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| Congratulations on taking a giant step forward with your acting career! PerfectReel Productions, in addition to making numerous award winning films, has helped literally hundreds of actors hook up with agents, managers and casting directors through the production of great demo reels. To help you out along the production process, here are the answers to a number of common questions. Click on a question to view its response: Who writes the scenes? How long are they? What if I don't like it? How long does it take to shoot and edit each scene? What is the average cost? Is it worth it to hire a PerfectReel actor? Can I put this on my resume? How do I find a crew member? What equipment do you use? How long should the demo reel be? What if I don't like the finished product? Where do you shoot? Are there any other costs? Can I be considered for your other projects? |
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| Who writes the scenes? How long are they? What if I don't like it? We have a number of professional writers in our arsenal including owner/operator Kenneth Mader that will custom write a scene for you based on your your strengths as an actor, marketability, and career focus (i.e. drama, action hero, romantic lead, etc.). You have final script approval on the scenes. If you'd like something changed, the writer will do that for you. The scenes are written to play like a small slice from a larger project. This adds to the illusion that it is from a larger film or TV show and doesn't appear as if it was shot for your reel. back to the top How long does it take to shoot and edit each scene? A scene written and shot for the purpose of a demo reel is only about a page and a half long...Resulting in about a minute to a minute and a half completed scene. Generally, it takes 3 to 5 hours to setup, light, block and shoot each scene, and about 3 to 4 hours to edit each scene. Longer or more complicated scenes, of course, take longer to shoot and edit. back to the top What is the average cost? We custom produce everything for you. So it depends on what you want and how many scenes you are doing. But on average, just shooting and editing a normal scene, without any added options, generally runs about $450 per scene (that number is using the averages...it can fluxuate up or down depending on a number of different circumstances). So you can actually shoot two or three scenes for the same amount of money it takes to get new headshots taken and printed. back to the top Is it worth it to hire a PerfectReel actor? This option is provided for you because the other actor in your scene can make or break the scene, depending on their talent. If you know a very good actor that fits the other character(s) in your scene, you are more than welcome to use them. If not, PerfectReel Productions has a stable of wonderful actors that will add cache to anyone's reel. back to the top Can I put this on my resume? Of course. And since we are a legitimate production company with a professional, award-winning director at the helm, we are known for our larger projects as well. You can put us as the production company and/or the director of your piece on your resume. Treat it like a short film. If we get any inquiry calls, we'll back you up. back to the top How do I find a crew member? You don't need to. PerfectReel has great crew members! However, you are also welcome to have a friend or neighbor be the crew member. Generally we only need one additional grip to help out, and usually only on bigger shoots. Also, we know that coordinating actors and crew members schedules with yours and ours can often proove frustrating. So if you'd rather not act as producer on your project, and just concentrate on acting, we take care of all the scheduling for you at no additional cost! back to the top What equipment do you use? We are a completely digital production studio, and have recently upgraded to HD capability as well. We shoot with a Panasonic HVX200 camera and edit on Mac using Final Cut Pro. We have professional lighting/grip equipment and camera support systems including Stedicam and a Cobra Crane for more dramatic shots. "Cinelook" is the program we use to make your digital video look like film (you have your choice of about 75 different film stocks) and "After Effects" to do any special effects needed. We can add music, own a complete sound effects library, and create effects such as slow or fast motion, as well as fades, cross dissolves and all industry standard filmmaking effects. back to the top How long should the demo reel be? We work with many agents and managers, cutting reels for their clients. What they like to see ideally is 2 to 3 good minutes (sometimes even less, as in one-minute "Speed Reels") and no longer than 5. back to the top What if I don't like the finished product? You are involved with every step of the process from the beginning, so you will have a creative hand the entire way. That combined with the professional experience of the PerfectReel artists, insures the quality of your project. Any specific requests must be made beforehand so your vision can be met. Otherwise, regular shooting and/or editing charges will apply to anything redone for reasons other that technical. We put together a terrific product...But remember, anything artistic is subjective; Therefore you will often hear different opinions. i.e. How many actors does it take to screw in a lightbulb? 100...one to screw it in and 99 to stand around and say how they could have done it better. back to the top Where do you shoot? Very basic pieces can be shot in our studio, otherwise, everything is shot on location, so it is made to look like you did a real film or TV show. Location shooting is charged from the time we leave our studio with equipment to the time we return. back to the top Are there any other costs? Your original tapes and/or discs. Typically you'll need one 60-min digital tape per scene shot. These are $10/each. A DVD Master of your finished reel is $30. DVD copies are $3.50/ea. back to the top Can I be considered for your other projects? Absolutely...That's how we find and maintain our bank of good actors. back to the top Thank you for choosing PerfectReel Productions. We're sure that your experience will be exciting, artistic and well worth while. Please keep in touch with us to let us know what you're up to work wise...We always love to hear about the successes our actors have after working with us! |
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