Tips for Creating the Best Self-Tape on Your Phone

Before 2020, dancers were required to audition in person at a specific location to be considered for a project. But now, self-tapes have become a regular part of the performing arts industry, setting the stage for more dancers to access opportunities.

Luckily, technology is advancing enough to the point where we can film a professional audition right on our phones. Here are a few tips for creating the best self-tape on your phone.

Set the Environment

As a dancer, you’ll need plenty of room to perform your choreography correctly. An enclosed space can hinder your ability to move freely and do specific dance moves.

When setting up your filming space, keep it open and minimal. Place the camera in a spot that’ll capture your whole figure so the casting team can see the details of your choreography. Remember, they want to see your face and choreography, not the Marvel poster on the wall behind you!

Also, prepare what you want to wear, and make sure that it allows you the freedom to move without taking attention away from your moves. Lighting can also be a helpful factor—try filming in the daytime so you can use natural lighting without additional equipment.

Take Your Time

During an in-person audition, you get one shot to impress the production team, and that’s it. One of the best things about self-taping is that you can do it repeatedly until you get the perfect audition.

So, use that time to practice the dance until you feel confident in each move. Once you commit the choreography to your memory, take your time setting up the space, filming (as many times as you need!), and post-editing.

To submit your best self-tape, be sure to give yourself at least a week total to film and edit so you don’t make the audition look rushed!

Free Up Space

Filming on your phone can help you submit a professional self-tape, but not if you don’t have enough space to begin with.

Before filming, take the time to free up space on your iPhone to ensure you can record as many times as you need to without stopping your progress.

Edit Right From Your Phone

Without your phone, it might take a while to upload the video to the computer, download it, add it to the editing software, etc.

A great thing about filming on your phone is you can open an editing app after you finish and edit the video, which can help save lots of time. 

Don’t Be Nervous!

During filming, don’t worry about the camera or focus too much on the moves—tell the story of your choreography through your face and the details of your moves. Of course, knowing the movements like the back of your hand helps in this case.

You’re filming this audition to show the team you deserve a spot/role, so show them! It’s okay to be nervous, but self-tape allows you to stop, take a breath, and press record again. 

These tips for creating the best self-tape on your phone will be your guide to submitting a professional self-tape you can be proud of!

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