Is there any point in an actor investing the time,energy & money producing a show reel if some people insist on submitting a 'self tape'?!
The irony of the 'selfie tape' is that it can be rehearsed several times before submitting therefore the actor's true ability is unseen where as a live audition (filmed) provides an ideal opportunity for the actor's true ability to be assessed by the casting team. ( and several other mutual advantages for example does the actor take direction well?!)
I appreciate location may be an issue at times i.e. the production company is based in the North Pole and therefore the self tape could be useful perhaps which brings me back to my point/question; What's the point of having a show reel in the first place?!!
Like most of you I hate self-tapes because I'm not the most tech savvy(I'm making myself learn to do it well, albeit slowly) and there is a definitely an element of laziness in many of the requests I see.
That said, I can appreciate a CD, director, etc. who, having seen your photo and showreel, still want to see you do a little "test drive" for a part, especially if it's quite important in their project.
Where it gets sticky (not to say stupid) is what they send you to tape and how long they give you to submit it. If they require a neutral background or something most of us access to: a desk, bed, perhaps a car then it's usually okay with me. If it's more compicated/exotic then just give them the best you've got and hope they are more interested your acting (they should be).
In regards of multiple characters in a scene, if they are casting you only in scenes where that occurs, they may not feel they can give you another piece to do. In that case, personally I really one other person with me then to read the other characters. They can just read (not act) them which is what happens in face-to-face castings at times.
My major beef at times is with the length of what they want to film the the deadline for submission. More than 2 or 3 pages AT MOST (and usually less). If the part is that important, after a short tape if they like you they should either Skype with you or have a meeting. And while we all prefer to get our self-tapes in in a timely fashion, if they haven't requested far too many to submit, they should allow us 2-3 days. Because you are probably going to be fitting that taping around your survival job, family jobs, etc. If the casters really want the best people for the job and understand the realities of our profession - that if they give us a bit more time they will get better tapes and possibly a better actor for the job.
I do avoid many self-tapes on Mandy for all the above reasons. That said, I was asked for a self-tape last Sunday, a 2 1/2 miniute monologue that gave 2 days to submit. I sent them a WeTransfer link and they looked at it the day after. Didn't the part or the meet, but the point is it was well organized and I felt I had a fair shot.
Initially I hated self tapes but I invested some time in the software and getting some daylight bulbs for my lamps. I'm still not convinced bit when a trip to London is 6 hours round trip and makes my purse £70 lighter I'm prepared to give it a go.
Yes, self taping is an alternative to live castings if the ideal candidates are based
in different country locations however,I feel live skype auditions work better to provide
actors the opportunity to show CD's how they perform 'in the moment' and how they
take direction or improv a character.
If a producer/director is asking for a self-tape, why fight it? Unless you’re a big hitter in the industry, nothing will change. In fact, self-tapes look as though they’re here to stay, irrespective of whether or not we have showreels.
I put it down to this: Someone else is asking to see me in a way that is exactly to their liking. If I’m asked to self-tape a certain character for them, I will use my discretion on how that part should be played. This is acting, no matter how you dress it up or down. Whether it’s a live audition or a self-tape, one rehearses the lines and provides a rendition. It’s still acting, albeit in a different format.
Ultimately, I either want the role or I don’t. And if I don’t want to provide a self-tape to someone asking for it, I’m basically telling myself to jog on.
HOWEVER, I can definitely understand how some seasoned and experienced actors would find this a total pain in the hoop, especially after the time and effort of getting a reel put together of the best bits of their work. The system appears to be what it is, so just record the self-tape and submit it - you never know!
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.
We use cookies to ensure you have a personalised user experience, as well as to analyse our traffic and tailor content, ads and social media features. We share some of this information with our technology, analytics and marketing partners.
Privacy Policy
