How to make a sizzle reel with AI
Write four places and three people on one page, then write one shot of each place. If you can see the four places in your head, you have a sizzle reel.
Sizzle reel, trailer, proof of concept, pilot
| Piece | Length | What it proves | Has plot? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sizzle reel | 60 to 90 seconds | The tone, look and energy of a world | No: moods and moments |
| Pitch trailer | About 60 seconds | The hook and the stakes of a story | Yes: the promise, not the ending |
| Proof-of-concept short | 2 to 5 minutes | That one scene works from start to finish | One complete scene |
| Pilot | Up to 300 seconds (TV Series) | That the first episode works | Yes: a full episode |
A pilot or pitch trailer · A movie trailer · A pitch deck for a TV show · What is previs?.
The shape of a 60-second sizzle
A sizzle has a rhythm, not a story. Each segment is one place, so each beat gets its own set:
| Segment | Beat | Seconds | Shots | Pace |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The world | 0 to 15 | 3 | Slow, wide, one quiet close-up |
| 2 | The people | 15 to 30 | 3 | Medium, moving, a crowd |
| 3 | The tension | 30 to 45 | 4 | Closer, shorter, two faces and a line |
| 4 | The peak and the title | 45 to 60 | 3 | Fastest cuts, then a held final image and the title |
Thirteen shots, 60 seconds
An original example, a canal-city noir called Neon Tide. One place per segment; the title is spoken by the narrator because generated video does not write legible text.
| Segment | Shot |
|---|---|
| 1. The harbour | [Shot 1] 6s: Extreme wide shot, slow push-in. A flooded neon harbour at dawn, cranes standing in the water, ferries gliding between towers. Ambient: low surf and a distant horn. |
| 1. The harbour | [Shot 2] 5s: Medium shot. @Ana, a river pilot in a yellow coat, steps onto the deck of a small boat, rain beading on her hood. No dialogue. |
| 1. The harbour | [Shot 3] 4s: Close-up on @Ana's eyes in a flash of orange sign-light. Ambient: a heartbeat under the surf. |
| 2. The market | [Shot 4] 5s: Wide shot, tracking. A night market on stilts, lanterns and steam, a crowd moving both ways. Ambient: market chatter. |
| 2. The market | [Shot 5] 5s: Medium shot. @Kade, a smuggler with a silver ear cuff, pushes a crate through the crowd without looking back. |
| 2. The market | [Shot 6] 5s: Close-up. A hand passes a folded paper to another hand under a table. Ambient: a drum, close by. |
| 3. The rooftop | [Shot 7] 4s: Wide shot. A rooftop club at night, a skyline of lit towers, a pulsing blue light. Ambient: bass, building. |
| 3. The rooftop | [Shot 8] 4s: Medium shot. @Ana and @Kade face each other across a table, neither drinking. |
| 3. The rooftop | [Shot 9] 4s: Close-up on @Kade. @Kade (low): You were never meant to find me. (voice: Kade) |
| 3. The rooftop | [Shot 10] 3s: Close-up on @Ana. @Ana (steady): Watch me. (voice: Ana) |
| 4. The canal | [Shot 11] 5s: Wide shot, low angle. Two speedboats tearing down a canal between glass towers, wake spraying neon. Ambient: engines rising. |
| 4. The canal | [Shot 12] 5s: Medium shot. @Ana at the wheel, rain across her face, a siren turning blue-white behind her. |
| 4. The canal | [Shot 13] 5s: The harbour from shot 1 at sunrise, still and empty. @Narrator (voice-over, low): Neon Tide. Ambient: surf. |
That is four segments of 15 seconds and 13 shots. How to write one shot · A segment stays in one place.
Sound is half the reel
- The score is built in. The site plans the music for each episode and mixes it under the voices; a Music switch turns it off. There is no track picker, so shape the mood with the cut and the ambient lines. Background music.
- Write the sound into the shot. Surf, a heartbeat, bass building: the ambient line is free and does a lot.
- Say the title. The narrator speaks it in the last shot; add any on-screen text in your own editor afterwards.
- If you need a particular song, add it in your own editor after you download the file, and only use music you have the right to use.
What a sizzle reel cannot do here
- Legible on-screen text. Generated video does not write it; add titles and lower thirds afterwards.
- Real actors or famous faces. Real people cannot be depicted.
- A fixed track. The score is chosen by the site.
- Multi-track editing. The editor is one card per segment, not a timeline of layers. The episode editor, a tour.
Cost it before you render
Sixty seconds of video is 60 seconds at 10 credits a second on the default tier, plus 1 credit a second to join. Draft at the lowest resolution and finish only the shots you keep; fix single shots rather than redoing a segment; and use the free 5-second preview to check the look first. Draft at 480p, finish at 1080p · The free preview · Spending fewer credits · AI trailer generator · AI movie pitch generator.
Say what it is when you share it: an AI-made sizzle reel or proof of concept, not a finished film. Do AI videos need a label?
Make it in SceneMixer, start to finish
- Script: paste your own on Upload Script, or write the brief above in AI Create and let it draft the episodes.
- Step 1: Type Film; Scene Style Cyber Metropolis, Neon Nights; Costume Style Near-Future Techwear, Streetwear; Visual Style Digital HD; Target Region; dialogue language; 16:9 Landscape. Then read the script.
- Step 2: Draw Ana and Kade and the four places (harbour, market, rooftop, canal); the narrator is an Off-screen character with a voice and no drawing. The first 15 setup images on an account are free.
- Storyboard: generate episode 1 first (free on your first drama) and read it before you render anything. One place per segment.
- Video: render on the default tier at 10 credits a second, fix single shots instead of whole episodes, then put the episode together and post.
| Length | Segments of 15 s | Shots (4 to 5 s each) | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 seconds | 2 | 6 to 8 | A social teaser |
| 60 seconds | 4 | 12 to 14 | The standard sizzle |
| 90 seconds | 6 | 18 to 22 | A longer pitch reel |
FAQ
What is a sizzle reel?
A short video that sells the feel of a show or film, its world, look and energy, rather than telling its plot.
How long should a sizzle reel be?
60 to 90 seconds. Thirty seconds works as a social teaser.
How is a sizzle reel different from a trailer?
A trailer sells a story's hook and stakes; a sizzle sells the tone and the world, with no plot.
Can I make a sizzle reel with AI?
Yes. Draw the cast and the places once, write 12 to 18 short shots, render the segments and join them with the built-in score.
Can I choose the music?
No. The score is chosen by the site and mixed under the voices; a Music switch turns it off. Add a specific song in your own editor if you have the rights.
Can the title appear on screen?
Not as legible text from the video model. Have the narrator say it, or add it in your own editor.
Is it good enough to pitch with?
Present it as previs or a proof of concept: it shows tone, cast and pacing, not finished footage.
How much does a 60-second reel cost?
Sixty seconds at 10 credits a second on the default tier plus 1 credit a second to join; the first storyboard on your first drama and a 5-second preview are free.
Pick four places, write thirteen shots
Draw the cast once and read the free storyboard.
Updated November 2, 2026