Self-Tape Auditions Vs In-Person

The Debate Rages On...

The results are in….

54% for Self-Tapes to 46% for In-Person.

The vote was closer than I thought it would be.

After many months of hearing the arguments for and against, with such conviction made by both sides, I felt it was time I put the question out to the public as a poll on my instagram. It reached the point where I was genuinely curious to see which type of audition would ultimately win out.

For some reason going into it, maybe because I knew how hotbed and divisive a topic it is amongst actors, I figured whichever one prevailed would pull away in a landslide.

I was wrong. The final tally was very tight with almost a split right down the middle.

In my opinion, there is no wrong answer. There are pros and cons to each and every actor is justifiably entitled to their own preference in whichever way they lean.

The case for actors preferring auditions the old school way of in-person is understandable. Being inside a room in-front of a casting director brings out that sense of intimacy and personal connection that a self-tape doesn’t translate to. That “first job interview-like” interaction that enables a casting director to get a read of an actor’s personality through a simple, formal greeting or maybe their answer to an ice-breaker question.

Especially for those just starting out getting their feet wet, in-person castings allow an actor to make a good first (and lasting) impression. Whether it be by their ability to take direction, re-direct or improvise on the spot, there’s the one-on-one bond that a self-tape just can’t accomplish.

I think it sometimes flies under the radar just how vital an actor’s ability to command the audience is to contributing to their ultimate success. A strong presence, aura of utmost professionalism and strong, confident demeanor can go such a long way towards building momentum in this business and capturing the attention inside a room. Those traits and qualities are more difficult to pull off and achieve through a screen or rehearsed video.

Of course, there are definite perks and benefits to self-tapes that in-person auditions simply cannot offer.

The obvious one being that self-tapes enable the actor to have control. They can dictate how many takes they feel comfortable doing or the numbers of times to redo a scene to get it just right. The actor has the capability to go back and fix a line they might have flubbed or change a wording that was accidently skipped over. The authority to be in charge of the terms, pacing and overall display of their tapes.

Self-tapes give the actor the opportunity and power to make the audition as perfect as possible before hitting the send button. The freedom to make it impeccable and exactly how they want it to turn out. That feature is invaluable.

Of course, there are downsides to each.

For in-person, besides not having the capability to control the audition and make it perfect, you’re also going on the daily schlep to Hollywood, Santa Monica and Studio City while fighting the notoriously awful LA rush-hour traffic. Throw on top of that the headache of dealing with parking, homework not being completed and all the other factors that come with hustling straight from school and being away from the house for hours.

For self-tapes, there’s the expenses associated with having a good set-up. The pressure of sometimes having to be your very own director, lighting designer and camera operator all in one. The need to find quiet places in the house to record, keep the dog from barking in the middle of the scene or try to discover ways to block out surrounding distractions and noises.

My perspective as an agent on this debate is divided and one of being torn because there are positives and negatives to each pertaining to my job as well.

On one hand, with in-person auditions it’s a lot more simple and easy of a process as once we send the actor off and running on their audition, we’re done and the rest is up to them to get over there and knock it out of the park.

However, with that comes a lot of instances of having to juggle schedules and call for timeframes and windows for our talent. If an actor is running late we are frantically calling casting to alert them and make sure they don’t turn the client away.

The major advantage of self-tapes for us in the industry is clear. It gives agents the golden opportunity to work with talent from anywhere in the world. No longer do we just have to bog down our submission list to only local LA actors, but rather self-tapes give us the power and chance to expand our talent pool to actors from all over the country. It’s widened the playing field and has allowed reps more room to think outside the box.

Of course, the downside for us is that self-tapes involve a lot more leg work on our end. No longer do we just sent out the audition, confirm and be done. We have to now sometimes chase down tapes from our actors when the deadline is hauntingly approaching. There are times we have to convert videos to different files or media when the links or attachments are too big or malfunctioning. We have to edit and splice up tapes, rearrange orders of slates and scenes, as well as label everything properly to ensure the correct uploading instructions are followed.

Now picture over thirty of those tapes for a given project that are all due at the same time! It’s a lot of multi-tasking and maintenance.

You might be asking why we don’t just have the actor upload the tapes themselves? We want to be as hands-on as possible and it’s so important that we watch every single tape to make sure the quality, as well as the acting in it, is up to par and worthy of being turned into casting.

Whether the tape is blurry, has distracting objects in the background, the audio is off or the acting is not where it needs to be, I can’t tell you how many times I have told clients that I don’t think a tape is going to cut it and it’s best to go back and redo.

I totally understand that an actor taping on their own is not easy and that sometimes you just have to make the best of a situation with what you have. However, having a top tier quality tape in this day and age is so crucial to success. Those first ten seconds of a video can possibly make or break it with casting. Your tape needs to immediately draw the viewer in and captivate them to the point where they aren’t going to feel the urge to skip over to the next.

Coincidentally, I actually experienced my own test case regarding this self-tape vs in-person scenario myself with my six-year old daughter Paige.

At the beginning of the week, I had a commercial self-tape audition for her that required quite a few different scenarios. It was a disaster. I was pulling my hair out trying to get her to focus and say her lines the right way, as well as make sure the camera had the proper angles to shoot and include everything . After multiple takes and having her redo things, I could tell she was getting a little frustrated.

Fast-forward to the end of the week and she had her very first in-person commercial audition. I didn’t know what to expect as she had never been brought into a casting room by herself. I was pleasantly surprised when she walked right in. After about ten minutes in there, she came out with a smile and said it went well. A couple days later she asked me, “Dad when is my next audition where I can go to the place?” Cleary she was more a fan of the in-person experience than recording a tape with her director Dad.

Regardless of which way you lean, in-person or self-tape, what’s most important is to do your best and enjoy the different processes and environments they bring. Try everything you can to be the master of each domain.

For in-person, make sure you bring the utmost energy and conviction each and every time.

For self-tapes, always make sure they are on-time and of the highest quality possible to really pull in the viewer.

It’s definitely a new day and age of auditioning. Embrace and learn all you can from each one.