How to Name, Export, and Send a Self-Tape

It’s 11 p.m. You finally have the take. The reader landed every cue, the light held, and you didn’t touch your face once. All that’s left is to get it to casting, which should take five minutes.

Then the export spins for twenty. The file is four gigabytes. The upload stalls at 80 percent. And when it finally goes through, it’s called IMG_4471.MOV, sitting in an inbox with two hundred other files.

Here is the short version. Read the request again and do exactly what it says, because its instructions beat every default in this guide. If it gives no instructions, name each file with your name, the project, the role, and the scene. Export an MP4 at 720p. Send it through the platform casting chose, or as a download link rather than an email attachment. Watch the exported file all the way through before you hit send, and send it well before the deadline.

Read the request one more time

Every casting office has its own habits, and the request is where they tell you. Before you export anything, go back to the email or the breakdown and pull out the technical details: how to name files, whether the slate is a separate file, how many takes, which upload site or link, and the exact deadline, including the time zone.

This sounds obvious. It isn’t, because by the time you’ve filmed a scene ten times, you’ve stopped reading the instructions and started remembering them. Write the details on a sticky note before you start filming, and check them again at the end.

If the request and this guide ever disagree, the request wins. Spotlight, the UK casting directory, says the same: if you were sent labelling instructions, follow them.

Name every file so it finds its way home

A casting office may get a lot of tapes for one role. They get downloaded, renamed, sorted, and shared with directors and producers. A file name is how your tape stays attached to you through all of that.

New York casting director Michael Cassara, quoted on the Actor Aesthetic blog, says every file should have your first name, your last name, and the role. He also says offices receive a startling number of files labeled “audition cut - trim.mp4.” Don’t be one of them.

When the request gives no format, a safe pattern comes from Spotlight: your name first, then the project, then the scene. Add the role before the scene, as Cassara advises. Use “Ident” in place of the scene number for your slate. Spotlight also says to use only letters, numbers, and underscores, because symbols can confuse editing and conversion software. Put together, that looks like this:

• Jane_Smith_Midsummer_Hermia_Scene1.mp4
• Jane_Smith_Midsummer_Hermia_Scene2.mp4
• Jane_Smith_Midsummer_Hermia_Ident.mp4

Notice what the names leave out: dates, “final,” “v2,” and anything only you would understand. If you send more than one take of a scene, add “Take1” and “Take2” at the end so the order is clear. Rename files on a computer if you can. It’s easier to spot a typo there than on a phone.

When the slate is part of the scene file

Some requests want the slate at the top of the first scene rather than as its own clip. In that case, follow the request; usually there’s no separate Ident file, and the scene file carries your name as usual. Our guide to slating for a self-tape covers what to say in each kind of slate.

Export settings that work almost everywhere

You don’t need cinema quality. You need a file that opens on any computer, plays smoothly, and uploads before your deadline. Bigger is not better here.

Spotlight’s editing guide suggests that 720p is more than sufficient. Its tips for young performers add that there’s no point in 4K, because the tape won’t be watched in 4K, and that you should film at 24, 25, or 30 frames per second rather than 60. The editing guide also says to export an MP4 or M4V file, and to convert MOV or AVCHD files from other cameras before you send them.

In the United States, the 2023 SAG-AFTRA TV and theatrical deal pointed the same way. As Deadline reported of the tentative deal, it would set a standard of recording no higher than 720p, and no editing or specific equipment would be required. Check the union’s current terms if you’re working under its contracts, but the message is clear: casting wants your performance, not your camera budget.

A sensible default, then:

• Format: MP4, unless the request asks for something else.
• Resolution: 720p, in landscape.
• Frame rate: the one you filmed at, ideally 24, 25, or 30.
• Sound: your voice and your reader’s, clear and level, with no music.

Mind the size limit

Upload sites set their own limits, and they can be lower than you’d guess. The Eco Cast help pages say each video clip can be no larger than 100 MB. Casting Networks accepts media uploads as MP4, MOV, or M4V files up to 300 MB, and says upload errors often come from a file that is too large or not encoded properly. Re-exporting the file usually fixes it, and its help page suggests 720p, or 480p if problems persist. For files you send yourself, Spotlight advises avoiding anything over a gigabyte.

If you film on an iPhone, Spotlight’s support pages suggest turning off HDR, which isn’t always compatible and can distort the color balance. Check this before you film the next tape, not after.

Send it the way casting asked

Check whether the request says how to deliver: an upload link from a casting platform, or a file link sent by email. Use exactly what they ask for. If they don’t say, Spotlight’s advice for UK tapes is a good default.

1. Don’t attach the video to an email unless you’re asked to. Phones and mail apps may compress it, and big attachments fill casting’s inbox.
2. Send a download link instead. Spotlight suggests WeTransfer unless you’re told otherwise.
3. If the request asks for Vimeo, make sure the video is set to downloadable.
4. Don’t use YouTube unless the request specifically says so.
5. Spotlight also advises avoiding Google Drive, because casting have had trouble opening files shared that way.

When you email a link, the email itself is part of the submission. Put your name, the role, and the project in the subject line, add one short, polite sentence, and include your agent’s details if you have representation. Our guide to audition follow-up etiquette covers what to write, and what not to, after you’ve sent it.

Watch it before anyone else does

The export is not the take. Exporting can drop audio, cut the last second, flip the image, or pick up a clip you meant to delete. The only way to know is to watch the exported file, start to finish, with sound on.

Check five things as you watch:

• The file opens and plays from the beginning.
• Your voice and your reader’s are both audible, and your reader isn’t louder than you.
• The picture is the right way up and in landscape.
• Nothing is cut off at the start or the end.
• The file name matches the request, letter for letter.

Take this step seriously, because some systems give you no second chance. Eco Cast’s help says once you submit, no changes can be made, so use only your best take. Spotlight’s support pages say the same of their Self-Tape submissions: they’re final and can’t be edited or deleted.

Beat the deadline by hours, not minutes

A deadline is the last moment casting will accept a tape, not the moment to start uploading. Exports stall, and Wi-Fi drops.

Spotlight asks performers to submit in good time in case of technical problems, and notes that after the deadline, Spotlight only lets you send a tape if casting sends a new request. The actor behind Actor Aesthetic warns that the upload itself can take one to two hours. Build that into your plan. If the deadline is 10 a.m., aim to have the tape uploaded the night before.

Filming goes faster when you know the scene, which leaves more time for the upload. If you’re still glancing at the sides on take eight, every take costs you. Offbook helps you get there before you set up the camera: upload the sides, and realistic voices read the other characters while Offbook listens and cues the next line when you finish yours. Hide your lines as they settle, and you’ll walk into the tape knowing the scene cold. Our guide to self-taping alone covers the filming side.

Your send-off checklist

1. Reread the request and write down naming, takes, slate, delivery method, and deadline with time zone.
2. Trim each take so it starts and ends cleanly.
3. Export as MP4 at 720p, in landscape, at the frame rate you filmed.
4. Check each file’s size against the upload site’s limit, and re-export smaller if needed.
5. Rename each file: your name, project, role, scene, using letters, numbers, and underscores.
6. Watch every exported file start to finish with sound on.
7. Upload or send the link the way the request asked, with a clear subject line.
8. Confirm it arrived: check the platform’s status or open your own link in a private browser window.
9. Keep a backup of the files until the project is cast.

If you’d like to practice the whole routine before a real request comes in, pick a scene from our free plays and tape it end to end, export and all. Doing it once without pressure makes the 11 p.m. version a lot calmer.

Questions actors ask

Should I send my self-tape as one file or several?

Follow the request. Some ask for each scene as its own file, plus a separate slate. If the request doesn’t say, separate files named by scene are easiest for casting to sort and share. Only send extra takes if they ask, and make sure each one is clearly different.

Is 4K better for a self-tape?

No. Spotlight’s guidance is that 720p is more than enough and that 4K won’t be watched in 4K. Larger files take longer to upload and are more likely to hit a site’s size limit. A clear 720p file is the safe choice.

Can I send a self-tape on my phone?

Often, yes, as long as the platform or link works from your phone and the file meets the request. Check the site’s help pages first. Renaming and checking files is usually easier on a computer.

What if my upload fails right before the deadline?

Re-export the file smaller (720p, or 480p if it still fails) and try again. If it still won’t go, contact casting or your agent before the deadline and ask how they’d like the tape sent. That’s another reason to upload hours early.