Chapter 39 — Quiz

Twenty-five questions to check your grasp of the reel, the portfolio, the niche, and getting hired. Mix of multiple choice, true/false-with-justification, short answer, and a few "what's wrong with this reel/site?" perception questions. Answer before opening the key. Explanations and a review map follow at the end.

Multiple choice

1. A demo reel is best described as: - a) A trailer for your most recent project. - b) A short, curated montage of your strongest work, cut to music, that proves what you can do. - c) A folder of all your finished videos in one place. - d) A written list of your skills and experience.

2. The "your reel is judged by its weakest shot" principle means: - a) You should put your weakest shot last so it's forgotten. - b) A viewer's impression settles at the level of the worst shot you chose to include. - c) Every shot should be exactly equal in quality. - d) You should never include a weak shot in any video.

3. Where does your single strongest shot belong in a reel? - a) At the very end, as a finale. - b) In the middle, as the peak. - c) First, in the opening 0–3 seconds. - d) Repeated at the start and end.

4. Roughly how long is the sweet spot for most demo reels? - a) 10–20 seconds. - b) 60–90 seconds. - c) 3–4 minutes. - d) As long as it takes to show everything.

5. Why should you choose the reel's music before cutting picture? - a) Music is legally required on reels. - b) The music is the spine — it sets pace, energy, mood, and brand, and you hang the reel's arc on it. - c) It's faster to find music than to cut. - d) You don't; picture always comes first.

6. The single most important element of a portfolio page, placed "above the fold," is: - a) A detailed biography. - b) A wall of client logos. - c) The reel — playing big, before any scrolling. - d) A contact form.

7. "Narrowing your niche widens your opportunity" because: - a) Specialists can charge less than generalists. - b) A specialist is the obvious, lower-risk call for their one thing, so they come to mind first. - c) Narrow niches have no competition ever. - d) Clients dislike generalists as people.

8. A personal brand is best understood as: - a) A logo and a color palette. - b) The consistent impression your work and presence leave — built, not claimed. - c) A tagline you write in your bio. - d) The same as a client's brand guidelines.

9. In the getting-hired funnel, the job of presence (social posts, referrals, search) is to: - a) Convert attention into a signed contract. - b) Make you findable — the top of the funnel. - c) Replace the need for a reel. - d) Survive a client's detailed scrutiny.

10. Letting one or two crisp sync sounds poke through the music bed on a reel primarily proves: - a) That you own expensive microphones. - b) That you can record and handle clean audio — half of every job. - c) That the reel is longer than it looks. - d) That the music was too quiet.

11. The best target loudness for a reel destined for online playback is about: - a) 0 LUFS. - b) -14 LUFS. - c) -60 LUFS. - d) As loud as possible.

12. A reel's sign-off card should contain: - a) Your name, your niche in a few words, and one way to reach you. - b) Every social handle you own. - c) A paragraph about your philosophy. - d) Nothing — end on a hard cut to black.

True / False — justify your answer

13. True or false: A reel and a portfolio are the same thing. Justify.

14. True or false: Ordering your reel chronologically ("my first project to my latest") is a good default. Justify.

15. True or false: You should build an elaborate, custom-coded website before you have a strong reel. Justify.

16. True or false: Most video work comes from cold applications to job boards. Justify.

17. True or false: A shot that is "usable" is good enough to include in a reel. Justify.

18. True or false: You can publish anyone who appears in your reel without a release, because the footage was already made for a client. Justify.

Short answer

19. Name the four movements of the reliable reel arc, in order, with the approximate time each occupies in a 75-second reel.

20. Explain the "curation funnel" in one or two sentences, and state its one rule.

21. Your three projects give a reel natural range. In one sentence, what must you supply to keep the reel coherent, and name two ways to supply it.

22. Give two moves for building a first real portfolio when you have no paying clients yet.

What's wrong with this reel / site?

23. A reel opens with a five-second fade-up from black over a logo animation, then a title card reading "DEMO REEL 2026," then finally the first shot at 0:08. Name the problem and the fix.

24. A portfolio page: gorgeous custom design, a full-screen splash animation on load, a top menu (Home / About / Work / Contact), and the reel two clicks deep under "Work," hosted as a downloadable .mp4. Name the two biggest problems for getting hired.

25. A reel is 3 minutes 40 seconds, contains every one of the maker's twelve projects in full 15-second chunks, ordered by date, cut with slow cross-dissolves between each, no music, ending abruptly on the last clip. Name three things dragging it down and the single highest-impact fix.

Answer Key