We all understand that you may feel that a home taped audition is the only way to work at least at first, but you will make your life much easier, if you avoid this particular pitfall:
Feel free to use CCP facility for uploading with the application, but PLEASE do not insist on it. Not all of us can do it, and not just because we are IT numpties. I, for instance cannot have a webcam in my shared office. If I film elsewhere and try to upload a file, even if I compress it, the limits on file size are way smaller that most worthwhile audition scenes require, even on the lowest definition/filesize on most equipment we have, and also, if you want us to do more than one scene, we can only upload one filer per application, so you won’t get both.
It is much easier for those of us that aren’t’/don’t have the time to learn to be digital whizzes to upload a file of much preferable quality so that you can actually SEE and HEAR the performance to Vimeo or Dropbox and send you the password/link, and that’s really not so much of a pain for you as you imagine. You’ll get a much better range of auditonees, and much easier auditions to watch, from good people, and your working relationship with whomever you select will start from a much healthier place.
Not NEARLY AS good as if you were to actually meet us, but hey.
I'm not a fan of the CCP upload facility either :( I've missed out on quite a lot of castings due to the 'video audition' box being ticked, and not being able to register my interest and then send a video along later.
I may be completely wrong here, but if an employer could shortlist applicants and then ask for a video audition, rather than ask for one along with the application, it may save them going through hundreds of videos :)
I don't mind doing video auditions though, as it saves me quite a lot of money! And if it's more than one scene, if I'm not using CCP's upload facility, I tend to edit them together using Windows Movie Maker.
My real underlying point is that self-tapes are a bad thing.
If only people compared the two ways of working they would see that the CASTER makes their own life and everyone else’s at least as hard as they make the performers’.
The justification for them is that they save cost. I suspect that to be complete fallacy.
Let us assume that the audition room, and the poor soul that operates the camera are paid for, and that the director and the CD attend. Combine all those hourly rates and you have a fixed cost. Add to that the auditions are done on a date set in advance so that the producer knows progress is being made and is happy(ish) and (a bit) relaxed. At the end of that predictable date, the project is cast, or at least the number of problems have been reduced and clearly identified, and solutions can be planned. Things are ticked off lists right and left by several people, who then turn their phones back on and go back to their current projects (because of course all these requests do come from working professionals, don’t they?).
Where auditions are self-taped, and no-one ever sits down together, individual tapes whiz through the ether, or gather dust on Vimeo or MyBlurt, while incomplete lists of who might have seen them and formed an opinion clog the Inboxes of everyone down to the teaboy , and this can go on for weeks, during which it all becomes an excuse for nothing else making progress. Add up the hourly rates of the professionals concerned in that little exercise, and I’ll bet they add up to a lot more than a day’s hire of Treadwells’ basement. I have never been on a project of any moment that was cast like this. The only conceivable plus (apart from just getting a bit excited playing with the toys) is if you WANT someone incredibly busy who happens to be on the other side of the planet at the time when you have to decide......
Volume Two will follow when my blood pressure has returned to normal.
Absolutely agree. Also, anyone know what the max file size is for sending vids? Had to compress anything longer than a minute but have just been guessing what size to get it down cause CCP only tells you when it's too big, not what size to send!
I find the CCP self tape using Web cam is of poor quality. Blurry and buzzy. I get better results using an ipad and loading it up.
I like the video audition option though as it costs me about £100 to get to London and back. If you are lucky with a 10 to 1 audition success rate then it would cost me £1,000 just to get a job using face to face auditions.
Marcus, I may be wrong but I think videos uploaded to CCP should be max 200mb. I was trying to upload a vid that was 259mb and thats what it said I had to get under. HTH x
I can't 'do' a self tape from my phone either (it just won't allow it, I am not daft with technology and hubby is a software developer so he has pretty much confirmed it too!)
Would be useful to be able to see on mobile site which jobs require self tapes before you get to 'preview application' stage as I have spent time to type out cover letter etc then to find it says 'upload self tape' when I cannot (nor can I 'include extra media' from phone as it just wont give me that option!) So I have lost out on applying for many jobs because of it. If I could see that they require tapes before I even open the posting, then I could happily skip them altogether.
I also like Self Taping because living in Surrey with a 4 yr old it helps. Just easier that is all. I use a Mac desktop for recording on Quick Time, never use the CCP upload video because I find it is too slow, doesn't even work sometimes. I can do the recording even if my daughter is in the house and I don't have to look for someone to look after her if my husband is working. I see the pro's and cons to it though, you don't know who you are auditioning for, face to face is much nicer, you get to ask questions. It is happening more and more these days. I have had quite a lot of success with it though, so it doesn't really bother me.
Caroline
7 years ago
8
You must login as a candidate to participate in the forum.
Please note:Messages written in the forum do not represent the views of The Mandy Network, nor have they been vetted by The Mandy Network staff.
If you read something which you believe to be offensive or defamatory, please contact us and we will take the appropriate action.
