Location for audition videos?

Where should you film the audition videos? Should you have a live accompanist? SHould the dance portion be in a studio?
DO you have to make a separate one for each school? I’m so nervous about the video part because i’m not techie… I"m just so afraid in general that I will miss things and follow the directions wrong because i am very bad with details and nobody is really helping me with this.

Where should you film the audition videos?

Against a blank wall, preferably white or grey (beige will work, but can give a slight yellow cast to the video, not a huge deal, but not as good as white or grey). Other backdrops can work, but a blank wall removes the possibility of distraction. Good natural light is preferable, but the only fundamental requirement is no shadows on your face. Generally speaking, the more light, the better (but not so much it washes out the video). A school classroom or church classroom will work.

Should you have a live accompanist?

It is harder to balance the sound if you use a live accompanist - the piano can easily overpower a vocalist in a recording if not carefully balanced). You can use a recorded track unless a school specifically says you must use a live accompanist (don’t know of any that require this anymore).

Should the dance portion be in a studio?

No. You can use any room with good light. A school classroom or church with the chairs pushed out of the way will work. We used a room at a church with the floor cleared.

Do you have to make a separate one for each school?

Not necessarily, but there are differing requirements between various schools. Some want 16 bar cuts, some want 32. Some want a Contemporary song written since 2000, some want a Golden Age ballad with a sustained legato line. Some want one monologue, some want two. Some schools want an introductory statement about why you want to go there. You have to go research each school to see what they want - most of them are on GetAcceptd.com

You can do a perfectly acceptable video with an iPhone clamped to something stable.

Here are some threads to read:

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/1795731-videos-p1.html

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/1629514-prescreen-video-recording-resources-diy-p1.html

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/1795731-videos-p1.html

If you can afford $500, I strongly recommend Mary Anna Dennard’s online video series. She walks you through every single step in the process, including how to shoot prescreen videos.

I wouldn’t worry, I am sure that colleges would much rather see a prescreen shot using an cell phone in bedroom with a Wicked poster on a pink wall in the background than an over-produced professional video that is obviously shot in a studio. The content of the video is what is most important, not the format.

We filmed on the stage at my D’s school. D was in front of the curtain for monologues/songs (a nice touch was that the room has proper acoustics) and opened the grand (but kept traveler closed) for dance

While prescreens were not required when my daughter applied to BFA programs, she submitted a video for NFAA Awards (Young Arts) which is very similar to what is on a prescreen. Like @toowonderful we also used our school’s stage for the setting.

We did use our dance studio for our dance videos (actually for all!) we had permission to use at a time when there were no classes in session. So while its not necessary… It’s also permissible if you have access like we did.

@EmsDad , I realize your post is from last summer, but Dennard now has a stand alone video about how to shoot your own prescreen. We have watched and it is excellent. It is available to purchase for under $29 and well worth the money. These kids know how to and her video shows how to do it for free and get a great video. Not necessary to spend a bunch of money on production. The video does not say that live accompanists are required, but shows how to shoot with both live and recorded

We filmed my daughters prescreens at my gym. We used a small yoga/pilates room when there were no classes scheduled. I used a video recorder that was 6 years old. I recorded everything. We also edited everything. It honestly was not that difficult. We used my daughters iPhone on a nice dock for her music. It honestly turned out great. You absolutely do not need to spend a ton of money for the prescreens. As long as they can hear you clearly, and the acoustics are good, you will be fine.

We stressed about getting the prescreens done, but did not have enough $$ in the budget to get something done professionally. So we had to tackle it ourselves. We also made a fun “bloopers” video! LOL

I’m going through the entire process on my own (I even worked a full time job this summer to pay for all my applications and auditions). I recorded my prescreens right at home standing in front of my front door. It was the only solid location for me to stand in my house that still had good acoustics. I did have to re-record once because a car drove past, and there are small windows on each side of the door. But I was successful in my pre-screens and have gotten live auditions!! Just goes to show that you don’t have to go all out as long as you put your all into it! I did record a dance portion of one audition in a church gym as well.

Since my daughter has been entering singing contests for a few years, we ordered a (relatively) cheap video studio lighting kit with backdrop - like this one:

https://www.amazon.com/Fancierstudio-UL9004SB-69BWG-Lighting-Background-Stand-Black/dp/B005EN24RK/ref=lp_7161087011_1_14?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1482837837&sr=1-14

We have her voice teacher record the music and she can do as many takes as she wants while we shoot the video. We have definitely gotten our $150 bucks out of it. You can find cheaper ones with two lights that are under $100. Her prescreen songs and monologue looked great shot against the white backdrop with the soft box lighting. For her dance, we had to pull back a bit and the illusion was ruined- you could see the rest of the living room! Maybe the screeners got a laugh LOL, she passed all the prescreens.

Ours came with a green screen that my daughter and her MT friends can’t wait to use. I told them they are not touching it until we are totally done shooting videos (are we done?). The boys will break something for sure!