As an aspiring voice actor, I was wondering if it would be acceptable practice to write and score my own commercials for the purpose of a demo reel. Does it matter that the commercial is not genuine? Hell! I may end up making an ad for a non-existent product that people want to buy! Any thoughts welcome.
Acting : Non-commercial commercial by Nicholas Camm
Other topics in Acting:
Check out Trending Discussions
Register / Log In
1 person likes this
Check out sample commercial copy at edgestudio.com Demo's are safe as long as you don't broadcast them in public media.
2 people like this
Those are called spec commercials, and people make them often :). Go for it.
Many thanks, Ted, Rachael. Thanks for the replies!
1 person likes this
Of course you can, people do it all of the time. If I made an acting reel half of it would be from my own projects. :)
1 person likes this
Just make sure it's high qualilty. Always strive for high quality. If it's a crappy camcorder scene, that will kill you in a second.
1 person likes this
You could also make PSA's and offer them to local broadcast and radio stations. They use them to keep timing on the programming schedule and to fulfill public service requirements. The copyright doesn't change hands, so it's safe to put in your demo.
1 person likes this
These are called spec projects. They don't have to be real companies and probably shouldn't be without their permission. Just have a 'spec' overlay on those pieces on your reel so producers know.
Agreed, Gary. I wouldn't dream of sending sub-standard material, and, luckily, I wont need a camcorder as it's a voice reel. Don't have to inflict my 'face for radio' on anyone! Shawn, that's a great idea! Thanks for that. Cory, thanks for the sound advice, sir!
1 person likes this
I think you should listen to a few spots, most advertising has a central theme, look at the 15 second cheerio's spots of late, they are silent, simple, and all have a family tone. Most advertising tries to tell you how to feel....if you develop a reel along those lines it will be heard
It's better to make up spots than to copy well known copy of well known products. Also, the script doesn't need to mention a product at all. Like Korey says, advertising is about making people feel something. So, there should be no selling of the product, but a whole lot of showing how you as a voice actor can make the listener feel something. You've got just one minute with your demo - what is being sold is you!
you have to get clips somehow. also look at your local college for student projects that need talent and work for free on some non-commercial projects for sake of clips. Those connections you make in the industry can also be helpful later in letting you know about gigs