Re: using copyrighted footage for showreel

If I was sent a demo reel which uses movie footage, my first thought would be "Wow, did this guy cut that trailer?" I think using recognizable materials is distracting.
Don't you have some existing work to showcase? I thought the point of a demo reel is to showcase your own work.
If you are trying to get new work based upon an example of your talents, I would do what the others have said, find a shooter with some footage you could use.
Or if you want to make a demo with say, a 30 sec spot, some talking heads/b-roll sequences and maybe some dialog, you could hire a shooter for a day and get some friends to be your actors. For maybe $1000 you can get some footage which is tailored to your needs - which is of course what happens when you get your editing jobs!
Good luck.

Mike Cohen