Published 15 August 2024
In this article, we break down the differences between human and AI readers, and dive into how to rehearse and self-tape on your own.
Don't have a reader for your next audition? Don't make the mistake to self-tape without a reader. Use an AI reader instead.
In the post-covid acting world, self-tapes have become a cornerstone of the audition process. They allow actors to showcase their talent from anywhere, giving them the flexibility to submit auditions at their convenience.
Your self-tape is as good as your reader. This article explores how to self-tape solo, when you don't have a reader to run lines with you.
Welcome to 2024. Now, you can get an AI to act as your scene partner and read the other characters lines for you. You can use an AI reader to rehearse and self-tape alone, without needing to ask for help from friends or other actors.
Depending on your goals, you are better off with one or the other.
Are you practicing and rehearsing your lines? Or are you trying to book a lead role in a feature film?
It's ideal for rehearsing and running your lines. And also comes in handy for self-taping without a reader.
Consider using an AI reader when:
You are practising
You are applying for your first roles OR non-lead roles OR student films
You have a large volume of auditions (e.g. Backstage jobs)
It's difficult to get a reader
If you need to put your best self-tape forward, you should record your self-tape with a real actor. Not simply a human, nor an AI, not timing your lines to fit defined pauses. Not even a professional actor reading lines over Zoom. You need to have a professional actor, present right in front of you.
Acting is reacting. For real authenticity, it's important to see the face of the reader to connect with emotionally. This requires physical presence of another actor in the room, which no AI or video call can provide.
👉 Guide: 5 types of self-tape readers reviewed
Using an AI scene partner comes with many benefits:
Rehearse on your own
You can practise and rehearse alone, without having to organise with another person (or pay them).
Reads on cue
AI has gotten pretty good at identifying cues and knowing when to read the other characters lines.
Voice collection
You can find a voice effect to match any character. Possible filters include accents (e.g. Australian or US southern or British), gender and age.
Voice effects with emotion
Instead of generating a voice for a given line from scratch, you can first record your own voice and then apply a voice effect to make it sounds like the character. This will keep the emotional depth, cadence, speed and tone of the original recording.
Scenes with 2+ characters
In the rare case that your script contains more than 2 characters. An AI reader can handle unlimited speaking characters in a script.
Unlimited retakes
Since you are working with AI, you are not taking up anyone's time. You can rehearse for as long as you need.
Customizable
Tweak all parts of the scene to sound exactly like you want them too. You can specify character voices, add appropriate silences to set up your scene.
Consistent
The AI will always read on cue, in the voice that you expect from previous runs. Each run is consistent with the previous, reducing variability in the scene and shifting the focus towards your acting.
In this section, we briefly describe the process of how you would use an AI scene partner.
AuditionLead features a web-based platform, which allows for simple scene editing. Drop and edit the script, create characters, tweak your triggers for cue-words, and share your scene with ease.
Here are step by step instructions on how to set-up your scene and start rehearsing with an AI reader:
1. Create a new scene
Go to AuditionLead and create a new scene. You will be redirected to the editor where you can start typing your audition script.
2. Copy & paste your script
The simplest way to fill in your script is to either paste all of the lines (all lines at once), or drag and drop a screenshot of your scene.
3. Record voiceovers and AI voice effects
Record the voiceover for other characters and apply AI voice effects to convey the right emotion, helping you stay in character during your self-tape.
You can also generate an audio using AI directly from text, however, the AI might not convey complex emotions correctly. In such cases, you can just apply a voice effect on your own voice recording instead.
4. Run your lines
Press play to run your lines. Rehearse until you are ready to record your final self-tape.
Full guide
👉 View the full guide on using AuditionLead
In this article, we've discussed different reader options available to you during self-taping. We compared human and AI readers and gave you pros and cons of each option. Lastly, we provided a short guide on how to use an AI reader to rehearse and self-tape your audition.