Michael Bean Acting Teacher: How to make a quality self-tape audition

How to make a quality self-tape audition at home with the equipment that you already have on hand.

1. Camera of any kind (SLR, camcorder, phone, etc.)
2. Blank wall to shoot against, no distractions in background
3. Camera height: set up camera at approximately eye level (tripod, stack of books, etc)
4. Sound: set up the camera or microphone very close to you to ensure that you are the loudest thing on the tape and we can hear you clearly (anyone else talking should be much quieter, i.e. further away from the camera/mic)
5. Set your "frame", i.e. what the camera sees, so that we see the top of your head (without cutting off your head, no space above your head) down to just below the armpits
6. Make a "mark" on the ground so you can keep your performance in "frame" without moving the camera
7. Set up an "eyelight" so that there is a light reflected in your eyes (desk lamp beside the camera, large window behind camera, etc.)
8. Record the scene.
9. Make the file smaller: put the file onto a computer and use a simple editing program to "export" the file into a small enough file size to email; if you don't have a movie program you can use a free-to-download ultra-simple video conversion program like MPEG Streamclip (www.squared5.com; in the "File" menu choose "Export as Mpeg-4" and in the settings window that pops up set "quality" to 70% and "sound" to 48kbps; you can also use this program to stitch together multiple video clips).
10. Send: email the video file, or if you can't get it small enough to email then upload to a video site like www.vimeo.com as a "private video" and send a link and password (email is better b/c they can watch it without having to click through on anything)

Happy self-taping!