A self-tape audition checklist from notice to submission

1. Confirm the assignment

Before rehearsing, separate delivery requirements from creative information. Check each item against the original notice rather than a remembered convention.

• Identify the role, scene range, revised pages, and any pronunciation guidance.
• Record the deadline and its time zone, leaving room for upload time.
• Note framing, orientation, slate details, number of takes, and file order.
• Confirm the requested delivery route and any file-size or format limits.

2. Prepare a playable scene

Choose a clear objective and a starting circumstance. A repeatable setup should leave the performance free to respond to the reader.

• Identify the other person, relationship, immediate need, and obstacle.
• Mark the major thought changes without fixing every pause or gesture.
• Learn the cues as well as your own words, using only permitted rehearsal tools.
• Agree on reader roles, pace, pronunciation, and how to stop or reset.

3. Test camera and sound

Record a brief sample in the actual room, using the intended framing and both voices. Listen to the recording instead of relying on the live preview.

• Check camera height, eyeline, focus, and available space for requested movement.
• Look for distracting background objects, bright windows, and avoidable shadows.
• Check actor and reader balance, echoes, noise, and loud-moment distortion.
• Silence notifications and confirm battery, storage, and device permissions.

4. Record and select deliberately

Keep the requested scene central. An alternate take should offer a clear change in interpretation rather than another version recorded because the first did not feel perfect.

• Record the requested slate or ident separately when appropriate.
• Capture a clean first take with a complete beginning and ending.
• If an alternative is requested, change one useful condition and label it.
• Review the selected take for story clarity, sound, and framing before export.

5. Check the delivery file

The exported file is the material casting receives. Reopen it even if the recording itself played correctly inside the capture app.

• Confirm the correct scenes, takes, identification, and requested order.
• Check the first and last seconds for missing audio or an accidentally cut reaction.
• Apply the exact supplied naming convention, or use clear identifying names.
• Remove unrelated clips and accidental personal information from the package.

6. Confirm submission and save a record

Uploading and submitting may be separate platform steps. Finish the requested flow, check the confirmation, and keep a private note so a technical question can be answered accurately.

• Test viewing permissions when a shared link is the requested route.
• Wait for upload completion and complete any final submit action.
• Save a receipt or confirmation identifier with the submission time.
• Retain the delivered version privately for callback reference; do not publish confidential sides.

Industry references and further reading

• SAG-AFTRA: Self-Tape Anatomy

  Practical discussion of picture, sound, performance, and delivery. This is educational guidance; requirements vary by production.

Put the reference into practice