This is really, really important.
Creating digital content has become imperative to your success as an actor.
Your entire online presence will be considered for every part of the casting process by everyone on the creative team: casting director, director, choreographer, music supervisor, producer, etc. It can be the reason you get the first appointment, the reason you get the call-back or seal the deal on an offer after you’ve submitted self-tapes or auditioned in person.
Self-tapes for auditions are not digital content.
Can you use other types of shots that are used in movies for your self-tape? Not really. This is where we can begin to make a distinction between professional audition aesthetics and digital content created for public consumption. Digital content includes things like music videos, edited actor reels, movie trailers, web series, pop song covers, performance footage, interviews, etc.
Digital content is produced, edited, polished and showcases you in a positive light. It is created and developed to be viewed by anyone on any device at any time. Do you really think that your brilliant self-tape audition for Sam Shepard’s Buried Child and a classical monologue in your bedroom merit public consumption on your YouTube channel?
Keep those private. They are for industry professionals when requested, not to build an audience. If you are desperate to show off your Shakespeare, consider shooting it in a modern setting or taping a live performance in full costume on a set. Then it elevates itself to digital content and the user experience shifts in your favor.
What is the goal of your online creative portfolio of work? As an artist and actor, it’s to establish credibility, exposure, build an audience and book more work. That starts with your website and curated examples of what you do and builds out to everything we can search on you, including all of your social media platforms, YouTube channels and more.
You should consider all of your online digital content in light of getting cast as a professional actor. Is it on brand? Does it help us cast you or will it confuse us? Is the quality professional or does it feel cheap and/or amateurish? Can your TikTok duets book you work? Maybe. Can your political Twitter rants get you nixed from a final callback? Possibly. Will the creative team look at your Instagram videos and see how many friends you have in common on Facebook? Absolutely. Everything adds up to support or hurt the work you do “in the room,” which now includes via self-tape submissions.
No one wants to watch your self-tapes from your various auditions except the industry people that requested them. Keep them private.
Trust me on this one.
VP
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