How to prepare a self-tape.

Casting sees the tape, not the effort behind it. Here's how to spend your time on what shows: the choices, then a clean, simple setup that gets out of the way.

1. Read everything twice before you act a line

Read the casting email, the breakdown and the sides, twice, without performing. Note what they've actually asked for: how many takes, which shot sizes, whether they want a slate, how to send it and by when. Most self-tapes that go wrong ignore something in the email.

2. Find the choices, not the lines

A tape is judged on a handful of decisions. What does your character want from the other person, and when does that change? Where does the scene turn? Mark the beats: every time the want or the tactic changes. Then pick the two or three moments that decide how the scene plays, and make a clear choice for each.

3. Set up simply

• Camera: at eye level, landscape unless they ask otherwise. A phone is fine. Clean the lens.
• Framing: usually a mid shot (chest up) with a little space above the head; a tighter single if they ask for one. Keep it the same for every take.
• Background: plain and uncluttered: a pale wall, or a backdrop in a mid-tone that contrasts with what you're wearing.
• Light: soft and even, from in front: a window facing you, or a lamp bounced off a wall. Avoid a bright window behind you.
• Sound: a quiet room with soft furnishings. Turn off fridges and notifications. If you have a small microphone, use it; if not, keep the phone close.

4. Brief your reader

Your reader sits just beside the lens, at your eye height, so your eyeline is just off camera. Ask them to read flatly and clearly, without acting, and to leave you room: the tape is about you listening and reacting. Never look into the lens unless the scene or casting asks for it.

5. The slate

Do exactly what the email asks: often your name, agent and location, sometimes height or a profile and hand shot. Keep it short and friendly, in your own voice. If they don't ask for one, a simple card or title with your name and the role is usually enough.

6. Film, then choose

Do the scene a few times, changing one thing deliberately between takes rather than drifting. Watch back once, choose the take where you're most alive and specific, and stop. Trim the start and end; don't add music, filters or effects.

7. Send it the way they asked, early

Use the link type they asked for (Vimeo, WeTransfer, a casting platform), name the file the way they want (often your name and the role), check the password if there is one, and send it ahead of the deadline time. Late tapes often aren't watched.