The audition process actually really started to change around 2014. There is a mis-conception that self-tapes are a recent development, but when I lived in Los Angles I was regularly sending in tapes with no idea really what I was doing, it was only when my working-actor friends started to come over, I realized the difference in their work-flow to mine. Of course In-office was still the preferred way back then, but actors with bigger agencies were recording more and more on their own. Gersh even had there own facility in-office. 

However one thing that has changed in the last few years, starting with some of the smaller south-east markets was that self tapes need to look professional with clear ’specific’ characters. With a catch… There is much less time, what they want is to lift someone up and put them right into a characters shoes with ease. To do that from a casting perspective, actors should be off book and know the tone and style of the show but this has to be all done with a grounded authenticity.