| The following guidelines were produced by the Workshop Committee of the Conductors Guild Board of Directors and were approved by the Board at its Spring 1998 meeting. These guidelines incorporate the qualities that application reviewers look for in successful audition videos, and they are intended to assist workshop applicants in understanding the major components of a high-quality audition video. Adherence to the following guidelines will not guarantee acceptance into a Conductors Guild workshop or the success of an application to any other workshop or job opening.
Please note that any format other than VHS or DVD may be rejected at the discretion of the reviewing committee (eg. AVI, QT, etc.). Please make sure your DVDs are able to be played on standard DVD players. Videos will not be returned.
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1. The subject should be filmed from the front so that his/her eyes, face, hands, gestures, and posture are all clearly seen. The video should never be filmed from the conductor's back.
2. The subject should be shown rehearsing for part of the video and performing for the remainder. Suggested allocation: 2/3 rehearsal, 1/3 performance. The rehearsal selections(s) should demonstrate what the conductor is able to accomplish through gesture as well as through verbal instruction. The performance component should show how s/he shapes a piece of music over a longer stretch of time.
3. Insofar as possible, the selected excerpts should demonstrate the conductor's technical and artistic versatility. The chosen excerpts should include a variety of musical styles as well as some challenging passages for the conductor.
4. The application video should be accompanied by a piece of paper showing the conductor's name, the repertoire, the date and location of the selected rehearsals and performances, and the orchestras and ensembles conducted. A brief description of the type of orchestra or ensemble (e.g., student, community, semi-professional, workshop, etc.) and the particular stage within the overall rehearsal period should also be included.
5. Some of this basic information can be printed on the video itself, although great care should be taken that such imprinting is not disruptive or distracting to the viewer. Leaders on the video, if included, should be simple and concise.
6. Lighting must be adequate and the microphone must be placed sensibly, in order to get a decent sense of the overall sound of the ensemble. Ideally, a separate microphone should be used, rather than the built-in microphone on the video camera. For the rehearsal component of the tape, that microphone should be place near the podium so that the rehearsing conductor's comments and instructions are clearly heard.
7. Total length of video: 15-20 minutes recommended; 30 minutes maximum.
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