Self-Taping Guidelines
Once the way of the future, self-taping is now the way of the present, so make yourself as comfortable as you can with the process! Here are some tips for creating a solid self-tape:
Find a place in your house/apartment that you can dedicate to self-taping. It should have a neutral background (or room for a backdrop) with the option to sit or stand.
Lighting can set the mood of the piece and make sure that you are seen clearly. Ring lights have become very common and can give your tape a more professional look.
Though smartphones can work great for self-taping, you may want to invest in a tripod and an external microphone for steadiness and sound quality.
Your tape should be shot HORIZONTALLY, not vertically.
Slating is generally preferred. Include your name, height, base location, agent, and the role you are reading for. If not specified, you can include this at the beginning or end of your tape, or as a separate take. As part of the slate, many offices request a full body shot where you can be seen standing and then the camera scans from your head to your toes.
Pay attention to the frame of your shot. Typically, it should be a close up of your face from the shoulders up, but this might change if you need to stand or move throughout the scene.
You should have a reader. The reader should sit or stand behind the camera so that you can connect with them and not look directly at the lens. It is crucial that the reader’s volume is balanced with yours.
Set the scene in your mind so that you can mentally place people and things in your environment. Specificity and clarity is key!
Dress with a hint of the character. This includes makeup and hair/facial hair.
Memorize your lines! Except for very long scenes, this is becoming the expectation. You can and should hold the pages and use them as a prop if you need.
Pay attention to your gaze. The camera picks up your eyes easily and only a very small movement is necessary to change your focus. In general, you can maintain a narrow gaze on camera.
Listen (to your scene partner). So much of acting, especially on camera, is reacting, but you don’t have to do much for a self-tape. Simply listen and the camera should pick up your reactions without having to show or demonstrate. A lot of this is staying connected with your eyes and not letting them drop when you don’t have a line!
Do multiple takes by giving yourself adjustments. Everyone always does better the second time and when you are taping, you get that chance. But instead of just “doing it again,” give yourself a note or an adjustment to differently inform your performance. You might just surprise yourself.
You can send multiple takes. I didn’t know this was an option at first either! This works well especially for small co-star reads so that you can show the adjustments you worked on.
Your video should be DOWNLOADABLE. This means that casting should be able to download your video from a link and save it to their computer or upload it to an Eco-Cast. Platforms that work well are DropBox, WeTransfer, Google Drive, and paid Vimeo accounts. Unlisted YouTube links are NOT downloadable, but are occasionally requested for theatre projects.
Happy taping!