While you can surprisingly find a lot of items around your home to make-shift a Self Tape on the fly. It is wise to invest in some Essential Equipment that you can rely on to assist in producing great, professional looking self tapes. This gear will make the Actor look good, sound great and should pop out to a Casting Director.
And it doesn't have to cost you a small fortune! For under $150 you can get an arsenal of necessities in Self Tape Gear. At the end of this section there is a shopping guide with links to some of the best prices on Amazon for items mentioned.
Video Recording Device / It is up to you which route you want to take in capturing video. Do not feel like you have to use a prosumer DSLR camera if that is not in the budget.
Superb Self Tapes are sent out everyday using Smartphones and Tablets. Most newer models record at a quality so high that isn’t even necessary for a Self Tape.
720p will deliver exceptional looking results
Great Lighting is Essential in producing a quality Self Tape. / A Simple 3-Point Lighting Set Up will do wonders for your Self Tapes. / The Strongest Light will be the Main Light.
This Main Light will be 45% from the lens of your recording device. To the right or left.
The second brightest will be your Fill Light.
A Fill Light is used to eliminate shadows on the face. This light will be powered to about 60% intensity and angled towards subject on the other side of the lens.
The third light...
A Hair Light or Backlight is often overlooked. This light will be used to separate the subject from the backdrop and really make you look like a professional. It creates depth and makes the Actor pop.
This light will be low intensity around 30%. And it will be fixed above or behind the subject.
Softboxes are the trusty standard in Video Lighting. They produce a soft filtered light. This light is even and pleasing to skin tones.
Softboxes are relatively inexpensive and very lightweight.
They come in Square, Rectangle and Octagon Shapes.
Most commonly for Self Tapes a 20" - 28" rectangle softbox is used.