‘The Top Five Rules of a Self-Tape Audition’
- Kelly Stewart
- Oct 31, 2016
- 4 min read
Continuing our auditioning theme, we thought it was vital that we talked about ‘Self-taping’ – the latest way of auditioning, and what is growing to be the most common. Therefore, it is crucial that all actors know how to self-tape, and how to do it well. Because of this, we knew we couldn’t include just a small piece about it in our ‘Top Three Tips of Auditioning’ post, and that it needed a full article dedicated to self-taping advice.
So, here we have put together ‘The Top Five Rules of a Self-Tape Audition’ – enjoy!
NUMBER 1: LIGHTING
Before even starting to record your self-tape, you must make sure you have the best location – and most importantly, a location with the perfect lighting. Now, this isn’t a vanity thing, this is a clarity thing. The casting director must be able to see your face perfectly for exactly what it is - what you truly look like. This is the same reason that multiple places will ask you not to wear any makeup at auditions; it is because acting is about creating a truthful character, and therefore you must be honest in the way you present yourself as well. Your job as an actor isn’t to look like a supermodel all the time, it is to look like a real human being. The other reason for good lighting is clarity of performance; you don’t want the lighting to get in the way of the casting director seeing the fantastic performance you’re giving. If it’s too bright or too dark, your tape becomes incredibly hard to watch, and therefore due to such a high level of tapes to watch, there’s a chance they’ll skip right past you because they don’t have the time to sit through it. The key to the acting industry is being able to deliver high quality at a fast pace – if you make the casting directors life easy, you’re ten times more likely to be called in to be seen again.
NUMBER 2: BACKGROUND
Linking straight on from lighting, the next vital thing is that your location has a plain background. While you may want to show off your new colourful patterned bedroom wallpaper, it is incredibly distracting, and frankly, unprofessional. You want your self-tape to be entirely about your performance, and what you can do for the piece. By placing yourself in a ‘setting’ you are limiting the casting director’s imagination of putting you into the actual location of the scene, and looking at you as the character. By having a nice, plain, neutral background you allow them to entirely focus on your performance, as well as it looks professional and shows them you’re taking it seriously, and therefore are passionate about working with them.
NUMBER 3: DEVICE
Self-tapes can be recorded on nearly anything nowadays – video cameras, phones – either will work and can get you that re-call audition. However, we will say that the higher the quality of the device recording the better, and that you should use a stand to make sure the camera is steady. If you are using your incredibly cool smart phone to record yourself, then do record it landscape and not portrait. This is because that when you send it through and the casting director opens it, they can’t tell what device you’ve used, and creates that professional look much better, allowing for a wide screen view.
NUMBER 4: IDENT
Every actor in the industry needs to know what an ident is, and to say it every time they audition for tape. An ident is said normally at the beginning before you start your scene – this is where you look directly down the lens of the camera, and state your name, age, and who you are represented by (i.e. your agent). If you don’t have an agent, then most people just say where they are from. You do this at the start to give the casting director an initial look at you before you go into character, and gives them the vital information to note down if they decide to look at you again. An ident looks incredibly professional, but also helps break up your audition from the audition of the person they’ve just watched before you. When auditioning, it is just as much about you as a person as it is about your ability to act and your performance – so your ident is your only moment to convey your confident, friendly self in your self-tape – use it!
NUMBER 5: WHO IS READING IN
Now, this one will totally depend on the text you are given/you choose. If you are doing a duologue, you will need someone off camera reading in the other character’s lines. The key here is make sure that the person reading in isn’t under acting or over acting – just clear pronunciation will be fine, alongside making sure they’re not sitting too close to the camera so that their voice doesn’t over-power yours, and therefore your performance. The simpler the vocal, the better. It is also best if they’re sat or stood slightly off to the left or right of the camera so you can use them as an eye line – which helps avoid looking at the camera, and creates a much more naturalistic performance. You want your audition to be about you, don’t let the person reading in ruin that.
So there we have it! Our 'Top Five Rules of Self-Tape Auditioning'! If you want to see an example self-tape, just click the video below!
We hope you found it helpful, and if you did please let us know - your feedback is incredibly valuable - and if you really liked it remember to hit that subscribe button, as well as follow us on Facebook and Twitter! Plus, if you are interested in our On It Screen Academy (www.onitacademy.co.uk) you can self-tape audition for us too!
So what are you waiting for!?
GET ON IT!
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