The Do's and Don'ts of the Demo Reel 02/18/08

[TheEraser2007]

I'd like to begin by sending out a Happy Black History Month and Valentine's Day to everyone!

This Monday, B&H will be holding a free workshop called "The Do's and Don'ts of the Demo Reel" with speaker Ted Wachs presented by the Maine Media Workshops. This is a great opportunity for all filmmakers who are interested in working on or perfecting their reel. Space is limited, and seating is available on a first come first serve basis.

There are two sessions this Monday, February 18th from 11AM to 1PM and 2PM to 4PM.

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past few months, B&H now has daily workshops and seminars on their second floor and they are all ABSOLUTELY FREE!
If you've been stuck inside of a block of ice for the past 35 years, B&H is located on 34th and 9th in Manhattan.

Check out the link below for more information and a list of upcoming events.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/find/Events.jsp

-Ramel Sherman

[Alex DePew]

Thanks for the info. I have been to a few of their events and they have been quite good. I wish I could make it, but I'll be out of town. I think this posting should be in a different section though to reach more people, perhaps the Cafe.

[Scott W. Smith]

Here's a different thought. Have a demo reel, but have a goal to never show it. When meeting with clients I used to try and show them everything on my reel and how I did every shot. The truth is (at least in corporate work) they don't care. They need a video done and they are sizing you up to see if you are the producer or cameraman for the job. Your goal is to build rapport with the client so that he/she will want to work with you. Rather than talk about your reel try to get them to talk about their needs. That's what they really care about.

Also, for me sending demo DVDs out seems to yield little fruit as people usually don't find the time to watch a DVD sent cold. The best demo reel is good word of mouth.