When you don't fit the character description

Last Monday I had an audition for a role that I was sure I wouldn't get. I was younger than the description in the breakdown, but since it was for a casting director who I liked and who has called me in for other roles - several of which I've booked - I went off to Paramount Studios in Hollywood.

I did my audition and two days later my agent called to tell me I had booked the role! This isn't the first time I've gotten a role when the breakdown description sounded really different from who I am.

We have to remember that a casting director isn't going to waste their time calling in actors who are not going to be considered for the role - especially if the CD knows you.

We can end up sabotaging ourselves with negativity before we even get close to the audition time with stuff like: the breakdown says the character is six feet tall, but I'm only 5'10", or it says blonde and I'm a redhead, etc. (Or, in my case, it says "full head of hair," and I'm bald.)

And even if it turns out that the CD can't convince the director to change his mind about how tall the character should be, or whatever, it still gives you a chance to do your thing in front of a CD. And if you give it your best, they will usually remember you and call you in for something else.

There's also been several times that I've read for a director and when I was done, he handed me the sides for another role and asked me to take a few minutes while they auditioned other actors and then come back in and read for the new role.

And then there are times when I'll use the negativity for the character (if he's a negative type guy), or to take the edge off an important audition. But, you really have to know yourself, and have enough experience, to use negativity in a positive way. Otherwise it can mess up your whole performance.

It's best, especially when starting out, to carry a positive attitude into every audition. Remember, out of dozens or hundreds or - in the case of professional auditions in Los Angeles - maybe thousands of submissions, the CD has called you in to read for the role. That alone should give you a boost of positivity.

Cheers,

Michael



P.S. - Next time, I'll talk about getting physical on the set.

Demo Reels - reels or clips?

I just redid my demo reels on Actors Access, so I thought this would be a good time to discuss the changes in demo reels.

So, what's new? Most casting directors prefer that demos be no longer than a couple of minutes and less is better. That means two minutes for a mixed demo (one that has both comedy and drama on it).

But there's an even better and more preferred way of doing things. And that is separate, one minute comedy and drama demos with two or three clips of your best (and fairly recent) roles on each reel.

And this makes sense - if a CD is looking for an actor for a comedy role, they really don't want to sit through all your dramatic stuff to see the comedy, and vice versa.

On my comedy reel I have two clips - one over-the-top and one very dry. The reason this is the way to go is that a role may have more than one level; the character may have a story arc that takes them through a range of emotions or reactions. A clip (especially a short one) often only shows one type of emotion or attitude. Of course the CD must watch both clips to get this, but the larger and more complex the role that they are casting, the more willing most are to do this.

This is the same with drama - you really only need two or three different clips to show a range. And don't make the mistake of falling in love with a particular scene - if your clip shows only one type of emotion, reaction, or attitude, there's no reason for the clip to be a minute long. I have seen actors use a clip that is 3 minutes long and they are sitting at a table having a low-key discussion with no change in emotion. A busy CD will most likely watch about ten or fifteen seconds of this and bail.

There's one more way that demos can be placed on an acting site. I don't think it's as good as the one minute comedy or drama reels, but here it is. Actors are putting up individual clips (scenes). So instead of a comedy reel with three clips, the actor will have three separate clips on the web site. The idea is that your agent will pick the right clip to submit (just like he does with headshots).

Here's the main problem I have with using separate clips:

If a CD is looking for a dramatic actor with a range - for a larger role - they are not going to look through all your clips to see that you can do a range of dramatic acting. 

Note: Your other clips are up on the actor site along with the one that is attached to your submission. But, just like a CD is not going to look though all your headshots, they're not going to click on all your other clips. That's why I think it's better to have all the comedy clips in a one minute reel and the same with drama.

Hope this helps you think through your online presence as an actor.

Cheers,

Michael