Hi Friends! Audition season is just around the corner, and huge part of the job right now is self-taping. I have had a lot of people tell me recently that self-taping is difficult for them because they can’t afford nice equipment. And I totally honor that! But alas — self-tapes are not going away!
So, I wanted to create a list of a couple of affordable products and tips that might make your life easier this season. Here are some of my favourite self-tape tools! And remember, Oscar nominated films have been made on iPhones — so please don’t stress yourself out abut spending $3,000 on a new camera if you are not also getting really excited about being a photographer!!
Here are a few SELF-TAPE TIPS!
Make sure that your work is prepped, you feel confident with your look, and that we can hear what you are saying!
Read ALL of the instructions in your self-tape request email — and then do the things that are asked of you. If you are supposed to use an accent, say something specific in your slate, etc — we will ask you to do it. Don’t negate yourself from booking because you didn’t follow all of the instructions!
Try not to have a distracting background, wardrobe, or reader. The simpler the better — I want to be able to focus on you only!
Be sure to show your full body at some point in the self-tape. Either during the slate, or you can start with a full body shot and slowly pan in during your scene work. Also, always shoot horizontally!
Once you have recorded your self-tape, please upload it to YouTube (unlisted), Vimeo, Dropbox, or WeTransfer. Make sure that the link is downloadable and if there is a password, don’t forget to share the password with your submission. Reminder, Google Drive asks you to grant permission to each email address that needs to see the content — and that often involves lots of extra steps.
Most importantly — MEET THE DEADLINE! If there is a timeline associated with returning the self-tape, make sure you have sent that tape by the time that is asked! If you return a tape late, it most likely will not be watched!