How to Make a Musical Theatre Demo Reel
The Ultimate Guide to Creating a Stellar Musical Theater Demo Reel
In the ever-evolving landscape of musical theater, having a compelling demo reel is now more crucial than ever. With the shift towards online submissions and auditions, your demo reel serves as your digital calling card, showcasing your talents to casting directors and producers. In this comprehensive guide, we'll walk you through the key steps to create a standout demo reel that captures your essence as a performer.
Step 1: Gather Your Footage
The first and often overlooked step is to gather all your video footage. Check your random drives, external hard drives, cloud storage, phones, and files. Even if you think the footage is subpar, gather it all. You'll be surprised at what gems you may find.
Types of videos you can use:
Clips of you performing onstage, in class, during a recital, showcase performance, or anything live
Self tapes that you’ve filmed for auditions, callbacks or submissions
Types of videos to avoid:
Large groups where we can’t find you immediately in the crowd
music video type clips where you are walking in the forest, outside or anywhere that is distracting
Step 2: Select Your Best Clips
Review your collected footage and choose four to five clips that best represent your skills. Focus on quality and ensure that the footage emphasizes you rather than burying you in a group. The goal is to showcase the stories you want to tell and the roles you aspire to play.
Step 3: Align with Your Resume
Ensure that the selected clips parallel your resume. Your demo reel should be a digital extension of your resume, reflecting the roles you've undertaken and how you want to be perceived in the industry.
Step 4: Edit Your Reel
Edit your selected clips using a video editing program. Place your best clip at the beginning to instantly grab attention. Follow it up with other top clips, creating a journey that mirrors your resume and showcases contrasting skills and performance styles.
Step 5: Trim for Impact
Trim each clip to the juiciest and most impactful parts, considering both vocal and acting highlights. Aim to keep your entire demo reel under two minutes, as casting professionals rarely watch anything longer.
Step 6: Keep It Clean
Avoid unnecessary elements like title cards or lengthy introductions. Casting professionals appreciate a clean and concise presentation. If uploading on platforms like YouTube, simplicity is key. Save the bells and whistles for your personal collection.
Step 7: Share Your Work
After completing your demo reel, time to upload it to your casting profiles, YouTube channel and website.
By following these steps, you'll have a demo reel that not only showcases your talents effectively but also aligns seamlessly with the demands of the digital age. Remember, done is better than perfect, so start crafting your musical theater journey today!
Ashlee Espinosa is an accomplished theatre professional with a Master of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre. With her expertise as an experienced actress, passionate educator, and dedicated career advisor, she helps artists build fulfilling lives and careers based on their definition of success.
