Acting : Level Up: Self Tapes / At-Home Live Auditions by Lisann Valentin

Hey Everyone! I know there's a ton of valuable information on leveling up self-tapes on the technical side but I haven't seen much on how to enhance at-home live auditions (via zoom or eco cast). I thought I'd share some of my research, should it help my fellow actors in this group.

For me, I have thankfully had a lot of success booking off of my tapes over the years. Everyone's audition situation is different based on what they're taping (for example, film/tv self-tapes are quite different than taping for performance capture), so you should always use what works best for you.

For my film/tv self-tapes, I use my DSLR, a lavalier mic for audio and a basic softbox set up. I also edit my tapes in Premiere Pro.

But in preparing for LIVE auditions at-home, I've had to practice leveling up and that includes using my DSLR for Zoom & Eco Cast Live.

The webcam on my laptop is only 720p, so I can't rely on that. My DSLR is a Canon, and thankfully, Canon has provided free software that allows me to use it as a webcam, without having to buy any expensive equipment. And it looks beautiful in Zoom. It literally felt like a magical difference when I tested it out recently.

I've added a few links below, to the Canon website and other tutorials that I found useful, should anyone need them:

• YT Tutorial: Use your Canon camera as a WEBCAM https://youtu.be/DpDRBs6pS0A/
• Canon Link https://www.usa.canon.com/internet/portal/us/home/support/self-help-cent...

Fun footnote: I was able to use my PlayStation USB cable to connect to my camera, so I thankfully spent $0 doing this.

If you don't have a Canon, this other YT tutorial may be of use:

• How to use a DSLR camera in Zoom https://youtu.be/FITeErmXc8M/
• Equipment recommended for this is CamLink (a bit pricey) https://www.elgato.com/en/gaming/cam-link-4k/

You may have to spend some cash for the equipment to get this done, but the knowledge is free. I'm sure there are cheaper options, so if you found some, please share!

These are not my videos nor am I affiliated with these bloggers. I hope this helps someone out there who may feel lost in the challenge of leveling up. If you have any suggestions, please share!

Next up: deciding if the internal laptop mic is sufficient for audio or if I need to:

• connect my yeti; or
• level up from my current lav mic.

 ;-)   If you're interested, I'll keep you posted.

No matter what you do to level up on the business side of things, remember, you got this!