Video Self-Tapes: How To Look Fabulous

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Video self-tapes have become extremely popular. Since the pandemic, they’ve pretty much replaced in person auditions. Everyone seems to be doing a video self-tape these days, whether for an audition, a product promotion or a business. My agent recently held a Zoom seminar with clients to share some tips for successful self-taping. I know from experience that self-tapes aren’t really difficult to do, but they can look totally unprofessional if they’re not done right.
First of all, if you’re self-taping for an audition, read all the requirements of what the casting director or client wants to see before you start taping. Don’t include anything in your self-tape that they didn’t specifically ask for in the instructions. For example, if the client didn’t specify that they want a full body or profile shot, don’t give them one. For most auditions, you’ll be filming yourself from the waist or mid-chest up.
The video resolution on most new phones is good enough to shoot quality videos for auditions or YouTube projects. Make sure you use the highest resolution setting on your camera phone when filming. See below for some links to products for your self-taping project. (Note: These are affiliate links.)
Here are 5 major things to consider when self-taping:
- Your background.
You should be the star of your self-taping project, not the background. Stay away from busy backgrounds. Film yourself in front of a neutral wall with nothing on it or use a professional fabric backdrop. When choosing a backdrop color, keep in mind the colors you usually wear. I often wear blue for self-taping, so I never use a blue backdrop. I use a neutral wall or a light grey backdrop instead. Backdrops are available in every imaginable color, but blue, green and grey work particularly well as backdrop colors for self-taping.
- Lighting.
Ring lights are the best way to highlight your face when doing a video self-tape. It’s absolutely worth the small expense of buying a ring light, if you don’t already have one. Make sure you’re not back lit when filming or you’ll appear too dark. Normal room light plus the ring light should be fine. Many ring lights have warm and cool light settings. Warm usually works best to highlight skin tones.
Most ring lights either come with an attachment for a phone or at least a place in which to screw in a separate attachment. Some come with a tripod or are easily attached to an existing tripod. Be sure the tripod is set at the right height for the camera to be at eye level. You don’t want to be looking down at the camera. That gives you a horror film look that’s not attractive.
- Sound.
A separate lavalier or clip on microphone with a transmitter is a must for good sound on your self- tape. They come in a wide range of prices, but there are inexpensive ones with good quality sound. Sound quality can make or break your video, so be sure to use some kind of microphone other than the one on your phone.
- Wardrobe.
For auditions, always check the audition instructions for client wardrobe preferences. I always wear solid colors for all self-taping projects, as I find most bold patterns appear too distracting on camera. Pastels and bright blues, greens, pinks and yellows look great on camera. Stay away from black, grey and white if you’re auditioning for a commercial. White isn’t a good color on camera and black and grey are a bit too somber. Cheerful colors work best. I never wear jewelry for auditions, as it’s also distracting.
- Makeup.
The makeup look I’ve found works best on camera is slightly more than what I wear every day. I use a makeup base with a little more coverage than usual to even out my skin tone and a bit stronger eye makeup. It’s what I use for on- camera auditions as well as for my own projects. Once again, for auditions read the instructions for the location to determine the look they want before you start filming.
Self-taping auditions is more work than going to an audition at a casting director’s office. However, you also have a lot more control. At a casting session, you may get 2 takes on camera and no more. The casting director is seeing dozens of people and can’t afford to give you more time than that or they’ll be running behind schedule. At home, self-taping an audition, you can do as many takes as you like. You can play with doing your character several different ways and try different wardrobe looks. You don’t have that luxury in a casting office. We also tend to be more comfortable in our own homes than in a casting office with a lot of other people around. That’s a definite advantage for a more relaxed, natural performance.
Once you’ve filmed your self-tape audition, check the casting instructions for how it should be labeled. Often it’s in a format such as your name_agency name_project name. Label it exactly as instructed. The most common way to send self-tapes is through Dropbox, as the file will usually be too big to send as an email attachment.
Although self-taping may seem a bit intimidating at first, it’s actually fun, easy and creative. There’s a reason there are millions of videos on YouTube. They’re fun to make, if you’re willing to invest the time. As for self-taped auditions, you may never want to return to the casting office. I believe self-taped auditions are here to stay, so get comfortable with them and you’ll be booking some jobs.
Below is some essential equipment for successful self-taping:
Disclaimer: I have an affiliate relationship with the seller of the following products. This means that, at no additional cost to you, I make a small amount of money from any sales. This helps cover the cost of running this blog.
10” Selfie Ring Light with Extendable Tripod Stand and Flexible Phone Holder
BOYA BY-M1 Condenser Microphone with ¼” Adapter for Smartphones
Audio Technica-PRO 70 Lavalier Microphone
Lyly County 5’x7’ Non-Woven Gray Backdrop
StudioFX Background Stand Backdrop Support System