Complete Guide on How to Make an Acting Reel & Why You Need One

What is an Acting Reel?

Why You Need an Acting Reel and How Long Should an Acting Reel Be

This demo reel should be two to three minutes maximum. Casting directors won’t typically watch an acting reel longer than that, and if you go any shorter you risk losing the chance to capture your talents accurately.

How to Make an Acting Reel

When getting your acting reel together, don’t just throw any old footage on there, because a bad reel is worse than having no reel, so ensure that you’re thoughtful about the work you’re showcasing.

If you’re new to the industry and don’t have any footage yet for your acting reel, don’t sweat it. The industry now accepts footage from webseries, student films, indie films and professionally shot self-tape auditions that have already aired.

You can also find sides on your own for your professional self tape. Signing up for a yearly membership to Actors Access gives you access to audition sides through a service called Showfax.

Here’s how to create a professional self tape:

1. Choose audition sides (scene) that fit the type of role you’re right for.
2. Work on your audition sides with an actor friend, or choose a monologue to practice
3. Get off book; casting directors don’t want to see you reading off a script, so make sure you memorize the scene.
4. Set up your self tape equipment; camera (iphone), ring light and a clutter-free background. You want to ensure you’re easily seen and the focal point of the shot, ensure there’s no excess noise or distracting backgrounds.
5. If you’re performing a scene with another individual, choose a virtual reader or an in-person reader. Make sure they are an actor.
6. Shoot a few takes until you feel confident in your performance and it flows naturally, then choose the best one from the group of tapes you’ve made. Don’t be afraid to scrap them all and reshoot if you’re unhappy with the results.
7. Edit out any dead space at the beginning and end of your scene, then upload your self-tape audition to your website or keep it in your Electronic Presskit

There are also a lot of professional Reel services that write a scene to fit your type, give you a professional actor to play the other character in the scenes and edit and produce the clips for you. They tend to be expensive, but depending on your budget could be worth the investment.

Once you’ve acquired a clip from professional acting work, be sure the clips flow, meaning comedic clips are together and dramatic clips are together. Check out this professional acting reel example from Mel Mack Acting Studio actor, Asa James.

Common Acting Reel Mistakes

1. Making your acting reel too long – casting directors, agents, and managers may have a limited amount of time to review reels, so keep it short and sweet. Give them a taste of what you can do and leave them wanting more.
2. Showing the same character in multiple clips – Demonstrating versatility as an actor is key in an acting reel. Unless you’re trying to display a completely different emotion, do not reuse a character you’ve used once already in your reel.
3. A poor opening scene –  A powerful opening performance can shine a light across the rest of the demo reel, so start strong to end strong.
4. Poor editing – If you lack the proper skills to edit together your acting tape, make the investment to hire a professional to do it for you. It could make the difference between landing the gig or missing out.
5. Featuring other actors more than yourself – Remember, this is your acting reel, so you should always ensure you are the focal point at all times.

Updating an Acting Reel

1. Does this clip represent a role I can play today? If not, then there is no reason to keep it over other possible clips.
2. Is this clip the weakest link on my reel? If so, you should focus on replacing it first
3. Am I clearly seen and heard in the clip? Lower quality clips are an easy yes on the replacement checklist.

How to Make an Acting Reel Stand Out

1.  Showcase your range with 3-4 different scenes – Give casting directors a variety of comedy and drama clips.
2. Showcase your best work – Don’t put poor quality acting or production quality on your reel. It’s better to wait for high quality work.
3. Focus on your acting – 85% of your acting reel needs to showcase you, not the other actors in the project.
4.  Keep It Short and Sweet – 60 to 90 seconds MAX.
5. Create Slate Card for beginning and end – This includes name, website and an email address.
6. Post your reel – Embed your reel on your website, upload to YouTube, your casting profiles you can even link it in your Instagram bio as well.
7. Update your reel – Replace older footage with current materials, keep things fresh and relevant.

Just as important as knowing how to make an acting reel is, so is knowing how to prepare a self-tape audition. Ready to dive into class? Check out my 8-week Live Self-Tape Course here or my go-at-your-own-pace Killer Self-Tape Course here. Trust me, it’ll help you build fans out of casting directors.