The demo reel
Posted: Wed Jan 12, 2011 9:25 am
I am now at the point where I need to put together a decent film scoring demo reel for potential clients. As I haven't had any experience doing this before, I was curious about a few things that I thought some of you may have some insight:
1. How long should the demo reel be?
I have several strong musical parts in films, but I don't want to condense these parts too much, because I don't have enough time to convey the idea musically. Right now, my demo reel runs about 4 minutes. Is that too long?
2. Should the clips be drastically different to show your versatility as a musician or should they be targeted and similar musically?
I only have 4 - 5 projects that I can include in the demo reel, so this is more of a question for 'down the road' when I have the luxury to pair up similar musical styles to the client.
3. Do you label the clips and your credit in the film clips?
I have viewed several samples of demo reels online and most do not put the name of the film and their credits when going through the clips. Is this the norm or should they be labeled? If so, have you found it better to label in sequence or at the very end of the demo reel?
4. What is the most effective way to deliver the demo reel?
I realize this can vary from client to client. Do you find it more effective to personally hand a DVD to the client, send them a private link, post it on your website, or all of the above?
5. What if you don't have video to accompany your music?
For example, I have several score ideas that have not been used in film (yet), so I have nothing visually for the demo reel. Is it acceptable to show an image with the music playing or should I just leave those cues out?
Any advise would be much appreciated. I have found some resources on this topic online, but I felt it would be better to get it from those of you who have extensive experience doing this kind of thing. Thanks so much, Dave
1. How long should the demo reel be?
I have several strong musical parts in films, but I don't want to condense these parts too much, because I don't have enough time to convey the idea musically. Right now, my demo reel runs about 4 minutes. Is that too long?
2. Should the clips be drastically different to show your versatility as a musician or should they be targeted and similar musically?
I only have 4 - 5 projects that I can include in the demo reel, so this is more of a question for 'down the road' when I have the luxury to pair up similar musical styles to the client.
3. Do you label the clips and your credit in the film clips?
I have viewed several samples of demo reels online and most do not put the name of the film and their credits when going through the clips. Is this the norm or should they be labeled? If so, have you found it better to label in sequence or at the very end of the demo reel?
4. What is the most effective way to deliver the demo reel?
I realize this can vary from client to client. Do you find it more effective to personally hand a DVD to the client, send them a private link, post it on your website, or all of the above?
5. What if you don't have video to accompany your music?
For example, I have several score ideas that have not been used in film (yet), so I have nothing visually for the demo reel. Is it acceptable to show an image with the music playing or should I just leave those cues out?
Any advise would be much appreciated. I have found some resources on this topic online, but I felt it would be better to get it from those of you who have extensive experience doing this kind of thing. Thanks so much, Dave