<p>Here's a nuts and bolts question for the tech enthusiasts and experienced auditioners out there! What is the best way to film an audition video in terms of type of video camera, external mic or not, background, lighting, location (home or studio of some sort), apparel, etc.? We're wondering whether or not to buy a new camcorder but there are SO many choices and it seems like the audio portion of the video is the most critical. Any suggestions, advice, or tips would be most appreciated.</p>
<p>Anne, there is a good discussion regarding this on the Music Majors forum.</p>
<p>Treat it just as if it were a real audition, you just don't have anyone talking back. So be polite to the camera and still dress the way you would for a real audition. The auditors understand that it won't be a professional video, but you want a camcorder that takes good audio and video because you want them to see your pretty face and hear your pretty voice. There is really no need to go overboard</p>
<p>Freedom is correct. My D was accepted to 2 different programs on the basis of a video audition just as she described above.</p>
<p>I was wondering the same thing! One of my daughter's friends got a job by sending a video out, but should there be separate videos with different types of songs? What might be right for "Happy Days, the Musical" might not be right for "Phantom". How do you work that out? Or can you put like, 5 different style songs on one video and tell the casting director to look at, say, # 1 and #3??</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice everyone. I must say to "Disney Director" that your name suggests that your D had dynamite videos!</p>
<p>Freedom is right on the money with his suggestions for the taped audition. We put together one for a large university and D got into their BFA Theater performance and later was offered an MT slot after I sent a link to a YouTube video I posted of her singing "Somewhere over the Rainbow" during a dress rehearsal for the spring musical.
For the original audition video I had a friend that tapes different events for the high school do it in our choir room, well lit, no props, costumes, dressed nicely, nothing to tight or short. In order to put this together I e-mailed the Theatre faculty and asked for the requirements. Each school has different requirements.
What I recall is we taped an introduction with her name, current school, location, and what pieces she was about to perform. She did a monologue, and two 32 bar contrasting songs. I used pieces of her NFAA video and added a clip as to why she wanted to attend that specific school.
The youtube video came out great because she was miked and I was sitting in the perfect place in the auditorium. The choir room sounded tin canish like most camcorder recordings, but if you can attach a high quality microphone to it and place it in the room properly it will sound much better. You will also need a computer with video editing software and a DVD burner. I use a program named Nero to edit miy tapes but Pinnicle Studio is a little more user friendly if you're not real tech savy. It may be worth your while to ask a friend to help or have this done professionally as you could put together her NFAA video as well. If you do decide to purchase a camera I suggest you compare models and features at CNet.com. The main difference is that the more expensive models pick up low light better so in a dark theater these are great. I only spent about 300.00 on mine and was quite satisfied with most lighting conditions and the sound, however when it gets really dark and I'm a ways away I can't pick up everything. The good news is that they get better and better every year so even the least expensive models are decent compared to a few years ago.</p>