10 Tips For A Perfect Audition Self-Tape

[@sumonomaly4097]

Tip 1- Background; don't use white. Use blue or grey. Don't match background color with attire color. Tip 2- Lighting; don't over it. Doesn't have to be perfect, but enough to see yourself without shadows. Tip 3- Audio; don't use camera mic. Avoid making your audience guess what you said. Tip 4- Camera; if using phone, record horizontally. Use mounting bracket if available. Tip 5- Eye line; follow self-tape instructions. Tip 6- Slating; rule of thumb- slate TO camera. Tip 7- Framing; midshot to medium close-up (i.e. from the waist up). Tip 8- Performance; take chances, make a choice, and be off book. Keep refilming until you nail it. Tip 9- Styling; Dress as if you've already been cast (i.e. hair and make-up done). Don't wear anything distracting. Dress for the part. Tip 10- Sending it in; pay attention to casting instructions. LASTLY- Don't Suck!

[@sirongame]

[@HiroSaint]

Last Word: Don't Suck. Love it. Shasta, always so straight forward. Never beats around the bush. Amazing.

[@sparklesapp6853]

Really helpful, love the straightforwardness, but I have a question what if you are really new to acting, what kind of work should you have within your self-tape if it is not for a particular audition but for a site resume you can send out in general... should you do serious monologues or something funny? How long is the Perfect Audition Self-Tape? Still pretty new to all of this and a little nervous.

[@michellecheckley]

This are awesome tips thank-you Vistek and thank-you for taking the time Shasta!

[@vistek]

Thanks for comment Meshell!

[@moniquevamado22]

Really helpful, practical, well put together info. Thank you. I like Shasta -- straight shooter.

[@vistek]

Thanks Monique! We all love Shasta!

[@ROGANSMITH]

This was excellent advice. Straight to the point. Loved it and appreciate the upload!

[@-fantini84]

I'm auditioning for a role in Warsaw, Poland - and when I saw Jigsaw, *Toronto!* I was like (:-o) ... Shout out to all my ACTRA Toronto peeps! Thank you Shasta!

[@OliviaG]

Hey hey fellow performer!

[@kathyzielke6117]

Thank you for your video. One of the best and informative I have seen. My daughter is passionate about acting and learning what I can do to help her is so valuable!

[@RaisingAChildStar]

This was definitely great advice! Wishing you the best for your daughter and her acting career.

[@OliviaG]

If you're looking for more on camera tips I just started a series :) oliviag.tv

[@sweetsnsalty]

"So... please don't suck" that was the best!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@edouardfaucheur7757]

Good thing someone else spotted that. That s a very patronizing way of speaking , especially given that this video is supposed to help or teach. Who wants to suck ? No one , what an idiotic way of talking, and my guess is that it says a lot about the person. Average frustrated CD

[@yb4278]

@@edouardfaucheur7757 I think it was just a joke lol its not a big deal

[@sebthrelfall]

Really good, clear and honest advice, thank you for your time to do this!

[@julianowade]

Very helpful, so ready to rock my audition today!!! THANK YOUUUU

[@OliviaG]

Good luck at your audition

[@marniebrunton2098]

Thank you, Shasta!! Watching this again xoxo Seriously so appreciative.

[@LeCrenn]

Thank you! Lots of good, helpful advice.

[@vistek]

Thank you LeCrenn!

[@Teresapicciano]

Thank You. One of the best videos yet on self taping.

[@vistek]

Thank you Teresa!

[@lisav.2678]

Thank you! This was very helpful.

[@vistek]

Thanks Lisa!

[@stephaniejones2986]

Shasta, great job. I have done a few self-tapes in different international areas, and seen casting people include this link. It's so clear. Hope you and Jigsaw are well.

[@vistek]

Thanks for the comment Stephanie. I'll make sure to relay to Shasta.

[@raisin39]

I'm glad I stopped by, good information.

[@vistek]

Thanks Russ!

[@kattaylor8987]

Awesome ! Thanks so much for the advice.

[@spencena]

I love it. Thank you!

[@shannonbroadwell4403]

So helpful! Thank you for your clarity and insight

[@ginahill503]

Thank you, very much indeed. I am working on it!

[@schichter]

Shasta rocks!! This is great!

[@vistek]

She certainly does! Thanks for the great comment, Matt!

[@carmenmendez7896]

You rock, Shasta!!

[@isaacc1394]

Does the blue or grey backdrop also apply to dark skinned actors?

[@vistek]

Hi Isaac, I would say, yes - only in that white can be a bit overwhelming for the eyes. Having a more neutral shade like grey or a more neutral colour like blue allows the viewer to really not notice the BG and just focus on the actor.

[@supervisethis6947]

Great video I have always loved the magic of television Keep sharing your knowledge Thank you

[@vistek]

Thanks ST!

[@TheVanessaRamos]

Thanks for these great tips!

[@vistek]

Thanks Vanessa!`

[@nolidcreations]

This is helpful.. Thank you so much 😊

[@IevaGeorges1]

Great video! Thank you

[@bayofplentyactorsstudio5436]

This is so helpful - translates to us here in NZ - thank you x

[@geetbhardwaj3879]

thanks....good honest tips.... especially the last few words

[@micheleburdetteelmore2162]

Thank you! Super helpful!

[@M3FERD]

Quick question. What if you have a script with two people, should you have someone read the other lines, or should you pause for that line then continue with your lines?

[@AshleighJessicaTaylor]

Hi, I'm an actor and producer in NYC. You need to have someone else read the other lines because they want to see you acting with another person.

[@OliviaG]

Hey! Having a reader such as a friend or family member stand slightly to one side of the camera is best! I have a lot of videos coming out on this if you'd like to follow along oliviag.tv

[@RaisingAChildStar]

This video was really informative! Right on point:)

[@armingivili]

Really thanks, Very useful!

[@kokomakwaku6590]

This was so helpful and down to the point

[@vistek]

Thank you Koko!

[@hqcarpz1222]

Hi could you give advice for doing self tapes when they ask for a 1min self tape and don’t give a script or anything to read . All you have is the brief ?

[@vistek]

Hi there - I wish I could, but that's outside of our area of expertise. In every case, it's up to your conversation with the casting director, or whomever is doing casting. They should provide you with all the instructions. If they don't, then it's sort of their error. Perhaps they are inexperienced at casting. Best of luck!

[@kentmemories]

Excellent

[@lakeinredcalf9223]

This really helps. Thank you

[@vistek]

Thank you for the great comment Lakein Redcalf. Really happy that it helped!

[@Raxietrini]

This is SUCH GOLDEN ADVICE....Thanks sooo much for sharing.....YEAAAA!! I REALLY appreciate it!! :-)

[@vistek]

Thanks Raxietrini!

[@CarlosMiau]

Thank you 😊

[@vistek]

Thank you for the comment!

[@rolliepollie222]

What can I do if I get a grey backdrop? Are there any alternatives? Thank you for the video!!

[@Bella-wq7nu]

You could use a white one. As long as you not wearing a white / grey top, as that may blend with the background.

[@Ines1708]

Omg this reallyy was helpfullll thank you so muchh this litterally made me undestand better and made me happy and confident that I can do it and it made me more happy when I saw that you posted this video, the day of my birthday😂😂

[@samuelsfranklinactor]

Don't suck😂.. Love your video!

[@vistek]

Thanks Samuel!

[@munchie_mouth]

Very nice, and how much is all this equipment going to cost me? I would have liked to have seen some recommendations on the cameras and mics.

[@OliviaG]

I'll be making a video on this soon but I would say start off with your cell phone, shoot using natural light (go in front of a window) and invest in a tripod + an external mic that goes into your phone. That's the simplest and cheapest way to start. oliviag.tv

[@jooyoung9418]

Hi Im actress in Korea! Im getting requirements from oversea to send a selftape and your youtube is helping me alot!! Thank you so much :)

[@vistek]

Thank you for the comment! Best of luck!

[@haseleyes1]

Thank you

[@mit1487]

Thank you :)

[@vistek]

Thanks Mitch!

[@carmenraad23]

I love this especially the encouragement as well. Thank you

[@minhaj.khan.09]

hello madam very presentable i wanna ask how to put the background you've used in this tape, and gow to give that text with blurr effect and that watermark in the right side bottom line thank you for responding

[@vistek]

Thank you for your comment Minhaj. Regrettably the comments section isn't the best place to address your questions. I would suggest you search on youtube for "setting up a seamless backdrop," "watermarking logo in video," etc. Best of luck!

[@lilymoyes2507]

I was given a script that was mostly sides, not actual speaking lines to make a self-tape for (this is my very first self-tape and audition ever!!!). I have no idea how to read/act out the script that was given to me since the scene changes frequently and there's very few lines for my part. Someone please help me lol

[@arielathorn6356]

So could I still do a self tape without a mic ? because I don’t have either one of those and my self tape is do tomorrow. If not, what other alternatives could I do?

[@vistek]

Sure - but the mic will pick up more noise and reverb in the room than your voice (likely, but not always). I'm sure if your performance is good, then it won't really matter. However, for future self tapes, you'd connect with the casting agent much better if your sound was clean and up front.

[@finished6267]

I'm black. Should I use warm light so I don't look green?

[@vistek]

Hi there. Warmth or Coolness should effect tint (magenta to green). However, it usually standard practice to light darker skin tones with warmer lights to accentuate the melatonin in the skin and make the skin feel more lively. This is also true of caucasian skin tones, btw - but lighter skin tones have more of a tolerance than darker tones. If your skin is looking green, this is either because you are using a very low quality LED or fluorescent light - or you camera's white balance is not set adequately. You can still use a "cool" light if that's all you have (the sun is a cool light btw), but you just need to set your white balance to 6000K or higher and it will render that light warmer.

[@Gabriellasmane]

Is a cream backdrop ok as well?

[@vistek]

I'm not a casting director, so I can't say for certain, but I would guess that it would be totally fine to use. The goal is that you just don't have a background that is distracting. You should still be the brightest part of the image.

[@isabelletremblay8309]

Awesome! Thank you for the tips! :)

[@vistek]

Thank you for the lovely comment Isabelle!

[@nkululekolusanda5578]

Wow thanks 🔥 a lot mmm this video is old but so helpful because all i need it tips thank youuuuuuuu ♥

[@rickleow736]

Thank you. I hope to land my first lead role :)

[@er-dm9nk]

Did you? Im curious

[@rubykatie9292]

An agent just emailed me asking if I could apply and now has asked me to send in a self tape!

[@RaisingAChildStar]

Hope it went well!

[@jbilotta]

I disagree with the white background. I like other colors yes, but I like the way I look against a crisp, white background. With good lighting, you can do anything and it could look light grey.

[@redachaaban1286]

Hi could u have a white back drop but wear darker clothes

[@Gregg0Palmer]

Should an actor avoid reading from the script? Does it reflect poorly on an actor to read from the script for the self tape?

[@vistek]

Hi Gregg. Thanks for your question. Every situation may be different, and as such you should always follow the instructions given for the self tape. However, as a rule, it's always better and much more impactful to be off book for any of your auditions.

[@PDXFilmmongers]

Should an actor be capable of making his self tape on his own rather than having to find someone to help him film it? Seems that should be standard nowadays that an actor has that ability.

[@vistek]

Yes, I think it will help. You can shoot self tapes on your own, any time of day or night. So if a last minute audition comes in, you are ready.

[@mansa8354]

*dont suck*

[@gaijinknight3250]

50mb file 🤣🤣 1 second video then

[@seanwebb605]

Ha ha ha ha ha ha. I work as a master control operator in Toronto. We receive show files for programs in tens of gigs. One of those talent programs running two hours or more can be over 80 gigs. 50mb file doesn't really even cover the lead recording time prior to the content.

[@rugfixr]

If a casting director doesn't scare you a little, you should take no advice from them

[@emnibob]

This is unclear to me - is she saying it a good or bad idea not to slate at the beginning of the tape?

[@vistek]

Hi Emily, I get that it's a bit confusing. She's basically saying both. I would suggest that if the casting director specifically asks for a slate, then it would be a good idea to do it. Or perhaps if that agency has never seen you before. However, Shasta is really just saying there is a growing trend to not slate as a way of getting the attention of the casting agent or director. I'm not an expert in this area - so I would ask other casting agents or actors what they think. It's a risky move, for sure.

[@limormarkovzki8451]

Great video. Thank you!

[@keenan544]

Spectacular advice. Thanks so much for all these tips!

[@vistek]

Thank you Keenan! Thrilled that you found it useful!