Help! I've shot twenty self tape takes, which one do I choose?

We've all been there. We've been given a self-tape to do, we really want the job, we've spent a lot of time working on it and learning the lines and now we have to shoot it ourselves. The pressure mounts and it is all on you. To act, shoot, direct, produce and get to your agent on time. But let's just pause for a second, take a breath and remind ourselves of what our purpose actually is when we are self-taping an audition.

As actors, we are artists and our main job when doing a tape is to show our interpretation of a character within a story. That is our priority. Having to become the filmmaker of our own auditions is a relatively new thing and there is a lot of faff when shooting a self-tape but we must learn to manage it and not let the whole 'production' hinder our main purpose. Which can be tricky. We are usually under time pressure with strict deadlines, maybe shooting it before our housemate or parents get home, while the sun is still bright or before the builders start their work outside, or because our agent now needs it earlier than they thought.

Then, when we are finally ready, we end up shooting a ton of takes. Often, an obscene amount and by the time we sit down to watch them back we are completely overwhelmed by the process and unsure which one we should send. In fact, they all just blur into one. Sometimes we decide to film it again, and again, and again because we notice something we want to 'tweak' or do differently. But there are some important things to remember here that will help:

As actors, we are used to direction. We need directing. So be kind to yourself because this is all very new. Self-tapes are a relatively new way of auditioning that has become the norm since Covid. We would usually be in a room, getting the first 'read' out of the way with a casting director and then we would be given direction and that would be our focus, freeing us up for the next take but with taping, we don't have that luxury. So we have been forced to direct ourselves and watch ourselves back.

Because of the industry's favour of self-taping we, on one hand, need to get used to watching ourselves back in a constructive way but we need to be mindful and I think this is where we can make mistakes with our tapes. If you obsess with watching yourself back, you are watching yourself from an external directorial often self-conscious perspective. This means you can fall into the trap of re-doing your tape with your own notes in mind and the performance is more about how it will look, the end product, rather than your focus as an actor of just being 'in the moment'. We cannot be in the moment, connected, focusing on the scene, if we are thinking about how this take will look on screen.

So to conquer this, set yourself a strict target of three to four takes only. Usually, you will find, it takes you one take to get comfortable, remember your lines, then after that you will be more relaxed and acting on instinct without any inhibitions. Once you look back at your tapes you can start overthinking and then as a result start polishing your performance and it can be affected and less truthful. It is natural to watch ourselves back and judge and start to direct. This is why directors encourage actors not to watch the rushes back on set, however famous they are, because directors know what actors are like. They know we will hate what we see and want to do it again! They know we are mostly tortured artists :-)

We must be kind to ourselves and practical and remember that our first takes will usually be our most truthful and uninhibited. Once you keep re-doing it you move into a territory of polishing, perfecting and over-tweaking and that is not real life. Real life is messy, spontaneous and mostly surprising and that is always what we aim for as an actor.

So, I challenge you. Be strict with yourself. Four takes and no more!

Here is a little poll for you: I'll kick us off. Mine is definitely 10-20.

What is the highest number of takes you have ever shot for a self-tape?

• 1-5
• 5-10
• 10-20
• 20+