We have now to begin stepping up our recreation with self-tapes. I have been seeing so many dangerous ones recently. It is not your fault, it is simply no person ever appears to speak about what it must appear like, sound like, the best way to add and compress it, and to do all of it in a brief period of time. They only count on you to determine it out! I’ve written about this earlier than, and I feel it wants a revisit.
It is not sufficient to simply ship in one thing in your iPhone anymore. Self taped auditions have gotten the norm, not the exception, and casting all the time expects them quick, skilled, and displaying the actor doing their greatest. Which is VERY laborious when you’ve 15 pages to memorize and tape by the following morning, and haven’t any entry to good gear.
If you do not know how good it may be, or why it even issues, strive sitting down and 100 self tapes from actors in a row. It’s extremely eye-opening. Belief me, I’ve accomplished it. When the standard is dangerous, it is unwatchable (irrespective of how good the actor is). I am speaking dangerous overhead lighting, and weak sound (no shotgun mic or lavalier mic), only a loud reader (aka your roommate or mother) standing behind the digicam overacting the hell out of the scene. When the standard is nice, {and professional} (good lighting, centered on the face, flattering, and the actor will be heard clearly), you WANT to observe. Hopefully the appearing kicks ass too, and the actor seems like they’re stepping onto set (memorized, current, listening, hair, make-up, wardrobe). We all the time gravitate in the direction of one thing that appears prefer it has excessive manufacturing worth and appears nice. That is why actors normally begin off their demo reels with the larger price range scenes. It seems skilled, they appear like they’re on set (trigger they’re), and we see that they take the work significantly. Why current a tape that appears like a nasty pupil movie? It makes you look novice, and there is no room for that on this enterprise.
This is the reason your self tape auditions have to be higher. As a result of the following actor who has the identical audition as you can be extra memorized, extra digicam prepared, and can take the time to make a extra skilled self tape. So why would not you? Why would you simply half ass it? I’ve accomplished self tapes which might be despatched all the best way as much as present runners and community executives, and I’ve seen actors guide from tape (and even display take a look at from tape). You do not even all the time must be within the room anymore to check for a pilot! You recognize what does not guide from tape? A shaky iPhone video with a pre-recorded voice studying the opposite strains in your pc off-camera. It simply sucks, and does not paint you in the very best mild.
However this is the opposite aspect of the coin. Now that self tapes are so vital, and so widespread, which means your agent and supervisor are additionally attending to see your work as properly, earlier than they ship it off to casting. Your tapes are a direct reflection of what you might be doing within the room. Do you look drained? Are you not memorized sufficient? Are you not listening or connecting? I’ve seen too many tapes must be redone due to these items (that are completely within the actor’s management), and it does not look good for the actor who did not take it significantly sufficient. Brokers and managers take discover, and it makes them extra reluctant to belief you.
There are numerous issues exterior of an actor’s management, however this is not one in every of them. If you happen to get a “self tape audition” for a job, why would not you give it your all, and canopy every little thing you may in your finish, be as skilled and ready as potential (as if you happen to had been stepping right into a producer session), and blow them away with how nice you might be on tape, and what a fantastic actor you might be. Do not you agree?
Self taped auditions are new pre-pre-read, which means casting administrators are deciding who to usher in for his or her few valuable spots based mostly on self-tapes. This implies it is advisable to degree up, perceive the sport, and in addition put your self of their sneakers, and picture what it looks like after they scroll by a whole bunch of tapes (typically 1000’s for giant open name castings). The primary 5-10 seconds matter, each within the appearing and the manufacturing worth. Do not give them a purpose to skip over your tape that you simply put that each one that work into.
–Matt
