5.0
from 140+ testimonials
Advanced
$249.00
Lifetime Access
Why THIS Course?
This course is built for actors who are ready to supercharge their self-tapes and finally start standing out.
Over six powerful weeks, you’ll dive headfirst into our Creating Compelling Characters program — a transformational journey designed to deepen your audition skills, sharpen your choices, and make your performances unforgettable.
It’s not about playing it safe. It’s about creating the kind of self-tape that makes Casting Directors sit up, lean in, and remember you.
Ready to Take the Leap?
If you’re serious about:
🚀 Supercharging your self-tapes
🎭 Building characters that pop off the screen
…then this is where your journey begins.
Who is this for
🎭 Do you feel like you’ve plateaued with Casting Directors?
Are you stuck in the same cycle of roles — small, predictable, or always in the background rather than the spotlight?
👀 Extra roles that barely get noticed
🔄 Predictable characters that don’t stretch your craft
🎬 Forever in the background instead of the foreground
If that sounds familiar, it’s time to re-invent your identity in the eyes of Casting Directors.
Because if you’re serious about making acting your career — not just an occasional gig or side income — then this course is your chance to break free of typecasting and open the door to the life-changing opportunities you’ve been waiting for.
✨ Imagine this: You’re finally called in for roles that challenge you, excite you, and showcase your full potential. No more being overlooked. No more stuck in the same lane. Instead, you’re creating the kind of career that lasts — with performances that decision-makers can’t ignore.
Lessons
1
We need to change your thinking
The writer may create the words, but the actor creates the character. In this lesson, you’ll learn how to bring your own quirks and choices to the role — making it truly yours. We’ll explore Alpha, Beta, and Omega characters, and help you discover which ones Casting Directors will remember. So… are you just reading, or are you owning?
👉 Greg’s take: “The text gives you a starting point. The actor gives me the surprise.”
2
Why Your Audition Prep is Flawed
Most actors prep auditions the wrong way — forgetting that an audition audience is unlike any other. In this lesson, you’ll learn what Casting Directors really need to see, and why performance alone won’t deliver the character. So… if performance doesn’t, what does?
3
The Word you need to have in your vocabulary
Failure isn’t the enemy — it’s the secret sauce. In this lesson, you’ll learn how to embrace failure so it propels you forward. We’ll show you how to carve out your signature role and identify the audience that’s waiting for it. So… how will you turn setbacks into your spotlight?
👉 Greg’s take: “The best careers I’ve seen weren’t built on success. They were built on actors who turned failure into fuel.”
4
Lets Talk About Sides
If you’re just delivering what’s on the page, you’re missing the point. In this lesson, you’ll learn why action and motivation often get in the way — and how to uncover the character that’s best suited to you. So… are you copying the script or creating a character?
👉 Greg’s take: “The auditions that grab me are the ones where the actor makes me think, ‘I didn’t see it that way… but I like it.’”
5
Who Inspires You?
Safe choices won’t get you cast. In this lesson, you’ll learn how to use your self-tape space as a lab for experimentation — trial, error, and discovery. So… what are you testing today?
👉 Greg’s take: “The tapes that excite me aren’t the ones that tick boxes — they’re the ones where the actor clearly played, tested, and found something no one else thought of.”
6
Your Character Has Layers
Scripts are just outlines — the character only comes alive when you add your colours. In this lesson, you’ll learn how to uncover hidden factors and use them to craft unforgettable performances. So… what colours are you bringing?
👉 Greg’s take: “I’ve seen a thousand Hamlets read the same way. The ones I remember painted the role in their own colours.”
7
How Far... Is Too Far?
Where’s the line between bold and too much? In this lesson, you’ll learn why you can often go further with your character than you think — as long as it serves the story. So… how far will you go?
.👉 Greg’s take: “When an actor goes too far with performance, I switch off. When they go further with the character, I lean in.”
8
Audition Momenting
Words fade. Moments stick. In this lesson, you’ll learn how to let emotion take over so your audition is unforgettable. So… what moment are you giving us?
👉 Greg’s take: “I rarely remember the dialogue… but I always remember the moment an actor surprised me.”
9
The Forward to Back Plane
In this lesson, you’ll learn how movement, eyelines, costume, and non-verbal talk transform a character. Dialogue delivers words. Movement and stillness deliver moments. So… what’s your body saying?
👉 Greg’s take: “I’ve seen actors say more with a tilt of the head than others managed with three pages.”
10
Frame Composition
The frame is your stage. In this lesson, you’ll learn how to use space and movement to reveal power or vulnerability. So… how are you using the box you’re in?
👉 Greg’s take: “I’ve seen actors say more by leaning into the frame than by shouting three monologues.”
11
To Sit... Or Not to Sit?
Where you place yourself changes everything. In this lesson, you’ll learn how sitting, standing, and camera angles shape your signature role. So… are you playing your angles, or letting them play you?
👉 Greg’s take: “The actors who think about camera position are the ones who make me think, ‘this person understands screen storytelling.’”
12
Indicating... is for Amateurs
Indicating is when you show emotion instead of living it. In this lesson, you’ll learn how to move beyond the page and create truth. So… are you showing us, or living it?
👉 Greg’s take: “If I see you showing me the emotion, you lose me. If I see you living it, I believe you.”
13
What is a Casting Director Looking for?
Casting Directors don’t remember the safe or the same — they remember the different. In this lesson, you’ll learn how to use your toolkit to stand out. The question is: what will make us notice you?
👉 Greg’s take: “The tapes I remember aren’t perfect. They’re the ones that gave me something no one else did.”
14
The Sound of a Reaction
Real magic happens in reaction. In this lesson, you’ll learn why listening and responding truthfully is more powerful than the words. So… what sound does your reaction mak
👉 Greg’s take: “The actors I remember aren’t the ones who hit their lines. They’re the ones who listened and reacted.”
15
Working the Room
Your self-tape is your lab and your space to own. In this final lesson, you’ll learn how to define your character with key adjectives, claim the frame, and leave Casting Directors with a lasting memory. Performances fade. Characters stick. So… what will they remember about you?
👉 Greg’s take: “It’s never the performance that sticks with me — it’s the character.”
What will you get
Over 15 lessons and 5 hours of content, you’ll be challenged to do more than just read lines off a page. You’ll learn how to create characters that are truly compelling — the kind that Casting Directors can’t ignore.
Through the eyes of veteran Casting Director Greg Apps (with over 85 films cast), you’ll discover:
🎭 How to break free from flat, forgettable performances
🎬 What Casting Directors really look for when skimming through 50+ tapes for the same role
📖 How to work with real pages and real-life examples to build characters that leap off the screen
🎥 The exact process for creating a self-tape that tells a story, not just recites dialogue
By the end of the course, you won’t just have knowledge — you’ll have a knockout demo reel, packed with characters that create resonance and stick in the mind of every Casting Director who watches.
✨ Instead of being “just another tape,” you’ll deliver performances that feel alive, different, and unforgettable.
By the End of This Course You Will…
✅ Know how to create characters that stand out in a sea of self-tapes
✅ Understand which choices Casting Directors remember (and which they skip)
✅ Build confidence to take bold, smart risks in your performances
✅ Learn from real pages and real-world examples that mirror industry expectations
✅ Finish with a knockout demo reel showcasing characters that resonate with Casting Directors
FAQ's
Do I get lifetime access?
Yes — once you buy, it's yours for life.
Your course lives on our LMS, hosted inside the TAT community, so you log in, pick up where you left off, and come back as often as you need. Revisit a lesson the night before an audition, or work through the whole thing again a year later when you're at a new level. No subscriptions, no expiry, no paywall that sneaks back in.
Can I watch on my phone?
Yes — TAT has a dedicated mobile app, so your course travels with you. Review a lesson on the train to an audition, rewatch a scene breakdown between takes, or catch up over morning coffee. Same course, same progress — just in your pocket.
Are there subtitles?
Yes — every lesson is fully subtitled.
How do I get feedback on my acting if it's online?
Book an Audition Advantage session on our website. One on one feed back from an experienced Casting Director on your tape — exactly the perspective you'd never get from a normal acting class. It's the fastest way to find out what a casting director actually sees when they hit play.
Is this suitable for international actors?
Yes — this coaching has been bought by students all over the world. The craft of auditioning translates across markets; the principles Greg teaches are how casting decisions get made, whether you're taping for Sydney, London, LA, or anywhere in between.
How long do I have to complete the course?
Forever. Lifetime access means no deadlines, no artificial pressure — work through it in a weekend or a year. Most actors come back to specific lessons before big auditions, which is exactly how it's designed to be used.
What equipment do I need?
A basic self-taping setup is all you need — phone or camera, decent light, a clean background, and somewhere quiet to read. You don't need a studio; you need the habits. The Self Taping Academy walks you through the exact setup if you want to get it right from day one.
Is there a community, or do I work through it alone?
You're not alone — you can join hundreds of actors inside the TAT community. Share tapes, swap notes, ask questions, and learn alongside people doing the same work as you. The course gives you the craft; the community keeps you sharp between auditions.
Who is Greg Apps?
Taught by an Industry Giant
Casting Director Greg Apps is a legend in the industry.
Through TAT, we were the first in the world to teach self-taping online. Since then we've trained ~5,000 actors across 30+ countries and reviewed over 10,000 self-tapes personally.
This course wasn't written from theory. It was written from the room you're trying to walk into.
Russell Crowe
Cast in his break out role in Romper Stomper
Guy Pearce
Cast in his breakthrough role in Heaven Tonight
Eric Bana
Cast in his breakout role in Chopper
James Cameron
Cast his 2011 movie Sanctum
Kylie Minouge
Cast in breakthrough role in The Henderson Kids
Radha Mitchell
Cast in breakthrough role in Love & Other Catastrophies
Tom Cruise
Casting for Mission Impossible 2
Hugo Weaving
Cast in his breakthrough role in Proof
Jaquie Mckenzie
Cast in his breakthrough role in Romper Stomper
Rachel Griffiths
Cast in his breakthrough role in Secrets
The elder statesman of casting, CD Greg Apps has dedicated his career and passion to nurturing and guiding actors in elevating their career in both film & television.
5000+
Actors Trained
10,000+
Auditions Reviewed
1000+
Mentorship Clients
15
Years of training actors
From
150+
Testimonials
Cloak & Dagger (2018); Doom Patrol (2019); The Walking Dead (2010)
Miles Mussenden
Black Snow (2022); Split (2025); Honeymoon with Harry (2026)
Stephen Walker
Powered by circle.so
Enjoy instant access with our online portal
Every course you take with us lives in one place.
Pull up a lesson on your phone before walking into the room, or rebuild your prep on your laptop the night before a self-tape. The portal is yours — log in from anywhere, as often as you want.
Ready to get started?
Creating Compelling Characters
$249.00
This course is built for actors who are ready to supercharge their self-tapes and finally start standing out.