How to handle acting agents and self-tapes
You might not think it, but knowing how you should be with acting agents, what not to do and how to top off your self tapes is extremley important and can make a huge difference. Self tapes in specific are very important even more so now, as many auditions cant happen in person and it is becoming popular to ask for self tapes. Here I’ll break it down a bit for you to get ahead and a step closer to getting your next role.
First and foremost, Agents. It is so important to know exactly how to treat your acting agency, in fact, aswell as casting directors. Your main goal, aside from acing your aduitions, is to come across as motivated, prepared and easy to work with. The last thing you want is to be remember as a pain in the neck and annoying to work with, they won’t want to give you more auditions!
Don’t be constantly messaging or emailing them, asking them silly questions like what you should wear, how to this or that, what to do here or there. No. the only communication should be a simple reply saying you are grateful for the opportunity and that youll have it sent before the deadline. That’s it. Then make sure you send it off in time and done. No need to also then annoy them with more questions like, when will I get a reply, was it good, do you need me to re do it, none of it. If they want anything, they will come to you don’t worry.
And for this reason, you should always be perfectly prepared whenever get an audition and know the answer to all these questions beforehand. Wear something simple but that also suits the character. You dont want to be wearing chains and a hoodie when you are trying to portray a professional and smart looking character. Have an account on all platforms they might ask you to send it through, like hightail or dropbox, usually they will specify where to send your audition to, and you want to know already how to do it.
This is where self tapes come in. Here are the basic tips you should be aware of when filming your self tape.
-Film yourself (Always landscape) in a tight shot, unless asked otherwise.
-Get rid of anything distracting in the shot. Your background should be one simple color, either black or white, or even a nice blue, to have yourself stand out more in the shot.
-Good lighting. Make sure there are no shadows behind you.
-Try and reduce all distracting noise (Pets, fans, other conversations, vaccums ect.)
A great idea would be to have your own little set with a simple camera, a stand and maybe some simple lights you cna quickly set up. Then once you get a self-tape audition, you can find a plain wall, set up, record your self-tape and send it right off.