a ENG Demo Reel.
 

Hey,
I recelty spoke with a Producer at a local news station, and he told me to send hom some of my work. I want to create a 5 minute demo reel. I have some footage, of 2 "news worthy" packages I can use about 1:40 each.
I never made a reel before, should I put them on my reel as is? Or put the footage together and have music running in the background over the footage? I currently have 2 "packages" of news type spots and some footage of a balloon fest I did up this past summer. Do I want to show the producer actual footage of the news worthy segments or the video with music in the background?

I also have in another post about my bank robbery footage. I got footage of a bank robbery, I called a local station, I met w/ their satellite truck, they took my footage and aired it. (I used a tripod and everything I got alot of B-roll). When the footage was aired, I had my video camera and recorded it off the TV, Can I include that? I think that would be great because my footage was used in an actual broadcast, and the station who aired it is where I am sending my demo reel to.



Maybe I can post my reel before I send it and you can critique it?

Lemme know

Thanks,
Kevin

Post away!

I do not have much experience with ENG, beyond sitting in on a shooting and editing course, but my background is in print journalism...

I would say that the Producer is interested in seeing your finished segments and other footage you have shot -- without any music. Most news editors I have known don't want anything fancy -- they want to see your previous work as straight as they would if you worked for them. Added music or other non-essential items only distracts from what you are trying to show them -- which is your abilty to shoot/edit a news story.

I think it is an interesting idea to include the actual broadcast video of your footage, but only as an addendum to the actual footage -- put clips from the original footage in the demo, followed by the segment as aired.

And definitely post the footage, too.