When to worry about title safe?

I am making a real for an actor friend of mine and, having never done one before, I am wondering whether I need to worry about placing text only within the title safe area? This isn't for broadcast so can't I just forgo this technicality? Thanks.

It doesn't have to be for broadcast, my friend. If it's an Acting "Reel", chances are it will be popped into a sh!tty DVD player and played on a 13 inch casting / office TV at some point in which your text outside TS will likely be cut in half or totally disappear.

If you can get a guarantee that it will never be played on a television, then fine. I personally always stay within TS unless it's for web only.

When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.

oops "reel." I dont spel so good.

So casting offices would still view it on a crappy DVD player and crappier TV? I would have imagined they would pop it into a computer or have a flat screen by now. Anyway, I suppose I am still gambling if i just keep it within the action safe zone?

Thanks Joe.

Don't assume anything. There could be VCR's still in use. Do whatever floats your boat...but until it's changed, Title Safe is there for a reason.

You can always make 2 versions... but why?

When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.

> So casting offices would still view it on a crappy DVD player and crappier TV?

Absolutely. You'd be surprised at how many non-post-production people don't view things on computers. The point being, if you adhere to Title Safe, you're good for all formats. If you don't, you can get burned.

> I suppose I am still gambling if i just keep it within the action safe zone?

Yes. Also remember, actors' reels are supposed to be clear-cut. You want this information to be visible, and you also don't want the viewers to work too hard to make out the information, because then they're not watching the actor. Make it simple, make it fairly big, make it clean, make it closer to center. You don't see 12-point Scriptina fonts on actors' headshots, do you?


www.derekmok.com

If the actor loses a gig because their phone number is cut off... need I say more?

JK

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SCQT! Self-contained QuickTime ? pass it on!

> I personally
> always stay within TS unless it's for web only.

To add to that, I usually stay on TS even for web, since you never know where it might go. More than a rule, it's a good idea.