Video Auditions: Tips and Tricks of the Trade
Since I was a senior in high school, I have constantly been on the prowl looking for the best tips and tricks to make a video audition stand out. For a while, I began collecting similar knowledge no matter who I talked to. Because of this, I began to assume this as common knowledge across the board for performers.
Lesson in life: never assume anything.
Throughout my college years, I not only began perfecting my video audition skills, but began watching other performers’ video auditions. While being on the other side of the table, it shocked me how many submissions for projects just weren’t filmed correctly, even if there were clear instructions on filming in the audition notice.
Video production quality seems trivial when we as performers are trying to show off our skills and not our editing or filming abilities, but the one extra step of zooming in on ourselves or making sure a computer isn’t in the background of our shot can help us stand out by allowing the casting team to focus only on what we have to offer. Not the junk in the background.
These five adjustments are the top five BASIC mistakes that I have seen when recording videos for auditions. By no means are these the end all be all of video audition quality, nor do they provide 100% security that you will book the gig, BUT. they do show the casting team that you are a professional, you care about their time and skills, and you mean business.
1: Have A Solid Background Behind You
You can use an ironed bed sheet. Notice the ironed part. DO IT. I know you don’t want to, but do it. It matters. OR you can use a solid wall in your home, apartment, whatever/wherever you like to film.
Make sure that this bed sheet and/or wall is darker than white. This means that if you have a dark blue wall, use it! If you have a grey wall, use it! If you have a bright colored wall, use it ONLY if it will not distract from your piece.
What I mean by this is, if you are auditioning for Hairspray it might be cool to have a bright yellow background! It could potentially match your outfit and if you are doing a fun, uptempo dance-y song, it could be utilized well.
Now, if you are singing about the world ending, people not liking you, breaking up with someone, etc, it might be best to not have a bright color behind you. Might be like an oxymoron, don’t you think?
In total, consider the circumstances of your piece and what it calls for. Then progress from there.
2: Frame
The frame of the camera depends completely on the piece you are doing. I’m going to use the examples from above again.
If you are auditioning for Hairspray and are moving quite a bit in your song, you should have a larger frame on you. Something along the lines of 6 inches above the head (unless your hands are in the air) and down to knee or lower. This gives you a wide frame so that the casting team can see your hands all the way out and not lose your fingers. You don’t want to be the person that has half their body cut off when they are trying to be as expressive as possible.
TIP: move as far as you have planned to move before filming and change the frame of the camera to match the movement. If we can’t see your body being expressive, then it was like it never happened.
On the other hand, if you are auditioning for Bare: A Pop Opera and are singing about death or something of that nature, you probably aren’t going to be moving around a lot. This calls for a frame that is still 6 inches above your head, but the lower part of the frame is right where the end of your fingertips touch on your leg, or closer in. This gives the casting team a close look at your expression and inner monologue that is helping you through the song without losing body movement associated with this.
Thoughtful expressivity is best seen at a closer camera frame.
3: Location of Other / Where Should I Look, Anyway?
Ok, let’s start at the very beginning (a very good place to start…). First, you slate your name and song/monologue into the camera. INTO the camera. I’ll repeat that again. INTO the camera.
Then, DO NOT look down. Simply, look right above the camera and that is where your other lives and breathes. Nowhere else. Not off to the side, 45 degrees away from the camera. Not directly at your side, and no, not in the sky. Your other might be able to fly, but let’s say they can’t.
For film auditions and auditioning with sides, this is different. We are talking about musical theatre here.
This technique of looking just over the camera allows casting directors to see your full expressivity in your eyes, face and body language. That is the goal, right? If you were to be in a real experience with people behind the table, you are directed to look right above their heads to view your other. This is no different.
The camera is the team behind the table. Act like it is.
4: Clothing
This one is a beast. Am I right or Am I right?
Clothing can be one of the hardest decisions we make as a performer when filming auditions. Over the years, I have realized that it is not as strenuous of a task as we make it out to be. It can be quite easy. The steps to figuring this out? Here they are:
Figure out the inner life of your character (as you should always do)
Ask yourself: what would they wear? If you picked the right character, the clothing should mirror some of the themes in the show you are auditioning for as well as the character in the song you are singing, AND should have accents of you.
Try your chosen apparel on in front of your chosen background. Do you blend into the background? Make sure you aren’t just looking, but actually taking a look at what the camera lens picks up as well.
Does the camera pick up weird textures or colors in the clothing you are wearing? Does the clothing wash you out on film?
These are starting points for clothing. In general, your clothing should reflect a personality. Your personality, the character’s personality: whichever. I can say that the best clothing reflects your personality mixed within that character’s personality. That sounds incredibly difficult and hard to understand, but I promise if you pick the right character, the right show and the right song for you and the show, the clothing will be much easier than you think.
In short, don’t forget to be yourself. You are human and that is what casting directors want to see.
5: Don’t Have A Script for “Tell Us A Bit About You”
It is most definitely hard to get to know someone from behind a screen. We can all agree that in-person auditions are more interesting and informational for us as performers, as well as the casting team. This is where they really get to know who we are and we get to know them.
We are trained that from the moment we walk into the room we are judged on our character. I am not here to tell you that this is false. This is actually very true. The room is a play zone to figure out each other’s personalities.
How do some companies create this atmosphere from videos? They ask you to talk a little bit about yourself in your audition.
I have watched too many of these seem totally scripted. We know. We can hear in your voice, in the way you move, in the way you interact with the screen that it is scripted. You are fooling no one. DO NOT have a scripted answer that you memorize!
Of course, please have some sort of talking points as you probably are only granted a minute or so, but be human about it. It’s alright if there is an “um” or a “yeah” laced in there because you are thinking. Identify the most important two things that everyone needs to know about you and go from there! If you really love what you are talking about, you should be improvising as you go!
Another point on this topic, they don’t want to hear about what is really cool on your resume. They want to hear about what you enjoy doing in your free time, what your favorite movies are, etc. In my experience, casting directors are not looking for you to impress them at this moment, they just want to know stuff about you. What makes you, you.
I realize that the really cool thing on your resume could be what makes you, you. Fine, then talk about it, but make sure you are being human about it. Impressing the team is not the goal.
Humanity and connection are the two most important words for this type of video audition. The best impressions are by people who are unapologetically themselves.
How can you embody that for yourself?
Now, I am not perfect in any way, and I still have many things to learn about this process. At the rate we are going, all college auditions AND professional auditions will be online for a while. So, while the industry is learning, so am I. It is a never ending process.
What I have suggested above is not necessarily what the next person you ask will say about video auditions. Keep in mind that our industry is completely opinion based and figuring out what works best for you as an individual is the most important part.
THERE IS A PART 2 TO THIS! Stay tuned for some more detailed ideas on how to make your video audition even better.
