Self taping is happening more and more. For those who don't know what I'm talking about, self-taping is when, instead of being called into a casting office for an audition, casting asks you to submit a video audition. Some actors and agents or managers also submit self-tapes when they can't get an audition for a role they want to be seen for; aka an unsolicited self tape.
The upside of self-taping is that you have far more control than you do in an audition room. You're on your own schedule, you can do as many takes as you like, and you can control things like lighting, sound, the reader, etc. The downside is that all of those things, which are usually taken care of by casting, are now your responsibility; you have to worry about more than just the acting.
So how do you do a self-taped audition that is good enough to book the job, and that won't make you crazy? Here are the most important things to know:
- Sound and lighting is more important than video quality. Your cell phone probably has a decent enough camera to record a self-taped audition; but it doesn't matter how brilliant your performance is if the viewer can't hear you, or if there's a shadow covering one of your eyes.
In terms of equipment, you're better off investing in a cheap three-light setup and an external microphone than a fancy camera. Throw in a cell phone tripod and you're good to go.
- Frame yourself in a medium closeup (unless you receive instructions to do something else.) You may also be asked to turn side to side to show your profiles, and/or to include a full body shot. A medium closeup is a good representation of comfortable conversational distance; any closer would feel overly intimate, and any further would feel too removed. It also gives you a little room to breathe, gesture, and behave naturally without going out of frame.
- Somewhere along the way, someone probably told you you need to 'do less' on camera than you would in a live audition. That person was wrong. The biggest mistake I see actors make in self-taped auditions is that they make their performance too 'small' because they're on camera. Once you get the job, and they let you know they're shooting your closeup, then you can worry about being too big. For the purposes of your audition, do exactly what you would have done if you were in the room with casting.
(The exception to this is if there's significant movement in the scene, like a fight. In that case, find a way to suggest it simply without moving around a lot. A single punch or flinch is usually enough to communicate the action of a fight, for example, without distracting the viewer with a lot of unnecessary movement.)
You can take (some of) the stress out of self-taping by going to a place like Argentum where they have everything set up for you. (And if you book an audition coaching session with Working Actor Wisdom, taping is included!) But if you do a lot of self-taped auditions, you'll save yourself a lot of time and money by investing in a simple setup at home, or joining forces with a few friends to create a space you can all use when you need it.
Got a question about self taping? SHOOT!