So many different “rules”, opinions & ideas are thrown out there, it’s sometimes hard to know what the right answer is.
Self tapes are not replacing live auditions. Self tapes are a great way to still audition for a role when you physically can’t be in the room. Despite this, you still won’t get the advantage of having a casting director direct you into the take that is going to help you get the job. Self tapes are generally used for a few different reasons:
1) You physically cannot be in the room due to working on other projects, vacation or illness
2) We’ve been given the task of casting a last minute role and, due to this, we don’t physically have the ability to read additional actors due to other sessions that have already been scheduled.
3) A local casting director is searching in multiple regions and to make this process possible, self taping gives that CD the ability to do a more thorough search.
Always, always, ALWAYS make auditioning a priority. Self taping is a great option when necessary, but there is a vital person-to-person connection that is lost with self-taping, not to mention we are able to give you direction and release information about the role that we wouldn’t otherwise be able to do so online.