How to record a self-tape at home

Read the brief first

Casting teams watch a lot of tapes, and the quickest way to be skipped is to ignore the instructions. Check what they want you to slate, which scenes, how long, the file format and the deadline, and follow it exactly.

Camera and framing

• Film in landscape, with the phone at eye level on a stand or a stack of books.
• Frame from mid-chest to just above your head, unless the brief asks for something else.
• Look just to one side of the lens, at your reader, not into the camera.
• Use the phone's main (back) camera; it's better than the front one.

Light

• Face a window for soft, even daylight. Don't stand with a window behind you.
• At night, put a lamp in front of you and slightly to one side, and turn off overhead lights that cast shadows.
• A plain, uncluttered wall behind you keeps attention on you.

Sound

• Pick the quietest room and turn off fans, heating noise and notifications.
• Rooms with soft furnishings echo less than kitchens and bathrooms.
• Keep the phone close, or use a simple clip-on microphone if you have one.

The reader

Ask someone to read the other lines from beside the camera, slightly quieter than you. A flat, steady reading is better than a performance that pulls focus. If nobody's around, a video call works.

Sending it

• Name the file the way the brief asks, usually your name and the role.
• Watch it back once all the way through before you send it.
• If you send a link, check it opens without a login.
• Send it before the deadline. Late tapes often aren't watched.