Free tool for actors
Self Tape Reader: Free Scene Partner App
This self tape reader is a free scene partner in your browser. Paste your sides, pick your character, and your phone or laptop reads every other part aloud, then goes quiet on your lines. It waits for your tap or moves on by itself. The device voices sound robotic, but they are free and there at midnight.
Written and reviewed by ScriptLix Editorial
In short
This self tape reader is a free scene partner: paste your sides, pick your character, and your phone or laptop reads every other part aloud, then stops on your lines. Choose to tap Next on each line or let it move on after a pause sized to your line; the device voices are robotic and vary by browser, but they cost nothing.
How to use it
- 1
Paste your sides, or drop a PDF, Final Draft, Fountain or Word file. Sides written as NAME: line work too.
- 2
Pick the character you are reading for.
- 3
Choose whether the reader waits for your tap on each of your lines, or moves on by itself. If it moves on, set the pause length so you have room to breathe.
- 4
Press play, or Space on a keyboard. You get a spoken three, two, one, then the reader starts.
- 5
Run it a few times off camera first, then set up your phone and record.
How do I self tape when I have no reader?
A live reader is still the best option, and most casting offices would rather hear a flat human than a voice app. If nobody is free, a device reader gets you through it. Put the phone or laptop that is reading just off camera at the height of your eyeline, so you have somewhere real to look when the other character speaks.
Keep the reader quieter than you. Casting wants to hear you, so turn the device volume down until the other lines are clear but plainly in the background. A reader that drowns you out is the most common self tape complaint.
Leave stage directions off. That is the default here, because on tape you want only the dialogue. Switch them on while you are still learning the scene if hearing the action helps you find the moments.
Where should I look in a self tape?
Look just beside the lens, not into it, unless the breakdown asks for direct address. Pick a spot on one side of the camera, close to it, and play the scene to that spot. Your reader, or the device standing in for one, should sit there.
Frame from mid chest up with a little room above your head, light your face from the front with a window or a cheap ring light, and use a plain background. Sound matters more than people expect: a small room with soft furnishings beats a big bare one.
Do I need a slate?
Only when the casting notes ask for one, and they usually say exactly what they want: name, height, location, agent, sometimes a full body shot. Record it as a separate clip unless told otherwise, look straight into the lens, and keep it short and friendly.
Read the instructions twice before you shoot. File naming, length limits and whether to include a slate change from job to job, and getting them wrong is an easy way to look careless.
Wait for my tap or move on by itself?
Tap to continue gives you full control and is best while you are still working the scene out. You can stay in a moment as long as you like, and the reader will not step on you.
Moving on by itself is closer to a real reader for a take. The pause is worked out from your line at about two and a half words a second. If you take your time or play with pauses, push the slider toward 1.5x. A phone on a stand works better than holding it, so your hands stay free.
Questions writers ask
Is this self tape reader free?
Yes. The reading happens on your device with its built in voices, so there is nothing to pay and no account to make. Loading a PDF or Word file sends it to our server once to pull the text out; pasted text works the same way.
Why does the reader sound robotic?
It uses the speech voices that come with your phone or computer. Some are decent, some are rough, and they differ between Safari, Chrome, Android and Windows. Try another browser on the same device if the voices are bad. For the take that matters, a human reader is always better.
Can I use it on my phone while I record on another?
Yes, and that is the easiest setup. Run the reader on one phone or a laptop just off camera, and record on the other phone. The big buttons and the Space key work for starting and moving on.
Will the reader be picked up on my tape?
Yes, if it is in the room, the same way a live reader is. That is normal. Keep its volume lower than your voice and place it close to your eyeline so the scene still plays naturally.
My sides are not formatted like a screenplay. Will they work?
Usually. Character names in capitals on their own line work, and so does the NAME: line style many sides use. If a name is not picked up, put it on its own line in capitals and paste again.
What is the difference between this and the table read tool?
The table read reads a whole script for a writer. This one is set up for an actor taping a scene: you pick your part first, stage directions are off, it counts you in, and it can move past your lines by itself.
Further reading
- From the blogWhat Script Readers Look For in the First 5 PagesScript readers form a near final verdict by page five. Here is what they grade, what each of your first five pages must prove, and a checklist to survive coverage.
- From the blogHow to Write a Movie Scene That WorksA practical guide to writing a movie scene: why a scene is a complete unit of drama where something changes, how to give characters an active goal and real conflict, enter late and leave early, build to a turn, and tell it visually.