Hello beautiful people!
Let’s shoot!
I said, “Um, this is gonna be a THING.” Then I wrote about it in my column. And then came the hate mail.
Holy crap, did 2006-era actors NOT want to be told it might be a good idea to set up space in their own homes to get in on some prereads like this. Woof! Of course, those who thought about it for a second and said, “Yeah. This could actually be a benefit,” got out ahead of the trend and have some masterful freakin’ setups at home.
To wit: The lovely Corrie Legge rockin’ out her setup and demoing it for all of ninjahood to enjoy!
Okay, so what are the basics of your self-tape setup?
Camera, tripod, mic, lighting, backdrop. The end. Everything else is extra, and even with this quick list, you can do a way stripped-down version using your phone’s camera, a stack of books to prop it up against, its onboard mic, the sun streaming in from your window, and any non-distracting wall in your room.
Think I’m kidding? In 2007, as we were asking for self-tapes for the role of Jack (the Oscar-winning Ernest Borgnine’s grandson) in Another Harvest Moon, Cameron Monaghan (who ultimately won the role — um, check his IMDb these days for how on-the-mark I was about where he was headed as an actor) used his flip phone’s camera (remember, this is 2007 technology we’re talking about; this camera was NOT worth a damn thing) and shot in his backyard.
Grainy as hell, sound all over the place, and holy crap could we tell this was our guy. Because when you’re the one, none of the tech elements matter all that much. Just know, when you’re not the one? We’ll give you a list of allllllll the things that were wrong with your footage. It’s like craft services on a bad set. Feed ’em well and they never talk about how late the day was running or how disorganized things were. Crap food? Every detail of what could’ve gone better will get mentioned.
Point is: Today, you have every advantage with a camera in your phone that’s capable of more than a $5000 camera would’ve been able to do a few years ago. You can get a pretty fantastic lighting kit for under a hundy. And everyone loves to share their toys about what’s working for them, so you can go into any purchases or home layout action without stress that you’re flying solo with what *might* work.
Here’s some stuff to consider outside of the technical equipment:
Be careful with any editing beyond inserting a title card with your name and contact information. If your read looks over-edited, we’ll wonder what you left out. We’ll wonder how well you can do in a single take. We’ll be distracted from your acting because we’re watching your editing. A single take uploaded for us to watch start to finish is sufficient and leaves us asking no questions about why editing needed to take place!
If the buyer doesn’t tell you what format she prefers (.mov, .mp4, etc.), and isn’t doing submissions via EcoCast, your best bet is to upload your footage to Vimeo or YouTube (unlisted; *not* private with a password unless specifically requested) or even Dropbox, as these sites will take care of the file format conversion and allow the buyers to watch via link you can shoot their way in an email.
If you’re doing a lot of uploading of confidential audition footage, you may consider investing in an Amazon S3 account, which is charged on a sliding scale based on bandwidth. This way, you’re in total control of your footage and there is zero chance that you’re falling into the trap of “The Price of Free,” which exists with sites like YouTube and Vimeo, at the non-pro (pro = paid) levels. What I mean by that is, when you upload anything to those free sites, you’re giving them permission to sell, use, or otherwise exploit your uploads and that could make casting a little twitchy.
Okay, here’s where I want you to remember the only thing we’re hoping to discern in watching your self-taped audition: Are you right for the role and are you talented enough to pull it off? That has nothing to do with your lighting, sound, backdrop, or file format. But… all of that stuff could distract us if you let it. So, put what is within your control in its best shape so that we can stay totally engaged with your acting, your work, your type, and your talent. That is what we want to see.
Need to get creative with your backdrop hanging? This quick tutorial from my first-ever intern Julie is the definition of ninja! I so love y’all… *especially* when you share your toys. 😉
Dress for success, just like you would at the audition if you were invited into the room. That means no bright colors, patterns, or logos that distract us. Be in character without going into full costume. Seriously, treat this just like you were going in for a preread.
Should you slate? Well, if the casting director asked you to do so, then yes. If not, maybe that title-card or end-card edit I mentioned above would suffice. Should you give us more than one take? Only if asked to do so. Or if you’re absolutely certain you’ve done a distinctly different enough second take that adds value to your overall read (vs. talking us out of totally understanding how to cast you), maybe include a second take. If you’re going through your rep, leave that call to them! They know what the casting office is looking for.
Frame yourself well (don’t put your head in the center of the shot with way too much headroom — frame yourself fully in the shot just like good session runners and DPs do). Keep your reader off-camera but be sure your mic is set to pick you up (and whatever you do, do not have your camera mic doing the work for sound with the sound option turned to “auto focus,” as that will cause the focus of the camera to go *off* you as it tries to find your reader during their cue lines).
If you need a reader, have a buddy ready to work with you virtually or in person, pre-tape the lines yourself and have them playing back opposite you, or grab a partner from a service like WeAudition (also a fun, flexible survival job option for actors). If you’re not yet a member of WeAudition, use promo code SMFA25 when you sign up. That’ll get you 25% off your membership!
If you are meant to interact with two different characters in your read, or reference someone/something other than the reader, choose sight lines that are off to the side of the camera. Just like when you come in to read for us, you’ll agree with an audition partner on “where the artwork is” when you’re supposed to reference the work of art on the wall in the museum during the scene, for example, you should plan this sort of thing out before you start self-taping your audition. Use Post-It Notes on the wall or tripod to mark the eyelines and help you stay consistent.
Cheat out and be sure we can see your face (or most of it) for most of your scene. Only look directly into the camera for slate and for hosting-style auditions. Keep your hair out of your face (unless that’s sooo on-brand)!
Include a beat before and after you start and finish the read so you can clip the footage as needed or so we can feel the impact of the button. Again, just like when you’re in the room with us, give your audition space to land.
Do several takes as you’re playing with the material and then send in only your best. Be sure you’ve had someone test out viewing your footage when you’re going live with your new self-tape setup for the first time! If casting cannot watch what you’ve sent in, we’re not likely to reach out to you to let you know you’ve set the file on private at YouTube and not provided the password… we’ll just move on to the next actor in the pack. We’re not likely to reach out to say the file type you uploaded is unwatchable… we’ll just assume it’s not worth our time. So, please, until you’re well-practiced at self-taping, make SURE others can view the goods!
Do NOT — I repeat, do NOT — obsess about checking to see if the footage has been viewed. Just shoot it, send it, and forget it. You’ve done the work. Your professionalism in how you interacted with everyone is already telling them a lot about you and, yes, they may have cast the role before your footage even arrives (all the more reason to be early with your submission).
Show us what you’ll do on set (look at ninja Alex Collins’ intercut example of how close to his on-set performance his self-taped audition was here). Know the show’s tone well enough that you’re showing them you’re already set-ready in your preread.
Remember that you look like a booker in self-taped auditions the same way you look like a booker in the room: you’ve prepared, you’re confident of what you’re delivering, you’ve done your homework (downloading sides for all other characters to see what they’re saying about your character which could inform your choices for your read — better yet, downloading the entire script, if available), you’ve made your choices, and you trust that we will redirect you (by inviting you in for an adjusted read based on your awesome first read) if there’s something else we want to see.
Your confidence will read in your taped audition. Really enjoy this process and be excited that you’ve been invited in this way. If you have any stress about self-taping, practice, practice, practice so that you become as good at self-taped auditions as you are at in-person auditions. It’s just a muscle to build. Our totally amazing 30-day self-tape challenge is a game-changer (some have said it has taught them more about their on-camera acting than any craft class they’ve ever taken) and you can get started today!
Building the muscle that says, “Ooh! A chance to tape! Great! Let’s make it amazing!” will serve you very, very well.
Today’s work: Set up your self-tape home studio. If you already have one, share a bit about it — from the equipment you use to the tips you’d love to offer up for others who may just be getting started. If it’s time to upgrade something in your studio, today’s the day! If you want to get so damn good at self-taping that buyers eagerly look forward to your submissions, join in the 30-day self-tape challenge and make it a goal to get 30 self-tapes in before the end of our 100 days here (that way, it’s not 30 straight days but instead 30 times to show up for yourself in this specific regard over the next couple o’ months). Totally do-able. Free workout. Priceless value.
For my non-showbiz creative entrepreneurs in the group, your work is to set up your self-tape studio too! While you may not have to do the high-volume self-taping that actors are required to do, you WILL shoot yourself for ads, marketing and promo vids, content for your students or how-to-use-your-offering tutorials for your buyers, and you may even get into the livestream game as a means of building up your fanbase and connecting with your population of thirds! Consider doing the 30-day self-tape challenge too. You will be so grateful for strengthening this muscle!
Let’s get to shooting, y’all!
’til tomorrow… stay ninja!
