How To Tape Your Monologue Or Scene

Once you’ve gotten your monologue under your belt and committed to memory, there are lots of reasons you may want to tape it. Perhaps you’re submitting a reel to agents along with your headshot and resume. Or maybe you’re sending your tape to a casting director in another state because you’re unable to attend the audition in person. Maybe you’re a new actor and you just want to see how you look on tape – which I highly recommend. Reviewing your tapes helps you to improve your on-camera technique and build confidence in front of the camera.

Regardless of the reason why you’re taping your monologue or scene, it’s best to:

• Make sure you have someone to stand behind the camera or directly next to it and maintain eye contact with you to help maintain your eye line.

• Make sure that you’re framed properly. (Don’t worry, no one expects you to be Spielberg.) Simply make sure that you are centered in the frame. If there’s blocking in the scene or monologue, make sure that the shot is wide enough to accommodate your movement.

• If you’re performing a scene, be sure that you’re performing with another actor, not just a friend who’s reading lines.

• Wear a solid color (other than black or white) that contrasts with your skin color, and pull your hair away from your face.

• Make sure that the background area isn’t cluttered, or filled with anything that will draw attention away from you.

• Do a couple of test tapings to make sure there isn’t an echo in the room, and that the camera’s microphone isn’t picking up distracting sounds.

• Make sure you watch your tape in its entirety before submitting it to anyone, especially if you’ve had it transferred from one format to another.

After you tape your monologue, be sure to upload it to your Star Search Casting profile so that agents, managers and casting directors can review your work. Visit us online today at www.StarSearchCasting.com.

Picking A Monologue

Every actor should have a monologue that they can perform for agents, managers or casting directors. It’s a great tool to showcase your talent, and impress industry professionals who are in a position to help you take your career to the next level. It’s very important that you put a lot of thought into selecting a monologue. You’ll need to commit it to memory and rehearse it until it’s perfect – which will take a lot of work. So you want to make sure you pick something really great the first time around.

You’re probably wondering how you go about picking a monologue that helps you shine. Here are a few tips that will help:

• Pick a monologue that showcases your strengths. If you’re great at comedy, then pick a comedic monologue. If you’re a dynamic dramatic actor, then you’ll want to pick something that allows you to show your dramatic range.

• Make sure your monologue is age appropriate. While you might do a really great job at portraying an 80 year-old woman when you’re only 16, you want to pick a role that you could actually book in the real world.

• If you select a monologue that’s an excerpt from a full-length script, be sure to read the entire script to completely familiarize yourself with the character.

• While you want to standout, don’t opt for monologues with foul language or make use of obscene gestures. You want to wow your audience, not offend them.

• Shy away from monologues that require you to use a dialect for the duration of the performance, especially when performing for agents or managers.

Once you’ve selected your monologue and mastered it, it’s time to start performing it! Take a look at the list of managers and agents on our website ( www.StarSearchCasting.com ) - we’ve got thousands located all over the U.S. and they’re waiting for you to blow them away! Be sure to let us know how it goes!