All About Sizzle Reels

by Ken Aguado

An overview of sizzle reels, their uses, and how to craft a good one.

It is not unusual for directors, cinematographers, producers, and (sometimes) writers, to use a so-called “sizzle reel” to sell (or pitch) their projects, artistic “take,” story ideas, or themselves (as a kind of video résumé). A sizzle reel is usually a short (2–5 minute), lively-edited video presentation. Typically, a sizzle reel is made up of assembled live-action video but can also incorporates stills and animation, or all animation, depending on what’s being pitched. Sometimes, a sizzle reel is alternatively referred to as a “pitch reel,” a “demo reel,” a “show reel,” a “mood reel,” a “media highlights reel,” a “promo video,” a video “deck” or a “teaser,” etc. In fact, some sizzle reels can also look a lot like a movie trailer, but typically, it’s only called a trailer if it’s been derived from a completed production — like a film or series — and it will only use A/V materials from that completed production. That said, it’s becoming more and more common for movie directors to create sizzle reels that mimics the look and feel of a trailer to get a directing job.

Sizzle reels are often created prior to a project being shot and will use materials “appropriated” from other existing sources. These kinds of reels are sometimes known as “rip reels” (or “rip-o-matics”) but occasionally will be combined with original material.

Very often, the purpose of a sizzle reel is to add compelling visual references to a project. But a good reel can also serve many other purposes, as listed later is this article. In the entertainment industry, sizzle reels, related support materials and visual aids are colloquially referred to as “props.” Without getting hung up on semantics, a sizzle reel isn’t really the same thing as a treatment, a pitch book or PowerPoint presentation, which tend to only use a series of still photos, graphics or art, even if presented in the form of a video reel. And by their very nature, sizzle reels tend to only be used in more formal pitch or presentation situations, for obvious reasons.

Side Note: A sizzle reel should not be confused with a “pre-vis reel.” Filmmakers sometimes create a “pre-visualization” reels for their more complicated upcoming productions. The pre-vis reel is intended to help the various department heads visually “imagine” and prepare for the creation of more elaborate sequences. For example, the 2011 Spielberg epic “War Horse” used pre-vis to not only determine what would be VFX and what would be shot “practical,” but pre-vis also allowed the horse trainers know exactly what actions and stunts their horses would need to perform, well in advance of shooting. Pre-vis can get very expensive and it often includes computer animation and storyboarding, sometimes combined with live action test footage. Also, because of the huge production costs of Hollywood films, pre-vis is also sometimes used by studios to help convince themselves and other potential investors of the viability of the project, leading to the new term “pitch-vis.” Pre-vis is not the topic of this article, but you should be aware of what it is and how it differs.

Typical cases where a sizzle reel will be used.

· A director selling their visual or stylistic approach to get hired to direct a film or television movie. (More and more common.) Sometimes these reels will include some narrative aspects, but sometimes the reel is just be intended to convey visual style or tone. Sizzle reels are never used when a director is trying to get hired in episodic television because they’re not allowed to alter the existing look or style of the series they will direct.

· A commercial director trying to explain his or her visual approach, based on a commercial script (called a “board”), to the client and/or ad agency. (Almost always used.)

· A music video director trying to explain their music video concept to the recording artist or record label. (Frequently used.)

· A cinematographer conveying their visual approach to a director. Or vice versa. (Often used.) Many cinematographers will also post a reel of clips of their best work on their professional website as a “video resume.” Typically, this kind of sizzle reel will be set to music and run about two-minute.

· A screenwriter trying to pitch a film or television series idea about an unfamiliar topic. (Rarely used, with the exception I just italicized.) In general, screenwriters are not expected to use sizzle reels for their pitches.

· A producer trying to pitch an idea for a reality/unscripted series or documentary series/film. (Always used.)

· An animator, effects or graphic design artists explaining their visual concepts. Here they are often referred to as a “mood reel.” (Often used.)

· A director or cinematographer creating a short reel with highlights of their feature or television work as kind of a “video résumé.” (Often just called “their reel.”) Typically, a commercial director’s reel is a collection of entire unedited commercials, given the brevity of the work they create.

· A reel created for an online crowdfunding campaign for a media project. (Often done as a kind of “proof of concept.”)

Steps to creating.

• Understand what you are selling: what the buyer/viewer expects and needs. For example, many sizzle reels are created for a very specific purpose, such as adding visual references or for “tone” or “mood,” which is otherwise hard to convey. The goal here is to anticipate the concerns of the viewer. Every project will have its own specific needs in this regard.
• Do research. Many examples are available online. Some very well made.
• Find a basic conceptual approach to your reel. How will your reel be organized? Is it narrative or non-narrative (perhaps a collage cut to music)? Is it a teaser? Is it a mood (tone/style/etc) reel? A video résumé? Historical? Factual? Remember that it’s called a sizzle reel because “it sells the sizzle, not the steak.” You want to be exciting and dynamic.
• What assets will you need? Are you creating original elements? Or are you creating your project out of pre-existing materials? What can you get?
• What can you reasonably execute on your own? Remember, in most cases your work will be seen by media professionals whose standards are very high. It has to be great. If you’re not an expert at something (editing, for example), hire someone who is.
• Create a script for the work you hope to create, even if it’s just a shot list. Will your final product be self-explanatory or will you also need narration/voice over or titles/cards? Try to keep these latter things to a minimum.
• Gather or create your assets.
• Create a script before assembly. Don’t wing it. Understand your concept and make sure it’s fully realized in your script. If you are inexperienced, find a great example of something similar to your project. Study it and try to understand why it works. Remember: garbage in, garbage out.
• Edit together in a compelling way. Remember why it’s called a “sizzle reel”: You’re selling the sizzle, not the steak. Make it exciting, but not hyperbolic.
• Shorter is almost always better. Most reels should run 3 minutes or less. If there’s no narrative in the reel (as with a cinematographer’s reel), more than 90 seconds can seem like an eternity.
• Get input from trusted friends.
• Make changes based on their notes.
• Output final reel in a variety of formats for your presentation: DVD, pen drive, and HD online screener. NOTE: Sometimes the playback device will be not your own. For example, you might be using your potential buyer’s old DVD player. Plan for the possibility it might not work. Have a backup plan to present, even if it’s just your iPad. It’s always a good idea to have a backup copy in case your original media format fails. It happens.

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Ken Aguado is a an Emmy-winning producer, screenwriter and author. His most recent films are the award-winning PBS documentary “Miracle on 42nd Street” and “An Interview with God,” which he wrote and produced. He is also the co-author of The Hollywood Pitching Bible and Based On. You can follow Ken on Twitter @kagaudo.