I’ve been doing a little research to stimulate some ideas on how to format our demo reel. I’d like to put together something that’s less cookie cutter than the typical reel – just stringing together our best shot footage. I think the super sleek black/silver look of so many production companies is rather attractive, but I’m not sure if it really matches our company aesthetic. Those kinds of reels are also relying more heavily on production value than they are on creative value. One example that I came across that appealed to me was stylized as a karaoke video. It was maybe a bit too humorous for our company aesthetic, but in terms of being engaging and actually showcasing the director’s skills or style it was better than the demo reels with higher production value behind them. Again, I don’t think that kind of comic video would work for us, but it was useful to see a demo reel done completely differently. In particular, it was useful to see someone putting together a demo reel, not just of the work they’ve done, but also of the work they want to do. This seems common sense, but I wouldn’t have thought of it otherwise.