace that old stuff with all your new stuff and don't forget to update your submission sites, IMDB Pro, your website, every place where you put your reel. Always keep it updated and fresh. Now when it comes to editing your reel, you can do it yourself or you can hire someone. I edit my reels myself in Premiere Pro and before I became certified in Premiere Pro, I would use iMovie. But if you feel that you're capable to edit a compelling reel and looking for free editing software, iMovie, InShot, DaVinci, CapCut. If you're looking for an editor, I have friends who have used Fiverr successfully but they all have said the same thing and that's make sure that you go through each editor and try to get referrals if you can. But just really consider each one independently until you find the editor that works for you. If you just want a demo reel consultation, I'm offering 10 40-minute demo reel consultation spots for $35. Special offers are for January 2024 only and the links will close on February 1st. So there you have it. Those are the 10 things casting directors look for in reels. This channel is about actors learning, including myself. So if you have any helpful insights that you'd like to add to this conversation or maybe you have questions, please leave them in the comment below. If you enjoyed this video, subscribe and like. And in my next video, I'm going to show you how to set up your actor's access to yield more auditions. So hit the notification bell if you want to be notified when that video is uploaded. Also, be sure to check out my podcast, Acting Lessons Learned, wherever you listen to your podcasts, and I'll see you soon.