What To Wear For a Self Tape Audition
Choosing what to wear for a self tape audition can be confusing. Especially since you plan, film and send the tape without seeing anyone involved in the casting process in person!
This can feel daunting. You might even can find yourself worrying if wearing the wrong thing will stop you from getting the part. Cut to: you freaking out in front of the wardrobe asking “But… what do I wear?!” We’ve already got a great guide on what to wear to an audition, but when it comes to a self tape audition don’t fret. We’ve got a great guide below.
Should I Wear a Costume in my Self Tape?
While casting directors sometimes have their own preferences and give varying advice, this is one area they mostly agree: actors should not wear a full costume in their self tape. The best way to think about your wardrobe choices is that you should dress to suggest the character, rather than in a costume. After all, you’re not there to play dress up. You’re there to act!
How To Dress to Suggest The Character
It’s important to remember that the film and television set will have a wardrobe department, so there’s no need to create the wardrobe that the designer will create if you book the job. When auditioning, all you want to do is to give a hint of who the character is with your wardrobe choices.
“Give the essence of the character without giving the exact prototype… we don’t need you to be the costume designer. But giving the essence certainly helps.” – Casting Director Carmen Aiello
Ultimately, all that casting are looking for are the visual clues that you belong in this world. Luckily, this can all be done through implication rather than a full-on costume!
Things to Avoid Wearing for Self Tapes
While there are no hard and fast rules for what an actor should wear to a self tape audition, there are a few golden rules about what to avoid. We cover off the major no-nos below:
- Avoid Wearing a Uniform (Military, police, etc.) When you audition for a role that has some sort of uniform associated with it, avoid dressing in the full kit and caboodle. This means no scrubs when auditioning for a nurse, and no army costumes for military generals!
- Avoid Stripes, Checkered, or Busy Patterns. The next thing to avoid are stripes and checkered patterns. These can actually distort the camera and affect your footage. Likewise, busy prints can distract from your acting by drawing the eye away from your face. Forego the patterns in favour of simpler styles.
- Avoid colours that clash with your backdrop or wash out your skin tone. For example, if you’re using a blue backdrop you might want to avoid similar blues in your clothing choices.
- Avoid Anything More Attention Grabbing Than Your Acting. As above, anything that draws the eyes away from your performance is not advisable. Would you rather casting pay attention to your acting, or that hat? Support the character without distracting from your performance.
- Avoid Dressing Against the Part Finally, since clothing gives a hint of the world the character lives in, don’t dress against the part. In practice, this looks like aligning the clothing choices with the character’s world. Would a homeless character wear a three-piece suit? Probably not. Likewise, the finance guy probably won’t be wearing an old and slightly yellowed tank top.
Consider what you would expect the character to wear and try and to align your clothing choices with their world!
How to Dress to Suggest Character
Now that we’ve covered what to avoid, let’s get specific around how you can suggest the character through your wardrobe choices. Below are several considerations that will help spark your creativity and nail the character’s essence.
Consider Tone and Genre of The Project
When deciding your wardrobe choice, consider the project. A commercial audition for a brand like McDonalds will have a very different feeling than an HBO Crime Drama. Consider the tone and genre of the project while selecting your wardrobe.
For example, a comedic project with larger than life characters might call for bolder colours and more exuberant clothing than something that exists in a gritty underworld, which might have more muted colours and simple clothing.
Pro tip: When auditioning for a commercial casting consider dressing in the colour palette of the brand.
Subtle Ways to Suggest Character
As we have covered, your clothing choice can indicate your understanding of the part. Subtlety is the key here. You can think about the colour and style of the clothing (for example, period dramas have a different feeling to contemporary clothing), and the structure of the fabric. An example of what this would look like in practice is rather than wearing scrubs to play a nurse, you could wear a neutral coloured V-neck top. On the other hand, if you’re auditioning for a white collar role you don’t want to look shabby and unprofessional. Instead, consider wearing business appropriate colours, and playing with more structured clothing.
Beyond Wardrobe Choices
Finally, once you have thought about the clothing choices, consider additional elements that will suggest the character’s world. This can include things like jewellery and accessories, the grooming practices of the character, and their hair and makeup.
Even for men, jewellery can be a consideration. For characters that are perhaps more in a Russell Brand-type archetype, consider wearing some rings or a small hoop earring.
“I like them to give a hint of the part… I want to see the actor, not the costume.” Casting Director Deirdre Bowen
Consider how you can style your hair in a way that reflects the character. This includes facial hair! Finally, reflect the character with your makeup choices and remember that it’s not necessary to wear makeup if your character wouldn’t.
Final Thoughts on What to Wear
Similar to all the other elements of a self tape audition, what you choose to wear will show casting your interpretation of this character. When deciding what to wear, the biggest rule is to use your common sense. However, don’t be afraid to make choices that will hint at how you see this character.
Ultimately, you want to imply that you could live in this world through smart and subtle choices. Don’t overcomplicate things. Now, get out there, get dressed, and get that role!
