Why do your auditions at a professional tape studio?
All actors have been in that dreaded situation where you have to throw an audition on tape at the cottage with your mom, or on a cruise with your boyfriend, or outside at the BnB. And sure, its passable and gets the job done. But when you are in your day to day life and need to tape an audition, so many things about a bad tape can distract casting from the one thing that matters; Your acting.
A GOOD READER!
I’m sure your mom or brother know how to read words, but actually lifting them off the page so that you, the actor, can do your job correctly is another story. Having a bad reader can actually be very distracting from a casting standpoint. Coming into a studio and reading with another actor can make a lot of difference, for casting, and for you.
GOOD LIGHTING!
Light is the most difficult part of any self tape, in my opinion. When trying to tape at home most of my taping time is spent on trying to angle a bed lamp correctly, or finding a window I can stand in front of. And even when all of that has been rearranged there is still crazy annoying shadows in the background.
Being able to see your face is so important in a tape, and you can be passed by quite quickly by casting if they can’t actually see you. Going into a studio with proper lighting not only saves you a lot of time, but guarantees that you will have the proper lighting to see everything clearly, and maybe even add some mood. And if your lighting and Cam Op really knows a thing or two they can light you in such a way that takes off a few years…
CLEAN BACKGROUND!
You may not think so but the wrong background can be very distracting. If you are taping at home (and enjoy art like me) it can be extremely hard to find a blank wall or a background that doesn’t wash you out. Coming into a studio that has a solid background eliminates that problem. Also, at Callback Studios we have a variety of backgrounds you can choose from; different colors to bring out your complection, eyes, or to set a mood, which can be a nice touch.
A GOOD EDIT!
When you finally get the lighting right, the background correct and the acting out of the way, then comes the dreaded edit. Now for some people this is the least stressful part, but for others it can be the most stressful. Video editing software can be very detailed and hard to use. Figuring out cutting and title cards can be quite a mess on the iphone and take way more time then it should. In our studio we can edit everything the way you want. We can even deal with sound problems or lighting problems and it takes us very little time. Saving you a lot of hassle and enabling you to fit in one more episode on Netflix that night.
YOU CAN FOCUS ON THE ONE THING THAT MATTERS THE MOST!
At the end of the day, anyone with a little perseverance can do a self tape at home and make it look good and sound good. The thing is, what about the acting?? Sometimes it takes so much time trying to find someone to read with or to get the lighting right, that the details of performance get lost. You get so worried about everything else you don’t have time to really do the acting work. Taping in a Self Tape Studio allows you to focus on just one thing: acting. That is the real reason that taping in a studio can most often be the best choice. Giving yourself the freedom to relax and act without having to worry about any of the other elements. This can help you to land the role of your dreams and do the kind of work you can be proud of.