Showreel aspect ratio, codec and file size, explained
Showreel aspect ratio, codec and file size, explained
16:9 landscape, H.264 in an MP4 container, 1080p, at a bitrate that keeps the file under a few hundred megabytes. That combination plays everywhere and uploads to every casting platform without conversion. A properly delivered reel should never make you think about this.
You should not have to know any of this. A properly delivered reel arrives in a format that just works.
But people do get handed the wrong files, so here is what the settings mean and which ones matter.
The short version
| Setting | Use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Aspect ratio | 16:9 landscape | What every platform expects |
| Resolution | 1080p | Universally supported; 4K buys nothing here |
| Codec | H.264 | Plays on literally everything |
| Container | MP4 | The default every uploader accepts |
| File size | Under a few hundred MB | Uploads reliably on a bad connection |
| Frame rate | Whatever it was shot at | Converting it introduces judder |
Why not 4K
Because nobody watches a showreel at 4K.
Casting platforms compress everything on upload. A 4K master gets squeezed to roughly the same delivered quality as a good 1080p file, having taken four times as long to upload and been four times more likely to fail halfway.
Shoot at whatever the camera does best. Deliver at 1080p.
Aspect ratio, properly
16:9 is the frame. Some reels then letterbox inside that to look cinematic — black bars top and bottom.
That is a taste decision, and it has a cost: it shrinks your face in a frame that is already being watched on a laptop in a crowded office. We generally do not, and if you want it, say so.
What it is not is a different aspect ratio. The file is still 16:9.
Vertical is a different file
Cropping a landscape reel to portrait cuts the sides off your composition and usually your hands with it.
If you want a vertical version for social or a portrait-first app, it should be cut separately with the framing built for that shape. That is the £49.99 promo edit on self-tape and promo, and there is more on where each version belongs in where to host your showreel.
What "delivered properly" looks like
You should receive a master plus versions sized for the platforms, and you should never open a converter.
If a studio hands you a single enormous file and tells you to sort out the uploads, that is an unfinished job. Our delivery list is on sessions and pricing.
How to check a file before you upload it
You do not need editing software to see what you have been given. Your computer already shows most of it.
- Windows: right-click the file, choose Properties, then Details
- Mac: select the file in Finder and use Get Info
- Any system: open it in VLC and look at its media information window
Then check what you find against the table above:
- Dimensions of 1920 x 1080
- An .mp4 file
- H.264 listed as the video codec
- A size in megabytes, not gigabytes
- Sound present and in sync all the way through
Then watch the whole thing, start to finish, before it goes anywhere. The settings can all be right while the file has a stray frame, a clipped ending or audio that drifts late on.
If the codec shows as ProRes, or the file runs to several gigabytes, you have an editing master rather than a delivery file. Keep it safe as your archive copy, but do not upload it.
Once it is up, play it back on the platform itself. Everything gets compressed on upload, so if it looks noticeably worse than your original, check the platform's current guidance before re-exporting anything.
If you have been given the wrong files
It is fixable without reshooting anything. Send us what you have and we will re-export it properly as part of an edit — see showreel editing, quoted flat.
Same if the reel is technically fine but too long or badly ordered, which is a far more common problem than codecs — how long should a showreel be and updating a tired reel both cover it.
The thing that actually matters
None of these settings will get you an audition. A reel that opens strongly, is lit so your eyes are visible and stops before the viewer does will — see the mistakes guide and how shortlists work.
Get the format right so it is never a barrier, then stop thinking about it.
Sessions are on monologue showreels, students take 15% off via the student page, and journey times are on where we film. Call 0161 706 3220 with anything technical.
The short version
- 16:9, 1080p, H.264 MP4. That is the answer for 99% of cases.
- 4K is not an advantage — nobody watches a reel at 4K.
- Vertical is a separate cut for social, not your main file.
- Under a few hundred MB keeps uploads reliable.
- If you are being asked to convert files, your studio delivered badly.
Frequently asked questions
What aspect ratio should a showreel be?
16:9 landscape. It is what every casting platform expects and how every player displays it. Cinematic letterboxing inside a 16:9 frame is a stylistic choice, not a different ratio, and it shrinks your face.
Should I deliver in 4K?
No practical benefit. Casting platforms compress on upload and nobody watches a reel at 4K. It makes the file large, slow to upload and more likely to fail, for a quality difference nobody sees.
What codec and container?
H.264 in an MP4 container. It is the most universally supported combination there is — every platform, every browser, every phone. ProRes and similar are editing formats, not delivery formats.
How big should the file be?
A few hundred megabytes at most for a two to three minute reel. If yours is measured in gigabytes, something has been exported wrong and uploads will fail on poor connections.
Do I need a vertical version?
Only for social and portrait-first casting apps, and it should be a separate cut rather than a crop of the landscape one. That is what the promo edit produces.
How do I check what format my showreel file is in?
On Windows, right-click the file and open Properties, then Details. On a Mac, use Get Info in Finder. VLC shows the codec on any system in its media information window. You are looking for 1920 x 1080, H.264 and an MP4 file.