Working in Commercials: Part 3. The Self-Tape

The self-tape has replaced what used to be a first round in the room. Before they became standard practice, an actor would travel to a casting studio, wait, do their audition in front of a Casting Director (CD), and travel home. Now that whole first stage happens from your home.

There's been plenty of debate about self-tapes across the industry and the loss of connection/direction. But for actors with work commitments, caring responsibilities, or who live outside London, they have genuinely opened up the industry. No lost wages, no childcare to arrange, no expensive train fare into the city for a ten minute audition.

What hasn't changed is this: Casting Directors are watching. They remember the tapes and Actors that stand out, even if they are not right for the current job. A self-tape is a professional introduction and you should treat it that way!

Your Set-Up

Before anything else, make sure your self-tape set-up is suitable. I've already written a full guide on this, so rather than repeat it here, go and read How to Set Up a Self-Tape Audition at Home. Get that right first, then come back!

Get Comfortable with Editing

A commercial self-tape will usually require you to put several clips together. Your ident, your profiles, your full length, and the audition material itself all need to be cut into a single, clean submission. Get comfortable doing this before a brief lands, not during the turnaround window when you're already under pressure.

You don't need expensive software. Adobe Express is free and web-based, and works well for basic editing. Most phones also have built in editing tools that are more than capable of doing the job. The goal is a clean, well ordered tape, not a cinematic masterpiece!

The Ident

Almost every commercial self-tape will ask for an ident before the audition material. If you haven't come across the term before, the ident is essentially your introduction to camera. It's how the CD and client identify who they're watching, especially when they're reviewing hundreds of tapes.

A standard commercial ident will typically ask for your name, your agent, and sometimes your height or other details. Film this in landscape and mid-shot. Look directly into the camera for the ident. Be natural, be clear, and don't rush it. Think of it as talking to a friend.

You'll also usually be asked to record your profiles (still in mid-shot). This means starting front on and slowly turning to show each side. They might also ask you to include your hands, holding them to the camera showing fronts and backs, and a full length shot.

This is where commercial casting overlaps with modelling work. The brand and creative team need to see how you look on all sides!

Top tip: Do the ident in the accent you are auditioning with and bring the version of you that carries the closest energy to the character you are reading for and wear the same clothes as the scenes. First impressions count and if a Casting Director can see you in the role from the get go they will be excited to watch on!

The Scene Instructions

Commercial self-tape instructions can feel unlike anything you'd get for a Film/T.V. audition. You might be asked to react to a product, demonstrate a feeling, or mime an action. Yes, sometimes that action is something like catching a pineapple from a tree or pretending to be a waffle!

Don't let that throw you. Commit to the circumstances fully, find the reality of the moment, and enjoy it. Adverts can be genuinely fun to do, and that energy comes across on camera. A half-hearted mime is far more uncomfortable to watch than a fully committed one. Only use props if they are easy to acquire and help with the circumstances, for example if you need to bite into a burger having a bun in your hands can help you to immerse yourself into the action.

You want to give your best performance and knowing your material off book will give you the best chance of doing this. Commercials have quick turnarounds but are mostly very light on dialogue. You may also be asked to improv lines (and this is why improv is so important for actors to practice).

Read the instructions carefully and do exactly what they ask. If they want two takes, do two takes with different choices. If they want landscape, film landscape (this is standard!). Commercial CDs are working fast and need material they can use.

The Admin

This is the part actors sometimes rush and really shouldn't. Along with your tape, you'll usually be asked to complete an Artist Declaration Form and a Casting Headsheet. The declaration lists your recent commercial credits so the CD can check for conflicts. The headsheet is your basic information, availability and contact details.

Read what they need carefully. Commercial castings sometimes also ask for additional photographs, still images rather than video. The client may want to see how you photograph as much as how you perform.

And when it comes to sending everything over, name every single file exactly as they request. Not approximately. Not close enough. Exactly. Files that don't follow the naming convention can get lost in the process, and in a casting that moves this fast, lost means missed. Please also do this when sending to your agent too!

After You Submit

Here's something worth understanding before you hit send and start refreshing your inbox. Most of the time, you won't hear anything after submitting a commercial self-tape. Although this can feel unfair, it's just how the volume of the process works. CDs are reviewing large numbers of tapes against a very specific brief, in a very short window.

You will generally only hear back if you've been shortlisted for a recall. Which I will cover in my next blog!