News & Advice
Get the insider knowledge and audition tips you need to navigate your acting career. The Spotlight News & Advice hub offers the latest industry news, practical advice on the business of performing, wellbeing articles, and exclusive interviews with top casting directors.
Top casting directors discuss how they’ve seen the casting process evolve over the years, from in-person auditions to self-tapes. The path to the audition room has transformed over the last decade. What was once a world of physical headshots and in-person sessions has shifted into a more digital landscape of self-tapes and global reach. While […]
Find out how copyright applies to the television and film productions you have been a part of in the UK and how to seek permission before including excerpts in your acting showreel. Copyright is a complex legal subject that can be hard to navigate when starting out as an actor. It’s not always clear when […]
Master lighting, settings, and backdrops with our expert guide to fixing common self-tape issues. In all our years of providing industry advice and helping performers improve their Spotlight profiles, we’ve seen a lot of self-tapes, and we’ve noticed a few recurring issues actors are having while filming. This guide demystifies the technical side of self-taping, […]
Mel Churcher’s 14 expert strategies for finding freedom, building a believable world, and ensuring your next self-tape captures your true potential. Technical perfection is only half the battle in a self-tape; the real challenge is maintaining the spark of a live performance through a lens. Renowned acting and voice coach Mel Churcher — who has […]
Essential guidance for parents and young performers to master the technical and practical art of self-taping. This guide simplifies the self-tape process for families, helping young performers balance school and auditions with ease. You’ll discover how to capture clear sound and lighting, why landscape filming is non-negotiable, and the best ways to name and send […]
Demystify the audition process with our guide to filming professional idents and full-length shots. An ident – sometimes called a slate – is a purely technical part of the audition process in which you state your name, your agent (or that you’re self-represented) and occasionally a few other details. It’s used by casting directors to […]