When applying for jobs or submitting your work to audio directors, your sound design demo reel can make or break your opportunity.
But creating a demo reel doesn’t have to be intimidating. By implementing just a few simple tips, you can create a killer sound design demo reel!
Today I am going to show you how. Keep reading below!
You can also grab my FREE Video Game Sound Design Demo Reel Checklist. This resource has everything I am going to talk about below plus extra tips and considerations when creating your demo reel.
1. Create a high-quality package
It is important to include high-quality sounds in your demo reel, but your demo reel itself should be high-quality too. You want to create the whole package, including high-quality video, transitions, and good storytelling.
Remember that in addition to evaluating your sounds, audio directors and hiring managers will also be evaluating how well you can communicate and tell a story through sound.
2. Focus only on your best work
The point of the demo reel is to show off your capabilities and skills, so make sure to only include clips that demonstrate your very best work!
It doesn’t matter if your best work is recent or not. You can choose clips from 20 years ago as long as it exhibits your best.
3. Choose 1–3 samples to feature on your reel
Choose enough samples to show your range of work, but do not overwhelm your audience with too many samples. Choosing 1–3 samples is recommended, with 3 samples usually being the best number.
Your samples can be from any part of a game that you want to show off. You can choose samples that are cinematic or from gameplay. Ideally, it is good to pick some of both types to demonstrate your ability to design in different formats. Just try to avoid boring scenes that don’t tell any kind of story, like footsteps from a guy just crossing the street.
You also want to choose clips that reflect the kind of work that you want to do. Whether you love doing indie work, first-person shooters, adventure games, or fantasy games, choose samples that show that kind of work. Tailor your demo reel towards the type of work that you want to get.
4. Remember the details
This is one of the most common mistakes beginners make!
It can be easy to notice obvious sounds in a scene, like a big sword whoosh, but what else is happening in and around that scene?
People are interested in things like ambient sound, room tones, and things happening off-screen too. Get creative and include the smaller details that are not obvious or not on screen. These details can show your creativity and ability to think outside the box.
5. Keep your demo reel to about a minute in length
Demo reel length can be a bit subjective, but the consensus I’ve heard is that about 1 minute is best, give or take 15 seconds.
The person reviewing your demo reel probably receives hundreds of applications for one job. They aren’t going to listen to hundreds of reels that are 3–5 minutes long, so keep it concise.
I like to choose 3 clips, each about 20 seconds long.
6. Grab your listener’s attention quickly
Studies show that you have only 3–10 seconds to grab your listener’s attention. That is not very much time at all!
So always be sure to put your very best work first. Don’t save your best for last because most hiring managers will not even make it to the end of your demo reel.
7. Create a short intro and outro
A short intro and outro can tell the person watching who you are and how they can contact you. It can also help grab their attention.
In your intro, be sure to include:
- A short title, such as “Game Audio Demo Reel” or “Sound Design Demo Reel”
- Your name and title
- A logo, if you have one
- Contact information such as your phone number or email
- Your website, if you have one
- Sound design
I included sound design on this list because it is a great way to grab attention and show off your creativity right away. As an added bonus, it also allows the person watching to know whether their volume is on or not.
8. Properly identify your footage
Be sure to identify any video clips that you use with subtle overlay text on-screen. To identify your footage, include:
- Name of the game the clip is taken from
- Name of company or studio that created the game
- Quickly identify your contribution (were you the sound designer for the game or did you do redesign work?)
Keep the text in the left lower third. Make sure the text doesn’t take up too much real estate on screen. Don’t cover important visual aspects of the game or anything in the scene that is relevant to your sound.
Keep text present for the duration of the clip. Many people skip around instead of watching from start to finish, so they should be able to know what they are listening to at any point in the video.
Place the text somewhere that will always be visible (avoid things that make the text unreadable like white text on a white background). Also, make sure the controls of the video player won’t cover the text.
*As a bonus side note, you may want to consider fading out the text lightly after the first 5 seconds or so. It should still be present for the duration of the clip, but mostly transparent so as to avoid distraction*
9. Create tasteful transitions
Any harsh video or sound cuts can startle the viewer and confuse them about what is happening. Be sure to avoid audio pops and clicks, especially during transitions between scenes. Make sure everything is smooth and fades in and out properly.
One great trick is to find similar scenes and create seamless transitions between them. For example, end one clip with a character walking out of one scene, and start the next clip with a character walking into the next scene in a similar position.
Use camera angles and movement to your advantage for seamless transitions and you’ll be sure to impress your audience.
10. Remove all sounds that you did not create
It is important to only include sounds that you created. You’ll need to remove any extra audio that you did not create, including third-party library sounds. People experienced in the industry will know these sounds right away and might be turned off that they are in your demo reel. Also, avoid using the Wilhelm scream at all cost.
You’ll also want to remove all music from your demo reel. Even if you’ve created the music, you want to focus your sound design demo reel on sound design only. You can always make a separate music demo reel if you want.
Finally, avoid voice-overs or any talking in your demo reel. Again, this is a quick sound design demo reel, so you want to keep it focused on sound design. Keep explainer videos separate.
Technical demo reels are a great place for voice-overs where you’ll want to go more in-depth into how you developed a sound. But again, keep this in another video. If a hiring manager or audio director is interested in learning more about your work after listening to your sound design reel, then they can go to your website and watch these videos with you talking.
Be creative and stand out from the rest
Hiring managers and studios get hundreds of demo reels for every job. So, consider how you are going to stand out from the rest.
Focus on creating a high-quality package and get creative with which samples you include and you’ll be well on your way.
Remember to download my FREE Video Game Sound Design Demo Reel Checklist for more tips on creating a killer sound design demo reel.
Have any other tips or comments for creating an awesome sound design demo reel?
Comment below!
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