A review: 21 Day Self-Tape Challenge

If you’re an actor, you’ve probably come across a really popular buzz word – the Self-Tape. Self-tapes, or a pre-recorded video audition, are becoming an increasingly popular way to cast and have only accelerated in the wake of the pandemic. Not only do they save everyone time (no commute, yes please) and audition jitters (you submit your best take) – they are an essential part of every actor’s toolkit in the modern casting climate. Read on to see why I really recommend Manuel Puro’s 21 Day Self-Tape Challenge

My mom gifted me the 21 Day Self-Tape Challenge for my birthday. I was SO excited but a bit apprehensive as I felt I didn’t have the time to dedicate to it and that life was busy – but then again I was never going to get a more perfect opportunity. Hello lockdown! Shoutout to the awesome gals at the 98% podcast where I first heard about it, and my bestie for giving my mom the idea. It was a game-changer!

Having just completed the entire 21 day Self-Tape Challenge and making every deadline, I am confident to say that this course has possibly been one of the greatest gifts I could have received as an actor.

Ainsleigh Brandler, 2021

The Gist

The premise of this course is that over 21 consecutive days, you will play 21 different characters. Each evening at 7pm, you will be sent a brief with a monologue (or duologue) to learn and a short description of the scene. You will have a 24-hour window in which to learn the lines, interpret your character, film the scene, edit it correctly, compress it and upload it to the forum for comment and feedback.

It will overwhelm you (in a good way)

Make no mistake. It is no easy feat having to learn lines, perform, edit and finally turn around a quality tape in a short 24-hour deadline. This is not usually expected in the real world, so you can only imagine that if you can handle that, you can handle anything! Once you start finding your groove and getting into a good rhythm, you will be amazed at how your line learning muscles improve and you begin to find memorising monologues so much easier.

What the tech?

If editing, cropping, ken burns, title cards, compressing and other techie jargon scared you beforehand, fear not dear friend, as they will soon become second nature in just a few short weeks! No reader? No problem – you will learn how to multi-task as both! Even the most technophobic actors will come out with a good understanding of how to submit a quality self-tape on any device, stat. And what better way to learn than by repeating something, day in and day out?

You will be supported by a community of like-minded actors

You will be surrounded by fellow actors, each with vastly different experience and cast types. Many will be from around the globe and although some may speak different languages – you will share one common goal! To perfect your self-tape game. These actors will support you, write informative feedback, give suggestions and praise you when you’ve done a good job and best of all, they will become friends for life. It’s such an uplifting feeling receiving a compliment for hard work and reaffirming that this was the path you were meant to take. I’ve already connected with a few of the course members offline and am cooking up some exciting projects!

You will make bold choices and start playing with the character

Have you ever walked out of an audition and completely doubted yourself? Did I do the right thing? Should I have interpreted the character that way? The joy of this course is that you also get to sit behind the screen and watch your fellow actor’s tapes. You will begin to see how one scene can be played in a variety of different ways and that what you might have thought should be acted one way, was completely turned on its head and acted another! But both scenes worked. Isn’t art amazing? Oh, and remember how the title ‘casting director’ sounded so elusive? Well, now you’ve just gotten a really good taste at what a big portion of their time is spent on! Yes please.

You will hit a wall

You will start eating, breathing and dreaming self-tapes. 24/7 for 3 weeks. There will be an evening when you will want to smash your computer screen at 7pm when that trusty email arrives. You will get a character or a scene that you will just not gel with. But most importantly, you will get through it!

You will learn so much about yourself as an actor

Perhaps my most favourite takeaway from this course is that I often used to struggle with typecast and although I desperately want to show my range as an actor, seeing myself on screen solidly for 3 weeks allowed me to come away with exactly what parts I realistically would be cast as, based on my essence, appearance and personality. And that has done absolute wonders for my marketability and my confidence. Not only did this totally transform my self-tape game but I’ve instantly made myself more hireable.

I think it’s clear to see that I am a huge fan of this Self-Tape Challenge. I believe every actor needs to invest in their training and this is a small price to pay for something that is becoming an essential part of our industry. So if you’re still thinking about it – just do it! You’re about to embark on a very exciting journey and can be confident that you will never submit a mediocre self-tape again!

Oh and did you know you get 1 year’s FREE entry into The Acting Habit, right after? Bonus!

You can find out more about the course and investment right here.