Latest / Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast / How To Create a Stand-Out Video Submission for Virtual Competitions

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How To Create a Stand-Out Video Submission for Virtual Competitions · Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast

• 0:07
  SPEAKER_02: Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the table at a dance competition?
• 0:11
  SPEAKER_02: Exactly what are the judges looking for anyway?
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_02: This is Making the Impact, a dance competition podcast.
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_02: Each week we'll cover a different topic related to the world of competitive dance from the perspective of the judges behind the table.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_02: As the entire world has had to shift to virtual events this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we've all seen firsthand what works and what really doesn't work when people are asked to film themselves.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_02: On today's episode of Making the Impact, we focus on how to create a solid self-tipe as a dancer, as students everywhere navigate filming themselves for virtual competitions and dance submissions.
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_04: Hey everybody, it's Courtney Ortiz, and welcome to this week's episode of Making the Impact, a dance competition podcast.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_04: I'm here, of course, with my co-host Leslie Miller.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_04: Happy November, everybody.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_04: Yes, happy November.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_04: And uh speaking of November, if you haven't heard, we launched an IDA virtual competition a few days ago on November 1st.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_04: So I'm jumping right into that and letting y'all know that we have a spectacular virtual competition event that is running for the rest of the month.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_04: Registration is now open.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_04: You can submit your solo only.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_04: It's a solo only event.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_04: And we it's really, it's really great and fabulous.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_04: It's really affordable.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_04: It's only$30 to enter your solo.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_04: And you can even request for genre-specific judging panel, which is a unique feature that we offer where you, if you have a tap dance and you want three tap judges, you can have three tap judges.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_04: That's really exciting stuff.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_04: And you can't really get that at a lot of other competitions.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_04: We also offer additional feedback.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_04: So if let's say you want to get even more detailed corrections and critiques from these judges that are genre specific, then you can request for that and they will pause and stop and start your dance from beginning to end and go even further with their critique.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_04: So it's a really unique feature that we offer at IDA's virtual competition.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_04: So be sure to head over to our website now at Impact Danceadjudicators.com slash virtual competition.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_04: You can register until December 1st and we'll be hosting a top 20 dance challenge with which is live streamed, so you can watch all the competitors on your TV and get some awesome sponsored prizes and cash awards and so many fun things.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_04: So definitely go check it out.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_04: We would love to see some new dancers participate and send in your solo now.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_04: So that being said, what's up?
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_04: How's it been going?
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_04: It's November.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_02: It's November.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_02: We've had a great uh beginning to season two of the podcast.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_02: Yes.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_02: We have gotten some great feedback from listeners, and we are looking forward to bringing you guys more over 2021 because it's coming up.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, it is.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_04: And speaking of 2021, we have to make sure that we're getting ready for the season with all of our dance gear and all of our dance costumes and leotards.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_04: And speaking of leotards, have you checked out Purple Pixies dancewear?
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_04: Purple Pixies is known for their fresh, fun, and fabulous active wear inspired by dancers.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_04: They'll have you covered with everything from sports bras to leotards to leggings, with a great fit and incredible comfort.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_04: You are sure to find your favorite new style for class or lounging around and anything in between.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_04: You can definitely find Purple Pixies this season at conventions popping up around the country.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_04: So head over to purplepixies.net right now to check out everything they have to offer, and use the code Impact when you check out, and you'll receive 15% off.
• 3:29
  SPEAKER_04: So go check them out.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_02: And of course, you're gonna need a place to store all of these Purple Pixies, active wear and dance wear outfit, including your costumes, which you may get from one of our other sponsors.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_02: So we've got Level Up Dance Supplies sponsors us as well, and they were founded in 2010 by a Dance Mom with the goal of being your one-stop shop for all dance gear and accessory needs.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_02: They really do have everything from flooring, privacy tents, stretching and travel gear, plus all types of bags and rolling racks for all those costumes.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_02: And because quality and affordability matter, you can rest assured that you are getting what you need at a price you can afford.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_02: And right now, Level Up Dance Supplies is offering a free mask with every purchase.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_02: So be sure to follow them on Facebook for their new products, sales, coupon codes, and product updates.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_02: You can check out their products at levelupdanceupplies.com.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_04: Awesome.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_04: Thanks so much, Level Up and Purple Pixies, for sponsoring this week's episode.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_04: And today we are talking about virtual submissions and self-tape advice from two experts in the industry and fabulous IDA judges who are joining us today.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_04: So we can't wait to kind of give all of you listeners some helpful tips and tricks on how to successfully film for a virtual submission.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_04: Whether it's for a virtual competition like IDAs, or whether you're submitting an audition video for a dance convention, or even if you're submitting a self-tape and audition for a professional audition.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_04: We're living in a virtual world right now, so it's really important to make sure we have the proper knowledge and tools on how to film these projects properly.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_04: So we're going to dive deep and give you all of the details, but I'd love to introduce our guests who are joining us today.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_04: We have two ladies coming to you, and one of them you may remember from last season, season one, episode 24, What Makes a Successful Musical Theater Entry?
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_04: I'd love to welcome back Alex Frolinger to the podcast.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_04: Hello.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_04: Hi, you guys.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_04: Yay! Welcome back, Alex.
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_04: Thanks.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_04: And I know that right now you're coming to us from Canada and not New York City, like you usually are based, but we're excited to have international.
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_04: You're international today.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_04: I'm so excited to have you here.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_04: So for all of your new listeners who are listening, if you want to just give a little rundown about who you are and any career credits you want to share and uh what you're currently working on.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_04: Sure.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_01: Well, I was born and raised in Winnipeg, Canada, where I am currently chilling.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_01: But I'm usually Manhattan-based.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_01: I trained at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School, studying all styles of dance from like ballet to musical theater at a tap.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_01: I have a Bachelor of Fine Arts in theater from the Boston Conservatory.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_01: I've been living and working in musical theater in New York for about 10 years now.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_01: So I've done, I went on tour with West Side Story.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_01: I played anybody's on that tour, the first national.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_01: I was on the first national tour of Cinderella.
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_01: Very most recently, I just finished uh the national tour of Hello Dolly, which may have been in a city near you.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_01: And I also was in the original Broadway cast of Soul Doctor, the musical.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_01: And currently I'm doing what we're all doing.
• 6:33
  SPEAKER_01: I am self-taping and auditioning virtually and expanding my skill set and taking classes online and doing all the wonderful things we're all doing in an attempt to keep our dancing going during this unprecedented time.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_02: They are unprecedented.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_04: They are.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_04: Thanks so much, Alex, for rejoining us back on the pod and talking about all of this lovely filming that you've been now so experienced at doing.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, totally.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_04: And our next guest is new to the podcast, but I have known this guest my entire life because this guest was actually my duo partner my entire life at our dance studio.
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_04: So I would love to welcome Tracy Swartz to the podcast.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_04: Hello.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_03: Hi guys.
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_04: Thanks for having me.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_04: Of course.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_04: We're so excited to have you.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_04: And it's so good to see you because I we live on opposite sides of the world country now.
• 7:29
  SPEAKER_04: So I don't get to see you as often, but I know.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_04: Tracy and I grew up together, and we would carpool to dance together, and we would have be in all the same dances and duos, and it was just the good old fun.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_04: So much fun.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, really.
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_03: So much fun.
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_03: It feels so cool to like be doing this with you now.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_03: Like I know crossing paths again in a different way, but still about dance.
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_03: It's awesome.
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_04: I know.
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_04: And we've stayed connected, like, you know, through it all, which is so lovely.
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_04: So dance family is forever, everybody.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_04: Just letting you know.
• 8:00
  SPEAKER_04: Yes, it is.
• 8:01
  SPEAKER_04: Well, Tracy, since you're new to the pod, please feel free to share with everyone who's listening a little bit about you, who you're who you are, where you're from, where you're based now, and any uh career credits you'd like to share.
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_03: Awesome.
• 8:13
  SPEAKER_03: Uh so as you already said, uh, I grew up in the same area as Courtney, so in the Baltimore area and Baltimore, Maryland area.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_03: And then I uh started my career off with I did a cruise line.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_03: So I worked on Royal Caribbean to start.
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_03: I danced my whole life.
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_03: But yeah, Royal Caribbean was my first job.
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_03: And then from there I actually went into teaching a little bit.
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_03: So I stopped dancing professionally.
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_03: I found my passion for teaching, and then I was teaching for about five years before I decided to uproot my life and just move to LA on a whim just because I wanted to dance again.
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_03: And I love LA.
• 8:46
  SPEAKER_03: I've been here for four years now, which is kind of crazy that went by so quick.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, it's been it's been really great out here.
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_03: I uh I've done a lot of things that were on kind of my bucket list, and yeah, I'm excited.
• 8:57
  SPEAKER_03: I I mean I'm trying to think of stuff that I've done.
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_03: So I uh just in 2019, it was kind of crazy because I was able to check off kind of every big thing that I wanted to do, which is amazing.
• 9:10
  SPEAKER_03: So I was a co-star in This Is Us, I was a dance teacher in This Is Us.
• 9:15
  SPEAKER_03: I was a feature dancer on Apple TV Plus's uh The Morning Show with Jennifer Aniston and Steve Carell.
• 9:22
  SPEAKER_03: And then I was also a feature dancer in Mariah Carey's All I Want for Christmas is You uh music video that she just made in 2019.
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_03: Alice is and then uh in correlation with that, I actually booked a national commercial for Mariah Carey's uh All I Want for Christmas is You song, but it was it's called Walker's Crisps.
• 9:43
  SPEAKER_03: It's the equivalent of Lays in uh America, but it's the UK version.
• 9:47
  SPEAKER_03: So I was in that, and then yeah, I've done a few other TV things like I was American Music Awards with Camilla Cabello and a few more live shows, but it's been really crazy because I feel like I've been able to again check off everything that I wanted to on my backlist out here, but in very different ways, and it's just been super satisfying, and I just feel really grateful.
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_03: But again, that leads to right now, where now I'm just doing a lot of self-tech and just be a day by day, and it it's kind of crazy going off of a high of 2019 and then kind of figuring out where I'm going to go afterwards, especially with COVID and everything that's happened because of that.
• 10:20
  SPEAKER_03: But yeah, I again just feel really grateful and happy to be here.
• 10:24
  SPEAKER_03: So thank you for having me.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I knew that you both would be the perfect people for this podcast because we have Alex coming from the New York City Broadway casting side and her experience of self-tapes and and virtual submissions, and then we have Tracy coming from the commercial side in LA, which are, you know, all of our submissions are probably similar in the sense, but also submitting for different things can require different elements for your virtual submission.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_04: And then all of us actually have worked on IDA's virtual competition, which Alex and Tracy were judges, and then Leslie and I worked on the back end.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_04: So we've seen all of the submissions possible.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_04: We've seen all the videos possible.
• 11:07
  SPEAKER_04: So we're gonna dive deep into talking about all of those things.
• 11:10
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I think that's why I'm so excited to do this episode with all of these people, because we all have we've all seen a piece of the pie, so to speak, and we can all bring it all together.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_02: But since we did just talk about the virtual competition, and that's kind of fresh in our minds, I'd love to hear what you guys thought about, you know, did you see things that you liked?
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_02: Did you see things that didn't work when you were judging, and kind of just give the people an idea of what a virtual submission even looks like for a competition?
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_01: Sure.
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_01: So we've seen the gamut of it all, right?
• 11:39
  SPEAKER_01: Like from backgrounds and locations to styles to like filming styles, all of it.
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_01: So like we've seen dances in the garage, in a field, like in an actual studio.
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_01: And there's really like, I would say the biggest mistake a lot of people, in in my experience, made.
• 11:56
  SPEAKER_01: Well, there were two of them.
• 11:57
  SPEAKER_01: One of them was like camera angles, and we'll talk about that, I think, a little later.
• 12:00
  SPEAKER_01: And another mistake was like disregarding your background, just like whatever, I'll do it here.
• 12:04
  SPEAKER_01: Which again, dance is a movable genre of art, and like you should be able to dance anywhere.
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_01: But in the context of a film submission, you really do need to think about how what you're filming is received and where you are.
• 12:17
  SPEAKER_01: And where you are says volumes about like just the professionalism of your package.
• 12:22
  SPEAKER_01: And you can you can film anywhere and still give that professional impression, but you just have to be, in my opinion, really aware of like where what where you are says to the receiver of the video.
• 12:33
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 12:33
  SPEAKER_02: And it's not even, you know, you bring up a good point.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_02: It doesn't have to even be, you know, a video made for a professional reason, quote unquote.
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_02: But just like we present ourselves as human beings, you know, the background in the video that you're presenting to me, you know, sh tells me something about you.
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_02: And so even as a judge, we're like, you know, the stakes aren't terribly high at a virtual competition.
• 12:54
  SPEAKER_02: It's, you know, just like any competition.
• 12:55
  SPEAKER_02: It's you're it's not a job.
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_02: It's not, you know, winning a million dollars.
• 12:58
  SPEAKER_02: Maybe you're winning a little bit of money.
• 13:00
  SPEAKER_02: But um, you know, the background I think is important.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_02: That's a good point.
• 13:03
  SPEAKER_03: That that actually translates into the professional side of things too, because what I have always heard, uh, one thing I forgot to mention is I also have worked for my talent agency.
• 13:12
  SPEAKER_03: So I've been discussing how to do self-tapes for the last year and a half, I feel like, constantly with clients.
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_03: And one of the first things that I've been told that casting directors look for is just your background.
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_03: And not that that makes or breaks if you get the job or not, but it does definitely show a side of professionalism where it's almost like how you walk on stage for a competition.
• 13:31
  SPEAKER_03: Like we always talk about like that's the first impression.
• 13:34
  SPEAKER_03: Like I feel like the background and what you're wearing in the setting that you are in is always the first impression that is made to the casting director if they want to continue watching your tape or if they just want to move on to the next one.
• 13:45
  SPEAKER_03: So same thing goes with a competition and a a virtual, I guess, self-tape or a virtual audition.
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_03: I I think it it goes hand in hand with just the first impression and just like the professionalism that is connected to it.
• 13:57
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I I agree.
• 13:59
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, first imprint impression with with some of the videos that we've received, you know, we're obviously just watching the dancing.
• 14:06
  SPEAKER_04: Of course, that's what the whole main goal is.
• 14:09
  SPEAKER_04: But, you know, there are some memorable dances that were just executed well on the filming side and and the professionalism side that, you know, if you if you did submit a dance that wasn't from a competition, because obviously a competition video, you have the backdrop, you have the lights, you have the costume, you have the stage, you have the space, and then you also have a professional videographer filming it.
• 14:30
  SPEAKER_04: So like we're checking off all the boxes there.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_04: That's that's a solid video.
• 14:35
  SPEAKER_04: But there's a lot of dancers who didn't have competition videos to submit, so then we're making it work, right?
• 14:39
  SPEAKER_04: So we're finding, you know, places in our house to film, and like we applaud every single one of you for making it work because I'm sure some people are probably thinking, oh, well, I didn't have a competition video.
• 14:50
  SPEAKER_04: So I had to dance in my living room, and my living room was really messy, but that's the best I could do.
• 14:55
  SPEAKER_04: And it's yes, that is absolutely the best you can do.
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_04: But I will say that there were some submissions that went above and beyond in even just like the editing process of like, oh yeah, you know, if like dad was really tech savvy and like has a video editor and he's like, let me fix this for you, and like put a name at the beginning, or like there were some people that actually did slate and introduce themselves at the beginning of the video almost like it was an audition, which we didn't require for our virtual submissions.
• 15:26
  SPEAKER_04: But like that was another thing that was like, Oh, that was cute.
• 15:29
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I got to see you say hi, here's my name.
• 15:31
  SPEAKER_04: Like it we just got a sense of like knowing who you are a little bit more, and that's something that is different that you don't get to do at competition.
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_04: Maybe that's something we should incorporate.
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_01: That's cute.
• 15:41
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 15:41
  SPEAKER_01: That's what I'm thinking about.
• 15:42
  SPEAKER_01: Good practice for uh for taking the the educational into the professional for sure.
• 15:46
  SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
• 15:46
  SPEAKER_04: But yeah, you know, there's there we saw so many variations, but there were some that stuck out uh that you know that just had like that were thought about that that they made this a thing.
• 15:56
  SPEAKER_04: Like, I'm gonna set up the tripod, we're gonna film this, we're gonna we're gonna get a ring light and have good lighting or whatever it is, you know.
• 16:02
  SPEAKER_02: Well, and I think the easiest thing, you know, like you said, you know, we do commend anybody who sent in a video because or and will send in for this next one that we're having.
• 16:10
  SPEAKER_02: But, you know, do your best and do your due diligence.
• 16:13
  SPEAKER_02: And if there's your brother's toys behind you, move your brother's toys.
• 16:17
  SPEAKER_02: Like, yes, it's your living room, so sure.
• 16:19
  SPEAKER_02: You know, we expect there to be a couch and a fireplace or whatever there is, but play around with the angles.
• 16:24
  SPEAKER_02: Like if you can move the couch over here, you know, get big sister to help you, get little brother to help you, do whatever you need to do to make it the cleanest possible situation.
• 16:33
  SPEAKER_02: Because there's always little things that we could fix in regards to that that'll just make it that much better looking.
• 16:39
  SPEAKER_01: Totally.
• 16:39
  SPEAKER_01: And at the end of the day, like it's about your dancing, right?
• 16:42
  SPEAKER_01: So if we're distracted by your little brother's toys in the background, we're not necessarily going to see the best presentation of what you're trying to convey there, which is your lines and all of your elegance and your gorgeousness.
• 16:52
  SPEAKER_01: So, like, just make sure that whatever background you have and wherever you are, that the focus of the video is your dancing, and we're not distracted by a weird angle or like a toddler running in the background or whatever.
• 17:03
  SPEAKER_01: And again, we understand you're at home and like there's a lot of forgiveness.
• 17:08
  SPEAKER_01: These are just like tips to like make have you make the best video you can possibly make given the circumstances you're in.
• 17:14
  SPEAKER_01: Obviously, we're not gonna be like point deduction, there was a ball in the corner.
• 17:18
  SPEAKER_01: Like, but just you know, for for always think about how what you are making is being received on the other end, right?
• 17:26
  SPEAKER_01: That should be your main focus when you are creating something in this kind of media, in any media, really.
• 17:32
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 17:32
  SPEAKER_03: I think that's really good advice, actually.
• 17:34
  SPEAKER_03: No, I think if you look at as an individual, what videos or what self-tapes or if you're looking on YouTube, like what catches your eye, like think about what is in that video and try to replicate that for yourself.
• 17:46
  SPEAKER_03: Whether that means that you go to a specific room, whether that means that you literally buy a a stand-up like backdrop and put that behind you.
• 17:53
  SPEAKER_03: I I think they're only like$30 on Amazon, depending on the size, but think about what stands out to you when you watch certain videos.
• 17:58
  SPEAKER_03: And maybe that takes a little bit of like research.
• 18:01
  SPEAKER_03: So maybe look on YouTube as far as like self-tapes at home or uh auditions at home or competition videos from home, like solos or something, and kind of see what you want to do from that.
• 18:10
  SPEAKER_03: I think doing a lot of research like helps as far as what you want or how you want to represent yourself through these tapes.
• 18:16
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, and I think we're at a different point now, now that it's November.
• 18:20
  SPEAKER_04: That like, and I think that's why we really wanted to have this discussion on the podcast now, because like you said, Alex, like we were extremely lenient and we're going to continue to be lenient with whatever submissions come through and whatever backdrop drop or whatever type of recording and the quality, we will be lenient.
• 18:38
  SPEAKER_04: We are focusing on your dancing.
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_04: However, we're just here to help give you tips because it seems like we might be living in this virtual world a little bit longer than we all thought we were back in March.
• 18:50
  SPEAKER_04: So, you know, virtual competitions and things might be how some of us have to do our competition season this year, and we want to be as prepared as possible.
• 19:01
  SPEAKER_04: And with that, we'll also help translate into a professional career if you decide to go into that.
• 19:07
  SPEAKER_04: Because as we progress forward, there's gonna be like more castings and more bookings and more things happening all on the internet.
• 19:14
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, it was already like that pre-pandemic.
• 19:16
  SPEAKER_04: We were doing a lot of castings online, but you know, it's just it's just helpful stuff.
• 19:22
  SPEAKER_04: So thinking of like we we kind of touched on angles as far as you were specifically talking about Leslie, like angles of of the backdrop and the furniture in the way and things like that, but let's talk about like the angle of the shot.
• 19:35
  SPEAKER_04: And I'm speaking right now in a video submission for a competition.
• 19:39
  SPEAKER_04: We can get to other angles as well.
• 19:41
  SPEAKER_04: But what do you guys prefer as far as the angle?
• 19:45
  SPEAKER_04: Do we want a dead-on, right in front shot that has the full width?
• 19:49
  SPEAKER_04: Or do we want to sometimes people film it upright with their iPhone camera, the vertical style?
• 19:55
  SPEAKER_04: Do we want that?
• 19:56
  SPEAKER_04: Or do we want it filmed into the mirror?
• 19:59
  SPEAKER_04: So it's like the back corner into the mirror version.
• 20:02
  SPEAKER_04: What is our preference?
• 20:04
  SPEAKER_03: I would say my preference is to always film it horizontally.
• 20:08
  SPEAKER_03: So that way it film it like fits the entire screen.
• 20:11
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, you don't have to worry about anything getting cut out, and you also want the viewer to see all of you, right?
• 20:16
  SPEAKER_03: So if it's like vertical, then I don't know.
• 20:19
  SPEAKER_03: It's just it never works out if it's vertical.
• 20:21
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, horizontal.
• 20:22
  SPEAKER_03: And uh I I would say my preference, and again, everyone is different, but I've pretty much seen like competition tapes being sent in in the virtual sense of seeing it filmed from behind where it's reflected through the mirror, and then like even like profile where they're going from the side.
• 20:38
  SPEAKER_03: Like, I feel like I've seen everything.
• 20:40
  SPEAKER_03: My preference is just to have it in the in front on like a like a tripod almost so that it's stable, no moving.
• 20:47
  SPEAKER_03: And I would like to see the in not the entire room, but like as wide as it can get so that way we don't have to move with the dancer.
• 20:54
  SPEAKER_03: We can just focus on the dancer dancing and and nothing else.
• 20:57
  SPEAKER_03: So that is my preference.
• 20:59
  SPEAKER_01: I 100% agree.
• 21:00
  SPEAKER_01: I think that I will also add that the angle of the camera from a height perspective is really important to take into consideration because dance, absolutely, dance in the context of a competition, you're gonna be on stage.
• 21:11
  SPEAKER_01: So it's a proscenium art form, which means the stage is a picture frame, right?
• 21:14
  SPEAKER_01: We have the the top part, the side part, and then you are inside the box projecting outwards.
• 21:19
  SPEAKER_01: So you have to think about how your angles and your lines are received from that perspective.
• 21:24
  SPEAKER_01: So if you're filming from the bottom up, it's gonna look really strange and a lot of your lines are gonna look off because of the angle of the camera.
• 21:31
  SPEAKER_01: Whereas, as Tracy said, if you put it so that we can see all of you, that's gonna give us the whole picture frame look and your angles and your lines and all of your body positionings are gonna be correct from our perspective because you may have a perfectly placed arabesque, but from where the camera angle is, it looks like a second basque or whatever.
• 21:48
  SPEAKER_01: And then you're gonna get that note.
• 21:50
  SPEAKER_01: When in reality, like you got it.
• 21:51
  SPEAKER_01: So just take that into consideration too.
• 21:53
  SPEAKER_01: And I would also say I like what Tracy said about the tripod and having it as far back as possible.
• 21:58
  SPEAKER_01: Sometimes in like Your studio, the studios don't have enough depth to give that full view.
• 22:04
  SPEAKER_01: So I would say I also accept and like like from the corner, kind of up looking down into the mirror is really a good place if you have no other choice.
• 22:13
  SPEAKER_01: And try and like edit out the back of you so we're not like learning the dance with you guys.
• 22:17
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 22:18
  SPEAKER_01: But if you can get like a good level, like at the correct proscenium display from the back corner into the mirror, I love that.
• 22:27
  SPEAKER_01: I would say not from the side, because again, like all of your lines are gonna be really exposed.
• 22:32
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, if you don't have a 180-degree turnout, which almost none of us do, your lines are gonna look weird.
• 22:36
  SPEAKER_01: And there was one other thing I wanted to say.
• 22:38
  SPEAKER_01: Oh yeah, always shoot sideways, like Tracy said.
• 22:41
  SPEAKER_01: Like, do not shoot up and down.
• 22:42
  SPEAKER_01: Like time and again, calls for submissions, audition breakdowns I've gotten.
• 22:46
  SPEAKER_01: It says, do not shoot upright.
• 22:48
  SPEAKER_01: That's just not, it's just not a thing.
• 22:49
  SPEAKER_01: And then when you go to edit it on your computer, you go to submit it, sometimes you have like weird black bars on the side of it.
• 22:54
  SPEAKER_01: And then we get distracted again by like the composition of the video rather than your beautiful dancing.
• 22:59
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 23:00
  SPEAKER_02: And I think all of us, none of us are video videographers or gurus at this.
• 23:04
  SPEAKER_02: So like this is all just personal experience advice.
• 23:08
  SPEAKER_02: So like we're not, we're coming at you, uh, listeners, with love and with like tips that we've learned.
• 23:13
  SPEAKER_02: Because again, like I said, none of us are experts at this.
• 23:16
  SPEAKER_02: But the the whole vertical thing when we started talking about do we film vertical or horizontal?
• 23:20
  SPEAKER_02: Our lovely friends who we can see on video listeners, you can't, but everybody's face was like at vertical.
• 23:26
  SPEAKER_02: So really, really just don't do that.
• 23:28
  SPEAKER_02: I can't tell you any like actual technical reason why, but just don't.
• 23:32
  SPEAKER_04: Well, you know what?
• 23:33
  SPEAKER_04: It's probably like the hard part about it is that we as as phone as iPhone users and and you know, I very rarely take photos horizontally on my iPhone.
• 23:45
  SPEAKER_04: And I think that's just like a you know, habit of how we use it, and even how Instagram has kind of, you know, made us want to use the vertical setting for the stories and for all of the TikToks and all the things.
• 23:58
  SPEAKER_04: So, you know, I think that's why we gravitate towards that sometimes.
• 24:02
  SPEAKER_04: But it's and it's also probably like, okay, I want to mom come help me film for my virtual competition.
• 24:07
  SPEAKER_04: And then mom's just like, ah, okay.
• 24:08
  SPEAKER_04: And then we quite like grab it and just like start filming upright and like don't think about it.
• 24:13
  SPEAKER_04: And it does, it does make a difference.
• 24:15
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, it's not like a make or break, but I'm also curious to hear your perspective on this.
• 24:19
  SPEAKER_04: And I think that this also kind of comes hand in hand with how the dance industry in general is filming like classes and things, because a lot of the new trend uh that we've seen in the past few years is like getting a gimbal or like a steady cam and having a videographer like move around with the dancers when they're taking class or in submissions and things like that.
• 24:44
  SPEAKER_04: And I actually have seen a handful of of videos filmed in that sense that have been submitted, which it was kind of it it felt like a little bit of like a step up in a way, because it almost felt like they like got a videographer or like were trying to make it seem like they did and like thought about it, yeah, which was nice as long as it didn't distract me from the dance.
• 25:06
  SPEAKER_04: Totally.
• 25:06
  SPEAKER_04: And I think, like you said, I think it is hard for certain environments, depending on your depth, if you have to figure out a way to make it work.
• 25:14
  SPEAKER_04: Like, oh well, I'll just follow you and and move around as long as I'm not getting like motion sickness from watching the video and it was done well, then like I'm okay with it.
• 25:24
  SPEAKER_04: But what are your guys' thoughts on on just in general how this whole like steady cam moving the around filming phenomenon has been in the industry?
• 25:35
  SPEAKER_04: Do you love it?
• 25:35
  SPEAKER_04: Do you hate it?
• 25:36
  SPEAKER_04: Is that something that we should be incorporating into our filming for submissions and things, or the tripod's the way to go?
• 25:43
  SPEAKER_03: So I think there are pros and cons when it comes to submitting a virtual, like a dance, like a solo, to a virtual competition.
• 25:51
  SPEAKER_03: I think there are pros and cons to doing like a study cam.
• 25:55
  SPEAKER_03: Some of the pros are I feel like you're able to capture emotion better.
• 25:58
  SPEAKER_03: So when it comes to performance, I think there are different ways to perceive the dancer's emotion through, I guess, like movie magic.
• 26:06
  SPEAKER_03: That's what I like to call like the study cam because I feel like it could be edited, it can be like I I've seen it firsthand with dancing at Millennium or like different like places like that where I watch these dancers in person, and yes, it's effective, and yes, I get an emotion from them, but really the way that the camera angle is and like how the videographer like zooms in at certain points or like shakes the camera, it really does give you a different feel to like how that person is dancing.
• 26:30
  SPEAKER_03: So I again like to call it like movie magic.
• 26:33
  SPEAKER_03: So I think if the dancer, if the soloist, if it's not distracting, like if we can still see their full body, I think it could be a good thing if their dance is more about like emotional like quality or if it's more about the emotion.
• 26:45
  SPEAKER_03: Like I I kind of like that, but at the same time, I I do also feel like if you're doing too much with the video, then it's all you're trying to hide something.
• 26:54
  SPEAKER_03: So there are certain dances where I do like it to just be just a steady angle and a steady camera where we could just focus on the dancing rather than the the camera work or the video work, if that makes sense.
• 27:06
  SPEAKER_03: So I think it's just like number one, I wouldn't try to do it if we don't have experience with videography.
• 27:13
  SPEAKER_03: Like I wouldn't like if this is the first time that you're working with like a DJI or like a like a steady cam, I I wouldn't necessarily do that for your first solo submission for a virtual competition.
• 27:23
  SPEAKER_03: But if you did hire a videographer, then great and more power to you.
• 27:27
  SPEAKER_03: But at the same time, I think you just have to be careful with how much you do and if it's too distracting from what you're actually submitting for, which is your dancing and just yeah, I don't know.
• 27:38
  SPEAKER_03: I think there are pros and cons.
• 27:39
  SPEAKER_01: I also want to add, like, while we're talking about like adding all these like expensive things, like a videographer and like a steady cam and all this equipment, like your iPhone has more technology in it.
• 27:48
  SPEAKER_01: Like you, you have like you don't need to do all this stuff.
• 27:52
  SPEAKER_01: If it's something you wanted to add, like good, good for you, that's awesome.
• 27:55
  SPEAKER_01: But like I I don't have any kind of special equipment.
• 27:58
  SPEAKER_01: I just use my iPhone, like there's an HD cam in my iPhone.
• 28:00
  SPEAKER_01: You don't have to go out and buy all this equipment.
• 28:02
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 28:03
  SPEAKER_01: I will say, like, always, always think about, and again, I said this earlier, the context, right?
• 28:08
  SPEAKER_01: Like how what you're putting out there is going to be received.
• 28:10
  SPEAKER_01: So, like, if you're submitting for a dance competition, usually that's on a stage.
• 28:14
  SPEAKER_01: So film it in again, the proscenium style, just like a long picture of you dancing in one continuous shot.
• 28:21
  SPEAKER_01: We don't need cuts.
• 28:22
  SPEAKER_01: We don't, we'd like to see your eyes, obviously.
• 28:24
  SPEAKER_01: Make sure the angle is so that we can see your eyes and not hair or looking down if you're looking down.
• 28:28
  SPEAKER_01: But I would say, for my preference, like I would find all that stuff distracting.
• 28:32
  SPEAKER_01: I would wonder, like Tracy said, like, what you're hiding in that moment, this should be about your dancing.
• 28:37
  SPEAKER_01: And if you are submitting for film stuff, maybe there is a benefit to do that.
• 28:41
  SPEAKER_01: I, Tracy can speak to that more than I can, but I can say from like a dance competition judge and a theatrical perspective, I want to see you like I would see you on this stage, which is one take from a full body view in a sideways-placed iPhone.
• 28:56
  SPEAKER_03: I you you actually make a really good point because I think the benefits of doing a steady cam, I think is more along the lines of like submitting as a choreographer.
• 29:06
  SPEAKER_03: Because when you're submitting as a choreographer, they're looking not only what your choreography is and and what you can do, but also if you're able to have the vision of doing edits and doing different angles for a commercial or like almost like directing, like creative directing.
• 29:21
  SPEAKER_03: So I think if you're submitting as a dancer, then it should be about your dancing and we should be able to see everything.
• 29:25
  SPEAKER_03: But if you're submitting as a videographer or a choreographer to show your work on the like the opposite side of the camera, then I think using a steady cam would benefit you.
• 29:35
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, that's great points.
• 29:37
  SPEAKER_02: There's there's one competition out there that I've I've seen I videos from that I can't even remember what it is, so I couldn't even say it if I wanted to.
• 29:44
  SPEAKER_02: But they they utilize several cameras for their videography.
• 29:48
  SPEAKER_02: I know who I know a few.
• 29:50
  SPEAKER_02: And it's really cool, but it bothers me because as Alex has been saying, pristinium art form, I don't watch dance from 15 different angles.
• 30:00
  SPEAKER_02: I watch dance from the front of the stage.
• 30:02
  SPEAKER_02: And so when So You Think You Can Dance came out, that was the first time I think most human beings that don't go to dance competitions have seen dance from a bazillion angles.
• 30:11
  SPEAKER_02: And for me as a dancer, I was like, well, this is so distracting because I don't I don't want to see it from the back corner.
• 30:16
  SPEAKER_02: I don't want to see that guy zoom around with his camera to get the full pic no, thank you.
• 30:20
  SPEAKER_02: Like I want to see what this choreographer wanted from the front because that is where they, I mean, I assume, came from in their brain of like this is going to be viewed from the front.
• 30:29
  SPEAKER_02: And so I can see how some people would really enjoy the sort of other angles that you do get to see from that regard.
• 30:36
  SPEAKER_02: But, you know, especially with a group dance, like obviously our competition coming up is solos only, but for one of our virtuals, we had a group event.
• 30:43
  SPEAKER_02: And there were some that submitted dances from those other competitions that do like the three-cam angle.
• 30:48
  SPEAKER_02: And it was like, well, I wanted to see that girl back in the corner, but your angle didn't let me see that girl back in the corner.
• 30:53
  SPEAKER_02: So I don't have any idea of what the full value of this piece is because you kept breaking it up.
• 30:58
  SPEAKER_02: And so, like for me as a judge, that was difficult for me watching the virtual.
• 31:03
  SPEAKER_02: So that's just another perspective.
• 31:05
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, it's it's I mean, there's a lot, there's a lot of things.
• 31:09
  SPEAKER_04: And that's I was actually thinking about that.
• 31:10
  SPEAKER_04: And actually, Alex, you brought up a something that I wanted to touch on was you said something about there doesn't need to be a bunch of cuts.
• 31:18
  SPEAKER_04: And then I started thinking about how what if people cut and edit their routine in the sense that, oh, well, I messed up on that leap, so let me redo it.
• 31:29
  SPEAKER_04: And then there's a jump cut to like the second take or something, which I feel like we might have seen in the last event, which we were obviously not happy about.
• 31:41
  SPEAKER_04: But we didn't also give any regulations about that either.
• 31:44
  SPEAKER_04: So we didn't, but I'm letting everyone know, don't do it.
• 31:47
  SPEAKER_04: Maybe we'll put that in the in the rules for round two or whatever round this is, round seven of the virtual competition.
• 31:54
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 31:55
  SPEAKER_04: But yeah, no, we can't do that.
• 31:57
  SPEAKER_04: It can you imagine, Alex, if or any of us, if we were singing our 16 bar cut for our video submission for a Broadway show, and we had a jump cut to when our belt sounded better than the last time.
• 32:12
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, I've been tempted.
• 32:14
  SPEAKER_04: Can you imagine?
• 32:15
  SPEAKER_04: Like, hold on, can I try that one more time?
• 32:18
  SPEAKER_04: Like, that's one thing that we wish we could always have when we were in the audition room is let me just try that one more time.
• 32:24
  SPEAKER_04: And you don't get that second chance usually ever.
• 32:27
  SPEAKER_04: And you can't have that second chance in some sort of submission like this.
• 32:32
  SPEAKER_04: Yes, do you do you get to film it as many times as you want to until you're happy with that video?
• 32:37
  SPEAKER_04: Yes.
• 32:38
  SPEAKER_04: That is the difference compared to a live actual competition, unless it was a competition video.
• 32:43
  SPEAKER_04: You know, maybe you went to competition this season, you went to three competitions, and you're gonna pick your favorite one out of those three that you want to submit.
• 32:51
  SPEAKER_04: That's that's fine.
• 32:52
  SPEAKER_04: But for our friends that are filming at home or for that actual event or that audition or whatever it is, you're not going to send in something that you aren't satisfied with.
• 33:01
  SPEAKER_04: You're gonna be like, this was my best take.
• 33:03
  SPEAKER_04: I'm gonna send this one, but we can't splice them up and send multiple, you know, especially if you're gonna do the whole multiple angle thing, which Leslie said she doesn't love, so don't do it.
• 33:14
  SPEAKER_04: Clearly, I matter the most, you know.
• 33:16
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, I feel like though that now that you say that, I feel like that the only reason that people would do the multiple angle thing is if they're trying to infuse multiple cuts of a dance to showcase their best dance.
• 33:30
  SPEAKER_04: And you shouldn't do that because you know, that's that's bad.
• 33:33
  SPEAKER_04: That's just got practically cheating almost.
• 33:35
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 33:35
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, the steady cam conversation is what made me think of it because I remember we saw many, many routines with the steady cam thing.
• 33:42
  SPEAKER_02: And I liked it.
• 33:43
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 33:44
  SPEAKER_02: Because of because whoever was doing it was doing it very well and didn't do it in a way that was distracting.
• 33:49
  SPEAKER_02: But then it got me thinking, well, what if they brought in somebody else?
• 33:52
  SPEAKER_02: And like you said, there's so more so many more options to kind of game the system and take that take over here and then edit it.
• 33:58
  SPEAKER_02: And, you know, I I think it's a cool, it's a cool artistic trick, and it's a cool thing, probably for videographers who want to do cool stuff in their art, you know, but like we're just we're dancers and I want to see you dance.
• 34:10
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 34:10
  SPEAKER_01: And in this context, exactly.
• 34:12
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I think that, you know, video editing is an art all its own.
• 34:14
  SPEAKER_01: And if you are, again, put like Tracy said, putting together like a choreography demo or something like that, like totally take those liberties.
• 34:20
  SPEAKER_01: But at least like for me and for I for like me judging the IDA virtual competition, I want to see a single take dance from far away.
• 34:28
  SPEAKER_01: Take notes.
• 34:28
  SPEAKER_01: Or not far away, but like uh enough, like enough that I can see your body.
• 34:31
  unknown: Yeah.
• 34:31
  SPEAKER_01: And I will also say, like, just to touch on, you know, the psychology of dancers and how we're always striving for perfect, like it's actually not a thing, and you need to just like be at peace with yourselves.
• 34:41
  SPEAKER_01: And like, this is an imperfect live live performance is an imperfect art form because you just can't control everything.
• 34:48
  SPEAKER_01: Like, all you can do is your absolute best in the moment and breathe through your moment-to-moment dances, and like it's never, you're never gonna love it.
• 34:54
  SPEAKER_01: And if you do amazing, good for you, teach me that enlightenment.
• 34:57
  SPEAKER_01: But like, I am never satisfied with the self-tapes completely.
• 35:00
  SPEAKER_01: It's always like the one that I like the best of the presentations or of the three takes I've taken.
• 35:05
  SPEAKER_01: But like, be more forgiving of yourself, and especially in this time, like it's really hard what we do, and we are creating art in a live context in spite of all of the hard, the the hardships and the hurdles that we have to jump over right now.
• 35:19
  SPEAKER_01: So cut yourself some slack and find the joy.
• 35:21
  SPEAKER_01: There's no pressure to be perfect here.
• 35:23
  SPEAKER_01: I would much rather see like an imperfect, joyful performance that comes from your soul than like something that is jump that is spliced and jump cut and all this stuff to be this like perfect presentation that's so shiny.
• 35:34
  SPEAKER_01: Like, that's not I can't relate to that as a as an artist and as a human.
• 35:37
  SPEAKER_01: So, like, again, think of who is receiving this stuff on the other side.
• 35:41
  SPEAKER_01: I agree.
• 35:42
  SPEAKER_01: I agree completely.
• 35:43
  SPEAKER_03: I think there's so much beauty and vulnerability, and we don't see that with I sorry, I keep saying like movie magic, but it's like there's a sense of perfect like wanting perfection with that, and it there's no relatability there.
• 35:55
  SPEAKER_03: Like when I watch a live performance, I want to see you at your like most vulnerable self and and exuding your your passion and your soul.
• 36:03
  SPEAKER_03: Like I I don't get that from cuts and edits.
• 36:05
  SPEAKER_03: That just means that you're your most perfect self in every single one of those things.
• 36:09
  SPEAKER_03: And and that again, I don't relate to, and I don't see you in in that moment.
• 36:14
  SPEAKER_03: So I would like to see just one take, your best take that you can do, and I would much rather that than a bunch of different edits and movie magic.
• 36:23
  SPEAKER_02: And I think some some good advice speaking about perfectionism is you know, in this context, do it three times and pick your best one.
• 36:30
  SPEAKER_02: Do not kill yourself over this.
• 36:31
  SPEAKER_02: Don't do your dance 15 times because then you're then you're gonna find something wrong with all of it every time.
• 36:37
  SPEAKER_02: So give yourself a limit, whatever that is for you, have your mom tape it, set up the tripod if you don't want to dance for your mom.
• 36:42
  SPEAKER_02: You know, there's multiple ways to get it done where it's not gonna stress you out.
• 36:46
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I agree.
• 36:53
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• 37:34
  SPEAKER_04: And now, back to the show.
• 37:42
  SPEAKER_04: Speaking of just, you know, helpful tips on our end on how to make the video process and submission a little bit more successful?
• 37:52
  SPEAKER_04: We've kind of talked about like filming angles and how to film and things like that.
• 37:57
  SPEAKER_04: But what about video editing software?
• 38:00
  SPEAKER_04: Like, do you expect people to put the video into a video editor and put like a title on it or a fade in and our fade out or different things like that?
• 38:09
  SPEAKER_04: We don't need like anything crazy, but like, do you feel like that's an important skill to know how to do?
• 38:15
  SPEAKER_04: Does that come across a little bit more professional than one that wasn't?
• 38:18
  SPEAKER_04: Or what about extracting the audio and overlaying it with the actual music track so it's a little bit louder?
• 38:26
  SPEAKER_04: You know, do things like that make a difference as far as when you're watching a dance um submission?
• 38:32
  SPEAKER_04: Do you know what I'm and and do you feel like that that's those are things that you expect or do when you're submitting on a professional level as well?
• 38:40
  SPEAKER_01: I would say like any little things that you can do to give your video a little more polish and like the a little more professionalism is something you should try and do.
• 38:48
  SPEAKER_01: And obviously, like I use iMovie.
• 38:50
  SPEAKER_01: I don't have I just have a Mac and I plug my iPhone into my Mac and I just use iMovie.
• 38:54
  SPEAKER_01: And I've taught myself how to use iMovie.
• 38:56
  SPEAKER_01: So like play with some videos.
• 38:58
  SPEAKER_01: Obviously, like keep your original so that if you like accidentally delete something or something strange happens in the edits.
• 39:03
  SPEAKER_01: But just like if you have the time, play with iMovie and figure out how to use it because it you can you can be totally self-sufficient and self-reliant in this context.
• 39:12
  SPEAKER_01: Like if you have a tripod, which you should get, we'll talk about that later, and you're filming your own dance, you can push, record, walk out into the camera, you can go and push your music, play, like walk on.
• 39:23
  SPEAKER_01: You can do all these things by yourself and then like learn how to cut them out so that A, you're not reliant on, you know, your mom or your dad or whoever.
• 39:31
  SPEAKER_01: And obviously, we're dealing with an age range here and a professionalism range here.
• 39:35
  SPEAKER_01: But like I would say, as a professional, the less people that you have to employ or to like impose on to help you create your stuff, like the more self-sufficient you can be in the long term, the better.
• 39:45
  SPEAKER_01: I would say like it's very nice to have a title because sometimes when we are doing the competition recording, like we've seen your name on the sheet, we've seen what you're doing.
• 39:53
  SPEAKER_01: But like the second we go into all the software and I get very like hung up in my step-by-step process.
• 39:58
  SPEAKER_01: So then by the time I'm like sitting here watching your dance, maybe I don't remember, you know, then your name, or maybe I don't remember your age category.
• 40:04
  SPEAKER_01: So if you could put like a title or even if you slight, if that's something you're interested in doing, that's helpful as a judge to be like, okay, I'm watching Susanna's seven and eight, you know, contemporary intermediate solo.
• 40:16
  SPEAKER_01: And then I have like the exact context and I'm ready to go.
• 40:19
  SPEAKER_01: And I would say at the end, make sure that you cut it nice and clean.
• 40:22
  SPEAKER_01: You could even put another tag on the end with like a headshot if you want it, if you have one.
• 40:26
  SPEAKER_01: That's something I like to do for myself submissions, just to say, like, and here I am, Susanna, you just saw my dance, my jazz solo, my contemporary solo, whatever.
• 40:35
  SPEAKER_01: I think that Tracy can talk more about you, seem like really adept at editing just from our conversation.
• 40:39
  SPEAKER_01: So maybe you can talk more about like removing the music and putting it back on.
• 40:42
  SPEAKER_01: I'm still learning how to do all of that, but I would say probably certain styles like tap, you may want to somehow capture the audio separately or at least the tap sounds.
• 40:50
  SPEAKER_01: But that's something I'm still learning how to do, but I would like to do better as somebody who submits myself.
• 40:56
  SPEAKER_01: But yeah, you want to make sure the music is loud enough that we can hear the music louder than like your landings, let's say, or something like that.
• 41:03
  SPEAKER_01: But that's all I have to say on that, Tracy.
• 41:05
  SPEAKER_01: Please.
• 41:06
  SPEAKER_03: I was gonna say for solos, I would again, you still want the live factor there, right?
• 41:11
  SPEAKER_03: Like so to put the music over top of your solo, you wanna be, if you're gonna do that, you wanna be really careful because you also don't want to be out of sync with your music because timing and rhythm and and just listening to your music is a really big thing when I'm judging.
• 41:24
  SPEAKER_03: Like I really like to see your connection, and sometimes when you layer music over top of your performance, that there's a disconnect there.
• 41:30
  SPEAKER_03: So I would just say be really aware of the sounds and your space that you're dancing in and make sure that the live version is uh is good enough for your final tape or for your final tape that you submit in.
• 41:43
  SPEAKER_03: But if you do have to overlay music, just be really conscious of the timing.
• 41:47
  SPEAKER_03: Again, just because that's I think that's really big for all judges, obviously.
• 41:51
  SPEAKER_03: But in a professional sense, in LA with with self-tapes, I would say when it comes to doing like a title in the beginning and all that kind of stuff, they out here the general consensus is just to send different tapes.
• 42:03
  SPEAKER_03: Like I would send my slate differently than I would send like my lines or or my dancing if if that's what my self-tape is.
• 42:11
  SPEAKER_03: And uh they they for some reason don't like the like fade in and fade out.
• 42:16
  SPEAKER_03: That's just the style out here.
• 42:17
  SPEAKER_03: It's probably different everywhere that you go, but that's just kind of what I realized.
• 42:21
  SPEAKER_03: So in a professional sense, out here I wouldn't necessarily do the fade in and fade out.
• 42:26
  SPEAKER_03: I would send the videos separately, but for me, without judging a competition, I I agree.
• 42:32
  SPEAKER_03: I kind of like it.
• 42:32
  SPEAKER_03: It kind of puts a little like Genesis qual like on your video.
• 42:35
  SPEAKER_03: It shows that you you put a little time and effort into it.
• 42:38
  SPEAKER_03: And I also really like the idea of you slating before your dance.
• 42:43
  SPEAKER_03: I think it uh gives us a little bit of personality.
• 42:45
  SPEAKER_03: I think it shows a sense of relatability, and we get to see you, we get to see your face and almost like you introduce yourself.
• 42:51
  SPEAKER_03: It's also good to start to do that as you're young so you can get more comfortable with it if you decide to dance professionally or act professionally when you're older.
• 42:59
  SPEAKER_03: But yeah, I think doing little fade in and outs is great for submitting a solo or a group dance for your position.
• 43:07
  SPEAKER_04: So slating.
• 43:08
  SPEAKER_04: Yes, talk about that.
• 43:10
  SPEAKER_04: Can you guys explain what that is?
• 43:12
  SPEAKER_04: Because I'm sure there's a lot of dance moms that are like, what in the world are they talking about right now?
• 43:16
  SPEAKER_04: What's a slate?
• 43:17
  SPEAKER_04: So can someone give professional dancers who ask that.
• 43:21
  SPEAKER_02: Well, because we don't want to talk.
• 43:23
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, we just want to dance moms.
• 43:25
  SPEAKER_02: You know my name.
• 43:26
  SPEAKER_02: I wrote it down on the call sheet.
• 43:29
  SPEAKER_04: So can someone tell us what a slate is, what it means, the definition, maybe an example?
• 43:34
  SPEAKER_01: Well, for theater, a slate is where you basically just say, like, you introduce yourself and you tell them what you're gonna do so that like no one's they're not sitting there wondering, like, what song is this?
• 43:43
  SPEAKER_01: You say hi, like an example of a slate would be Hi, I'm Alex Springer.
• 43:46
  SPEAKER_01: I'm gonna sing 16 bars of tomorrow from Annie or whatever.
• 43:50
  SPEAKER_01: Or and I'm gonna sing Annie.
• 43:51
  SPEAKER_01: And it's just a great way for like the table or the panel or whomever to like get to know you and see your personality and and just sort of to Uh it's an introduction.
• 44:01
  SPEAKER_01: A slate is an introduction.
• 44:02
  SPEAKER_03: For uh like the commercial side, uh when I usually slate, it's usually for the casting director to have us on film.
• 44:08
  SPEAKER_03: Of course it's to show our personality, but it's also to send to the director in order to like obviously cast us.
• 44:15
  SPEAKER_03: So you always wanna it it also kind of depends.
• 44:18
  SPEAKER_03: You want to read the directions in the email if it is a self-tape, because a lot of times in in-person castings you also have to slate.
• 44:24
  SPEAKER_03: But if it's a self-tape, sometimes they give you very like direct directions.
• 44:29
  SPEAKER_03: Like you really want to make sure you read the whole email.
• 44:31
  SPEAKER_03: So if they don't say anything specific, if they just say, okay, you have to slate, then I would always say my name, my first and last name.
• 44:39
  SPEAKER_03: If the job that I'm auditioning for or self-taping for has something to do with your height, then I would always say my height.
• 44:46
  SPEAKER_03: If it has nothing to do with your height, I don't think it's necessary unless they ask for it.
• 44:50
  SPEAKER_03: Or if they mention it in the in the description.
• 44:52
  SPEAKER_03: But then I would also always say my agency at the end, just so they know if they lose my paperwork or something, if they don't see my LA casting online, then they can just know who to contact if they are interested.
• 45:02
  SPEAKER_03: So I would say, hi, my name is Tracy Swartz.
• 45:05
  SPEAKER_03: If it's height related, I would say I'm 5'8, and I am represented by the Movement Talent Agency.
• 45:10
  SPEAKER_03: And again, try not to be so robotic with it, like I just was.
• 45:15
  SPEAKER_03: It is a perfect time to show personality, but also know what you're reading for.
• 45:18
  SPEAKER_03: So if it's if I'm reading for like a drama series, like I don't want to be chipper.
• 45:23
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 45:23
  SPEAKER_03: Uh if you're reading for something comedy, like you just want to kind of read the room and understand what you're doing, but also try to show yourself at the same time.
• 45:32
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 45:32
  SPEAKER_01: Totally.
• 45:33
  SPEAKER_01: Totally.
• 45:34
  SPEAKER_01: Can I add something on about the music thing that we were talking about like a second ago?
• 45:38
  SPEAKER_01: I find it also very useful to have an external speaker when you're playing your music that you can and I would do a sound test before you start recording.
• 45:45
  SPEAKER_01: So like see where you can put your speaker so that it's optimal for like the camera and your feet and all of that stuff.
• 45:51
  SPEAKER_01: So I would just say also like maybe a Bluetooth speaker is very helpful when you're doing these videos, if you're not going to edit the sound in after, which I don't do.
• 45:58
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I think I think that's great advice.
• 46:00
  SPEAKER_04: Make sure while we're doing our video submissions that your music is close enough to the recording device so it gets picked up.
• 46:07
  SPEAKER_04: And if that means it's a Bluetooth speaker, then put the Bluetooth speaker pretty close to your camera.
• 46:11
  SPEAKER_04: That way you can hear it and also the camera can hear it and it can pick up the sound in the recording.
• 46:16
  SPEAKER_04: If you're in a studio space, most likely you have a large sound system and it'll probably be able to pick it up, but it is, you know, you should maybe do a test before just to make sure that the the volume is loud enough if you aren't going to overlay.
• 46:30
  SPEAKER_04: And yeah, I don't I don't think it's extremely necessary to overlay the music over top and extract it or anything like that.
• 46:36
  SPEAKER_04: You know, if you set up the only reason I would think that you would need to do that is if you filmed it, everything was good, then you go back to watching you're you can't hear the music at all, and you're like, ah, what do I do?
• 46:46
  SPEAKER_04: Then you can there is movie magic that we can do to make it okay.
• 46:50
  SPEAKER_04: But again, you've run into that problem of potentially like not lining up the tracks exactly right, and then your musicality looks off the whole time.
• 46:59
  SPEAKER_04: And there's a lot of there's actually a lot of competition videographers that for whatever reason, I don't know if there's like a disconnect or something, but sometimes the video is slightly delayed with the audio.
• 47:12
  SPEAKER_04: It's so weird.
• 47:13
  SPEAKER_04: And I don't even know how it happens.
• 47:15
  SPEAKER_04: Um I've actually noticed that there were a few, there were a few production companies that did like video judge, like the video judge stuff.
• 47:22
  SPEAKER_04: It's not video judge, the video critiques.
• 47:25
  SPEAKER_04: And what the what the teachers would receive, the our audio and the music is different, is off than what the video is.
• 47:34
  SPEAKER_04: So when they're watching their critiques back, it wouldn't be in sync.
• 47:38
  SPEAKER_04: And so they'd say, make sure that watch that right there.
• 47:41
  SPEAKER_04: And then you're like, wait, what are they talking about?
• 47:43
  SPEAKER_04: Because there was nothing wrong with that.
• 47:45
  SPEAKER_04: You know what I mean?
• 47:46
  SPEAKER_04: So, like, you know, it can just technology can sometimes like hurt us at times, and we want to make sure that we're we're making the best product possible.
• 47:54
  SPEAKER_04: So overlaying the music, there's always there's always that issue, and I don't know if it's that necessary for something as simple as a video submission for a competition or or even just for an audition video.
• 48:05
  SPEAKER_04: So, you know, keep that in mind.
• 48:07
  SPEAKER_04: But I'm curious to kind of hear like any I know Alex that you talked about like the tripod and and things, like are there any things that you guys can think of off the top of your head that are like affordable investments for quality filming and and things we can recommend that like every dancer who, you know, is doing a lot of filming at home or for virtual submissions or for auditions if they're interested in getting into casting, what are some of the things that they should have, you know, accessible to them that are somewhat of you know cheap to get?
• 48:37
  SPEAKER_01: I got a tripod and a ring light set on Amazon for like 50 bucks.
• 48:42
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 48:42
  SPEAKER_01: And it's a five-foot tripod, which is great because you can adjust the height from like on my desk to like standing up and watching me dance.
• 48:51
  SPEAKER_01: So I would say definitely get something that expands to about the five foot level and get a ring light.
• 48:57
  SPEAKER_01: You might need two or three for dance because you should have, I think, three exposures of light on you, front and side.
• 49:02
  SPEAKER_01: And sometimes studio lights aren't the best, or you know, your living room, or also make sure that the light is facing forward and not back, so you're not backlit.
• 49:10
  SPEAKER_01: I I didn't see any videos that were backlit, but it's just always a good reminder.
• 49:14
  SPEAKER_01: But yeah, I would say tripod and ring light are good investments.
• 49:17
  SPEAKER_01: Bluetooth speaker, if if the sound system that you're working with is not piped in.
• 49:23
  SPEAKER_01: And then like just your iPhone is really all you need.
• 49:26
  SPEAKER_01: And especially with those three camera, the three-camera iPhones, I think it's the the 11.
• 49:29
  SPEAKER_01: I'm not sure which one it is, but yeah, the one you have.
• 49:32
  SPEAKER_01: There's a wide angle, isn't there?
• 49:33
  SPEAKER_01: On that.
• 49:34
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, there is a wide angle.
• 49:35
  SPEAKER_01: I think this is the so depending on look in the you go to I think like the wide angle is a game changer.
• 49:41
  SPEAKER_04: Yes, it is a game changer.
• 49:43
  SPEAKER_01: But even if you don't have, I have like a an SE or whatever, I only have one camera, but the camera's still great.
• 49:48
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, sometimes I like to film in selfie mode just so that I can at least see that I'm in the frame and then forget it's there and not watch myself dance in selfie mode.
• 49:57
  SPEAKER_01: I'm sure a lot of people would have an opinion about that because really the best camera quality is in the other side of the camera.
• 50:04
  SPEAKER_01: So, but at least for for me, just to if I'm working alone, I want to see that I'm in the frame.
• 50:09
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 50:09
  SPEAKER_01: And then maybe you can tape out your your your stage and flip it or whatever.
• 50:13
  SPEAKER_01: But yeah, that's what I I would say in terms of equipment.
• 50:16
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 50:17
  SPEAKER_03: I I agree.
• 50:18
  SPEAKER_03: I think having a tripod and also like a ring light connected to it, it's like a two-in-one.
• 50:22
  SPEAKER_03: But also I completely agree with you as far as the height of it.
• 50:25
  SPEAKER_03: I think a lot of them are kind of on Amazon specifically, they you just kind of look and see it's a tripod and a ring light and you buy it.
• 50:32
  SPEAKER_03: But I did that and it was like this kind of model.
• 50:35
  SPEAKER_03: So just make sure you check like the height of it.
• 50:38
  SPEAKER_03: But yeah, I agree.
• 50:39
  SPEAKER_03: I think both of those things are definitely necessary.
• 50:41
  SPEAKER_03: The only other thing that I could add on to that is if you do have like this kind of iPhone where it's just like the two camera, I did get like camera lens attachments that attach right over it where it does do the wider angle and with like good quality.
• 50:55
  SPEAKER_03: So you can I got these on Amazon and it's super easy and super cheap.
• 51:01
  SPEAKER_03: I think it was like$10 to$15 or something.
• 51:03
  SPEAKER_03: So just something else that you can add on to make your life easier.
• 51:07
  SPEAKER_03: But also, it it it is for the back of the lens or the back of the the phone.
• 51:11
  SPEAKER_03: So if you do want to flip it forward and make sure that you're in frame and all that kind of stuff, that's fine too.
• 51:16
  SPEAKER_03: Obviously, our care our phones are insane with the quality of image that that it has.
• 51:21
  SPEAKER_03: But if you do want to film it in the opposite direction, those lenses are definitely helpful.
• 51:25
  SPEAKER_01: What are they called?
• 51:25
  SPEAKER_01: Wide angle attachment lenses.
• 51:27
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I can maybe send the link if you want to link it to like the show notes and give people like a a rundown in the blog as well with all of these things that we're talking about.
• 51:42
  SPEAKER_04: So yeah.
• 51:43
  SPEAKER_02: Another option to the tripod if you don't want something so big is I have a tripod that has like legs that wrap around things.
• 51:50
  SPEAKER_00: Oh yeah.
• 51:50
  SPEAKER_02: So you can just and it has a place for your phone and you just wrap the legs around whatever so it can be the height that you need it to without having to take up so much room in your tiny studio apartment or wherever you are.
• 52:00
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 52:00
  SPEAKER_02: So that's a good option.
• 52:02
  SPEAKER_02: But here's something free.
• 52:03
  SPEAKER_02: Follow the directions in s in the submission.
• 52:06
  SPEAKER_02: Because there's there were many times for the last virtual that we had where you know we needed it to be uploaded to YouTube as unlisted video.
• 52:14
  SPEAKER_02: Can't be private because then we can't see it.
• 52:16
  SPEAKER_02: It can't be public because you don't want your work out there.
• 52:18
  SPEAKER_02: And so many people didn't do that.
• 52:20
  SPEAKER_02: Or they submitted it to Dropbox and it wasn't, we didn't have access.
• 52:23
  SPEAKER_02: So whatever the directions are for your submissions for whatever it is, follow them because it makes it harder on on the people that are receiving it, you know, to have to come back to you and say, Oh, you didn't give me permission in Google Drive, or you listed it privately so I don't have access and now it takes forever.
• 52:38
  SPEAKER_02: So, you know, just little things like that.
• 52:40
  SPEAKER_04: I'm really glad you said that, Leslie, because and even Tracy, you were saying that before as far as make sure that you, you know, know what specific slate they want from you.
• 52:49
  SPEAKER_04: If you're auditioning for something, there's specific directions.
• 52:53
  SPEAKER_04: They might not even look at you if you didn't follow those directions properly.
• 52:58
  SPEAKER_04: And you've just missed your opportunity because you didn't read it or give a little bit of extra effort and didn't set it up properly.
• 53:04
  SPEAKER_04: Like, there are a lot of dance moms out there, I'm sure, who are listening who are like, oh, this just sounds so overwhelming.
• 53:10
  SPEAKER_04: I'm just not technology savvy.
• 53:12
  SPEAKER_04: I just can't figure out how to do all of this.
• 53:15
  SPEAKER_04: We're giving you the tools here today to do all of this successfully.
• 53:19
  SPEAKER_04: Everybody YouTube's been around now for 15, 20 years or probably more, and we should know how to navigate YouTube now.
• 53:28
  SPEAKER_04: If you have a question, Google it because Google's at our fingertips.
• 53:32
  SPEAKER_04: And, you know, making sure you submit something properly is so important.
• 53:36
  SPEAKER_04: You actually reminded me, Leslie, when you said that there was a somebody actually submitted into our one one of our previous events, and it was, I think it might have been a dance mom, and and they had a question about something in particular, which was a really intense rule for a previous submission that they were doing for a virtual comp.
• 53:55
  SPEAKER_04: They were like, is this allowed in your competition?
• 53:57
  SPEAKER_04: They were just kind of checking because they kind of got screwed over in the last one because whatever they didn't follow the whatever this rule was in the first one, and they just didn't let them submit or consider them at all.
• 54:08
  SPEAKER_04: They were just like, bye, send your submission somewhere else because you didn't follow our rules.
• 54:12
  SPEAKER_02: Not everybody is tech savvy, and we recognize that I am not tech savvy.
• 54:16
  SPEAKER_02: I just got an iPhone last year.
• 54:17
  SPEAKER_02: So, like, all of this is we understand that it is daunting and it sounds daunting, and we we are over here talking like we know everything and we don't.
• 54:25
  SPEAKER_02: This is difficult.
• 54:26
  SPEAKER_02: So that's why I'm saying read your directions because I think that's where we all in our lives these days rush through our lives.
• 54:33
  SPEAKER_02: And it's like, oh okay, I've submitted a video and that's all you hear, and that's all you think of, and you're like, let me just do this.
• 54:39
  SPEAKER_02: Read the directions because we've given you the steps, and even in this episode, we've given you these valuable tools to use that maybe you didn't know before or didn't even know existed.
• 54:47
  SPEAKER_02: And it is easy if you just take a minute and think about it and do it.
• 54:52
  SPEAKER_02: And it may take a couple of tries.
• 54:53
  SPEAKER_02: Like, don't get discouraged.
• 54:54
  SPEAKER_02: And I think this is more for the dance moms, because I think the kids are probably more savvy than a lot of us, me included.
• 55:00
  SPEAKER_02: You know, but if you are trying to help your seven-year-old submit for this, like Google it, you know, give yourself some grace and like you'll figure it out, I promise.
• 55:08
  SPEAKER_01: And obviously, like we got way into the weeds here about like camera angles and editing and stuff.
• 55:12
  SPEAKER_01: It really is as simple as like point, shoot, and send.
• 55:15
  SPEAKER_01: Like, maybe uh it's like we're here to provide tips, but if all of this is super overwhelming, like we're you're gonna be considered just as equally as someone who has a professional videographer.
• 55:27
  SPEAKER_01: If it's just like do the best you can, create the best video you can create.
• 55:31
  SPEAKER_01: And if you if it's not like professional quality, that's fine.
• 55:35
  SPEAKER_01: This is an educational exercise anyway, at least in the context of a dance competition.
• 55:39
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 55:40
  SPEAKER_04: I think there's like so much pressure these days with just like social media and and living on the internet and uh what our presence is within our social media network and channel and how we're perceived online, that everything is so digital and virtual with photos and videos.
• 55:55
  SPEAKER_04: And then, you know, like I personally, I can even admit, like, I there have been times where I've wanted to like post this great video that I did from class, but the quality was really poor.
• 56:07
  SPEAKER_04: And I was like, oh, that's gonna reflect on that's gonna look bad on me on social media if I post like a poor quality video because everybody else has really high def and like video edits and things like that.
• 56:18
  SPEAKER_04: You know, I think that there's so much pressure in that sense these days with the world that we're living in.
• 56:23
  SPEAKER_04: But when it comes down to getting the job done, as far as get you're submitting into a virtual competition because you want to receive feedback and be considered for potential awards and see how you rank.
• 56:35
  SPEAKER_04: That's the ultimate goal.
• 56:37
  SPEAKER_04: You're not going to be judged on the quality of your submission.
• 56:40
  SPEAKER_04: You're we're going to be judging you on your performance, your technique, your dancing, the things that you want to be judged on.
• 56:45
  SPEAKER_04: And the same goes for an audition.
• 56:48
  SPEAKER_04: You're not going to be judged on the fact that your your audition video is so grainy because you have an old iPhone because you don't have the newest one.
• 56:56
  SPEAKER_04: It's not that deep.
• 56:58
  SPEAKER_04: As long as you did your job well and you got your dancing across or your singing across, or you're acting, whatever the job may be, as long as they can see that you did a fantastic job, you still are going to be considered.
• 57:10
  SPEAKER_04: You're not going to just be ruled out.
• 57:12
  SPEAKER_04: However, if you don't follow the directions, that's when you might not be considered.
• 57:17
  SPEAKER_04: So I think that all of that is super important.
• 57:19
  SPEAKER_04: And I'm so glad we we talked about those things because this is all a learning experience.
• 57:24
  SPEAKER_04: So, Tracy, I know you want to talk about what to wear for an audition video and or for a virtual submission.
• 57:31
  SPEAKER_04: So tell us what the dancer should wear and tell us what they should also wear if they're auditioning for something like as like a professional audition and how that might be different.
• 57:41
  SPEAKER_03: So for submitting a solo or a group for a virtual competition, if you have your costume, great.
• 57:48
  SPEAKER_03: Because again, I would love to see what the choreographer's vision was as far as what like your costume is and what the dance should be about, or just everything that the costume gives to the dancer and to the performance.
• 57:58
  SPEAKER_03: But if you don't have a costume, then I would just like something that's body conscious where we can see your body, nothing distracting.
• 58:04
  SPEAKER_03: Again, it just kind of depends on the dance.
• 58:06
  SPEAKER_03: So if you're doing a hip-hop solo, make sure it's also something that you feel comfortable in and also something that like gets you in the mindset of doing a hip-hop solo.
• 58:15
  SPEAKER_03: I wouldn't wear like for me personally, I wouldn't wear like tights and a leotard for a hip-hop solo.
• 58:19
  SPEAKER_03: I would, you know what I mean?
• 58:20
  SPEAKER_03: So again, just do something that goes with the genre of your dance.
• 58:24
  SPEAKER_03: But as far as a professional audition, I for self-tapes, it really depends on your background.
• 58:30
  SPEAKER_03: I would never wear white or black, just because black sometimes it depends on how dark your background is, it it might look like you have a floating head.
• 58:37
  SPEAKER_03: And then uh for white, it it might reflect onto the lens, or it might not just it won't give you the best coloring.
• 58:44
  SPEAKER_03: So I would just say wear a solid color, zero logos, and uh just make sure that it suits you well.
• 58:50
  SPEAKER_03: So I always like specific colors on myself that brings out my eyes, or I you know what works best for you and your skin tone and and and everything.
• 58:58
  SPEAKER_03: So yeah, I would just say solid color, not white or black, and also for virtual competitions, just something that's very body conscious that you feel comfortable in with a job.
• 59:07
  SPEAKER_01: Totally.
• 59:08
  SPEAKER_01: And a lot of times, like the angle you're shooting at will dictate what you wear, also.
• 59:12
  SPEAKER_01: Like if you're just doing one take from far away, like okay, wear like what suits your body and and take all those things into into account.
• 59:18
  SPEAKER_01: If you're doing a tape that's from the belly button up for some reason, be very conscious of how the clothes hang on your body because you can actually give the impression that your body shape is entirely different than it actually is based on how clothes drape, the shape of your actual body, like just all of these, but though I don't think anything shot from the belly button up is really relevant in this context, but just be aware that that you are filming for camera and the camera has a specific view that may not be what you see in the mirror when you're dancing.
• 59:44
  SPEAKER_03: You don't have to send the first video in for your submission.
• 59:47
  SPEAKER_03: Like watch yourself, see how it looks on camera, or even just do like a test take and see how the color looks during that time of day, what the lighting is, and you can always switch it around.
• 59:56
  SPEAKER_03: Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt.
• 59:57
  SPEAKER_01: No, no, not at all.
• 59:58
  SPEAKER_01: And trial and error, that's a huge thing.
• 1:00:00
  SPEAKER_01: Like, look at what you're sending before you send it, because how it felt and how it looks, as we all know, can be two entirely different things.
• 1:00:06
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 1:00:06
  SPEAKER_01: Or maybe you do wear this like dress you feel amazing in and you look at it and it's not flowing the way you thought it did.
• 1:00:13
  SPEAKER_01: The nice thing about this is that you can retake it in one take, not spliced.
• 1:00:19
  SPEAKER_01: And that also speaks to, we also uh I wanted to just quickly touch on how to prepare for this kind of thing.
• 1:00:24
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 1:00:25
  SPEAKER_01: And I would say that like preparation shouldn't really differ all that much from live competition.
• 1:00:29
  SPEAKER_01: Like you should do all the rehearsing, you should do everything you would otherwise do for a live performance.
• 1:00:34
  SPEAKER_01: You just have a tiny bit more forgiveness in this context because you can, if the angle was bad or you don't like the shade of lipstick you're wearing, or like something weird happened, you can retake it.
• 1:00:44
  SPEAKER_01: But I would say approach each take as a performance.
• 1:00:48
  SPEAKER_01: So like mentally prepare yourself.
• 1:00:50
  SPEAKER_01: The stakes are lower because like you're in your garage or whatever, you're not on stage and like you can have another go.
• 1:00:54
  SPEAKER_01: But I would say like mentally prepare yourself like you would for any other performance, just because it's on camera doesn't mean it's really any different from the context we're receiving it in, at least in in like the IDA dance competition sphere.
• 1:01:06
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 1:01:07
  SPEAKER_03: To piggyback off of that as well, like just how you would mentally and physically prepare for a live competition.
• 1:01:13
  SPEAKER_03: I would say do like you said, do the same thing for filming, as far as like make sure your hair is out of your face.
• 1:01:19
  SPEAKER_03: Make sure your hair like hair and makeup are go hand in hand with live performance as well as just filming yourself.
• 1:01:26
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, also with your makeup, understand that stage lighting is very can be very different than filming yourself on a camera.
• 1:01:33
  SPEAKER_03: So make sure that if you're like beating your face, meaning like you're putting a lot of makeup on and and like high contour, like just make sure that that doesn't look too much on on the camera.
• 1:01:44
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 1:01:45
  SPEAKER_03: And I would say like it it also just depends on your lighting.
• 1:01:49
  SPEAKER_03: But yeah, just always look at yourself first on the lens and make sure or through the camera and make sure that you look your best self before actually submitting or actually fully dancing.
• 1:01:58
  SPEAKER_03: Because you I would hate for you to get like all sweaty and crazy and then realize or do the best take that you can and then realize that like nothing as far as what your work what you're wearing or how your makeup looks like works.
• 1:02:07
  SPEAKER_03: So yeah, but big thing for me also is just hair.
• 1:02:10
  SPEAKER_03: Like just because you're filming yourself and you're not on stage does not mean that your hair can have like wispies or again, it it depends on the genre of dance, but but yeah, just make sure again you're thinking about everything before you're filming, just like you would if you were going on stage and doing a live performance.
• 1:02:24
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, it's the same in the sense of you know, auditioning in person in the same way.
• 1:02:29
  SPEAKER_04: Like we would never show up to an audition looking sloppy or unprepared, you know.
• 1:02:34
  SPEAKER_04: It's it's the same exact thing in the in the sense.
• 1:02:37
  SPEAKER_04: So I would I would keep that in mind.
• 1:02:39
  SPEAKER_04: And and as far as as what to wear, I couldn't agree more with wearing your costume if you have it.
• 1:02:44
  SPEAKER_04: If you have a costume, you had it made, and you know, especially in this for the past few virtuals, you know, this obviously happened mid-season.
• 1:02:52
  SPEAKER_04: So most of these dancers were dancing in studio or at home and not from a previous competition.
• 1:02:58
  SPEAKER_04: So a lot of them would put their costumes on in their living room and do their dance.
• 1:03:02
  SPEAKER_04: And the great thing about that is that it really, I'm sure, helped the dancers get more into the performance and feel more normal and like they were performing on stage almost.
• 1:03:14
  SPEAKER_04: Like you can kind of like zone out and go there.
• 1:03:16
  SPEAKER_04: Whereas if you were just, you know, in your leotard, like you're in studio like always, it feels more like a rehearsal instead of a performance.
• 1:03:23
  SPEAKER_04: So if you have the costume, do it.
• 1:03:25
  SPEAKER_04: However, there were a handful of dancers who submitted rehearsal videos that they didn't even realize were gonna be submitted.
• 1:03:31
  SPEAKER_04: Right.
• 1:03:32
  SPEAKER_04: And they were like all I have.
• 1:03:33
  SPEAKER_04: Exactly.
• 1:03:34
  SPEAKER_04: Like they were like, this was literally all, this was the last time I did my solo, and I just want to get feedback.
• 1:03:39
  SPEAKER_04: I didn't get any feedback this season.
• 1:03:40
  SPEAKER_04: And like such a beautiful approach because obviously, you know, they they might be a little nervous about sending in that type of video, but like they had there was I remember specific dancers that just had on like a black leather and black tights, and it was just very bare bones, and it was just lovely to just watch their dancing too.
• 1:03:57
  SPEAKER_04: You know, we there's there's so many times where we're so stuck on the costume.
• 1:04:01
  SPEAKER_04: And obviously, in a lot of the virtual competitions, because of the scenarios, we weren't judging on costume, but it that doesn't mean that you can throw away the presentation.
• 1:04:10
  SPEAKER_04: You still need to make sure that you're presenting yourself properly for stage, for class, for a virtual submission.
• 1:04:16
  SPEAKER_04: It doesn't matter what it is.
• 1:04:17
  SPEAKER_04: We still need to make sure that we look presentable.
• 1:04:20
  SPEAKER_01: And I would say, like, if your costume is white or black, like wear it.
• 1:04:23
  SPEAKER_01: Just be conscious of what your background is.
• 1:04:25
  SPEAKER_01: Like if you have a black background and your uniform is a black bite chart, maybe like get a lighter background or like hang a towel or a tablecloth or something just in the background.
• 1:04:32
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I don't know how that would manifest, like check it on the screen.
• 1:04:35
  SPEAKER_01: But yeah, I would say, like, given the circumstances of where we all find ourselves these days, like there's immense forgiveness.
• 1:04:41
  SPEAKER_01: I would say, like, in a dance competition, anyway, like again, always remember the context.
• 1:04:45
  SPEAKER_01: Like, we're all dance teachers and professional dancers ourselves who have stood where you are standing, and we just want to serve you and give you feedback to make you the best dancer you can be.
• 1:04:55
  SPEAKER_01: So big picture, like none of this matters, but it does.
• 1:04:59
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 1:04:59
  SPEAKER_02: So this is not gonna take your break.
• 1:05:02
  SPEAKER_02: This is not gonna end your career as a dancer.
• 1:05:04
  SPEAKER_02: Like, it's fine.
• 1:05:05
  SPEAKER_02: But think about it.
• 1:05:06
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, totally.
• 1:05:08
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I think that this entire conversation, as much as it's relevant right now in this very moment of this crazy world we're living in in 2020, the virtual world, which is where our world is progressing, kind of like what how I initially started off this episode.
• 1:05:22
  SPEAKER_04: These are still skills that you should know how to do if you do want to continue on with your dance career, or if you want to continue on into the performing arts or entertainment career.
• 1:05:34
  SPEAKER_04: Who knows?
• 1:05:34
  SPEAKER_04: You know, this might spark an interest for you in videography from, you know, doing things like this, or this will help you learn how to edit videos and become a video editor, even if you don't pursue professional dance after this, you know, this 2020 or whatever, or once you graduate, you'll be like, oh yeah, I did all those submissions when I was young and the virtual comps.
• 1:05:56
  SPEAKER_04: I loved editing all those videos, so much fun.
• 1:05:58
  SPEAKER_04: I want to do that for all my Like career.
• 1:06:00
  SPEAKER_04: You know, you just never know.
• 1:06:02
  SPEAKER_04: And and especially if you're going to become a dance teacher, you will probably need to know how to do a lot of these things.
• 1:06:08
  SPEAKER_04: We wear a million hats as dance teachers or or studio owners.
• 1:06:12
  SPEAKER_04: We need to know how to video edit, we need to know how to music edit, we need to know how to upload things onto registrations.
• 1:06:17
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, all of these things are just helpful tools for anyone that wanna continue on with dance in the future.
• 1:06:24
  SPEAKER_03: I wish, I mean, yes, these are very hard times, and I can't imagine what what kids are going through right now with schooling and and dance and all that kind of stuff, but there is a positive to it too, where I wish I would have had the experience with doing a self-tape or or understanding camera work as a child or as a young dancer, because that would have benefited me so much as a professional.
• 1:06:45
  SPEAKER_03: Like I had to learn so many new skills and and go through so many trials and errors of making a fool out of myself uh in front of casting directors.
• 1:06:53
  SPEAKER_03: Like take advantage of this moment and do some research.
• 1:06:56
  SPEAKER_03: Like there are so many also like free classes as far as how to properly self-tape, if that's something that you're looking for, like if you want to do that in your future, or even take some of those skills and put it into your virtual like solo where when you're submitting it to a competition.
• 1:07:11
  SPEAKER_03: I do have some resources if you guys are interested in hearing some of those as far as just free classes or seminars, or even like they might cost a little bit of money, but these are two that I like highly recommend to to get some more like to get some more skills, I guess, underneath in your tool belt.
• 1:07:27
  SPEAKER_03: I don't know how to say that properly.
• 1:07:29
  SPEAKER_03: Um that took a while, sorry.
• 1:07:32
  SPEAKER_03: But yeah, I don't know if you guys would mind if I like please leave some absolutely examples.
• 1:07:38
  SPEAKER_03: So there's actually one girl, her name's Marissa Harba, M-U-R-I-S-A, last name, H-A-R-B-A.
• 1:07:45
  SPEAKER_03: She has a company called About the Work.
• 1:07:47
  SPEAKER_03: It's an actors studio, but it does really correlate.
• 1:07:50
  SPEAKER_03: She is a dancer, so it does really correlate into what dancers should know when doing self-tapes.
• 1:07:55
  SPEAKER_03: And she she does a lot of like free classes or seminars, and her Instagram name is at about the work.
• 1:08:01
  SPEAKER_03: And she's actually, yeah, she's great, and that's a lot of just like free information, especially if you're if you're a mom or a dad and you want to tape your daughter or son dancing.
• 1:08:12
  SPEAKER_03: I think she talks a lot about camera angles and and just all that kind of stuff.
• 1:08:16
  SPEAKER_03: So it's really great free information.
• 1:08:18
  SPEAKER_03: And then if you are a young dancer looking to learn more about casting and even want to get in front of a casting director to learn more about self-tapes, there's a casting company out in LA called ASG Allison Horn casting.
• 1:08:30
  SPEAKER_03: And I know they do some stuff in New York too, but their at name for Instagram is ASG Casting, and they do a lot of one of their classes is called The Basics of Booking, and it just gives a lot of really great information again about self-tapes or how to film yourself, how to present yourself to a camera properly.
• 1:08:49
  SPEAKER_03: And they also are a casting agency, so if they end up seeing you and they like you, then it could need potential things.
• 1:08:55
  SPEAKER_03: But those are two that I really have enjoyed that give a lot of really great information that could also go into filming yourself for a virtual competition.
• 1:09:04
  SPEAKER_03: It's just a lot of really great, sometimes free information, which is awesome.
• 1:09:08
  SPEAKER_03: We love free info.
• 1:09:09
  SPEAKER_04: That's awesome.
• 1:09:09
  SPEAKER_04: Thank you for that.
• 1:09:10
  SPEAKER_01: There's do you have any anything, Alice?
• 1:09:12
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, there's also um this is more for musical theater, but there is I'll just send you the link.
• 1:09:16
  SPEAKER_01: But there is a casting office out of New York that did a like five-minute video on like how to make the perfect self-tape that just talks again about how to slate and like, but again, this is specifically for musical theater, which is a very different medium.
• 1:09:27
  SPEAKER_01: But I'll send you the link and you can share it.
• 1:09:29
  SPEAKER_04: Absolutely.
• 1:09:30
  SPEAKER_04: We will definitely include all of these resources as well as all of the different products that we've talked about in this episode.
• 1:09:37
  SPEAKER_04: We will link to our Amazon page, which will have all of them, you know, click click and buy right away on Amazon.
• 1:09:44
  SPEAKER_04: So you can get your ring light, you can get your drive home, you can you can get your new handy dandy wide angle lens for your iPhone all right there in the show notes and on our blog.
• 1:09:56
  SPEAKER_04: So make sure that you check it out.
• 1:09:57
  SPEAKER_04: All right, y'all.
• 1:09:58
  SPEAKER_04: Well, it's about that time.
• 1:10:00
  SPEAKER_04: This was such a great discussion.
• 1:10:01
  SPEAKER_04: I hope all of the listeners have learned something new as far as navigating this virtual submission world that we're living in.
• 1:10:09
  SPEAKER_04: And uh I hope it was helpful.
• 1:10:10
  SPEAKER_04: Thanks so much, you two ladies, for joining us today and sharing all of your knowledge on all sides of the industry when it comes to this topic and how we typically end our episodes is just with our guests leading us out with any words of advice, encouragement, uh thoughts about the topic, or just any anything you'd like to share to lead us out with.
• 1:10:30
  SPEAKER_03: I I would like to say that I mean, obviously, I I said this before in the podcast where these are hard times.
• 1:10:37
  SPEAKER_03: So no matter what, even if you try this out and it doesn't work and you it it's not successful for you, if the technology is too much for you, like just the the act of trying like means so much and you should be really proud of yourself because again, this is new territory for a lot of people and even for professionals, like if you get a call back and you have to do a self-take, like you made it through probably two rounds of auditions, like on the like not in person, obviously, but you should be really proud of yourself that you made it to that point.
• 1:11:05
  SPEAKER_03: So the same thing with submitting for a virtual competition.
• 1:11:08
  SPEAKER_03: The the act of trying and even putting yourself into that vulnerable position is is scary.
• 1:11:13
  SPEAKER_03: And again, it should be something that you're really proud of yourself for.
• 1:11:16
  SPEAKER_03: And yeah, it's just not easy.
• 1:11:18
  SPEAKER_03: So I just want to put that out there because a lot of people get scared and they're nervous about it, and you have every right to be.
• 1:11:23
  SPEAKER_03: And yeah, I just I'm proud of people for actually trying something new.
• 1:11:27
  SPEAKER_01: Totally.
• 1:11:28
  SPEAKER_01: What everything that Tracy said, like, good for you for showing up anyway.
• 1:11:32
  SPEAKER_01: We are all dealing with immense challenges right now, and it's just like remember to forgive yourself because we all need, I think, to find a little more forgiveness in these crazy, unprecedented times.
• 1:11:44
  SPEAKER_01: And I just, as an art, as a fellow artist and as a teacher, I'm so proud of everyone that is finding a way to make art in spite of all of this, especially live performance art.
• 1:11:53
  SPEAKER_01: So, like, fantastic, two high fives, 10 out of 10.
• 1:11:57
  SPEAKER_01: Again, just showing up is all you need.
• 1:11:59
  SPEAKER_01: So, and this is a good lesson for the future that like we will persevere no matter what.
• 1:12:03
  SPEAKER_01: If you want to make it happen, you will make it happen.
• 1:12:05
  SPEAKER_01: So just forgive yourself and move on.
• 1:12:10
  SPEAKER_04: Thanks so much for joining us for episode 36.
• 1:12:13
  SPEAKER_04: You can find our guests on social media, Alex at Alex Perlinger and Tracy at Tracy underscore scored.
• 1:12:20
  SPEAKER_02: Make sure you subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and the new Amazon Podcast so you don't miss out on our upcoming episodes releasing every Thursday throughout the dance season.
• 1:12:30
  SPEAKER_04: 2020 has to have all of us restructuring how we dance, practice, and stay in shape.
• 1:12:35
  SPEAKER_04: As always, Level Up Dance Applies is with you every step of the way.
• 1:12:39
  SPEAKER_04: Keeping you on your toes with a variety of portable Marley dance mats, tap boards, and ballet bars, all made in the USA.
• 1:12:46
  SPEAKER_04: They always have what you want and need at a price that you'll love.
• 1:12:49
  SPEAKER_04: Stretching and core strength exercises are a key part of staying healthy both physically and mentally.
• 1:12:54
  SPEAKER_04: Level Up's large selection of products specifically designed for dancers will maximize your time and effort.
• 1:12:59
  SPEAKER_04: Be sure to like and follow on Facebook and Instagram for new products, coupon codes, and sales at Level Up Dance Supplies.
• 1:13:06
  SPEAKER_04: And don't forget, use the coupon code Bravo5678 at checkout to receive$10 off your next order.
• 1:13:13
  SPEAKER_04: Also, just a reminder, IBA's virtual competition is now open and accepting registrations until December 1st.
• 1:13:20
  SPEAKER_04: Send us over your solo, and our three IBA judges will critique and score your routine to be placed in rankings for overall prizes, high score awards, and even cash.
• 1:13:30
  SPEAKER_04: You'll receive additional feedback critiques and even have the option to request for a genre-specific judging panel that will specialize in your submitted genre.
• 1:13:38
  SPEAKER_04: Enter now for only$30 and compete alongside dancers from around the world.
• 1:13:42
  SPEAKER_04: We can't wait to see your dance.
• 1:13:45
  SPEAKER_02: Season two is in full swing with new topics, great advice, and amazing interviews.
• 1:13:49
  SPEAKER_02: Coming up in the next few weeks, topics include how to compete in 2021, guest choreography, and our next spotlight episode featuring Maud Arnold.
• 1:13:58
  SPEAKER_04: Thanks so much for joining us for season two of Making the Impact.
• 1:14:01
  SPEAKER_04: Until next time, keep dancing!