You must master the craft of self taping!
Yes there is an initial investment for equipment, buy the best you can afford to avoid buying cheap equipment that will break and make your work difficult. A streamlined work experience will make you feel and look like pro!
Submit your tapes as far before the deadline as you can or you may be wasting your time and missing an audition! Get help from a coach until you feel confident, it’s worth the investment to learn this! EMAIL ME FOR HELP
CAMERA: I shoot on my phone, in landscape. I use the zoom option to avoid that fisheye effect. You may shoot your full body slate vertically, for 4 seconds.
then I upload to my laptop to edit in iMovie.
EDITING: YOUR SELF TAPE MUST BE COMPRESSED!!! Do NOT send raw files. I edit and compress to approx 200 MB in iMovie, then upload to casting site or send to agent via WeTransfer or Hightail. You can also use an app like Handbrake. No uploading to youtube, ever!
TRIPOD: Get this tripod. Adjustable and tall LINK TO BUY
MICROPHONE: A lavalier mic is fine until you’re ready to invest in a standing mic.
BACKDROP: a blank, clutter-free wall or simple curtain with no pattern works well. When you are ready to upgrade, get THIS
and THIS 
LINK TO BUY HERE
and for travel, THIS 
LINK TO BUY HERE
LIGHTING: Diffused daylight is good. Avoid overhead lighting and shadows.
I recommend these NEEWER LIGHTS, I love them! Very light and easy to pack up for travel.
SELF TAPE INSTRUCTIONS:
If you took my workshop, these points are reminders. If you haven’t taken my workshop yet, take it. It can be repeated if you need it!
Acting, coaching and self tape auditions are skills that have taken me years to learn, you are not going to be expert at it on day 1. If an audition is important, get a coach. If you are out of town you can Zoom a session. I am always happy to work with you and last minute is no problem, I’m used to it! Each session is like a private acting class that can be applied to all auditions.
Reading: You need a reader. The reader does not need to “act”, just read quietly so as not to be louder than the actor auditioning. Recordings don’t work. If you need to you can get someone on FaceTime or even just on the phone, email them the script and put the phone close enough to hear!
Framing: For scenes, the frame should be top of the head to just below shoulders. No head room please! They want to see the actor’s face, not the background.
Slates: the apps include electronic slates, and you usually need a full body, head-to-toe slate as well. If you don’t have room you can pan the camera up and down. The actor should look relaxed, which means breathing and happy thoughts. Name and height, and sometimes other information is requested. Check your agent’s email instructions.
Props: Keep to a minimum! Simple things like phones are ok, but no eating or drinking or anything that distracts. That goes for action as well. Keep it simple, they don’t need to see the whole story, just your close-up!
Eyelines: close to camera but not into the camera unless it’s specifically necessary for the character, i.e. newscaster or vlogger. The most important person is the reader, anyone else can be on the other side of camera.
Remember to breathe and find the reason you care about the character and the story! It’s always there if you look for it.