Acting : Self-Tape or In-Person Auditions: Which is Better For Actors by Aaron Marcus

I think for actors and actresses it's best to audition in person, because the director might be on the panel of judges! -- vicalexander37@gmail.com

Thank you, Aaron. As always your videos are informative and well thought out. I agree with your assessment of in person auditions and self taping.

Both self-taping and in-person auditions might get you the gig. Level up in both formats. It's that simple. Become comfortable with both. My last TV gig was booked purely from a ST. This is the format I prefer, as it saves me so much time, money and effort in travelling to London.

Thank you all for your wonderful comments. Yes, I love what you said about being comfortable with both forms of auditioning. As actors, we not only have to be skilled but also adaptable and learn new things to keep up with the industry. Thank you all again. If you get a chance, you will want to subscribe to my YT channel and have access to 500 + videos there. You can find the link by simply visiting my site and click on the YouTube icon on the home page. howtoactandmodel.com

Great scenes in your reel, Stuart. Congratulations on all of your success.

Cheers Aaron! I've subscribed to your YT videos. Your nice easy vibe is engaging and cool to watch. Your years of wisdom shine through brilliantly. All good things, Stu

That is so kind of you, Stuart. I have been vert fortunate in my career, and decided a few years ago that creating industry related videos will be my way of giving back to my fellow actors, Please share the link with your friends so we can have even more actors share information and help each other.

Stuart, do you work with an agent or find most of your projects on your own?

Thank you again.

Hey Aaron

I have a brilliant lovely agent who puts me up for the big gigs. In between I also find my own projects, usually much smaller. Have a lovely week, stu

Hi Stuart. Would you be comfortable with naming the agency you work with?

Absolutely. Union Management, who are based both here in the UK and the US

Thank you so much, Stuart. I tried looking them up but only found a modeling agency. Would you be able to send the website? I am always looking for new information to be able to share with others. Thanks.

Of course, Union Management's website- http://www.unionmanagement.co.uk

Thank you so much, Stuart. This is very kind of you.

I like in person better. They get to talk to you and give direction. It’s more personal.

I prefer to do auditions in person. I get direction and feedback from the casting agent. And I often get a sense of whether I've done a good audition (regardless of whether I book the job or not). It's also a chance to show the casting director who I am: straightforward, on time, easy to work with. All that said, I recently did my first in-person audition in a long time. I cycled to the audition (I live in Amsterdam), got caught in heavy rain and arrived soaked to the skin.

Thank you all for your great ideas and comments. I agree that getting information and notes from a casting director always gives us more to play with during an audition. And, I love doing self-tapes so I have the option of doing a few takes. My hope is that if they liked my self-tape, they can always give me notes during a live callback.

Francis, having to travel in bad weather to an audition is another reason why shooting the audition from my home makes life much better. I used to travel 4 to 4.5 hours each way going to auditions in New York. That commute is not missed by me.

Thank you all again for your wonderful comments. I hope everyone subscribes and clicks the notification bell on my channel so you have easy access to my free 500 + videos and will always know when a new video has been uploaded.

Please share the Channel link with all of your actor friends.

Honestly - it really all just depends on your location/region. As top agencies/production may not have much available or going on. If you're fortunate enough to live in a metro like L.A. NYC etc. then onsite may be a given. Esp if you have an agent. For those who don't (for any of varying reasons) then self-taping/submissions are the beat

Frankly I'm grateful for self-taping/submissions as it allows you the opp of getting a little creative in your own space, when you don't have an agent's office or other filming ground.

Thank you, Leanette. I saw your bio. Wow, you do so many different things. I agree. In some markets casting directors are allowing some people to audition in their studios. I also have been given the option to audition live virtually. In the past, Sometimes I have driven, anywhere from 6 to 12 hours each way to audition. So, even though I do miss having the notes given to me during an audition by the casting director, I love taking my time, trying out a few different ideas and upload the take I like the most. And, spend the rest of my day doing other acting related things.

Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts here.