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Video Instructions - Shoot your clip

You can use a camcorder or video-enabled mobile phone to shoot your clip. Keep it short and try to get straight to the action. Don't forget to see our handy hints on how to get the best out of your audition piece

Download to your PC

Once you have created your clip you will then need to download it to your PC. The download method will depend on what device the video was shot on. If you are using a mobile phone, you can either use your standard data connection or send it to your email address as an attachment.

If you are using a camcorder with a Flash card you can read the file using a Flash card reader, or if your camcorder records directly to DVD you can read from the disc as normal.
For camcorders that record to Mini DV tape you will need to use software that digitises footage captured via a Firewire or USB cable.

Edit your footage if required

Remember that the clip needs to be short and punchy - no more than 2 minutes long - so if the clip needs to be edited you should use a video editing package to prepare it. Popular applications such as iMovie www.apple.com/ilife/imovie/ or Windows MovieMaker www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/moviemaker/default.mspx will enable you to add titles and special effects as well as splice together different takes. Other applications to consider are Adobe Premiere (download a free trial from www.adobe.com/products/premiere) and Avid Free DV www.avid.com/freedv/index.asp.

Output your footage if required

If your clip isn't ready to be uploaded immediately, i.e. if it is over 5MB in size, has been edited, or if it's not one of the following: .mpg, .mpeg, .wmv, .mov, .asf, .rm, .avi, .3gp, you will need to output it from your video editing package.
If you're not familiar with preparing videos there is a seemingly endless collection of settings and choices that you are presented with. However, most packages will come with preset choices, and it's advisable to try some out to see the results. As a guide, try out the following:

Format - MPEG (MPEG-1 or MPEG-4) or QuickTime usually give good results that are compatible with most computers

Data rate - try 200mbps. If that's no good increase to 300mbps, any higher and you risk producing a file that's too large

Size - 320x240 pixels, or 320x180 pixels if shot in 16:9 widescreen

Codec - this is the method used to create the output video file. If your video can't be viewed after outputting, the chances are you've used an uncommon or new codec. Try changing the codec and outputting again.

If your outputted clip is too large try reducing the data rate or using another output format.

Make a thumbnail image

Each video must be accompanied by a still image that is displayed when your video is listed. We recommend the thumbnail is a picture of your face, and you take the picture using a digital camera. The image needs to be at least 76x46 pixels and needs to be in JPEG format.

Upload your clip

You will be asked to provide some personal information such as your name, age and email address. We'll also need some information about the clip, such as a title and description.

Uploading the video file itself can take time, during which it looks like nothing is happening. Depending on your connection the file upload could take up to 15 minutes and it's important that you don't interrupt the process by closing your browser or going to a different website. At the end of the process the screen will change and tell you whether or not the upload was successful.