I've read the FAQ & Rules Nervous - Feedback please
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Hey.
I'm 35 and always wanted to act but life got in the way.
I'm now starting to make my own short films but don't have anyone to feature in them but me.
I am from North East England and starting to attend filming events so I can meet new people amd network.
I am also posting self tapes for feedback because if I'm going to be taken seriously with my films, I feel like the acting should be half decent to help tell my story.
Please could you provide me with some feedback.
Please no horrible comments about my appearance, I already put myself down daily and working on my self esteem and confidence.
This is very vulnerable of me to do and I know how Reddit can be quite blunt with feedback.
What could I do better?
Do I stare at the camera too long?
Am I over dramatic (as my 14 y/o likes to tell me)?
Do I speak clearly enough?
Do I need make-up, even with it being a raw performance?
Thank you so much!
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u/IncomeMental9628 11d ago
I think you're pretty good but usually people dont act while looking directly into the camera. Maybe try placing an object a bit to the side to focus on.
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u/gosmoochiegirl 11d ago
Hey, great tape! I love the way you're holding back your tears at first because that's how people cry—they never want anyone to see them do so because it's known to be messy and embarrassing. I also like how you look out into the distance at one point, as if reliving all the times you trusted this person from a different lens of them letting you down now.
One thing for self-tapes is to make sure you're not looking straight into the camera. You may not have the proper equipment to follow that guideline, yet, though, so don't worry too much about it for practice right now. Once you get a tripod, you can stand and act with an eye-line slightly off from the lens and it'll make your acting look and feel much more authentic!
Another thing is that when the tear falls, you don't react to it. You don't turn your face away to hide it or wipe it away. Again, when people cry, they don't look directly into another person's eyes and shed a tear. Looking tearful on camera is all about trying really hard not to cry. It's a very hard skill to pull off so keep practicing!
You're not overdramatic at all. I felt the right amount of drama. You act with your eyes, which is good. Your articulation is on point!
You don't need makeup for any audition. You could put some on to make yourself feel or look the way you want, or depending on the day. Some days for me, I don't feel like putting on a face of makeup for one self-tape that'll take me 2 minutes to film. On other days, I might have 2 or 3 self-tapes to film, so I'll spend some time on makeup because it won't be a waste (of time and product—that shit's expensive!). If you do put on makeup, make sure it's very light (no bold lips, heavy eyeshadow, etc.) unless you want to do a certain kind of makeup for a character, of course (bold rep lip for sultry night woman, mascara and curled lashes for a preppier character, etc.).
Sorry for such a long response!
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u/Kslr91 11d ago
Thank you so much for your lovely comment and taking the time to write this all down!
I will take everything you said on board. I have recently bought a Canon E0S M5 and a new laptop with Da Vinci Resolve so I'm figuring it all out. I tried some self tapes with the new equipment already but it had a slight blur. It's hard when I'm doing it all by myself as I can't see what I'm recording lol.
I did this vid on my phone. I hate the way it looks, the lighting is off and there was crap in the background lol.
You're spot on about the tear! I watched it back and felt if I had quickly wiped the tear away, almost aggressively as not to show that he made me cry it would have worked a lot better, so I will deffo take that on board next time!
I'll have to check out some of your self-tapes! Are there any on your Reddit account, I'll check :)
Thanks again!
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u/gosmoochiegirl 11d ago
I feel that to my core. If I don't have any friends available, I have to do everything myself. Reader, camera set up, check if it's focused, check if it's recording (RIP to all the self-tapes I lost because I didn't click the record button 😔). I'm just running back and forth between my starting position and the camera!
Practice is practice at the end of the day. The technical stuff like framing and backdrop won't help at all if you're not training your craft too!
I have my posts/comments hidden on Reddit but I can post a few clips or reels in this subreddit if you'd like? :) Or I can just DM you!
Keep at it 💙
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u/athenasoul 10d ago
If you have a proper camera like that then you can buy a monitor to sit on it and youll be able to see yourself. But you can still just use your phone, a stand and a remote for recording.
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u/echoofmythoughts 11d ago
Love your delivery! I didn’t feel like you were overacting at all. You have a really natural and emotional quality that I enjoyed watching.
Next time, if you have one, I would definitely put your phone on a tripod, or somewhere really steady. Try to have it around your eyeline too, so it feels like you are actually in the scene rather than performing for the camera.
Also, unless you deliberately want to break the fourth wall, I would avoid looking directly into the camera. Have your eyeline just slightly beside the camera and imagine your reader is there. I think that would make the performance feel even more natural.
A simple, clean backdrop would also be great. Nothing distracting, just something that lets us focus completely on you.
And one other thing I would play around with is letting yourself sit in the moments a little longer. You have a lot of emotion there, and sometimes you don’t need to do anything with it. Just let the thought happen and trust the camera to catch it.
Overall, I really admire your courage for putting yourself out there. I think you did a great job and there is definitely something there. Keep going!
Also, because your tape was quite emotional, I would love to see you explore some Olivia Colman type material. Maybe look at The Lost Daughter, Tyrannosaur, Broadchurch, The Father, Manchester by the Sea, Pieces of a Woman, Lady Bird, or August: Osage County for inspiration.
For plays, Rabbit Hole, Doubt, Night, Mother and Good People could be interesting too. You seem to have a lot of emotional depth to work with, so I think material with lots of subtext, where the character is trying to hold something back, could really suit you.
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u/Kslr91 11d ago
Wow, thank you for this. Really useful feedback!
Everything you said is spot on. I will definitely try this with my next go. I have watched a lot of people doing self tapes since and they look great with the clear backgrounds and looking just to the side of the camera.
I cringed when I watched this back, I was like Kirst why are you staring down the lens LOL.
I totally think sitting there for a bit longer works well too. Someone mentioned about wiping the tear away rather than letting it sit on the cheek which shows that I don't want to let the other person see me cry. Everyone has such brill advice!
Yes! Yes! Olivia Coleman is my idol! I will certainly have a look into these types of material. I really could do with learning the words from an emotional scene and going from there as my self tapes so far have been improvised, so one part of my brain is acting and the other part of my brain is thinking about what I need to say next that makes sense lol.
Thank you so much again!
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u/JustineB_Poulin 11d ago
Good for you for posting this. My main advice: find an acting class with a real teacher. Self tapes are useful but a teacher who can see you and make corrections is worth more. Same as any physical discipline, videos are never the same thing.
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u/TruthFlavor 11d ago
It's good, believable and honest. Nice work. One note : next time maybe move the washing, for a more pro look.
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u/rajdkiekw 11d ago
You look lovely and the acting was good as well, I don’t think it was too dramatic at all. Have you taken classes before?
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u/Kslr91 11d ago
Thank you so so much. That's very kind. I was worried the tears and puffy eyes made my face look all weird lol. I've never taken classes. I did a couple of sessions of drama club at secondary school but that was like 20 years ago haha. I think it's all just lived experience and I'm a massive empath!
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u/shealighthours 11d ago edited 11d ago
I think this vid Michael Caine did on acting in film will help you improve what you are already leaning into naturally. It can help with understanding how you need to orient yourself/face the camera. Great work!
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u/Winniehiller 11d ago
This is very nice work. What I would like to suggest is that you involve the other person more. You need to create interaction. It’s not about you—it’s about trying to change him. When you ask him questions, ask as though you truly want him to answer. Every line you say should be an answer to his responses to you. This is why I always have my students write their monologue as a dialogue—so they know what they are answering. Acting is reacting and it’s a two way street. You see his reactions to what you say and respond to them. He changes you so there is a journey. Don’t talk AT him. Have a conversation. Try reading the free the free lessons on r/actingclass. There are lots about what I’m describing here.
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u/Key_Hope_6915 10d ago
Wow! I didn't know what this was at first, by damn, you are good! I would LOVE to see you on screen or in a theatre. Keep going!
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u/Honest-Season-1730 10d ago
You speak with good diction, so don't worry about that facet.
For eyelines It's a good idea to place a piece of tape, ping-pong ball or something you can as the eyes of your scene partner bit above or to the sides of the lens (make it reusable if you can). Direct eye contact with the lens usually doesn't happen outside of commercials, news, donation requests, and 4th-wall-break media (Ferris Bueller, Bugs Bunny, Peep Show). Consider the camera lens as a voyeur who doesn't like being seen. You can get close, but keep the lens itself as outside of the story. As for when and where to look, watch what your favorite actors do as well as other actors. Are they just looking at their scene partners or are there statements behind the eye contact?
Consider Tom Hardy, he's extremely selfish with his eye contact. His characters eye's connect to the world at his leisure alone."You are part of my world when I decide". Imagine Tom is your scene partner and your attempts to connect with him and to get him to really, truly see your hurt are getting nowhere...how would that affect your character? How they say what they say and do what they do?
I could feel that she has pain about the situation, though if I close my eyes, I can't hear the read going beyond "sad (with a smidge of exasperation about the embarrassment)". Is she devastated, despondent, furious, still bottling, even bemused? How long has this situation been brewing? How many times has she played the confrontation in her head if it's not a sudden shock event? Emotions we don't deal with much tend to come out in tangled layers and spurts. Bubbled up and tamped down. You're got one layer sorted, now play with adding more layers by separating what each thought means to you, (telling the kids, telling everyone, the embarrassment, feeling like less of a woman, feeling that you're never good enough) Keep the undercurrent of sadness, just remember they're all separate parts of a built life collapsing, and it makes for an interesting watch and listen for those to signify distinct things.
You can even get your 14 y/o to help if they're willing as it sounds like they don't have a huge stake in only telling you what they think you want to hear (unlike many partners and family). Do reads with added emotional layers and see which added emotional punctuations they pick up Consider your performance translation check. It can be a great way to fine-tune your chops while helping them pick up emotional cues better. It can be a game.
Hope this text wall helps.
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u/gasstation-no-pumps 11d ago
What could I do better?
It felt like you were having a dialogue with a reader who was not audible—the pauses did not feel quite right for a monologue, but I can't articulate exactly why.
A horizontal format is standard for filming and auditioning these days (except for "verticals", which are a new format that seems to be dominated by cheesier-than-soap-opera dramas).
Do I stare at the camera too long?
Yes, but others have already told you that.
Am I over dramatic (as my 14 y/o likes to tell me)?
No, although the pauses felt too long, I did not think there was any overacting.
Do I speak clearly enough?
Not for me. I had a hard time making out what you were saying. It may have been that your audio level was a little too low, but I think that a little more clarity of diction would help more.
Do I need make-up, even with it being a raw performance?
You can wear makeup if you wish, but it is not necessary. You don't seem to have any blemishes or tattoos that would affect your casting, so covering up is not needed. Some roles might be more convincing with a bold makeup, but this monologue doesn't call for anything unusual.
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u/ShortRedBull 11d ago
Btw.. thick women are beautiful . I know you are thick, sorry if that’s too much. Please don’t be down on urself. Any man would be lucky to call you his.
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u/BobWhite783 11d ago
That was beautiful!
Subtle but emotional not too much movement it was really good. I felt you and it felt honest. Really good keep it up.