My Own Speed Reel

I can have the prettiest headshots, the best training, and party with all the coolest people and still have it mean nothing when it comes time to get work. Why? Because how well you market and who you know only opens the door, it doesn't get you inside.

But almost no one, including casting directors and producers, can turn down something that's free. So, if you're an actor with no real credits to speak of, like me, the way that you get in the door is by working for "food and copy". This basically translates to a bagel, bottled water, and a copy of the film on DVD. I've been acting in a lot of student films recently, and I've been requesting that my directors give me my copy in MiniDV format so that I can edit my own reel.

The demo reel is becoming an industry standard. In particular the Speed Reel, a one minute distillation of an actor's best work on film, is the thing to have. For an example of a speed reel, you can check out my cold-reading buddy Carl Peterson's reel here: http://www.speedreels.com/talent/carlpetersen

My problem is that all of these MiniDV tapes are stacking up and I have no way of capturing the footage onto my computer. I need to get my hands on a MiniDV camera somehow. As a member of the proletariat, I'm really wishing that I was in control of the means of production right about now...