Transcripts
1. Introduction: Hey, there. My name is Sebastian Matias Weisbach I'm an actor from Berlin, Germany. I'm 177, that is five foot ten, and I'm here to present
my Skillshare course an actor's guide to self tapes. What you have just
seen is also known as a slate and a part of pretty
much every self tape. I'm an actor, filmmaker, and acting teacher, and if you have been in the
industry for a while, you will also have noticed
that a huge chunk of the work now takes place
right in your living room. Instead of getting invited
to audition in person, you are now expected to
have your own studio space and record your own
auditions all by yourself. Hence, self tapes. These self tapes require a very different set of
skills from you as an actor, both on an artistic level, but also on a technical one. In this two part course, we will be looking at what
you need to have at home and what you need to do in order
to record a good self tape. If you've ever received
a casting call from your agent or
found one online, and you've wondered what
exactly you have to do? This is the course for you. This course is aimed at beginners and actors
with acting experience, but little to no self
tape experience. I will break this course
up into two parts. And it's going to be
perfect for you if you are in the process of
building your setup, or you yet have to find your footing in the
acting industry. In the first part,
we will be looking at the technical
requirements and the setup. How do you actually
record a self tape? And in the second
part of the course, we will be looking at
the preparation and performance part
of the self tape. In this course, you can learn more about the equipment
you need and don't need techniques to set up your tape and what you need
to know about editing. Everything from start
to finish, really. So without further ado, let's jump right in.
2. Why Self Tapes?: What is a self
tape? Self tape is a video that you as an
actor or aspiring actor, record yourself in order
to audition for a part. You are given a scene and potentially a few
other things to record, perform, and edit. And instead of auditioning live, you simply hand in the video by uploading it to the casting
director or agency. A lot of the life of an actor these days consists of
receiving an email, figuring out what the
email wants you to do, doing that, and then
waiting for the next email. This is essentially
how self tapes work. You either get an
email from your agent, a casting director, or stumble upon a casting call online. And then you get to
taping yourself. Why would you as an actor need to record
self tapes anyway? Isn't it much nicer to
audition in person? I mean, yes, but isn't
it much nicer to get a leader on a Netflix
show than it is to be a featured extra for a
social media commercial? The truth about self tapes is they have largely replaced
the first round of auditioning for almost all parts because for casting directors
they are super convenient. Time and place used to
be limiting factors for how many actors you
could potentially see for any given role. Studios or studio spaces
would need to be in fairly central locations or booked for the period
of the audition, which in the major film hubs across the globe is
quite expensive. And even with studio spaces, there are only so many
actors any casting director could reasonably see
on any given day. Self tapes were already a big part of the
industry in 2020. But with COVID
restrictions in place, the big self tape takeover
was largely accelerated. The industry's move towards self tapes is now irreversible. So whether you like it or not, self tapes are here to stay. And if you want to
get booked for jobs, you better get used to
recording good self tapes. At least the first
round of pretty much any casting call these days will be handled via self tapes. Yes, recalls via Zoom or
in person still happen, but unless you are a big name with enough
paul behind you, you will definitely
need to learn to step up your self tape game. And this is exactly what this
course is designed to do. Acting is only part of the
job description of an actor. And in order to book work, you will also need
to get good at all the other little things that ensure you stay in the business, such as networking,
updating your portfolio. And yes, also self tapes. In conclusion, A self tapes
a blessing or a curse. Self tapes allow
casting directors to see more talents
for any given part. Instead of inviting
actors in for auditions, they can call in as many
actors as they like. That gives more actors the
chance to audition for a part and thus
technically creates a more transparent
casting process as to how many audition
tapes end up unwatched, well, that is a different matter because technically,
casting directors, directors or production
houses can also collect a lot more tapes than they
can physically watch. And oftentimes they will get a good idea of whether
you are fit for a part or not within the first few seconds or
based on your headshots, meaning, no matter how much effort you
put into your tape, it might go
completely unwatched. Which sucks. But then again, you do not have to go out of your way to audition
for something. You as an actor can be more flexible and
maintain a job on the side without auditions conflicting with
your working hours. And whether you are on vacation, visiting your in laws or just
got home from a long day, you are super flexible
with your self tapes. If you're suitably proficient, recording a self tape will
only take a few minutes. Whereas traveling all
the way through town, arriving extra early,
and, of course, spending some time in the
waiting room will take up a significant
chunk of your day. But you certainly
miss out on making personal connections a blessing
and a curse, for sure.
3. Technical Requirements: The requirements.
What exactly you need to hand in for any given
self tape will vary a bit. But most casting calls will include detailed
instructions. So make sure to follow
these as best as you can. One thing I want to
lead with, though, all self tapes are submitted
in landscape 16 by nine, so set up your
camera horizontally. Casting directors really won't watch your videos
in portrait mode. And here's a little
mnemonic phrase to help you remember it. Why not? You're not on TikTok. I am well aware that we are all used to watching everything
on our phones these days, and vertical video no longer has the stigma attached to
it that it used to. But even so, you are
auditioning for a role on TV or a short film that is going to be
screened in movie theaters. The format is landscape. In terms of resolution, you will only ever
be asked to submit your tapes in 1080 P or 720 P. So that is full HD resolution or the older HDTV format. That means that even
though your phone can technically record in
four K or even eight K, there is no need to
record files that large. It comes with a few perks. Technically, the
image is crisper, but it also means that
you will be working with massive file sizes and
that your computer will need more horsepower
in order to edit these. Even after years of doing this, I've never recorded
a single self tape in anything other than ten ATP, simply because it's faster
and more efficient. If you record on your
phone and it captures HEBC so HDR content, it might also look extremely
bright on most screens. It's a nice feature
if you rewatch your holiday memories
exclusively on your phone. But for the purpose
of self tapes, you can simply turn it off. You won't miss out on anything. In almost all instances, you will be asked to submit all scenes as
individual video files. One video for the slate,
one video for the first, one video for the second scene, and so on and so forth. But please read the instructions
carefully every single time in order to make sure that yourself tape meets all
of the requirements. When you edit yourself tapes, make sure to avoid dead space towards the beginning
and end of the scene, trim the ends nicely. It shows more care and
greater attention to detail and immediately puts
your best foot forward. I will show you
best practices for exporting your footage
later in this course. If you are asked to submit
fresh photos or polars, so photos taken on
the day or headshots, simply follow the instructions provided in the
self tape and make sure that your face is clearly visible and that the
photos are in focus. The term polar is in and of itself a bit outdated
at this point, as it refers to polroids the only analog means of getting your shots
instantaneously. One thing that is absolutely unchangeable about self tapes, though, is the deadline. If you ever miss a
digital deadline, you might absolutely miss the time frame to submit
your tapes because digital forms might simply shut down after the time expires. It is an analogy
to studio casting. You also wouldn't want to show up an hour later studio casting and still expect to audition as though
nothing has happened. 10 minutes early
is 5 minutes late, and that also applies
to self tapes. Technically, you want to
be as early as possible. That's also what my
agent recommends, because the casting
process might get started way before the deadline, and you'll never
know if they found the perfect choice by the time
you submit your self tape, even though you might be. Perfect. Me. Perfect. Whatever an audition may
require from your scene, fulfill that as best as you can. You are often asked to do
things that might feel a bit silly or like make believe theater in
your living room. You are the pilot of
an alien spacecraft you have never encountered. Following the instructions
as closely as you can is a good guarantee that
you will deliver the scene as expected from you. What you definitely
need to adhere to, though, are the
technical requirements. The format of the video
you are submitting, the photos you are
required to submit, your CV, links to your
show real, whatever else. If it is just a technicality, deliver it to the letter. If you don't follow
these instructions, best case scenario,
you're a nuisance. Worst case scenario, people might not be able
to open your files, and then will they bother to reach out to you and request
the files again? Maybe. And maybe not. The slate. Normally, you would start
yourself tapes with a slate. A slate is a quick introduction and usually consists
of your name, age, representation,
booking base, who you're reading
for and your height. For some reason, productions are obsessed with
actors' heights, just to make sure
you don't look like a towering giant next to
Tom Cruz or Dustin Hoffman. Your booking base is the city
you are currently based in, which is crucial for
transportation in case you get booked or called
in for a live audition. If the slate requires you to include or exclude
something else, that will usually be
specified. Here's an example. Commercials for tobacco, alcoholic drinks or
gambling will usually require actors that are older than 25 years well
above the legal minimum age. And sometimes you might
audition for a teenager, and the production needs to
ensure you are no longer a minor because that comes with all sorts of
production issues. My advice here is get good
at recording your slates. It's a nice warm up
for you as an actor, and it helps you to loosen up and get your
head in the game. The perfect start
for yourself tape. Also, if you call in a friend or colleague to
help you with your tapes, nothing is quite as jarring as watching someone else
continuously mess up their slate. Hey, my name is Schnabet. I said Schnebastian. You need to do it anyway, so you might as
well knock it out of the park every single time. The slate is just
a fun formality. What is a quick slate for
narrative formats quickly turns into an elaborate interview
for commercial castings. Usually, for a
commercial casting, you'll be asked to smile, show your hands, front and back, both profiles, and
disclose a view of commercials on air or have been in a spot for a competitor. Here are two examples, one for the slate and one for a slate for a
commercial casting. This is an example
for a slate for a film or TV show. Hey, there. My name's Sebastian
Matia Weisbach. I'm an actor based
in Berlin Germany. I'm 177, that is five foot ten, and I'm here with
Crawford talents. I'm reading for the part
of Lieutenant Ripley. And this is an example
for a commercial slate. Hey, there. My name's
Sebastian Matiaz Weisbach. I'm 39-years-old. I'm an
actor from Boulogne, Germany. I'm here with Crow for talents. Currently, there are two
spots for me on air. One is for Pleo. That's
a Fine and startup. That's web and
social media only, and one is for bank. That's a Polish bank, all media, but
exclusive to Poland. Other than that,
I've never been in the commercial for a
competitive product. These are on my hands. And the profiles. And for a four war shot, I'm just going to walk
back at the wall. And, yeah, that's me. Photos. When auditions
require you to submit photos, they will either ask you for your acting headshots
or for polars, so fresh snapshots
taken on the day. Your portfolio should include good and recent
headshots, anyway. As an actor, your bookability relies heavily on the
quality of your headshots. But for most auditions, you will be required or also be required to submit photos
taken on the day as well, just to get a clean
look at what you look like at this very
moment in time. If you have a camera at home to take these on, that's great. And if you don't,
that's just as great. You can simply take
them on your phone. Just bear in mind
that the wide angle on the phone camera can distort your face a bit or
make you look like a hobbit if you don't set
up a camera correctly. And because you
want to work with the best camera
quality possible, you want to use the rear camera, which makes taking the photos on a self timer a bit fiddly. Oh, and unlike videos, you typically take the photos in portrait mode, so vertically. If you are taking photos
on a modern is smartphone, please bear in mind
that they are by default taking an IC format, high efficiency image Codec. And that might not
open on all computers. Some people use older hardware, and so it might be a
good idea to export into JPAG a far more universal
format, interviews. It's mostly commercials
that require you to record full on interviews
about your acting experience, commercials on air, or
a personal anecdote. But it's not unheard of
that self tapes for film, TV or short films would also require you to present
yourself in a short interview. Consider this an
opportunity to hand in an extended slate that tells the casting director a
bit more about yourself. And your vibe. If you are auditioning for
a narrative format, this could also be
your chance to pitch yourself as a
uniquely great choice or talk about why
you are interested in performing that
character, the scene. The heart of the self
tape is obviously the scene or the scenes you
are supposed to submit. You will be sent the scenes along with your request
for a self tape. The most crucial thing
to bear in mind, quality aside, is to make the scenes palpable for the
context of a self tape. Do not go overboard with
a production design, lighting, or camera work. Here's the important bit. A self tape is an audition, and an audition is about you. So make sure that you are visible and audible
throughout the take. Keep it simple. In conclusion. For
any given self tape, you might be asked to hand
in more than just the scene. Have a look at the instructions
you were provided with and commit them to film
as best as you can. Yes, some instructions
can be quite elaborate, but you are not
being tasked with filming the project.
You are auditioning. And while what you
submit may vary, there is one factor
that will never vary. Time is of the essence. Turnovers tend to be rather quick and it's
recommended that you submit yourself tape at the
earliest given opportunity. That you cannot afford to miss a deadline should
go without saying, particularly considering
that online forms might be on an automated timer, meaning you might not even get a chance to
submit late at all. Part of the job of a professional actor and
any working professional, really, is to get
good results quicker. And self tapes are fantastic
exercise for just that.
4. Setting Up Your Space: The setting. As we discussed
in the previous lesson, keep your setting simple. It's important that the focus of the scene is on
you and you alone. In an ideal scenario, you live inside a
casting studio. But even if you don't, you can make the most of
your living situation. All you need is a blank wall, and then you sit or stand
in front of that wall, whatever's most
suitable for the scene. And then you deliver your
best performance. That is it. You don't need to walk
around very much. You don't need to change rooms
or actually sit in a car. You perform the auditions
required as best as you can, while respecting the reduced
setting of your audition. The background behind you should be as non distracting
as possible. Another wind for minimalism. Having a monochromatic
background is ideal because it makes sure that you remain
at the center of attention. Even if you don't have a blank
wall of a suitable size, I myself don't should really keep the background
as simple as you can. No books, no posters, no wildly illuminated gaming PC. In order to guarantee the best possible
lighting conditions, that wall should also face
a window because that will create the kind of nice
and flattering lighting that you are looking for. But what if you don't have that? What if you live in a tiny
studio apartment or a shared flat and you simply don't
have a suitable background? There are several solutions
depending on your budget. A pricier but better option is a pop up screen that you can simply pull out
whenever you need it. That creates an ideal background and because you can
simply pull it up, and it's quite compact, when not in use, it will
be super convenient. I would also argue that
that level of convenience is actually critical because if your setup is
a massive hassle, recording self tapes will become quite grating
quite quickly. You are looking at
roughly 150 euros or $150 for this option, though. Okay, that high price
point isn't for everyone and neither is
completely redecorating. For a smaller budget, you could get a
foldable background. All this requires is a
simple nail on the wall, and you can fold it
up when not in use. This would set you
back roughly 80 euros, and that is still a
very solid alternative. On the cheaper end,
you could also get a curtain or shower
curtain from Ikea. The wrinkles aren't super
pleasant to look at, and setting them up will also be more on the tedious side, but you can get started for
under ten euros and well, that's not so bad, is it? One word of warning for the color of your
backdrop or wall. Backgrounds should either be on the neutral side
of the spectrum, so whites or grays or on the coolest
side of the spectrum, desaturated blues or teals, because warmer tones can easily clash with
your skin tone. Whatever backdrop you
decide to go for, make sure that your
setup is easily accessible so that
recording self tapes doesn't become a hassle. You should ensure an easy
process so that you can start fresh and just get into the
self tape. In conclusion. What you are looking for in a strong setting is simplicity. You want a casting director
to be able to completely focus on what matters,
and that's you. Having a great setup at
home is a luxury, sure. But finding your little
dedicated spot will make the entire
process a lot simpler.
5. Camera vs. Smartphone: Camera. Will you need a
camera for self tapes? That depends, but
in most instances, the answer is going to be no. Even with a medium budget or
slightly dated smartphone, you will still have
everything that you need in order to shoot
compelling self tape. Actually, shooting on your
phone comes with a few perks. Phone cameras are quite
good at creating a flat, evenly lit look for your face. That's what they
are designed to do. It's that smooth Instagram vibe. In fact, it is much
harder to make something look dramatic or
contrasty on smartphone. And, of course, you
already own a smartphone. It's just something that
you carry with you, whereas you would
have to potentially invest in a dedicated
camera system. Because the microphone
and your phone is also designed to pick
up human voices, you will have decent audio
quality right out of the gate. All that is great,
but you can push your self tape game even
further on your phone. Technically, you can just trim and edit your
tapes right on your phone and use
it as an all in one solution for all
your self tape needs. But why might it be
worth upgrading anyway? Well, one of the biggest factors is going to be the
built in lens. Using the standard lens
on your smartphone is still going to be
relatively wide angle, and in close ups, that can
lead to distorted faces. It's a bit like looking
into a funhouse mirror. And then there is the image
quality that while great, still doesn't quite hold
up to the standards and aesthetics of a full
frame or APSC camera. These cameras will just produce images that
look a bit more filmic and are closer to what our eyes are used to
when watching films. Logging style cameras
with a flip screen will also allow
you to be able to quickly see yourself and check the frame when you're
recording or setting up. Unless you install a mirror
system onto your phone, you won't be able to see
exactly what you're recording. And that means that you
might miss a great shot or have to redo a take
because you weren't in frame. Then again, cameras will require a more expensive
infrastructure like a Mac or PC to edit
your files on. You win some, you lose some. In my experience, the biggest factor speaking
in favor of using a camera over using a smartphone
is the fact that you have a dedicated
device for your auditions. Instead of fiddling
with your phone, blurring the lines
between work and private life and reading a WhatsApp message right
before you want to hit record, you can simply set
up your camera and put it back on the
shelf once you're done. It's much easier to
switch into casting mode and back out of it with a
dedicated setup in conclusion. Do you need a camera?
No, your smartphone is going to serve
you just as well. So there's no need
to run out and fetch whatever camera
you feel like buying. Is a camera nice
to have, though? Absolutely, be it for
higher quality footage, a more focused atmosphere
or as a tax deductible. Having a camera is quite nice. Not just for your tapes,
but also for your photos. I will in and of itself not make you more or
less bookable, though.
6. Lighting for Self Tapes: The light. You can't record video without
proper lighting. The art of cinematography
is the art of adjusting lights in order to
create an aesthetic frame. Luckily, for you as an actor, the process is going to be
a bit simpler than that. All that you realistically
need is enough light to brightly and evenly
illuminate your face. While it might be
fun to play with colorful and dramatic
lighting setups, you aren't trying to shoot the sequel to the
Maltese Falcon. All anyone needs
from yourself tapes is to actually properly
see your face. But what are your options in order to achieve that? The sun. One of the cheapest options
out there is the sun, the bright star, about eight light minutes away
from where you live. The sun is definitely bright enough to
illuminate your face, and when you are
facing a window, will also create flattering even lighting around your face. The sun is also a bit
unreliable, though, and changing lighting conditions
can ruin your self tape. Also, you are bound to
working in daylight hours, which can be both
beneficial and detrimental. Detrimental because it might
not fit into your day, but beneficial
because it creates regular working hours for
your job as an actor. I would also recommend that you diffuse the lighting coming through your windows because direct sunlight can
be quite harsh. You could use window shawls,
semi opaque curtains, or even a white shower
curtain to create a more pleasing,
softer light source. Soft in this context means
that you are creating smoother gradients
between the lit parts of your face and the shadows. Can you work in sunlight alone? Absolutely. You might have to work out the best working
hours for your setup, but yes, it's
definitely possible. A ring light. Ring lights have had their spike
in popularity, but they are certainly still
a popular light source, particularly on social
media. Why is that? A ring light lights around
the shadows it casts, which means that
your face is going to be brightly and evenly lit. That is perfect for a self tape, but there is a caveat. Because ring lights only
use very small LEDs, their light drops
off fairly quickly. Ring lights tend to be
great for close ups, but move a few centimeters away, and all of a sudden you aren't
looking so bright anymore. If you want to submit yourself
tapes in medium wides, Anita showcase is seen in
any bigger frame size, a simple ring light
just won't cut it. A soft box. Soft boxes
like this one here are light modifiers that turns
smaller light sources like spotlights into bigger
softer light sources. These modified lights also
create a softer lighting setup and are very quick solutions for you to set up and just
get started right away. The catch here is that
suitably bright LED spots and softboxes or lanterns will be a bit pricier than
other solutions. You are looking at 200 euros on the cheaper end per light. And ideally you will
need two lights so that one light removes the
shadows cast by the other. So while they are
a great solution, they are also quite pricey and will take up
sometime setting up. And since they are heavy
and their center of gravity is far away from the
mounting point of the light, you will also need something to weigh down the light stand. Maybe these are more
of a considerations for you later down the line. If you don't want to make
that investment right away. LED panels. LED panels are
definitely cheaper than spots and diffuses in terms of sheer lighting output
per money spent. They will give you more
bang for your buck. But the light they cast
is also going to be quite harsh and not
very flattering. Even with two panels, you will struggle a bit to
create a softer atmosphere. Using a diffusion
similar to diffusing, sunlight is actually
a good solution. You could set up a simple
shower curtain and hit that with the panels in order to create a bigger,
softer light source. You could even, and I'm giving away a bit of
my own set up here, hit the wall you are facing rather than
lighting you directly. Right, so here's just a little behind the scenes of
my little studio. Um, I'm using a big camera, but it's an old camera. It's just, I'm mostly
work as a filmmaker, it's just stuff that
I'm lying around. I do find this more convenient. But like, don't get
intimidated by the setup. I do have one
window on one side, and then I have a cheap belly dep. I
think this in isolation. Is like maybe 100 years so
like roughly $100, can I see. Right. But it just
hits the wall, and that then results in fairly even even
lighting on my face. And Yeah. That's that's a set up I use. The wall or ceiling will
then work as a bounce, as filmmakers call it, and
throw the light back at you. Instead of the actual
light being your source, the wall will then become
your light source, and it will be much bigger than whatever
light you are using. It is, however, also
going to be a lot weaker. So whether or not this technique works for you will
depend largely on your room and the strength of lights
that you are using. In conclusion, you don't
necessarily need to go out and purchase lights in order to start filming
yourself tapes, but you will definitely
need a light source. You can absolutely record
yourself tapes in daylight, ideally with a thin diffusion layer in front of the window. But as your career progresses, you may also want to look
into purchasing lights, so you are no longer reliant
on the weather conditions. The rule of thumb here is you want softer
lights on your face, which means that you should
prefer bigger light sources like soft boxes or bounced
and diffused lights. Just one word of advice, only buy lights when
you actually need them. Over the past few years, LED technology has
evolved so rapidly, and lights have become so much more affordable that
it is definitely worth it just to wait and buy your equipment
as you need it, and not a moment sooner. Okay, so when it
comes to lighting, you really want
to look at, like, one even fairly big sauce, just gives you, like,
this kind of flat look and very very moderate shadows. The ideal solution be this here. This is the light as you
can see, this is quite big. This is a light modifier. It's called a beauty dish. Like, technically,
this is a soft box. So softbox means that you
stick the light into this end. You use, like, a
fairly strong LAD spot around like 100 or 150 watts. And then this whole surface
here then would be licks. You can actually get
rid of the grid. That's more to
eliminate spill light. The bigger these light
sources are, the better. You can also get
smaller soft boxes, and you can get ones
that are easier to set up, easier to take down. It is just gonna cost
a bit more, right? So this solution, yeah, it produces ideal lighting. There's a reason they're
called beauty dishes, but it is a hassle to set up. I mean, it takes some time.
You'll need some space. You'll need sturdy light stand, so it's not ideal. There's
a better solution. List here, this is an LED panel, so right, fairly simple. These you can get
for much cheaper, just in terms of,
like, how much money you need to spend
for a bright light. The lighting is going to
be quite harsh, though. I'm just going to
demonstrate that by flipping the LED panel that I'm actually using to
light this video. But as I go with soft lighting, I'm hitting the wall, right? So really the light source
that I'm getting is my wall. If I were to use the
LED panel directly, this is what I would look like. Very dramatic, yes, but not really suitable
for a self tape, right? So if you kind of
have the space, if you're facing white wall, you can always flip these
panels around and just, like, create much
softer lighting. The only downside here is
you'll need a strong panel, strong light to hit the wall, and then still be able to, like, feed something
back into you. Something else
that you could get like you've probably
seen them on set like these are Who
five and one bouncers. As you can see, they
can catch the light, and they're called five and
one because they've got five sides like
silver and black. But really, what
you will be looking for is this diffusion here. You just place this here in
front of a light source. And then this big surface here would
become the light source. Again, it's a bit
fiddly to set up. You can also get an
Ikea shower curtain for a couple of euros,
a couple of dollars. Essentially serves the same purpose or like, I don't know, even white window shawls, like anything you got lying
around, a tablecloth, right? Whatever you have?
Anything that you hit with a smaller light will
then become a bigger, much softer light source. I think, ideally,
like, these are the solutions you
would be looking into. If you still have ring
light lying around, if you've got one in the
ring light craze of 2020, sure, you can also use that, but bear in mind, it's much more suited for
close ups than it is for, like, even this frame size. And yeah, like, those are my lighting recommendations
on the cheap. I just you've seen
them in practice. And, yeah, it could be
something for you to look into, but I would say it's
probably a bit overkill.
7. Sound for Self Tapes: The sound. Similar
to good lighting, good sound will make a massive difference in
creating better self tapes. Yes. Technically, the sound and image quality isn't
what people are looking at, but consciously or
subconsciously, it will make a big difference, and people are going to
perceive you differently. I personally don't believe that people can be so incredibly unbiased as to completely ignore the quality of the video
that you are submitting. That is particularly
true for sound because the people
watching a tape might not even be able to pinpoint what exactly is
bothering them about your tape, but the bad audio will certainly
reflect poorly on you. Sound is difficult
and often overlooked, and there are a few
things that you can do to improve your sound. One of them is to
go out and purchase a production quality
microphone, of course. Having a professional
shotgun microphone that records directional sound
will be massively beneficial. But that is a solution that is a lot more feasible
when you actually own a camera with an easy way to mount the microphone
and connect it. The other solution is a
wireless lavalier system. You've probably seen
microphones like these. They're all over social media, and there are solutions
from various manufacturers. You could purchase some of the
top models from Road, DGI, or Holland or try
something cheaper from camera gear manufacturers
like Smallig or Newer. Though you may want to
seriously look into the sound quality of whatever
model you are going with, particularly Holyand
with their system makes a compelling
case for being an actor's first choice because the transmitters are
so small and discrete. But ultimately,
you can pin any of these transmitter solutions to your shirt and create
much better audio. And because these solutions
are so smart and efficient, the receiver will through USBC lightning or 3.5
millimeter audio jack, simply plug into
your phone or camera so there is no need to
synchronize anything and post. It really is just plug and play. And a solution that always
improves the quality of your sound is to stand
closer to the microphone. Just like light, sound
falls off exponentially. The closer you are to the
microphone, the better. And if you have a bit of
furniture in your room, a sofa, an armchair,
maybe even a rug, that is going to improve the
sound quality by eliminating the echo coming from your
space in conclusion. Just like lights, you
really don't need to rush out and get expensive equipment when you're just starting out. You can definitely use the in built microphones of
your camera or smartphone, but you really want to stand as close to the camera
as possible and treat your room with some soft furnishings
to optimize your audio. Wireless laveer solutions have become more affordable over the past few years and are a great upgrade for
your self taped kit, if you can afford to
spend 102 or 200 euros. I would definitely
advise you look into these transmitter
receiver combos. Okay, so if you spent any
amount of time online, I'm sure you've seen these, probably not in the box,
but I'm sure you've seen them like this with people holding them,
talking into them. This is a avete kit. It comes in two parts. This here is the receiver, so you'd plug this either into your smartphone or
into your camera, whichever one you have. And this here is
the transmitter, so it transmits the signal to the receiver and then directly into the source
you connected to. Um, this also comes
with a microphone. As a standalone microphone,
this is actually pretty good. Oh, yeah, it's decent. It's good enough for
what we want to do here. Like, for a production, I'd probably go with
a separate level. I'm just going to
show you how Hmm. Clip it on, and now
I'm also recording. Also is ideal 'cause I'm not
wearing the proper shirt. Um, I actually do come with magnet clips now that
I'm demonstrating, just gonna use the
magnet instead. Kind of you want to have this a bit below below your chin, actually, so it captures a bit
more of a chest resonance. I can go back and forth between the audio just so you can
have a better idea of, like, Oh, like, this is
what it sounds like. Yeah, this is what
it sounds like. I'm just gonna sync them up. Um, so, hey, my
name is Sebastian. This is what I sound like on
the big camera microphone. And, hey, my name is Sebastian, and this is what I sound like on this little transmitter
and microphone kit. And then you can
judge for yourself, like, if you think, like, Oh, like, this is
something I can see myself buying in the future. Again, there are more
discrete options. Um, but it is for a self type, so it's not going to
make a huge difference. But I would definitely
recommend if you are serious about acting and
serious about the profession, you'll audition more just
buy one of these kits. Anything in like 100 plus euro, 100 plus dollar range is going to give you
something decent and, comes with comes with these little adapters
here you plug them in. You plug them in, and then you can plug that
directly into your phone, and the sound is going to
be captured in your phone, so there's no need to
sync anything and post. It also comes with a 3.5
millimeter stereo jacks. You can also plug into a camera. They're super
convenient and they've just made life so
much better for, like, productions
on prosumer level, so I would definitely
recommend, yeah. Get them if you can.
8. Wardrobe and Costume: Costumes. Dress for the job
you're auditioning for, not the job you have to paraphrase an old saying
from the business world. As an actor, having
a wardrobe of basics is definitely worth it, just so you can seamlessly
slip into all sorts of roles. But it is definitely
not necessary to be overly extravagant or overdo
it in your auditions. There are a few ground
rules like not wearing distracting patterns
or brand logos, so nothing that would
noticeably take away someone's attention or be a potential conflict with
whatever you are shooting. I would also advise to not go overboard
with the costumes, but rather wear something
that hints at the character. If you are auditioning
for a doctor, wearing a white shirt
or blouse would be a better choice than
a full on lab coat. If you go too far
with your costume, that might be so
distracting that it's the only thing that
a casting director is going to remember, and you run the
risk of not being stuck in someone's head
for the right reasons. But a good costume can certainly help you get a better
sense for the character. Ever noticed how you just feel and move differently
in evening wear? It's that very same effect. Your clothes play a big part
in how you move and behave, so make use of them accordingly. Clothes can also help
spark the imagination of a casting director
because they help other people see
you as a character. So hint at the character
that you're auditioning for, but don't do anything crazy
or unwieldy in conclusion. As an actor, you
will be required to dress for a certain part
in various scenarios, sometimes for live events, for live auditions
or for self tapes. Your wardrobe should reflect
that and offer you plenty of interesting choices for you to jump into the skin of
different characters, particularly with a
wide range of basics.
9. Editing in Resolve - Step by Step: The editing. Editing deserves a bit more than its own chapter. Technically, it should
be its own course. And there are plenty of
editing courses on Skillshare, so I will keep it brief and super specific for the purposes of editing for self tapes. You can absolutely edit in
any software of your choice. If you're more familiar
with cap card or feel more confident editing an eye
movie, that's absolutely fine. No one is going to notice. Worst case scenario,
you could even trim off the ends of your takes right on your phone and call it a day. But if you want to be
more elever than that, you absolutely can be. And having basic knowledge of editing techniques is
going to help you in the long run because
then you can also edit your
showiel by yourself. As an editing suite,
I would recommend you use DaVinci Resolve
for three reasons. It is a great piece of
software that is used on Indie productions and
Hollywood blockbusters alike. There's great
documentation available online, and most importantly, it's free, at least
in its basic version, which is more than good
enough for what you need. I will also go over
why I think Resolve is a great choice for you as an
actor editing self tapes. You can simply download DaVinci Resolve for free on
the Black Magic website. Just Googling it will put
you on the right track. Okay, so I hope this
works flawlessly. I don't really see why
it shouldn't this is the first thing
that you see when you opened DaventiRsolve. I'm working on the
studio version, but, like, don't be
intimidated by that. Everything that I'm going to
show you is also going to work in the free version
of Davinti Resolve, right? So there are lots of
tutorials on how to edit, but what they teach
you is, like, actually how to edit, and all I'm going to do is show you exactly the
things that you need. So the first thing is
this home screen, right? And what you want
to do is you want to open a new project, so you can either click
on New Project or you can open this untitled
project use every time, Divintia Resolve kind of creates a new untitled project for you. We're going to
click New Project. Then you want to name this after your self tape after
your audition. So Example audition,
it is for me. And this is the first
thing you see, right? And it looks kind
of intimidating. Um, and the reason it
looks intimidating, because it's all
empty at the moment. There's lots of stuff going on. We don't really
need all of that. DaventiRsolve can
do lots of things, and everything that
DaventiRsolve can do happens on these
separate pages, right? The only page that
you realistically need is the CUT page. That's also the simplest one. At the moment, all
of this is empty. So what you want
to do is you want to import your video files. You can either do that
through the file menu, or you just press
the combination that is Command or Control I and then you locate
your video files. I put mine on the desktop. You can select multiple by
holding down command or control depending on
whether or not you're on Windows or on MacOS, and then you import those files. Next thing that's
going to happen is DimitorRsolve is going to ask you if you want to change
the project frame rate. The answer to that is always, yes, always change
the frame rate. If you don't things will
happen to you and your family. The next thing that you
have to do is technically, you don't have to do it, but it's a good skill
to have anyway. Let's create a new timeline. You can either press Command plus N creates a new timeline. So let's say this is the slate. Slate example audition, and then maybe your name
for good measure, just so that when
you export the file, everything is already labeled. That creates a new timeline. I just go command z that. Technically, there's
already a timeline, and as soon as you drag one of the clips
into the timeline, it's already going
to pop up here. Yeah. Let's just roll with it. If you double click,
you actually hit, double click the name, you can still rename it. I want to show you a
more elegant way, right? So we create a new
timeline. Label it. And then when I double
click my video, I pops up over here
on the viewer. And let's say I want to
jump in a bit later. Right. So let's say I
want to jump in here. What I do is I press
I on my keyboard. And I can watch the clip. I'm just going to
spare you all that. And let's say this
is about where I want to exit the clip, right? So I press O, and I press I and O to set
in and out points. This video is already
cut, but normally, you'd see me walk up to the
camera and press record. And what this has done, it has set these in and out
points on the clip here, which you can then drag
into the timeline. And then you will only have
selected that play range. If you still want to
make adjustments, you can use the blade tool
and make very simple cuts. The way to do that is
you press Command B. And that wherever
the playhead is, that's going to do
a little cut here. That's what the
blade tool is for. That's one way of doing
it. You could also drag the ends to make the
video shorter or longer. There are various ways to do it. But only selecting
the I plus O in and out points and the play range is going to
make your life a bit easier. You can be a bit looser
goosey about that. And then once you
are in the timeline, that's when you Command B, blade it, and then
you just press. Backslash just like deleting
texts from a text document. Right? So that's one of the
simplest way of doing that. And now, essentially
what we've done is we've already
edited the slate. All we needed to do, right? For the next scene, we're gonna yet again,
create a new timeline. Just gonna right click
create new timeline, and then scene and
my name and example, which is apparently what
we're auditioning for. Sorry for being
topless in this one. I did not double
check the footage. Anyway, um, you know what? But let's say we don't want
to be topless for our client. Um, so I'll just press
out before I go nude. Um, and I want to go in a
bit later, so press I here. By the way, like, if you
mess this up, you know, press O a bit later, or a bit earlier to reset the play range.
Same for I, right? And then you can either
drag it into the timeline here or you can click
either of these buttons. Normally, the one you'd be using the most is this one append, because it just adds the
timeline to the end. And by the way, if
you're confused a bit by this weird layout here
and the two timelines, the way this works is this
is like a minimap, right? This is always going to show
you the entire timeline. This is a more detailed
view down here. So on the minimap, you can drag the playhead, whereas on the detailed view, you click on that timeline, and then you drag your
way all across, right? And now we've created our slate. We've created our scene. That's pretty much
all you need to do. But let's say you want to
adjust the colors, right? DaVinciaRsolve used to be a
color grading only sweep, and you can see that
the color page, which is where you do
most of the adjustments, looks very complicated. Realistically, it's
not because you don't ultimately need
to do that much. So what I would recommend you do is use the curves, right? The curves is the easiest
tool for you to just make the image a bit brighter
by dragging it up, or you can make it a bit
darker by dragging it down. Most of what you need to do
in color grading is going to be solved just by doing that, dragging the curves up or
dragging the curves down. And then the curves
are a representation of the darker parts
of the image, so I can make the darker parts darker and the brighter
parts of the image, and I can make the
brighter parts brighter. Right? Like this already
solves a lot of problems. You could also reduce
the saturation down here by dragging the saturation down or dring up bit if
you're looking a bit pale. And then if you're
having a bad skin there, you can crank up
the mid tone detail a bit or drag it down, rather, and that's going
to soften your skin tones. A negative value here is going
to soften your skin tones. You don't want to overdo it
because you don't want to look like a Snapchat filter. And that's technically what you would have to do in color. But you don't, right?
If you record on a modern niche camera with
a good color profile, if you record on
your phone, it's pretty much all taken care of. So what's the next thing you do? You can go back into cut,
and we're back here. And the next thing
you need to do is you just double click on the
timeline, by the way, like this icon here means this is one of the
video clips and sound, and this icon here means this
is one of the timelines. So you're back on the cut page, and then you just
click Quick Export. And it will already have pre selected the right
setting for you, which is h264 Master, as a setting you're
looking for because that's a file that's fairly
small in size. But it's also easy
to play back on pretty much any
computer worldwide. This resolution here,
this should always be set tonight in 2010
80 because that's the default setting
unless you change that. That's the default setting
that DivintiRsolve uses, and then you hit Export. And then the next thing
that's going to happen is you'll see this
window here pop up. If you've labeled your timeline, it's going to have the
label of the timeline here. If not, you have to remember
to change the file name. I always like to export my auditions to the desktop
because then I don't forget to delete them after, and they're easier to find
when you upload them. And then you click Save and the next thing
that pops up is the quick Export window
and it's going to estimate how much time it is going to take to
render the file out. That's going to be faster
or slower depending on the computer
that you are using. Turns out my computer is really, really it when it comes
to screen recording and exporting at the
same time because it happened just like that
as soon as I was done as soon as I was done actually recording my screen, right? So now it's exported, now the file is on my desktop
and export it nicely. And this is the file I would
now send off as my audition, and that's all you have
to do in DavintiaRsolve. The only other thing I would
add is you press Command or Control S to
save the project, just so you have an
updated version. Of your project file in
case something happens, and that's pretty much it. In conclusion, editing is a good skill to
have for an actor, and you should absolutely
master the basics. Editing self tapes is an easy exercise that
can help you further develop your skills in any editing software. And
here's the good news. All editing suites
are kind of similar. And once you've
mastered one of them, it's super easy to
transfer these skills. Learning DivintiRsolve is certainly something
that you will not regret because it is a software that grows with you
and your needs. It will help you as Act gain more initiative
for your career and enable you to work independently from people editing
your material for you, which is not only
going to be faster, but is also going to save
you money in the long run. And in order to edit self tapes, you only really need to
import your video files, set a play range, drag the clip into the timeline,
and quick export. If you need to
submit more videos, you can just rinse and repeat. See, doing the
basics and nothing but the basics isn't
too bad, is it?
10. A Casual Chat About Editing: When you first open resolve, it can look a bit overwhelming. That's because the software
comes with a lot of features, most of which you might
never really need. But in order to declutter
this overwhelming interface, let's just look at the
only page that you need, and that is the CUT page. When you first open Resolve, you start on the files browser, where you can open a previous
project or start a new one. You can either create one big project for
all your self tapes or be a bit more sorted and create a new project
for each self tape. That certainly keeps
things cleaner. In order to get your videos
into DaVinci Resolve, simply press Command I on Mac or Control E on Windows and
import them into your project. Quick note. When
De vinci Resolve asks you to change
the frame rate, you always, always,
always want to change the frame rate or bad
things are going to happen. Whenever you create a
project in DevintiRsolve, the software will automatically create a timeline for you, but you can also create a
new timeline by yourself by pressing Command or
Control plus N for new. Knowing how to create a new
timeline is a useful skill to have simply because
you will need to create multiple
timelines anyway, if you are required to hand in multiple videos for an
audition, for example. Just to streamline the process, I would recommend you
review your takes next. Whenever you double
click on a video, it will open in the viewer
where you can watch it. When you start your
take, you press I to set an in point and O
to set an outpoint. You can even do this while
the video is playing back, and you can be fairly
rough about it. This will help create a
more organized workflow. Once you have
selected a take and play range by setting
in and out points, you can drag the clip
into the timeline. If you need to fine tune the beginning and
end of the clip, you can drag out the ends or cut them off with
the Blade tool, Command or Control plus B, and then remove them with backslash like you would
remove text from a document. And that is all you are going to need in
terms of editing. If you find that your clip is too dark or looks a bit off, you can use the color page
and adjust the exposure. I'm aware of how confusing
the color page looks, but you really don't
need to be afraid of it. Once you know the few items
that you really need, you can safely ignore the rest. You can use the curves
adjustment to make the image brighter or darker by dragging
the curve up or down. You can do the same thing in the color wheels where you can also adjust the color
temperature or overall look. If you go too far,
you can always undo your actions with Command
or Control plus Z. Since this is a self tape, you should only do
the absolute minimum. You can brighten
the image up a bit, but you do not want to push the image too far
because if you do, it will be distracting
and feel too cinematic for what a self
tape is supposed to be. If your videos
look oddly bright, that is most likely because
they were recorded in HDR. Some modern smartphones do that. You could darken
them by adjusting the curves, although
technically, what you need to do is a color space transform to
restore the original colors. Here is what you would be
looking for on YouTube. You could also simply make sure that your
phone doesn't record HDN video because that is beyond overco for the
requirements of a self tape. And then in the final step, you simply need to export
the video by pressing Quick Export and export the
videos as an h264 master. Don't really need to
know what that is, other than that
is what you need. Yes, technically, you could
export in higher quality, but self tapes have a very
specific requirement. And at the moment, that means h264 Kodak
and 720 P or 1080 P, no need to export in four
K. Just bear in mind that casting directors
will receive dozens if not hundreds of tapes, and they will also need
appropriate file storage and might be limited by the speed of their
Internet connection. So submitting appropriate
file sizes will absolutely be required in order for your tape to not be a
distracting nuisance, that doesn't play back properly.
11. Label Your Files: Labeling. I'll just
make this super simple. We always label our files. It makes such a big difference. Most audition requests
will ask you to submit your files labeled
in a certain system anyway, and you should absolutely
adhere to that. It sounds like
such a tiny thing, but when your video files
are labeled MVI ooh 78, it leaves such a
poor impression and really shows a lack of care
and attention to detail. And that does not even cover the sheer impossibility
of finding your files in a fold on
someone else's computer. The same goes for your photos. Just change the
name of the file, particularly for your headshots. It's just something that
you need to do once, and then you can just fire and forget when you send them
off for an audition. I would even go as far as
to advise that you always label all of your files on your computer right
away. I know. That's going to be
tedious when you do it, but it will save you a lot
of time later down the line. In conclusion, label your files. It takes just a second to do it, and then it's done. It's like doing the dishes. You do it once and
then never again.
12. Outro: Self tape a mission. And that concludes the first of my two classes on self tapes. I hope you've enjoyed this more technical
class and that you now have a better
understanding of what you need to do
in order to hand in a good looking self tape
and how to create a setting that you can very easily
put up and then focus on what you need to do for
your next remote audition. Now it is time for you to put that knowledge into
practice and get recording. I've prepared a casting
call for you to prepare and submit as
the class project. It only requires some
very light acting and can absolutely
be done by yourself. You are asked to submit a quick slate with your
name, booking base, age, and height as a
separate video file, as well as the following
monologue that you can record without
anyone's help. And unlike real casting calls, you have as much
time as you want or need because I'm
not really myself, but merely a recorded message. My name is Sebastian. This is it for my class. Enjoy your tape and break a leg.
Sebastian Matthias Weißbach, filmmaker and actor
