How to do the perfect self tape: A guide to self taping
Since the pandemic, self tapes have become incerasingly popular with casting teams and actors need to know how to make their self tapes high quality. There are multiple ways to do this and casting director Sarah Harkins has written a self tape guide on how to achieve this.
What is a self-tape?
A self-tape is a form of auditioning, where you record your audition independently.
Why do you get a self-tape?
Casting offices are normally run with small teams and can use them for a variety of reasons. Some of these are:
It can be quicker and more efficient for a casting director to send out a self-tape request.
Cheaper than hiring a space for in-person auditions.
Provides more opportunities to actors outside of London.
Can work for actors who have another job or commitments, and who can’t make the specific time / location of an in-person audition.
Making the best self-tape from what you have available
Firstly, and the most important part of a self-tape or any audition is YOU. Making sure you are comfortable with the script, and as prepared as possible. They are rooting for a great tape so they can cast the role as soon as possible.
Presenting yourself on screen
It can be helpful to present yourself with an indication of elements of the character. For instance, if you are going up for a police officer, wear a white shirt (if you have one) or a white tee or something that has a hint of the character.
If you are going for a teacher, a dark smart jumper will help.
It isn’t necessary to dress up from head to toe as the character. It can distract from the performance. You want to stand out for the right reasons not the wrong reasons.
Keep accessories to a minimum. No hats or sunglasses unless requested.
Ultimately casting is about looking for someone who feels the most authentic for the role. It’s unlikely (unless you have a lot of profile) you will be aged up or down, or have dramatic changes to your physical appearance, so your self-tape should feel like YOU.
Readers for taping
It is important that the other dialogue is also recorded. Sometimes this can be hard and impractical, but it is essential to a good self-tape. You can pre-record it on your phone or download the “cold read” app. There are other apps available as well.
You can also have a friend pre-record the lines.
Do NOT read the stage directions.
If you cannot do any of the above, contact the casting office and see if there is an alternative solution.
SETTING UP & FILMING YOUR SELF-TAPE
Location
PLAIN BACKGROUND AND QUIET, PRIVATE SPACE
Find a quiet room that has no or minimal background noise and no echo.
Use a plain wall, if possible, but most importantly avoid anything too busy. Mess in the background not only looks distracting to those who have watched a lot of tapes before yours, but also doesn’t represent you well as a person if there is clutter / mess.
You don’t need a fancy set up, but if you were on a zoom date, would you want them to see you as unorganised?
No, let’s present ourselves in the best possible light. Organised, efficient, and professional. This reflects on your ability to be on time, bring what is required and do the job to a high level.
Props
Limit prop usage. Often not necessary at all. Do not clutter or distract from YOUR performance.
Lighting
We need to be able to see you. You don’t need fancy equipment. Natural light is best, but that isn’t always possible when you can only tape in the evening.
Play around with what you have, use lights with lampshades to find the best soft lit lighting.
Use sheets/ towels to try to block out any shadows. Be inventive. But if you do have a budget, soft lit lighting from amazon is always useful. And they are 100% tax deductible! (Always check with your accountant)
Filming with a phone
If you are using your phone make sure you have it LANDSCAPE not portrait.
What is an ident?
An ident is where you say your name, agent (if you have one) and any other information asked of you. This could be height, or anything relevant to the tape. You then turn to show your profiles. Turning to one side, then to the other, then straight to camera and show your hands, front and then back.
You may be asked for a full length shot. You can pan out / up and down to show the entirety of you if required. This is more common in commercial castings.
Please note. If you are NOT asked for an ident, then do NOT do one. It is not common in TV, Films and Theatre to do idents, and your tape will have to be edited by the team to take it out. If it is required, you will be asked for it.
Self Tape SET UP
Make sure your face can be seen, the framing should be your head and shoulders unless otherwise instructed.
Make sure your voice can be heard. You don’t need fancy microphones but keep background noise to a minimum.
You can always edit out the before and after of self-tapes, but do not edit the best bits of each take together. The casting team need to see one clean take. It is a red flag if you can’t do a continuous take and you will most likely NOT be presented to the director.
Do NOT add background sounds to your take. It is distracting and unnecessary.
Label your file
NAME YOUR CLIP with your own name and role name before you upload it - if you do a brilliant audition but they don’t know who you are that doesn’t help! We are forever receiving tapes with no name.
Make sure the file size is small.
Check the instructions on how the team want to receive it. It could be WeTransfer, Dropbox link for you to upload to, and how they want you to label it.
Check if they want all scenes/ takes edited together or in separate files.
Finally send. Forget about it and live your life. It can take time for casting teams to get back to you, and sometimes it doesn’t happen at all.
Useful Links
