5 Tips on Creating a Great Demo Reel

In case you missed it, our designer and animator Beau Benson authored a piece for ProductionHUB on how to put together a great demo reel. See the article on ProductionHUB here. Creating a demo reel isn’t easy. You have to capture the client’s attention quickly, while still showcasing your talents well enough to get a phone call back. Here are designer and animator, Beau Benson’s quick tips to ‘reel’ in clients this summer.

1. Variety – Show that you have a range of skills and talents. Throw in your commercial work, instructional videos, visual effects, and especially personal projects.

2. Emotion – Showcase your ability to capture emotion. Use your most passionate footage at the climax of the reel.

3. Music – Choose a song that complements your style. Generally, something upbeat and dynamic will grab your viewers’ attention. Choose your music first and edit your reel to the beat and flow of the song.

4. Finesse – Show off your talents and technical proficiency. Include clips that you put a lot of work into and that someone in the industry would recognize as challenging. Be creative with the edit of the reel to demonstrate your editing skills.

5. Have Fun! – Don’t be afraid to put some humor in your reel. Complement your reel with transition graphics and titles. Do what you can to make your reel stand out from the rest!