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How to self-tape in Paris: a practical guide

Paris hosts most French castings and a steady flow of international ones. It also comes with specific home-recording conditions: small rooms, old floors, courtyards that carry every sound. This guide lists the constraints and the fixes, for actors based in Paris and for those passing through.

1. Distance: the scarcest resource

A mid-shot on a phone with the standard lens needs roughly 1.5 to 2 metres between lens and actor, plus about one metre between actor and backdrop to avoid a cast shadow: 2.5 to 3 metres of clear space in one line. In a 20 m² Paris studio flat, that line is usually the diagonal, and the diagonal usually runs through the bed.

• Look for the longest line in the room, not the emptiest wall.
• Do not switch to the ultra-wide lens (0.5x) to fit in: it distorts the face and casting directors spot it at once.
• Test the frame before you block the scene, not after.

2. Backdrop: plain, neutral, no biography

Mouldings, bookshelves, an open kitchen or a film poster pull the eye away from the performance. A plain wall, light or mid-grey, about 1.5 metres wide is enough for a mid-shot. A bedsheet shows every crease; paper or a rigid board holds better.

3. Sound: you can hear the neighbours, and they can hear you

Floors and walls in older Paris buildings carry voices, footsteps and music. Courtyards echo; the street brings scooters, sirens, early deliveries and weekday building works. It works both ways: a break-up scene played full voice at 10 pm will be heard on the staircase.

• Windows shut, curtains drawn, a rug on the floor: every soft surface cuts the echo.
• Bring the mic close to your mouth (lavalier, or a mic just above the frame) instead of relying on a phone two metres away.
• Shoot loud scenes during the day, and warn the neighbours if the scene calls for it: cheaper than a ruined take.
• Listen back to one take on headphones before shooting the rest: background noise is inaudible while you act.

4. Light: a courtyard window will not last a session

Daylight shifts within minutes and goes early in winter: in December the sun sets in Paris before 5 pm. A warm ceiling light from above hollows the eyes. Mixing daylight and bulbs gives two skin tones in one shot.

• One soft key light in front of you, slightly off to the reader's side.
• One colour temperature only: either the window or the lamps.
• Check that the first and last takes match.

5. The reader

Off camera, next to the lens, at your eye line, a little quieter than you. Requests often come with 24 to 72 hours' notice, so finding a reader is part of the preparation. A pre-recorded reader locks the rhythm of the scene and it shows: last resort only.

6. Deadlines, time zones and delivery

For international castings the deadline is usually given in the production's time zone. London is one hour behind Paris; Los Angeles is nine hours behind for most of the year. A Friday 10 am deadline in Los Angeles is Friday 7 pm in Paris. Allow for upload time too: a large file on a building or holiday-rental Wi-Fi can take an hour. Use the delivery method and file name requested.

7. Self-taping in French

If you are taping in French as a second language, read the brief on accent: some roles call for a native-sounding French, others for your own accent. A steady, natural accent serves you better than an approximate one that slips mid-scene. A session with a French-speaking coach before recording pays off in the take.

8. Home or studio: a decision grid

Home works when the scene is short, played at conversational volume, with a reader available and a flat that offers distance and a plain wall. A studio is the rational choice when:

• the deadline is under 24 hours and nothing is set up;
• the scene is loud or physical;
• two actors need to be in frame;
• you need a native reader or coach in French or English;
• you are visiting Paris without equipment or a suitable room.

Shooting at ForTape

Address

3 rue Charles Baudelaire, building T, 75012 Paris. Ledru-Rollin (line 8), Bastille (lines 1, 5, 8) and Gare de Lyon (lines 1, 14, RER A and D) are a few minutes' walk away.

Hours

Slots from 9 am to 8 pm, bookable online. Arrive 10 minutes before your slot. The door code is sent by email.

Rooms

Yellow Room for one actor on camera with an off-camera reader, from €24 per hour incl. VAT. Red Room (16 m²) for two-handers in frame and scenes with movement, from €36 per hour incl. VAT.

Set up

4K camera, lights and mic in place, plain backdrop, one-button recording. Takes are dropped into your Dropbox folder during the session.

Options

Reader (€50/h) and coach, in French or English; Zoom pack for live online castings.

FAQ

Read next

• How to nail your self-tape: the complete method
• Preparing for a casting workshop