Expert Tips: How to Ace Your Self-Tape Audition Every Time

Spencer Glass, coach and actor, gives tips and tricks on how to produce a self-tape audition you can feel proud of. Check back monthly for more actor wisdom from Spencer. 

Can we have an honest moment? Self-taping can feel like an endless loop. The charm of it wore off around tape #17, and now you're standing in your living room again, with that same plant in the background, futzing with your backdrop and lights, talking to no one (well, your mom is helping you and zoomed in to be your reader), wondering if your performance is even landing through the lens.

It's not that you’ve lost your love for acting, it’s that the process has become disconnected from what makes acting thrilling; human interaction, stakes, energy exchange.

When you're just pressing record on your phone, alone, it’s easy to forget that this is supposed to feel alive. But there’s a way to shake yourself out of that creative flatline: **pretend you’re actually in the audition room**...before you tell me I'm cringe, this has helped MULTIPLE clients of mine so please hear me out. 

How to make a great self-tape:

Hit record, walk out of your home or apartment, take a breath and commit to a little make believe. Picture yourself walking down the hallway of a casting office.

You open the door, take a moment to greet the creative team with a warm, “Hi! Good to see you again.” Maybe you ask a quick question about the material, or what side/song they want to start with. Feel your nervous system shift the moment you imagine being watched, welcomed, and observed...it changes your energy. Then, walk to your mark (yep, literally take a step forward like you’re walking to the imaginary X in the center of the room we tend to gravitate towards, take a beat, and start your scene. This tiny mental and physical ritual can trick your body into remembering: *Oh, this is real. This matters.* It reconnects you to purpose.

That act of transporting yourself, even just through imagination, transforms the tape. Suddenly, your apartment disappears. You’re not next to your laundry basket anymore, you’re in a casting space. And that tiny shift ups your stakes because now you’re not "recording a tape", you’re "giving a performance" in front of people who are rooting for you. The work becomes charged, focused, dimensional. You’ll feel more present, more alive, and more like yourself in the room, because mentally, emotionally, and physically, you’ve put yourself there. 

This small commitment to imagination can breathe the legitimacy back into self-tapes, and just might reignite the spark that made you fall in love with acting in the first place. The following are some things to think about when you're asked to tape, or want to film actor materials for your website, actors access, Youtube, etc. 

Helpful self-tape tips to think about: 

Find Your Space

Set up your space in a quiet, well-lit spot with a neutral background (a lot of actors have an actual backdrop). The goal is to have zero clutter behind you so we see no distractions. I recommend placing your camera at eye level, and frame yourself from the waist up. It's very normal not to be full body for self tapes (though you might be asked for a full body slate).

Natural light or soft lighting works brilliantly to avoid shadows, and generally just make you pop a little more. Box lights are something I prefer, but a ring light or just window light totally works. I find a tripod helps keep the camera steady and stable. 

Need advice on what to buy? I recommend these for a basic setup: Box Lights |Video Light Kit | Backdrop

Consider Eye Line & Volume

If you’re talking to a scene partner, look sliiiiiightly off-camera like you’re chatting with someone who’s merely  out of frame. Direct eye contact with the lens is usually a no, unless specifically requested.

And remember, the camera picks up everything, so storytell through your eyes. When it comes to speaking, too much volume can distort your voice, while too little might make it hard to hear. Remember how close the camera is to you, and how it picks up everything. Even in a high energy scene, just be aware how loud you are. 

Familiarize Yourself With the Sides

Yes, you can use your sides. But the more familiar you are with the lines, the more grounded you’ll feel. Know it well enough to play, explore, and make choices. 

You can use your sides on a self tape, but you're going to ultimately feel better if you're familiar with the text. Remember how I said the camera picks up everything? The more you're looking down every 2 seconds, the less your tape fosters specialty, choices, and your uniqueness. 

How to Slate

An actor slate is common before beginning your audition. Your slate is your handshake! It's brief, friendly, and confident. Usually it’s just your name, height, and location. Lean into the awkward. Be human. Warmth is better than perfection. Usually the team will let you know what to say in your slate. "Hi, my name is XYZ, I'm this height, and I'm based in this location". Lean into the fact that slating can be a little bit uncomfy.

Set Self-Tape Boundaries

Limit yourself to three takes per scene. This isn’t a marathon, and over-taping usually leads to burn out. Set a timer if you need to. Your energy is precious so please protect it. Do not run your battery dry. Boundaries are a must, and when you do the same side for 45 minutes, I promise it's hard to find magic. Time yourself; it's very helpful to set alarms. 

Self-taping is a chance to showcase not just your skills, but your infectious energy and personality. While the technical details are important, it’s your authenticity that truly makes an impression, and a self-tape audition pushes you to be your most genuine self.

Trust it, take the time to center, and remember that every audition is an opportunity to grow (auditioning is quite literally a skill set). With some preparation and a lot of confidence, you’ve got everything you need to produce a tape you're proud of. 

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Spencer Glass is a career coach for actors, and an actor himself, who has been seen off broadway at New York City Center, across the US on Broadway National Tours, and regionally at theatres around the country. You can book a career session with Spencer at www.Spencerglass.com, and follow for free tips and advice on his TikTok page, @Spencer.Glass, as well as his instagram, @Hispencerglass. His business, Spencer Glass Coaching, has clients working on broadway, national tours, tv & film etc. He has reached artists globally, and when he isn’t on stage/set, he’s guiding others and helping to create sharp and specified roadmaps for his clients’ career. Spencer is a multi-hyphenate who had two shows with BroadwayWorld (It’s The Day Of The Show Y’all & Ten Minute Tidbits), and has interviewed and performed with actors like Sheryl Lee Ralph, Eva Noblezada, Derek Klena, Laura Bell Bundy, Grey Henson, among others.