Putting yourself on tape has become an essential job skill for the modern actor. Many acting programs are asking for pre-reads on tape before inviting a people to in-person auditions. As a film actor, self-taping can be a near daily event. So let’s look at a few things to know to put together a successful self-tape: Follow Directions, Be Seen, Be Heard.
*Note: Links do not reflect my endorsement of these products, rather they are provided to illustrate the types of products I often see, or have used. They are not affiliate links.
Follow Directions
Read the audition instructions and follow them to the letter. If your audition does not follow protocol, two things happen when it is seen by whomever is doing the deciding:
- They don’t pay attention to your audition because they are distracted by how it looks out of place, and
- They don’t bother watching the whole thing because it doesn’t follow the instructions they provided.
Be Seen
Find a blank wall to film against, with light coming from in front and/or beside you. Natural light is great, but move around some lamps, if you need to. For a long time, I used inexpensive clamp lights to throw extra light on myself. If you are going to be self-taping a lot, it might be worthwhile to purchase a light kit of some sort. You can use your phone to self-tape, just be sure to orient it “landscape” rather than “portrait,” and put it on something that will hold it steady.
Be Heard
Make sure you can be heard by minimizing extraneous noises in the environment. This might mean putting the dog in the backyard, asking your little brother to turn off his video game (or at least use headphones), and maybe turn off the A/C or heat for the duration of your taping. Most phones’ and cameras’ on-board mics will be fine for auditions if you minimize distracting environmental noises. Using external mics, meaning microphones you hook up to your phone or camera, would be nice, but for the beginning or student actor, that is probably an expense – and a learning curve – that is unnecessary.
Tape a sample slate and watch it back to be sure you are seen and heard, then make any necessary changes. Do this before you start taping so you don’t lose a great take to the annoying whir of the A/C. Be sure to edit out extraneous things, like that moment before your audition when you hit record. There are free editing apps to edit video on your phone.
Finally, if this is all too overwhelming, there are self-taping services available in many markets, since self-taping has become so prevalent. If you really want your self-tape to look nice, and you don’t want to have to figure out how to pull all of this together, reach out to the studios that offer this service. Alternatively, ask your voice or acting coach if they tape for you, or recommend someone who can. Then all you have to do is show up, perform, and get the file delivered to you all ready to go.