How To Make a Stunt Reel

As a stunt performer, your stunt reel is your calling card. It's the first thing coordinators and directors will see when considering you for a role in their production. Therefore, it's essential that your stunt reel showcases your skills, experience, and abilities in the best possible light.

What's most important when making a stunt reel?

1. Variety: It’s important to show a range of skills in your stunt reel. This means including clips that demonstrate your proficiency in different areas, such as fight choreography, martial arts, wire work, fire burns, gymnastics, boxing, weapons work, car hits, rappelling, high falls, stair falls, horse falls, motorcycle riding and stunt driving (...to name a few).
2. Brevity: While it may be tempting to include as much footage as possible in your reel, it's important to keep it short and to the point. A stunt reel that's too long can become tedious and lose the attention of hiring coordinators. Coordinators have worked with hundreds of performers and can assess your abilities quickly - a 1-minute video is more than enough to showcase your physical skills.
3. Creativity: Have fun with music and creative visual elements that will help you stand out from the rest.
4. Contact Info: Add a contact card to the beginning and/or end of your reel. An ideal contact card would include your headshot, name, union status, height and weight, email and/or phone number.

Once you’re done, upload your stunt reel to YouTube or Vimeo and add the link to your StuntListing.com profile. Make sure to send your reel to hiring coordinators as a YouTube or Vimeo link. Never send your reel as an email attachment or (worse) make them request access to see it (spoiler alert: they won't).

Your first stunt reel will most likely be a "training" reel without any footage from actual films - and that's fine. You're being hired for your combination of look, talent and professionalism. Using footage from stunt courses is completely fine, but will be valued lower than training on your own.

Need a clip pulled for your reel? Contact thestuntassistant@gmail.com for more details.

When you're just starting out, making a stunt reel is difficult and can be overwhelming. Check out StuntListing.com to see examples from experienced performers. Take notes about what you like and what you don't like. Reels are as personal and unique as you are. Whatever you decide to include, just make sure the coordinator sees you.