How to Film Your Prescreens at Home

What equipment do I need?

Lighting. A ring light, or a good window. Natural light is actually the best.

Camera. A phone. Set it up on a tripod, a stack of books, a suction mount on a window, or any other creative camera perch you can rig.

For musical theatre. A device (or two) to play your backing tracks. You do not need a live accompanist — a YouTube backing track is 100% acceptable.

Where should I film?

Anywhere quiet:

• Home
• The black box during lunch
• An empty classroom
• Church

Pro tip: if you are filming at home, let your family know when, so they can plan their day. Find somewhere as private as possible — you want to feel comfortable doing your work.

For the backdrop: a solid blank wall or curtain is ideal. Just make sure you have contrast between what you wear and your backdrop.

Taping tips

• Take breaks. Film your pieces, then come back to them another day and film again.
• Mindset. Look at this not as a finished product, but as a process.
• Stay free. Do a take where you allow yourself the freedom to go out of the camera’s frame, and see how it loosens you up.
• For musical theatre. Place your bluetooth speaker next to you, not next to the camera. (And while we’re at it: when you bring your speaker into in-person auditions, put it off to the side, not in front of you in the middle of the room.)
• Put your phone on Do Not Disturb.

And yes, you can use a chair

Unless a school specifically says not to — University of Michigan, for example, asks for musical theatre song videos without one. Check each program’s requirements before you film.

Before you film, check exactly what each school asks for — video lengths, framing, and slates differ by program. Browse programs to see every prescreen requirement in one place, and if you’re filming musical theatre, start with our Musical Theater Common Prescreen guide and wildcard guide.