<p>A couple days ago, I googled something like "musical theatre college prescreen recommendations," and a video from acceptd came up. In it, they strongly suggest using professional equipment (including a microphone if possible) in a rehearsal space. As I've perused threads here about prescreens, it seems that many people use their own video cameras and even iPads or iAnythings (something the acceptd video and a couple other articles I read adamently advised against) at home. Honestly, I started to panic a bit. </p>
<p>What did you do? Where did you or your ds/dd video, what equipment was used, and did you pay an accompianist? Would you do anything differently if you or your dd/ds had to do it again? How successful were you or your ds/dd in the prescreen process?</p>
<p>My dd is a junior in hs, and I want to know what to expect and help her be prepared. Thanks!</p>
<p>We used an IPAD and paid an accompanist. My S submitted 3 prescreens - Otterbein, U of Michigan and Penn State. He passed all three. If I could do it over I would figure out a way to slate the pieces according to each schools requirements without having to record the songs/monologues over again. Having my S’s dance instructor help him with the dance pieces was invaluable.</p>
<p>There are a number of good threads on this exact subject in this forum complete with detailed “this is what we did” advice. Search and I think you will get all the info you need to not panic at all.</p>
<p>If anyone knows of the threads to which halflokum is referring, would you please link them? I searched “prescreens” already here and went back several pages, but found just a few posts with these details, and those few were scattered. I think it’d help to have it in one place. Of course, if that already exists, please point it out to me, as I didn’t find it.</p>
<p>Thanks, MTMajorCook. I was wondering about the format, too, since schools obviously do have different requirements. Some places require the tape to keep rolling, while others allow sections to be “pasted” together, right (as long as there is no editing of the actual monologues and songs)?</p>
<p>6 prescreens, passed them all - no special equipment - small hand-held video recorder - recorded accompaniment from vocal coach. Many schools say it doesn’t need to be professional, just obviously clear picture and good audio. Most schools took same format with the exception of a few. Record all songs and monologues separate you can always put them together or take them apart.</p>
<p>As Raam1012 mentioned, film each piece separately. Son had three pre-screens, all with different requirements. He used a laptop to film, edited the clips himself with imovie, standard with all Macs. We hired an accompanist and the whole shebang cost around $200. He passed all pre-screens. All three schools used Acceptd. </p>
<p>I would recommend to check out each schools Acceptd site to better understand how they want clips uploaded. Though only one school stated they want all clips separate, it turned out all the schools had separate “slots” for the clips. I know this is confusing, but once you see their instructions on the Acceptd page, you will understand. I’m not tech savvy, so my descriptions are wanting. I think most of us 2014 parents were in your exact spot last year and somehow we muddled through. You’ll be fine!!</p>
<p>My d used a zoom q2hd camera and hired an accompanist for her prescreens. It is the exact same camera that oberlin is using in their vp regional auditions. The audio is really amazing, the video quality is good, it’s realitively inexpensive ($199 at best buy), lightweight, compact, and reusable once you make it to college or in other shows (especially when your learning new material). My d passed her prescreens for mt and vp with it.</p>
<p>myloves - we used the video camera we already owned, put it on a tripod we already owned (if you don’t own one - someone you know does and you can borrow!), and filmed on a Sunday at the dance studio when it was empty. Her voice teacher did do live accompaniment - but after talking to others, I wish I had gotten her piano tracks (which are needed for Unifieds) and used those - as you can control the volume of the music vs the voice better… however it did not hurt her. D did film all her intros (or slates) separately - and I edited them onto the fronts of the 16 bar or 32 bar cuts (or the monologues) That way we were able to customize for each school without re recording the song or the monologue. D submitted 8 prescreens (2 optional) and passed them all. No professional equipment, no professional studio, no professional video editor… Just D, me, Dad and the Voice Teacher! (And I used Windows Movie maker to edit the clips to include the intros, and to remove the inevitable pause before beginning)</p>
<p>I will confess that before hitting the “submit” button on that first prescreen - we were nerve wracked - but it obviously all worked out.</p>
<p>One thing I did do - my D is a total perfectionist - and she and I both agreed that she would not watch the videos back (except for right away the day we filmed). I did the editing so she wouldn’t spend time second guessing herself. I don’t think she’s watched them yet!</p>
<p>We also filmed for her friend on the same day - saved the voice teacher from having to do it twice, and allowed the girls to take turns and rest between takes. Her friend has also had success with her prescreens.</p>
<p>We even filmed one little bit for UMich on the iPhone in the living room - when we discovered an “optional” video statement on the deadline date when we were trying to submit.</p>
<p>Good Luck to you!! You are already doing your research early - which is fabulous - and I recommend getting these filmed in the early fall as well. She had all apps and prescreens in by Halloween - and were able to secure our first choice audition date/time for all of her schools.</p>
<p>I still haven’t watched my son’s pre-screens! I knew I would only gum up the works due to my own anxiety, so I let go and let my son take care of it :)</p>
<p>These are great responses; thank you all so much! I feel much more at ease about it now. Whew!</p>
<p>Kategrizz, I wondered about the auditioners watching their own videos. My daughter is also a huge perfectionist (wonder where she got that from ), and I believe we’ll follow what you did when your daughter watched it only once. Also, we’re planning on getting apps and prescreens done as early as we can, like you and your dd did.</p>
<p>Wow, entertainersmom, that takes a lot of will power! I think in our case, I’ll have to be the one watching it. My dd loves the whole auditioning process, but she may be too hard on herself if she views her video repeatedly. </p>
<p>Sorry Myloves. I didn’t mean to leave you searching but I confess… I don’t have my PHd in CC searching and linking or I would have set you up and not left you hanging. But I know the threads exist. I have both read them and contributed to them historically. (There could also be some in the theater forum too). Perhaps EmsDad might see this and work his magic once again?</p>
<p>Will 2nd the recommendation above to check out Mary Anna Dennard’s video on her website about “showing your best self, creating your prescreen audition”. Will also say that we ran the gamut on filming from a HD digital video camera to an old Flip video recorder to iPhone videos during college audition season. </p>
<p>Have your S or D get used to this, though, b/c they will be doing video submissions for summer stock and professional opportunities in the future. My son has found a good system of using the camera on his MacBook laptop and making simple iMovies that he can email. My other son has used his both his iPhone and his iPad. Video audition submissions are here for good.</p>
<p>We filmed my S’s pre-screens using our current HD video camera and purchased a VERY inexpensive tripod. We hired an accompanist and used her recorded tracks played through a small speaker (which we need for unifieds anyway). We filmed each monologue, song, and intro separately so we could piece together as needed. Probably the most high end piece was we actually filmend the dance portion in the High School’s dance studio. Believe it or not, we filmed his songs in my Master Bathroom!!! The acoustics were really good in there. </p>
<p>Besides uploading intros/no intros, 1 song or 2, 1 monologue or 2, dance or no dance, we never cut his songs to 16 or 32 bar measures. Left them as is. He submitted to 8 schools and got yesses from ALL eight. So, moral to the story, the “professionalism” is definitely not what they are looking for, but clear sound and picture…and of course…talent!!! Good luck to all!</p>
<p>Tripod is a very good tip! He will use one for video submission from now on…it is WAAYY harder to stay still for a minute than one would think lol!</p>
<p>What did y’all do for dance prescreens? Did you hire someone to choreograph or did your children do it themselves? Also, for schools that ask to see technical exercises (plies, battements, turns, tap, etc.), did you have someone there to kind of guide them through it and provide music? I’m concerned about being away in the summer and not having enough time to rehearse.</p>
<p>^ We did the same - had one of my D’s dance instructors help choreograph, and to walk her through all the technical stuff. My D did choreograph the short tap combination that was optional for a couple of schools - because the instructor she worked with is not really a tapper - but the instructor was there to say - “yes, that looks good” or “try something else”. They spent a 1 hour session talking through all the requirements and planning out what they were going to do/needed to do and choreographing the jazz solo - and then a second 1 hour session to record everything.</p>
), and I believe we’ll follow what you did when your daughter watched it only once. Also, we’re planning on getting apps and prescreens done as early as we can, like you and your dd did.</p>