Hold until ‘cut’ is called. This one is pretty self-explanatory, but wait until the reader calls ‘cut’ before you drop out of character. If you drop out before the reader cuts, then you’re killing your moment after and you’re also (potentially) making editing the end of your tape difficult. Stay in character until the reader calls ‘cut’.
Wear clothing that’s practical for your audition (both in terms of character AND in terms of being able to move!). Wardrobe for a self tape is a practical consideration. If you’re playing an executive, logically you wouldn’t wear a hoodie. But use extensive costuming STRATEGICALLY. If you’re auditioning to play a LARPer in a comedy or mockumentary, then wear your polyester medieval costume. If you’re auditioning for Game of Thrones, don’t come in full Eddard Stark cosplay. Pick your opportunities and know when to push the envelope strategically. Additionally, if you need to move in your tape or walk in, be sure you wear shoes that don’t inhibit your movement. You can always take the shoes off for your tape and then put them back on if you need for a full-body slate.
LISTEN (to directions from reader AND to your reader as character during the scene). Shouldn’t have to say it, but totally am. We’ve all been there - you’re amped up about your audition so much so that you have tunnel vision/hearing. BUT, it’s important to listen to the reader running your session so that you two, together, can create a self-tape that’s submission-worthy. ALSO, don’t be so ready and excited to say your next line that you unnecessarily cut the reader’s lines off. First off, this shows that you weren’t listening and second, it comes off as slightly self-important.
READ. Part and parcel to listening is READING. Especially in this age of nearly all digital communications. Some casting directors (especially regional CDs) give a ton of information about audition tapes. Some instructions are pretty standard and straightforward (such as frame / have a reader / audio & lighting), but some are not and have to do with the CDs preference for file labeling and slating. For regional CDs especially (like the Atlanta market), the labeling request is because there are only a few CDs in that region who receive tapes as well as tapes from Los Angeles. They HAVE to be able to keep tapes organized. Read the policies and processes for your taping studio. For us at The Actor’s Collective, we have our policies stated clearly on a page that clients must agree to have read prior to completing a booking. Take it from me: nothing really says ‘ego’ like an actor making assumptions or ignoring policies/requests. And if I notice that as a self-tape studio owner, so does casting. Which leads us to……
Know what you need to tape and what to say for your slate BEFORE you come into the room. Do yourself a favor. Know the scenes you’re taping and know what casting has requested for your slate before you come in to tape. There’s nothing worse than using audition time trying to hunt down the audition email for slating information or just winging it and giving too little information for your slate. This will only serve to take more pressure off of you for your taping. Take the extra 5 minutes to get this info locked in before your session.
Self-Taping How-To's and Tips #2
Q: I dropped a word, do you think casting will notice/care
AKA
my hair is out of place, do you think that’s distracting
AKA
I did a weird eye thing. Do you think casting will notice?
I get this type of question a LOT. 9/10 as your reader, I don’t even notice what it is you’re fixated on. SO, let’s tackle I dropped a ‘the’ or I said ‘and’ instead of ‘but’. Generally speaking, as long as you’re not blatantly rewriting the story during your audition casting will not notice or hold against you a dropped or misspoken word. I say generally because again, as with all things, there are a FEW exceptions. If the dropped word does in fact change the meaning of the line/story or if the project is a multi-camera comedy. Multi-camera comedy should generally be treated as word perfect because of the structure of the jokes within this genre. My hair’s out of place, is that distracting? My umbrella statement on both of these types of questions is this: if casting is more worried about you dropping a word or where your hair is, you probably have some more room for growth with your auditioning.
I’m not completely off-book. Can I hold my sides? Do you think that will hurt my chances?
Look, if you’re not off-book you’re going to need to grab your lines from somewhere. Because we all have lives outside of acting it’s not always easy to get off-book for your self-tape. Should you try to be? Absolutely you should. But if you’re not memorized, refer to the first sentence in this answer. Casting won’t dismiss you simply because you need to use your sides for your tape. However, if you must use your sides, then it becomes a matter of using your sides effectively. This means you’re not buried in the page and reading every. Single. Line. You’re familiar enough with the work to at least know what’s coming next story-wise.
Self-Taping How-To's and Tips #1
Today, self-taped auditions account for 1,987,483 of 1,987,600 auditions in Los Angeles…..okay, I made that up. BUT they do make up a significantly larger portion of auditions than ever before. The rise of digital media and the speed and ease of transmission have streamlined the audition process for many casting directors who now use this as a means to ‘thin the herd’ in their first round selects. Before we dive in, no, I’m not saying I have all the answers and no I can’t promise that the following tips will get you booked, but after taping thousands of auditions at The Actor’s Collective I have gained a somewhat unique perspective on what works, what doesn’t work, technical tips, and pitfalls that I’m going to pass along to you in these types of posts. I’ll also sprinkle in some of the most common questions I get from actors during their taping sessions and my answers. Aaaaand ACTION!
TACLA Taping Tips
Unless casting tells you otherwise, do NOT look into the camera lens for your audition. As with all things, there are exceptions such as theatrical monologues. Additionally, there are rare opportunities in-character that work to look into the lens such as news reporters or the vlogger / influencer type roles that have become more prevalent lately. A good rule of thumb is if you’re talking in-scene to a person standing in front of you, have your eyeline be to the reader.
Know your frame. There’s nothing worse than getting through your audition and nailing every beat and every word only to see that you’ve blown your frame in playback. Know your frame (wide, medium, close) and know how to work in each type of frame. Know where your body is living within this frame and how much room you have on either side of your body.
Be aware of the stage directions, but do not make them law. Writers put a lot of information in scripts to convey the story as they see it in their mind. For self-tapes, stage directions can either add or detract. At the end of the day you want your self-tape to do two things: 1)be technically sound (eyelines, framework, physicality, props) and 2) obviously show your talent! It says I get out of a car at the top of the scene. Okay. But does it do anything for your character or the story within the context of your TAPE for you to be getting out of a car? View all activities and propwork through the lens of a storyteller.
Tom Hanks’ Tips for Actors
Earlier this year (this year has FLOWN by!) at the Golden Globes, Tom Hanks received the Cecil B. deMille Award for lifetime achievement in the entertainment industry. Now, it’s not hard for anyone—industry-related or no—to understand why someone like Hanks would win such an award. For decades he has spanned genres and roles and captivated audiences with authentic, often poignant on-screen performances. Ask anyone who’s ever had the privilege to work with him and they’ll tell you he is thoughtful, considerate, kind, and an overall consummate professional. So, what’s the real secret to his success you ask?
In his wonderful and enlightening acceptance speech, Hanks shared an anecdote from his earlier acting days. He recounted how the director, who was frustrated after he and his co-stars had stayed out late partying and showed up underprepared, chided them and screamed,
‘Hey, look! You guys! You actors! You know what your job is? You have got to show up on time and you have to know the text and you have to have a head full of ideas. Otherwise, I can’t do my job.’ That was the greatest lesson a young actor could possibly ever get.”
Let’s break this down a bit further:
-Show up on time - as a general rule and as the mark of a professional, to ‘show up on time’ in the broader sense simply means that you’re prepared and engaged when it’s your call time or your audition appointment. No, not JUST arrived, no not ‘taking 5 minutes to settle into your character.’ You’ve given yourself time to settle in beforehand so that when you hear ‘action!’—whether on set or at an audition—you’re ready. Not driving like a maniac down the 5, or feverishly calling your agent to request a later time or a timeframe, or arriving RIGHT at your appointment time. Show up 10 mins early (especially if you’ve never been in this particular casting office or taping studio), sign in, breathe, review, relax. Energy is neither created nor destroyed so if you’re in an anxious rush, you can bet that energy will come through in your confident lead role audition. The tape will pick it up and casting will pick up on it.
-Know the text - note the wording here. Know the TEXT. Not just your lines. Stage directions, notes from casting, the other character’s lines, and definitely YOUR lines. I know life happens. You’ve just worked a double shift trying to scrounge enough to afford car insurance, car payment, a room in a shared apartment, adding new headshots/slateshots to your AA profile, etc. You’re overworked, underpaid, tired, hungry, and you just got a 12-page audition (of which only 1 page is FYI) from your agent. Is it possible to be off-book for this audition? Yes, it is, I’ve seen it. BUT, at the very least, what Hanks is saying is to be FAMILIAR with the work. Know your beats and actions. Know the gist of the story and what you’re saying. I say all of this to also say this: someone else WILL be off-book. In fact a LOT of someones. Should you beat yourself up if you’re not? Absolutely not. But, as an actor in an industry notorious for competitiveness, keep pushing the bar higher. Find a process that works for you to help you memorize lines. Cheat when you need to, but know that real freedom and playfulness come when you’re not tethered to your lines.
-Have a head full of ideas - this is the meat in this meat and potatoes statement from Tom Hanks. This is where your artistic side shines. Sure, certain genres require specific stylistic knowledge, and knowing your lines is an amiable feat. But having a head full of ideas means you’ve taken what the writers have put out into the world and filtered it through your instrument to create something new. Perhaps something even the writer didn’t expect. THIS is what every producer, director, and casting director seeks. Originality, spontaneity, playfulness. No actor has ever been served by asking the question, ‘what do they want?’, no matter if it’s for an audition or working on set. What do YOU want? Be fluid with your choices. Having a head full of ideas also means that you take direction easily. You’re uncomplicated. You’re malleable enough to take the same set of lines and deliver many different ways.
Remove any one of these three components and you’ve manufactured an obstacle for yourself as an actor. Take some time to really check in with yourself. Are you a procrastinator? Do you find excuses as to why you’re not off-book or at least mostly familiar? Watch your tapes (when you can). Are your takes for the same scene distinct or are you doing the same planned action at the same time and saying certain lines the exact same way every time? Moreover, are you critiquing your tapes for the RIGHT things? Are you a professional or does your ego rule your encounters with other industry professionals? Evaluate yourself and evaluate your instrument objectively and take note of where your craft feels too rigid or too lax. At the end of the day, ask yourself one very important question:
How badly do you want it?
Show up, know the text, and be ready to play. Have a wonderful holiday season :) Shout out any questions about the above in the below and we’ll try to get you some answers!
Brad