Behind the scenes and sample footage of what the cameras capture before the cameras roll.
Camera Tests, Gear Tests, and Tips for Your Production
Camera testing is “an incredibly creatively and technically important part of pre-production”. In Depth Cine offers advice on the types and purposes of various pre-production tests:
Hair, Makeup, and Chemistry
Writer, director, and co-producer Ryan Coogler shares footage from, and explains the function of, the hair, makeup, and chemistry test for his film Sinners (2024, via Proximity Media):
For Batman Begins (2005), director Christopher Nolan screen tested various candidates for the role of Batman / Bruce Wayne, including Christian Bale (who would of course win the part) and Cillian Murphy (who would instead play Scarecrow in this trilogy, and go on to star in Nolan’s Oppenheimer in 2023). Also in these tests are Anne Hathaway (as Selina Kyle / Catwoman in The Dark Knight Rises (2012) and Aaron Eckhardt as Harvey Dent / Two Face in The Dark Knight (2008):
Michael Johnston and Inde Navarrette‘s chemistry test for Obsession (2026), plus their commentary on the process (via ET):
Cinematography
While working on The Social Network (2010) in earlier, still-unproven days of digital film-making, director David Fincher filmed this short scene with Leonardo DiCaprio as a test of the RED camera:
When director Paul Thomas Anderson‘s regular cinematographer was unavailable to film Phantom Thread (2017), he and the rest of the crew essentially became a composite cinematographer, testing film stocks against different lighting, costume, and design variations (via Cinematographers on Cinematography):
Insurance
Before Iron Man (2008), Robert Downey Jr. was considered an insurance liability – so the fledgling Marvel Studios had director Jon Favreau screen test the Oscar winner – and the rest is box office history:
Famously, Paramount Studio was against the casting of Marlon Brando in The Godfather (1972). When director Francis Ford Coppola insisted, the studio ordered the Oscar-winning veteran audition, which Coppola filmed. The result:
Audition
Often cited as a legendary example is Rachel McAdams‘ self-tape audition for her star-making turn in The Notebook (2004):
Karolina Wydra‘s audition with Rhea Seehorn for Pluribus (2025):
🎥 | Karolina Wydra’s Pluribus audition with Rhea Seehorn in an early version of a famous ‘Grenade’ episode (exclusive) via Entertainment Weekly pic.twitter.com/q2T2DNiRtT
— Karolina Wydra Updates (@kwydraupdates) August 13, 2026
Side-by-side auditions from Emilia Clarke, Claire Foy, and Sarah Gadon for the role of Elizabeth Murray in The Belle (2013):
The Belle (2013) audition tape comparison shows Sarah Gadon, Claire Foy, and Emilia Clarke performing the same scene for Elizabeth Murray. Ultimately, Sarah Gadon got the role, but each actress brought a distinctly different interpretation to the lines. pic.twitter.com/HUbHZt3brE
— Movies Scenes 🎫 (@SceneinCinema) June 5, 2026
Further Viewing
Apple released the self-tape auditions from Britt Lower and Dichen Lachman for Severance (2022):
Camera test footage from Phantom Thread (2017) is part of a larger story of that film’s unconventional production: