# How to Self-Tape an Audition: The Whole Process From Sides to Send

> The whole self-tape job in the order you actually do it: read the request, learn the sides, set up frame, light, and sound, get a reader, slate, shoot your takes, export, name, and send. Each step has the rule that matters and a link to the deeper guide when you need more.

- URL: https://www.offbook.com/blog/how-to-self-tape-an-audition
- Published: 2026-11-01
- Last updated: 2026-11-01

The email lands at 4 p.m. Two scenes, sides attached, tape due Thursday at noon. You read it once, feel a jolt of excitement, and then a small wave of dread, because a self-tape isn't one job. It's eight steps, and you're the whole crew for every one of them: actor, director, camera operator, sound person, editor, and courier.

A lot of self-tape advice comes as a pile of tips in no particular order. Ring lights here, eyelines there. What actually helps is doing the steps in the right sequence, so you don't light a scene you don't know yet, or discover at 11:50 a.m. that the upload site caps your file size.

The short version: read the request and treat it as the rules. Learn the sides well enough to look up from the page. Frame yourself chest-up, at eye level, in landscape, with soft light in front of you and a plain wall behind. Get a reader who's quieter than you, sitting right beside the lens. Slate only if asked. Shoot a few takes, then stop. Trim the top and tail, export a modest MP4, name the files clearly, and send through the route casting asked for, well before the deadline. Here's each step, in order.

## Step 1: Read the request like it's the rulebook

A self-tape request usually arrives with the sides, a deadline, and a set of instructions. On services like [Eco Cast](https://breakdownservices.com/index.cfm/main/eco_cast), casting sends the request and you upload the tape in reply. Whatever the route, those instructions beat any general advice, including this article.

Before you do anything else, pull out the details and write them on a sticky note:

- The deadline, with the time zone.
- Which scenes, and whether they go in one file or separate files.
- Whether they want a slate, and what it should include.
- Framing notes, such as a full-body shot or a specific eyeline.
- How many takes, if they say.
- How to name the files and where to send them.

You'll reread this note at the end. By then you'll have filmed the scene a dozen times and your memory of the instructions will have drifted. The note won't have.

## Step 2: Learn the sides until you can look up

The sides are the audition. If you can get the full script, read it once for story, then put your time into the pages you were sent. Our guide to [sides versus the full script](https://www.offbook.com/blog/sides-vs-script-what-to-prepare) lays out a prep order for any amount of time.

Do you need to be fully off book? Not always. For productions under the 2023 SAG-AFTRA Theatrical/TV Agreement, [SAGindie's summary of the changes](https://www.sagindie.org/sagaftra/contract-changes-2023/) says sides must arrive at least 48 hours before a self-tape (72 for minors), first tapes are capped at 8 pages, and an actor can't be required to memorize sides. But "not required" isn't the same as "doesn't matter." On camera, every glance down at the page cuts your connection with the reader, and the lens sees it.

So aim for this: you know the lines well enough that the paper is a safety net, not a script you read from. A fast way to get there is to test recall instead of rereading. Cover your lines, say each one from the cue, and check. In Offbook you can hide your lines while every other character's stay visible, or swap your lines for first-letter cues as a step on the way, then hide the whole script for a final run. If you just want to try the idea, our free [first-letter memorizer](https://www.offbook.com/tools/first-letter-memorizer) turns any speech into first-letter cues, no account needed.

Video: [Hide your lines](https://www.offbook.com/learn/hide-your-lines) (1:07)

Make your acting choices here too, before the camera is set up. Who are you talking to? What do you want from them? What changes halfway through? If you plan to send two takes, decide now what makes the second reading different, so you're not inventing it on take seven.

## Step 3: Set up the frame, light, and sound

You don't need a studio. [RADA's self-tape guidance](https://www.rada.ac.uk/documents/1046/RADA_Self-Tape_Guidance_2024_1.pdf) says the most important thing is that the panel can see and hear you clearly, and that a phone propped steady on furniture or books is fine. Work through it in this order.

### Frame

Turn the phone sideways. [Spotlight's self-tape guide](https://www.spotlight.com/news-and-advice/how-to-self-tape/) says to film in landscape, not portrait; RADA puts it as "think TV, not Tiktok." Unless the request says otherwise, Spotlight suggests a mid-close shot, from your chest to the top of your head, with the camera at your eye level. A plain wall behind you keeps the attention on your face. A grey or light wall works, and so does a sheet hung over a busy one.

### Light

Put the light in front of you, never behind. RADA's rule is simple: the window goes behind the camera, not behind you, or they won't see you. After dark, a lamp behind the camera does the same job. Spotlight adds that soft light from a large source beats a small, hard one that throws sharp shadows.

### Sound

Pick the quietest, softest room you have. RADA warns that bathrooms echo because of all the hard surfaces, while a room with a bed and soft furnishings makes your voice clearer. If you're filming on a phone, Spotlight suggests sitting as close to it as you can. If you film on an iPhone, [Spotlight's support pages](https://support.spotlight.com/en/articles/11812545) also suggest turning off HDR, which isn't always compatible and can distort the color.

Then do what RADA suggests: film a couple of lines and watch them back before the real takes. Can you see your eyes? Is your voice clear? Fix it now, not after the good take. Our guide to a [self-tape setup on a budget](https://www.offbook.com/blog/self-tape-setup-on-a-budget) goes deeper on what to fix first and what's worth buying.

## Step 4: Get a reader in the right spot

Your reader does two jobs: they give you something real to react to, and they let casting follow the scene. Spotlight's guide adds one warning: make sure they aren't too loud. A reader who performs at full volume next to the microphone ends up as the loudest person on your tape.

Where they sit matters as much as how they read. Spotlight says your eyeline should be close to the camera so casting can see both sides of your face. RADA suggests looking slightly to the side of the lens, such as the edge of your phone, rather than straight into it, and notes that someone standing beside the camera gives you a natural target. So put your reader right next to the lens, at your eye level, and play the scene to them. Then run a few test lines together and check that their voice sits under yours.

No one free tonight? You have options. A friend over video call, an actor you trade reads with, or a paid reader all work, and our guide to [finding a self-tape reader](https://www.offbook.com/blog/how-to-find-a-self-tape-reader) sorts them by deadline and budget. Offbook can also read the other parts aloud and wait for your line (see [self-tape without a reader](https://www.offbook.com/self-tape-without-reader)), and [self-taping alone](https://www.offbook.com/blog/how-to-self-tape-alone) covers sound balance when no one else is in the room.

## Step 5: Slate only if they ask

A slate (in the UK, an ident) is a short introduction to camera: your name, sometimes your height, location, agent, or the role. Spotlight's guide tells you to check whether the request wants one. If it doesn't, don't add one. If it does, say exactly what it lists, in the order it lists it, as yourself rather than the character.

Film it as its own short clip unless you're told to put it at the top of the scene. That way a fumbled slate costs you ten seconds, not a whole take. Our guide on [how to slate for a self-tape](https://www.offbook.com/blog/how-to-slate-for-a-self-tape) has word-for-word examples for each kind of request.

## Step 6: Shoot a few takes, then stop

This is the step where actors lose the most time. Take one is often nervous. By take eleven you're tired, the reader is bored, and you're chasing a version of the scene that only exists in your head.

Spotlight's advice is direct: don't do too many takes, and if you can't get it within three, pause and come back to it. RADA says the same in its own words: take a break if you need one, but don't overthink it and record too many times. Set yourself a limit before you start. Shoot the reading you planned, shoot your second reading if you planned one, and stop when you have both.

Then watch your takes back with fresh eyes, ideally after a short break. Pick the one where you're listening, not the one where you said every word perfectly. When the request doesn't give a number, our guide to [how many takes to send](https://www.offbook.com/blog/how-many-takes-to-send-in-a-self-tape) explains the common rule: one take, or two when the second is truly different. Spotlight also warns against sending too many takes unless they're requested.

## Step 7: Trim, export, and name the files

Editing a self-tape means trimming, not cutting the scene up. Spotlight's [editing and sharing guide](https://www.spotlight.com/news-and-advice/the-essentials/editing-and-sharing-self-tapes/) shows how to trim the start and the end in QuickTime. Trim so the tape opens just before your first moment and closes just after your last. No music, no titles, no filters.

Keep the file modest. Spotlight says 720p is more than sufficient, recommends an MP4 or M4V file, and says to convert MOV or AVCHD files first. Its [tips for young performers](https://www.spotlight.com/news-and-advice/self-taping-tips-for-young-performers) add that there's no need for 4K, and that you should film at 24, 25, or 30 frames per second rather than 60. Bigger files only take longer to upload.

Check the size limit of where it's going. The [Eco Cast help pages](https://casting.breakdownexpress.com/help/ecocast/Responding_to_a_self-taped_invitation.htm) say each clip can be no larger than 100 MB, with up to five video files per actor when casting asks for several. For files you send yourself, Spotlight says to avoid anything over a gigabyte.

Name each file so it stays attached to you after it's downloaded. Follow the request's naming rule if it gives one. If it doesn't, Spotlight suggests your name first, then the project, then the scene, using only letters, numbers, and underscores, because symbols can confuse the software casting uses. For example:

- Jane_Smith_Midsummer_Scene1.mp4
- Jane_Smith_Midsummer_Scene2.mp4
- Jane_Smith_Midsummer_Ident.mp4

Our guide on [how to name, export, and send a self-tape](https://www.offbook.com/blog/how-to-name-and-send-a-self-tape) goes through export settings and naming for more cases.

## Step 8: Send it early, through the right door

Send the tape the way the request says. If it's an upload site, upload there. If you're sending files yourself and the request doesn't say how, Spotlight's sending advice is clear:

- Use WeTransfer unless you're told otherwise.
- Don't attach video to an email.
- If you send a Vimeo link, make sure the video is set to downloadable.
- Don't use YouTube unless you're asked to.
- Avoid Google Drive, because casting have had trouble opening files shared that way.

Before you send, watch the exported file all the way through, not the take in your editor. Then send it with time to spare, because there's rarely a second chance. Eco Cast says that once a video is submitted, no changes can be made, so use only your best take. [Spotlight's support pages](https://support.spotlight.com/en/articles/11812865) say its self-tape submissions are final, can't be edited or deleted, and should go in with enough time to deal with technical problems. An upload that stalls at 11:58 a.m. is a problem you can't fix at 11:58 a.m.

## The whole job on one page

Here's the order, start to finish, for the next request that lands in your inbox:

- Read the request and write the deadline, scenes, slate, framing, takes, naming, and sending rules on a note.
- Read the full script if you can, then learn the sides well enough to look up from the page.
- Make your choices and, if you'll send two takes, decide what makes them different.
- Set up in landscape, chest-up, at eye level, with soft light in front and a plain wall behind.
- Record a couple of test lines and watch them back for picture and sound.
- Put your reader right beside the lens, keep them quieter than you, and check the balance with a test run.
- Film a slate as its own clip only if the request asks for one.
- Shoot your planned takes, stop, and pick the one where you're really listening.
- Trim the start and end, export an MP4 (720p is enough), and name the files the way the request says.
- Watch the exported file, check the instructions once more, and send it early.

If you'd like to rehearse the whole process on something that isn't due Thursday, take a scene from our [public-domain plays](https://www.offbook.com/plays) or a speech from our [monologue library](https://www.offbook.com/monologues), run it with our free [run lines online](https://www.offbook.com/tools/run-lines-online) tool, and tape it start to finish. The first full practice tape is where you find out what your room sounds like.

## Questions actors ask

### How long should a self-tape be?

As long as the scenes casting asked for, and no longer. If the request gives a time limit, stay under it. Otherwise, trim the start and end so the tape begins just before your first moment and stops just after your last, and add nothing else. Under the 2023 SAG-AFTRA Theatrical/TV Agreement, a first self-tape is capped at 8 pages of sides.

### What do casting directors want in a self-tape?

To see and hear you clearly, and to watch you play the scene. That's why the public guidance from Spotlight and RADA keeps coming back to the same basics: landscape framing, soft light on your face, a plain background, a quiet room, an eyeline close to the lens, and a reader who doesn't drown you out. Beyond that, they want you to follow their instructions exactly.

### Can I film a self-tape on my phone?

Yes. RADA says you don't need specialist equipment and can film on a phone propped steady on furniture or books. Turn it to landscape and stay close if you're using its built-in microphone. You don't need 4K: Spotlight says 720p is more than sufficient.

### Do I need to be off book for a self-tape?

Under the 2023 SAG-AFTRA Theatrical/TV Agreement, an actor can't be required to memorize sides. In practice, the better you know the lines, the more you can look at your reader instead of the page, and that's what reads on camera. Aim to know them well enough that the sides are a safety net you barely use.

### What if I miss something after I've sent it?

Often you can't fix it. Eco Cast says no changes can be made after a video is submitted, and Spotlight says its self-tape submissions are final. That's why the last two steps matter: watch the exported file all the way through and reread the instructions before you press send.