Hi all!
I am right now in the process of creating my reel (a video of clips of your work) that I will send out to future employers. This summer I interned for two Boston stations where I was given tips on how to make a reel that will make you stand out from everyone else.
When I was doing some research on tips on how to make a news reel before my internships, I found that there was not much out there. So I put together this little cheat sheet on how to make a reel
When you are making your reel, you have to think of it as kind of like a commercial, and the product that you are trying to sell is yourself. Obviously, the more you are in front of the camera, the more comfortable you will be and the better your reel will turn out.
Go through all of your footage and find your best clips. When doing this, have someone who has been in the industry go through it with you, and give you pointers on how you can improve, and which ones are your best clips.
What you should include in your reel;
-an intro sitting at the desk, “Hello and welcome to FPTV 25 news I’m Meghan Graf…” then go into a story
-clips from packages, just ten seconds about your 8 best clips
-several voice over with b-roll
-you signing off, again saying where you are reporting from and your name.
Once you have your footage, it is all about the editing. The first image on the reel should be your contact information. For example, mine says Meghan Graf Reporter, my cell phone number and email address, with a picture next to the writing. It is also a good idea to put this at the end as well. Employers are very busy, and they are not going to take the time to start the video over from the beginning, help them out by showing it again.
Here is a good website to check out some really good reporting reels;
Demo Reel Examples
A great way to show off your demo reel is to make your own website, and post your reel on it. Here is a link to my website!
Meghan's Website
BEFORE YOU SEND IT OUT TO ANYONE MAKE SURE YOU HAVE SEVERAL OTHER PEOPLE WATCH YOUR REEL TO CHECK FOR MISTAKES!
hope this helps :)
-Meg
