A blessing and a curse of being a performer in the modern era is the extensive video evidence of our work. This allows us to showcase our talents for casting directors before we even step foot in the audition room. First impressions are everything, but making a solid first impression via video can be a little bit tricky. This is why having a quality reel that highlights you as a performer is crucial to getting auditions.

A reel is a short video compilation of your performance highlights. Before auditions take place, casting will ask for a reel to be sent so they can quickly evaluate if you would be a good fit for the project. This saves both you and casting time. This is known as the reel submission round in an audition. It is a key part of the professional audition process.

Your reel should be no longer than three minutes, and individual clips should not exceed 30 seconds. You can create multiple reels to submit to different projects. For instance, it may be smart to have a vocal reel, a dance reel, an acting reel, and one that covers all three!

There are many different ways to compile your reel. iMovie is one of the more
accessible editing platforms; however, any software that allows you to cut, crop, and edit videos together will work.

Ideally, you want the clips to be from live performances in a high-quality video
format. If your show was professionally filmed, that footage is the best option. However, due to copyright issues and venue constraints, many actors have to film selections individually in a studio setting and edit together the highlights. Think of this as a generalized self-tape that shows what you do best! Make sure that your reel is filmed in landscape and that you are centered in every shot. If you are showing an ensemble dance number, make sure to notate who you are by describing your costume in a note in the corner of the video. You never want casting to be confused as to who they are watching.

Remember, your reel is a highlight of you. Your music should show your strongest notes and not spend a lot of time building up to the climax of a song. You want to immediately capture the casting director’s attention and leave them wanting to see more of you. This is how you get into the audition room.

The goal of the reel is to show casting that you are someone that they want to meet in person. It is an opportunity to show your strengths and to give casting a small preview of the person that they could potentially cast.