Video Auditions

Wayfinding: Spotlights > Tech Behind the Scenes > Video Auditions

More theatre makers are using video auditions in place of in-person auditions. Like Zoom rehearsal, this process seems convenient for both actors and producers. Depending on the company, actors can submit pre-taped auditions or join a Zoom meeting to audition, reducing the need for all parties to travel for potential work.

Certainly these approaches occurred before the pandemic, but many producers also wanted to see actors in-person; now, are . : ‘The Casting Directors’ Guild agreed that the option of having online auditions is more inclusive for people who are disabled or who face financial or geographical barriers’. The article also features several quotes from actors that going in-person to an audition requires a daytime commitment that often excludes potential paid work, putting the performer under potential financial strain. through ‘sites like https://letitcast.com/en/ and … through the Castivate app’, two newer tools designed to disseminate auditions to more casting directors and hiring companies.

There are some notable downsides for video auditions, whether live over Zoom or self-taped beforehand. David Burton surveyed Australian performers for an article in ArtsHub regarding the pandemic-era rise of self-tapes and found that reactions ranged from disgruntled to dispirited. Performers reported that learning how to professionally self-tape, hiring a crew to tape their audition, or working with agencies offering videography support was increasingly expensive. Many noted that a major component of working on an in-person theatre production required certain social skills, which do not translate over video but can in an audition room. Others discussed the outrageous short notice of receiving a call for a taped audition that required memorisation and planning mere days before it was due – sometimes, with less than a day for turnaround, including editing.

theatre casting directors stating that they prefer seeing actors in-person because they can see greater subtlety in the performance when the person is physically in front of them. Online video quality is notoriously poor due to lossy compression, as ‘the technique of making image files smaller by deleting some information’. that lossy compression:

… involves a compromise between image quality and file size – the smaller the size of a compressed file, the more visible the visual artifacts introduced in deleting information become. Depending on the level of compression, these artifacts range from barely noticeable to quite pronounced. … Therefore, while in theory, computer technology entails the flawless replication of data, its actual use in contemporary society is characterized by loss of data, degradation, and noise.

Although video auditions are an important tool for many reasons – helping actors retain workdays, reducing travel expenses, and even reducing carbon emissions related to travel – there are actually some components of performance that can be missed due to lossy compression, both in livestreaming and in pre-recorded auditions.

More actors also seek social media ‘influencer’ status to draw attention and potentially get cast. that performers sign up for social media and start churning out content as a method of getting the attention of casting directors, for example. this sentiment in his article on theatre and TikTok: ‘Whereas making and attending live, in-person theatre is often marked by barriers – cutthroat auditions, unpaid internships, expensive tickets, travel costs, inaccessible theatre spaces, and so on – TikTok as a digital theatre space squarely rejects many of these obstacles’. Social media like TikTok or YouTube can, in one sense, be a type of self-tape for auditioning purposes – casting directors can see your public speaking skills and personality, though they are not as likely to see your portrayal of a character. Getting attention through social media is also a time-consuming endeavour, which is why some people have dedicated themselves to influencer status as a full-time job.