When I talk about how important it is for actors to understand the tech of self-taping, most people think I’m talking about lighting and set up. And yes, that is one component.
You talk to most working TV and film actors and they can recognize the size of a lens and how they need to adjust their movements for camera.
But it goes beyond that. Your technique is also a part of your tech.
And when it comes to types of audition—
COMEDY is the most technical audition there is.
But here is the kicker, you can be the funniest person in your friend group and still not book from your comedy auditions.
WHY? Because you might now know how to capture it on camera. I know—it’s frustrating AF! However, I’ve booked over 80% of my comedy jobs straight off tapes—like the Erin & Aaron guest star you just saw— so I know it is possible.
After teaching self-tape audition techniques to hundreds of actors since 2020, here are the 3 components of a comedy audition I see missing from most self-tapes that you have to master before your tape can even be in consideration for the job.
HURDLE 1: The Tech of the Writing
TV writing is very formulaic and the construction of a joke is even more so.
An actor has to be able to FIRST do script analysis for STORY and then do script analysis to find and score the jokes on the page.
With multi-cams, they are easier to find and it is one of the reasons why ad-libbing and/or changing words in multi-cam is a big NO-NO.
Those words were specifically chosen to tell that joke. Literally a room full of writers have spent weeks in that writers room auditioning different words to find which one is the funniest. You change a word, the whole rhythm is thrown off and you have ruined the joke.
Now with a single-cam or dramedy, they can be a bit more challenging to identify on the page. But trust me they are there and it is your job to find them.
When you are able to deliver the funny on the page, it let’s casting, producers, and directors know that they can trust you on set to do the same. This is an essential skill to have because, often times, especially on multi-cam sets, they will re-write jokes based on whether or not the audience laughs and you have to be able to very quickly analyze it and bring re-writes to life between takes.
It is one of the reasons why in many improv/sketch institutions, like The Groundlings, won’t even allow you to audition for the Sunday Company until you move through the writing lab.
So just because you took Improv 101 that doesn’t mean that
you are ready to be on a comedy set.
HURDLE 2: The Tech of Your Instrument
Now that you have scored your script, you have play the music on the page and here is where we see many actors fumble the ball on comedy.
It’s more than just the old adage of “Faster is Funnier”—though yes, most self-tapes I see die on pacing. If it isn’t the reader slowing you down, it is the actor being too precious with the language or breaking up sentences in weird places.
The truth is—most actors we teach and/or coach don’t know how to rehearse for comedy and rehearsal is a critical step in your comedy process.
The same way writers audition different words in a writers room, you, as an actor, have to audition different rhythms to find your unique brand of comedy and what works best for YOUR instrument. And it’s more than just voice—it is your WHOLE instrument. So movement and gestures is part of that exploration.
When I first came to LA, I went to comedy classes that would teach you the “Mullaley” or the “Perry”—but I”m not Megan or Matt (RIP to one of the greats). That’s the difference between being result oriented vs. process oriented.
And sure that might give you a quick win—but you will sound NO different than every actor who studied that same technique. And comedy right now is about finding your own unique voice—Julio Torres, Jimmy Fowlie, Rachel Sennott, & Ayo Edebiri—have very distinct rhythms that they honed from being curious about how they express their instruments and what works best for them. You have to do the same. What is YOUR brand of funny?
But a big trap for actors is that they are a) afraid of being too big so they don’t do anything at all or b) have difficulty and/or need guidance with how to modulate their instruments and stretch the expression of it. If this is you, then you need to get to a class where they can support you playing the scales of your instrument first.
HURDLE 3: The Tech of Your Frame
And this is where it all comes together.
Can you capture your comedy in the frame?
We are working with a VISUAL medium. How do you use your entire instrument to tell this story in this static frame? Where can you insert visual bits that enhance and not distract from story? How can you punctuate a joke with your framing? Are you moving on a punchline? Can you hit your mark? And the list goes on and on.
If you aren’t thinking about these types of questions and just standing in the middle of your frame and playing the scene, then you are leaving creative choices on the table that can really ENHANCE and create a DYNAMIC tape that tells casting you are ready to be on set.
Many comedy acting classes teach you only the tools—but that is why I’m so passionate about HOLISTIC training. I’m trying to set you up so that can thrive on set.
This is the way working actors think, I mean just listen to Ryan Reynolds talking about his creative process for Deadpool & Wolverine on the ScriptNotes podcast. Are you THAT curious about your process and approach to comedy?
So, if you are interested or CURIOUS about holistic training, our The Bridge for Actors online course program has a Comedy 101 course included that covers all the basics of comedy, as well as how to score your script, how to rehearse—and so much more so that you can find YOUR OWN COMEDY VOICE.
And if you want to experience how WE teach comedy LIVE at The Bridge for Actors, we have a comedy class starting this week on September 19. Sides dropped on Sept 15.
We are going to walk participating students through a virtual casting process of a pilot that is currently casting: from self-tapes, to callback tapes, to a virtual chemistry with invited comedy casting directors Felicia Fasano (Kevin Can F#@* Himself, Better Things, Survival of the Thickets, and more) and Chrissy Fiorilli-Ellington (Die Hart with Kevin Hart, The Earliest Show with Ben Schwartz and Lauren Lapkus, and more).
If you want to can participate (we have 5 spots available) or you can audit this 3-week class for just $57. Check out details HERE.
Either way, I hope this inspires you to look into how you can incorporate these three components into your next comedy self-tape audition. <3
Love y’all,
Anna
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