Your Complete Guide To Self Tapes
By: Ronak Gandhi
As we trudge through the pandemic, casting directors have made actors run through the gamut of ways to audition—staggered in-person auditions, live zoom auditions, and self tapes.
Surprisingly, I’ve had a few commercial auditions in person, where casting has made us check in via an app and wait in our cars to be called in. Actors never have to cross paths but once you enter the audition room the potential for exposure is always there.
Live zoom auditions run the risk of glitchy internet connections and a whole plethora of other technical issues that deserve it’s own article one day.
Self-tapes are the one constant that have stood the test of time, and even proved to be pandemic proof. They’ve only become a more robust way of auditioning for TV/Film.
What Makes A Good Self Tape?
Eddie touched upon his experiences with self tape studios at Self Tape LA, but for the rest of us who either can’t fork up the dough to constantly go to a self tape studio, don’t want to run the risk of any potential exposures, or simply don’t live near a self-taping studio—self taping at home more than adequately gets the job done.
There are a few key things that make a great self tape starting with the two main components: lighting and sound.
To See or Not to See
Lighting, lighting, and more lighting! If we can’t clearly see every subtle, melodramatic, A24 facial twitch is it even worth it? The answer is more nuanced. In general, casting needs to clearly see you and to attain good to perfect lighting you don’t need studio quality lights. There are three main sources of light: natural light, ring lights, and softbox lights.
Natural Light
Personally, I used natural light for years and then touched up the video a little in iMovie. I booked a Syfy TV movie of the week (pre-pandemic) with a natural light setup. Natural lighting works great and it’s the most cost effective choice (unless Elon Musk figures out how to monetize daylight, then we’re all screwed).
Position yourself so that the window is BEHIND the camera. Make sure you are evenly lit. Ideally, you want your entire torso/face to be facing the window and not for the window to be off to the side so only half your face is lit and the other enshrouded in a shadow.
Screenshot from a tape using natural light
Once you’ve finished your tape, and are ready to cut it up on your laptop you can use iMovie (for Mac users) or Windows Movie Editor (PC users) and use the auto enhance option to give that finishing touch.
If your natural light works perfectly you might not need much of an adjustment. However, other times the auto enhance feature adds that last layer of crispness your tape needs, so use your best judgement.
Ring Light
Ring lights have become ubiquitous with any at home video setup whether it’s for auditioning, business video calls, or the occasional zoom date (are people actually doing that, asking for a friend).
Ring lights are not that costly and are a great investment to have as part of your at home self tape setup. They can range anywhere between $20 to over $100 on Amazon, so do some preliminary research before you break the bank. I’ve started to supplement my natural window light with a ring light and it only cost $30.
I’m one of those people where the window isn’t directly in front of me, so the ring light brightens my face where the window lighting doesn’t. Again, once you hit that auto enhance option, your tape looks money.
Screenshot from a tape using a ring light
Softbox Light
If you can afford it and have space, go for softbox lights. They range anywhere between $50 to $200 depending on if you get a set of one or two. They provide great lighting and a huge benefit is you can tape at night. Similar to the ring light, softbox lights give you the flexibility to do your tape anywhere in your home where an outlet is near, so you’re not confined to the one wall where the window shines bright.
Soundcheck!
Arguably more important than lighting, but less controlled. We’ve all had the garbage truck roaring by our home, the random leaf blower drowning out all possible sound, and the angry couple arguing next door while we deliver the most dramatic and soft spoken lines of our auditions. It sucks, I know, but alas, what can we do?
These days everyone has a smartphone of some sort and the mics on them are surprisingly capable of getting the job done. I currently use an iPhone 11 and the mic works great for self tapes. Once you’ve uploaded your tape to your video editor, there are auto audio enhance features as well to fix your audio and drain out any background noise.
Lavalier Microphones
These can clip straight to your lapel and can connect to your phone or camera via a wire, they also have wireless options. Because of the proximity of the mic to your mouth, lavaliers do a great job at picking up every swallow, breath, and chuckle you fabricated in your audition. They range between $10 and $70 so again do your research. The only drawback is that most lavaliers have wires which can restrict movement, and the lavs will almost always be in the shot. If you don’t mind that then the lavalier microphone should be just fine, it’s all a matter of taste. I don’t believe the visibility of the lavalier will make or break your audition, but bad sound will.
Rode Microphones
This is what I currently use. Rode mics connect right to your camera/phone so there are no wires attached to your body, and they override your device's mic and sound is recorded straight from the Rode mic. Prices range in the neighborhood of $50-$100. The Rode mic I got was $70 and has a USB-C port that connects right into my iPhone’s charging slot. It’s not as sensitive as the lavalier mics but still far superior to the mics that come with your device of choice. Background hiss is almost completely drained so the crispness of sound is there. The one thing I’ll say about the Rode mic is the recorded sound is a bit soft, but as per usual, I’ll smack that auto audio enhance feature and the sound is good to go.
BONUS: Egg Crate Foam Padding To Reduce Echo
What Else Should I Focus On In A Self Tape?
Lighting and sound, check. Great! Now that we got the two most important facets of your tape out of the way, let’s talk about the other details.
Tripod
Are you propping up your camera or phone on a table with a mile high stack of books? I’ve been there, and it’s not fun. Your camera should be steady so invest in a tripod. A solid one should be around $30 on Amazon. I had been using an Amazon basics tripod for years and it works just fine (and only $10). Make sure the tripod can extend to your eye level!
Background
The rule of thumb is to have either a PLAIN white, grey, or navy blue background. Take down the pictures of your dog and grandmother, their sweet but nothing should distract casting from seeing you in the frame. If you don’t have a plain wall, buy a $12 dollar grey bed sheet and thumbtack it to your roof and floor, and let it drape down. It may be cumbersome, but anything for the craft!
Wardrobe
Speaking of distractions, don’t wear any wardrobe materials that will take away from your audition. Your clothing of choice should be simple and fit the character.
Framing
Framing should be right at the top of your head to the mid-high torso. Tight. If the bottom of your frame falls near your belly button you’re too far away. I like my tapes to be just below my shoulders with little to no space above my head. There are always exceptions to this and casting will always specify what framing they want.
A Good Reader
Don’t use your mom, girlfriend, or neighbor. Use an actor friend. You want the best acting to come out and the only way to do that is if your reader is giving you the goods. At the end of the day, your acting is what will stand out. Never compromise on this.
Now that you’ve gotten the logistics of your at home self tape set up sorted, you can focus on the fun part, the actual audition! If you need a reader for any self tapes, let us know! We’d be more than happy to help!
See Below For The Full Gear List:
Best Self Tape Camera Under $500
▶ Sony ZV-IF: https://amzn.to/3w6mwAv (Amazon)
Best Self Tape Camera $500+
▶ Panasonic LUMIX: https://amzn.to/3w9kKyn (Amazon)
Best Ring Light
▶ Sensyne 10”: https://amzn.to/3UAAOT6 ( Amazon)
▶ UBeesize: https://amzn.to/3QHHLQj (Amazon)
Best Selfie Light
▶ Neewer: https://amzn.to/4dbg0Jl (Amazon)
Best Standing Tripod
▶ Bonfoto: https://amzn.to/3JB8mu8 (Amazon)
▶ Selfie Stick: https://amzn.to/3wadvGq (Amazon)
Best Desktop Tripod
▶ Fotopro: https://amzn.to/3UCMNQs (Amazon)
Best Soft Box Light
▶ Neewer 700W: https://amzn.to/3w6owsv (Amazon)
▶ HPSUN Softbox: https://amzn.to/3QHHLQj (Amazon)
Best Lavalier Microphone
▶ PoP Voice: https://amzn.to/3wkD4Vg (Amazon)
Best Directional Microphone
▶ Rode VideoMic Auxilary: https://amzn.to/3JzsJYz (Amazon)
▶ Rode VideoMic USB-C: https://amzn.to/3JyFeUe (Amazon)
Best Voice Over Microphone
▶ Audio Technica: https://amzn.to/3xPXhTj (Amazon)
Best Egg Crate Foam For Echo:
▶ Egg Crate: https://amzn.to/49RcTTX (Amazon)
Best Backdrop Stand For > 10ft Of Space
▶ Neewer Photo Stand: https://amzn.to/49VtLc8 (Amazon)
Best Backdrop Stand For < 10ft Of Space
▶ EMART: https://amzn.to/4baNwh8 (Amazon)
Best Backdrop
▶ Kate Reversible Dark Blue/Brown: https://amzn.to/3Uf5urU (Amazon)
▶ Kate Reversible Grey/Teal: https://amzn.to/3xQZgqL (Amazon)
Best Teleprompter
▶ Neewer: https://amzn.to/4dbg0Jl (Amazon)
Best SD Card:
▶ SanDisk 128GB: https://amzn.to/3WfS15x (Amazon)
Best Filming/Editing/Podcast Headphones
▶ OneOdio BT: https://amzn.to/44jfl4k (Amazon)
Best Camera Bag
▶ Tenba: https://amzn.to/44i0hnN (Amazon)