Another HBO show!

Hey fellow actors! Can't believe it's been ten months since I last posted. The time seems to fly, and we're almost into a new year!

I've been mostly writing and have had a number of short stories published. But this blog isn't about writing, so why am I telling you that? Well, when the auditions (and roles) slow down -- and they always do -- we need some other creative outlet. It can be anything that allows you to have more control over when and how much you express your creativity.

Maybe it's stand-up comedy, or writing some sketches for you and your friends to shoot and post on YouTube. Maybe it's painting, or poetry. Doesn't matter as long as your creative juices get to flow whenever you want.

So, about this HBO show that I mentioned in the title of this post. Well, as usual, I can't disclose the name, or who's in it (other than me), because it's just starting production (I'm in the pilot). I'll post some stuff about it when it drops on the network. But here's the thing. A couple of months ago I auditioned for a role on this show. And after a few weeks I forgot about it and moved on. Just another audition.

Then out of the blue, my agent called and said they wanted me for another part, in the same show, and could I be on set the next day? Well, sure I could. We shot for 13-14 hours. Then the director said they wanted to add another scene with me, and could I come back the next day? Again -- sure I could. That's a great reason to do our best even if we don't think the role might be perfect for us. And why we want to make interesting choices in our auditions -- we never know what other role we might be considered for.

It was a fun shoot, on location, and it's the fourth show I've done for HBO. I've had co-star, guest star, and recurring roles with them, so it's beginning to feel a bit like home. Now, if they'd just hire me for a regular gig!

In the meantime, here's my view from inside the truck I was driving in a scene.

As for commercials -- I asked my agent why auditions had been slow for most of this year, and he informed me that the majority of commercials being shot in Los Angeles right now are non-union. That's a drag. But for some reason, I've had three commercial auditions in the past two weeks.

That's what I mean about how this business can be busy, then slow, then busy, etc. And to keep our sanity, we need to do some creative work that we have control over.

Cheers,

Michael

The Actor's Guide To Auditioning

“On hold,” “On avail,” “Pinned.”

What’s the difference between "On hold," "On avail," and "Pinned"? In reality there is little to no difference between those three phrases. But let’s take a closer look at them.

“On hold” and “pinned” are the same thing. They are used mostly for theatrical projects: films and television shows. The word pinned comes from a time when actors submitted hard copy headshots.

After the auditions, the casting directors would “pin” the headshots of the actors they were interested in up on the wall of the casting office. They might have two or three for each role and it allowed them to study the headshots side by side. For whatever reason, in our digital age, the term is making a comeback. After years of not hearing that phrase, my agent has sent me a number of emails stating that a casting director has pinned me for a role.

Being pinned might mean that it’s between you and one other actor, or maybe two or three others, but usually not more than a total (including you) of four. It’s a good thing – it means you are seriously being considered for the role. But, if you don’t get the role, it can also make you frustrated, knowing that you were so close.

I'm on hold (same as pinned) for a big role right now, and part of me wishes I didn’t know that. It makes me a little nuts every time I get a call or text and it’s not my agent. Last year I did six auditions for different TV shows in a couple of months and I was pinned on four of them. Didn’t get any of the four. But after another one of the auditions during that two month span, my agent simply called to say I'd booked it – no hold or pin.

As for “avail,” it is usually (but not always) used for commercials. It simply means that the casting director is interested in you (along with two or three others) and has called your agent to check that you are available to work on the days of the shoot. Or during the period when the shoot is taking place. They may be shooting for a week, but only need you for a day or two during that week. They may not know the exact day you’ll be working but want to know that you are available during the entire week they are shooting.

None of the terms mean you are booked, or that the producers are obligated to pay you if they don’t use you. The terms simply mean you did good, and are in the running!

As always, if you have a question, drop me a note and I’ll do my best to answer it.

Cheers,

Michael

The Actor's Guide To Auditioning

You have an agent, but no auditions. What’s up?

What are some steps you can take if you have an agent but aren’t getting out for auditions? Maybe you have a bad, lazy agent and it’s time to get another one. But ... before you take that drastic step, let’s explore a few other reasons for a lack of auditions and what you can do about it.

Your headshots. Do you like them? Did you spend a lot of money on them? Unfortunately, those things count for very little. (See my post on “What makes a strong headshot?")

Your headshots need to fit in with what your agent is submitting you for. A friend of mine is an example of headshots that might not work for her. Her shots are technically beautiful. She is beautiful in them – in fact she looks like a model. But there’s two problems with her using those shots.

First, she had her hair and makeup professionally done for the shoot. This is not something she will want to duplicate for every audition. And second, the shots don’t really match her demo reel. In her dramatic clip, she plays a girl next door type – very down to earth. A second clip also shows her without makeup – pretty, but not at all glamorous. And these are the kinds of roles she wants to get, but she’s not getting called in on them, because her pictures don’t match the type of roles she wants to be submitted for.

Note: Because she’s in Los Angeles, even if she wanted to pursue glamorous or model-type roles, the competition is fierce. There’s just so many beautiful people for casting directors to choose from, which means she still might not get called in often. (There’s a way to deal with that that I’ll address in a future post.)

Anyway, it might be time to talk to your agent and see what they’re submitting you for, and how each of you sees you and the potential roles you want. If you don’t see eye-to-eye on the roles, that’s a bad sign.

Something else that may be the problem. What are you doing to help your agent get you in the door of casting directors? Your promotional work doesn’t stop when you get an agent. Are you doing plays, short films, stand-up, sketches (for YouTube or Funny or Die), improv shows, etc.? Find the performing areas that help you get more experience and exposure.

You also need contact your agent for a meeting (a meeting that takes place, if at all possible, in person or on the phone – not by text or email).

Note: My agent likes to hear from their actors (but only every once in while, like every few months). I notice my auditions go up after I say hello by phone or in person. If I have an audition nearby their office I might let them know this and ask if it's okay to drop by after the audition.

When you do talk - instead of asking them why you’re not getting called in for auditions, ask them what you can do to help them get you more auditions. Getting angry or upset at your agent won’t help your cause. But by asking them what you can do, you avoid accusing them of not doing their job. And you make it sound like it’s the two of you working together – which is what you want from your relationship.

When you do talk to them, your agent may have two answers for you about why you aren’t getting auditions. 1) They are submitting you a lot, but the casters aren’t calling you in. Or 2) The agent isn’t seeing many roles that fit you. Ask what he thinks you can do to change that.

If they are submitting you a lot – it may be your headshots. Talk to your agent about those. You want to make sure your headshots fit the roles you're being submitted for, so, you need to ask them about that. Do they need other types of headshots, like ones that are more commercial? Or do you need more credits? Time to get yourself more short film roles. Join Actors Access and sign up to receive notices for short films or low-paying feature films that your agent may not be submitting you for. 

Finally, if nothing else works, it may be time to talk to another agent. When you contact them, you don't have to say who your current agent is, just that you're looking for new representation. And don't bad-mouth your agent - just say that's it's not a good fit, then ask them what roles they see you auditioning for, andif they can get you into those auditions.

Cheers,

Michael

The Actor's Guide To Auditioning

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.

The frustration of too many directions.

Hi

It's been awhile since my last blog and it would be great to say I've been so busy acting that I haven't had time to write. But the truth is we're just getting out of the slow casting season (April - July). Finally things are picking up for major auditions. Yeah!

What I've been doing these last four months when things get slow is the same thing I advise others to do - stay busy doing creative stuff. Writing sketches, doing some improv work, reading an acting book, watching good films, updating resumes and headshots online, that kind of stuff. I've been teaching an improv class out in beautiful Malibu - and I join in on the warmups. That way I get paid to teach, and I get to keep up my improv skills.

Anyway - today's post is about the frustration off getting too many confusing and conflicting directions from a casting director (or more likely, a session director).

Okay, you have an audition - co-star role, three lines. What do you do if, when you enter the room, the CD says something like this:

"Okay, the character is angry, but not too angry, and we really want to see that he's actually vulnerable, but with an edge."

There's no way to do right by all those emotions in three lines. In fact I just recently had an audition like that. So, what did I do? I did what I thought was right for the character and picked the one direction the CD gave that jived with what I had been rehearsing. When I was done the CD said, "Okay, let's try it again and bring out the edginess a little more."

Once the CD saw my interpretation of the role, he was able to narrow down his direction a little more, which helped me on the next take.

So, in those situations, pick one or two character emotions, especially if it's a short audition, and use those. If you commit to them - and that's key - the CD will almost always do another take with you. And that's a good thing - CDs are seeing a lot of actors and they are not going to waste their time doing multiple takes with an actor they think sucks. In fact, in most cases, the more takes they do, the more interested they are in casting you. If they see something they like in your first take, they will work with you to get the role on tape that the producers want.

As always - enjoy the journey. And send your questions!


Cheers,


Michael

What makes a strong headshot?

A few months ago a friend asked me to take a couple of headshots of her in order to submit for a particular role in a new Cohen Brothers film. I hadn't taken actor's headshots for a few years, but I agreed to do hers.

Most of us know that a good headshot needs to be focused, have good lighting, show the actor looking directly into the lens (making strong eye contact with the viewer), and that the actor needs to look pretty much as they will when they walk into a casting director's office.

But there's something else. It is what I had my friend do as we took her shots. Like I said above - we need to be making good eye contact with the person who is looking at our headshot, but - and this is a huge "but" - we need to have something going on behind our eyes. No matter how good-looking we are, or how well the photo looks, technically, if there is only blankness behind our eyes, the headshot will not capture the viewer's attention.

Note: If a newbie director is making a short film and needs a cute male or female, he may only care that the actor looks "cute," but I'm really talking about professional casting directors and directors here. And they look for the magic going on behind the actor's eyes.

So back to my actress friend and her headshots. What I did was give her short little scenarios to think about while we were shooting. Since she was going to use them for a particular role, I gave her ones that might be part of that role. 

But there are ones that could be used for any headshot shoot, for example: if you want to convey sadness, you might think about a good friend who has let you down, or if you want a great open smile, you might think about spotting the love of your life across a room and "lighting up" at the sight of his or her face.

I'm sure you could come up with other scenarios for other "looks." The point is if there is something actually going on behind your eyes, it will come across in the headshot. And that will make people (casters and directors) stop and take a second look. I would be prepared to have my own inner mini scenes to use as many headshot photographers don't know about them or how to use them - at least that's what I do for my own headshots.

Can you guess what I might be thinking in this headshot? It gets me called in for certain roles - which ones?



Cheers,

Michael

P.S. The friend that I shot the headshots for got called in for the role, and booked it!

A "Modern Family" audition

This post is late because I was preparing for an audition for "Modern Family." The scene is a funny one with one of the stars. The audition sides came in at 6 p.m. and the audition was the next day at 10 a.m. Fortunately, memorizing the sides was easy, because the writing was great (and funny) and because the scene was fairly short.

Deciding whether to "dress" for the audition took me a little longer. Many times I go to theatrical (film and TV) auditions fairly casual. Just a regular shirt and slacks. But sometimes a voice in my head tells me to dress a bit more in character, especially if the character is a bit weird or offbeat.
So, wearing a bow tie and an old cardigan sweater, I headed off to 20th Century Fox Studios in West Los Angeles. Unfortunately, President Obama was visiting on the Westside and the streets all around the studio were blocked off. I got a little nervous about being late (which I definitely was going to be) until I realized that everyone else was going to be late as well.

20th Century Fox - Stage 22

When I finally got to the casting offices, the CD told me that they were also late getting in, so no worries. The audition itself went very well. Don't want to jinx it, but I may be a bit younger than they're looking for - we'll see.
The lessons from this audition are - listen to the little voice in your head. It's your instinct trying to tell you something.

And don't sweat the things you can't control (like the President being in the neighborhood).

Cheers,

Michael 

First union audition?

Katlin O. writes: "I'm going out on my first union audition. It's for a commercial. Are there any tips you can give me about what to do before the audition so I look more professional?"

Hi Katlin - congrats on your audition! I've done a lot of commercial auditions and I've found these tips to be helpful:

If you haven't gotten any copy (dialogue) before the audition and you're not sure if you'll have lines to say, arrive 20 or 30 minutes early. More and more these days, they will only have the dialogue available at the audition.

When you get there (early), grab a copy of the dialogue, but don't sign in yet. Just find a quiet spot and work on it. Then a few minutes before your call time, go sign in.

Some sign-in sheets still ask for your social security number - do not write it in. If you book the job, they will get your SS# when you sign the contract. You don't need to write you SAG-AFTRA number in either - I always leave that blank. Fill out the rest, including your name, agent, etc. NOTE: If you run into overtime at an audition (over an hour) and you want to claim it, be sure and put your SAG-AFTRA number on the sheet and sign out.

Don't spend a lot of time talking to other actors. Getting caught in the middle of a conversation when your name is called means that you're not going to be prepared and in the right state of mind. Remember, auditions are business time, not social time.

And forget about talking on your cell phone. I was at an audition last week and the woman going in ahead of me was on her phone talking to someone when the casting director came out and called her name to come in and read. The actor had to say goodbye, end the call, and put her phone away in a special pocket in her purse. All the while keeping the CD waiting. This made the actor look unprepared and rude. Not a great way to start an audition!

Most casting offices won't ask for a headshot and résumé, but always have one you can give them if they do ask for one. Most of that stuff is sent electronically from your agent.

Also, be aware that the session director will often call in a group of actors to explain what they want the actors to do in the audition. Don't miss that! It's also a good time to ask questions if you have them.

For me, the main thing I work on before an audition is focusing and getting into the zone. The audition should be the most important thing going on in your life at that moment. 

And don't forget - you can also do some preparing on the way to the audition by vocalizing and doing some visualization exercises. (Although maybe not visualizations if you're driving!)

Hope this helps - and break a leg!

Cheers,

Michael

New agent, but not getting out on auditions?

Justin B. asked the question "I've got a new agent, but I haven't been out for auditions in six months. Should I start looking for another agent?"

Hey, Justine - thanks for reading my blog. Before you can really make a smart decision about dropping your agent, you'll need to figure out the answers to some questions.

Here, in no particular order are things you have to consider:

Is the reason you aren't getting auditions because of your headshots?

Is it because your agent isn't doing a good job of submitting you? And if he isn't, is it because he's lazy, or doesn't really believe in you? Does he have other clients in your category who have better credits, so they are the ones he's submitting? Or is he submitting you for parts that are not right for you - based on your headshots and credits (or age, ethnicity, etc.)

If you have very few (or no) professional credits, your agent's going to have a hard time getting you in for guest star or major supporting film roles. So is he submitting you for co-star roles that will build up your résumé so that you can eventually be considered for the bigger roles?

As you can see, unless you get answers to some or all of these questions, you run the risk of getting into the same situation if you go to another agency.

If it's been a few months - six at most - and you haven't had an audition through your agent, it's time to schedule a meeting, either on the phone or better yet in person. If they swear they've been submitting you, then discuss the possibility that it's your headshots or credits that are the problem.

As for TV roles, realize that breaking into television is probably the hardest area in which to get a start. That's because they work fairly fast and don't have time to take a chance on someone with very little credits (especially if they have no TV credits). It's a kind of catch 22 - you need TV experience to get TV roles, but you can't get experience unless you have a decent résumé.

The thing is, you can do something about those kinds of problems. Like, get new headshots, or doing student films, videos, online sketches, plays, etc. to build up those credits (and get more experience).

As for whether your agent is actually submitting you, that's harder to figure out. If you're in a theatre company, or around a group of actors in your category, you should ask them if they're getting auditions. This will give you an idea of whether the business is just slow, or your agent is not working very hard for you.

I've been getting a lot of theatrical (TV and film) auditions, but very few commercial ones, so I asked some actor friends who do a lot of commercials (and who are my type), if they were getting out and they said that it's been very slow for them as well. So, that tells me it''s not my agent's fault - it's just slow for character actors my age in commercials.

Just don't let a lot of time go by without talking to your agent. That doesn't mean call them every month, but if I had six months of no auditions, I would be on the phone with my agent asking what was going on.

Hope this helps - let me know how things go if you talk to your agent.

Cheers,

Michael

Making choices at an audition.

I had an audition this past week for a popular procedural show - one of those long-running crime/mystery shows. And the character I was reading for was a really intense character. But, it could have been played a couple of different ways. So, what did I do in the few days I had to rehearse it?

First I looked at the different choices and what clues I could get from the dialogue. For example, if another character asks your character - "Do you know Jeremy Jones?", and your response is, "I ain't got no knowledge of that person," you can assume that your character is not an educated person. Now, if the line is the same, but he adds, "… so just leave me alone." What does that add to the character? He's hostile? He's a loner? He doesn't like the person asking him the question? Maybe the person asking him is a cop and he doesn't like any cops.

The casting people don't want you to be asking them what they want - or what they see as the character - they want to see what you bring to the audition. If you're a beginner, you might get told what to do, but if you want to move up the ladder and get better roles, you will be expected to bring a fully realized character to the audition.

At my audition, not only was the casting director in the room, there was also the show's director, the producer, and the writer. And since this was for a TV show, they simply don't have the time to have a conversation with every actor about the character. This is why no one asked me if I had any questions. If they had given me an adjustment after my first read, then I could have asked a question to clarify the adjustment.

As actors, we aren't just puppets, we are expected - most of the time - to be creative and to make the choices ourselves. And believe in them and commit to them. There are some exceptions, mainly in commercial auditions, where the casters will usually tell us what they want from the character. Since I talk about that in another post and in my book, I won't go into it in this post.

The one thing you want to avoid in a film or TV audition is trying to play all the possibilities. You must make a choice and stick with it! Then if the caster wants to see a different take on the character, they will give you an adjustment. If, in the above example, you were a little too angry, they might say, try it again more frustrated than angry. And this is why you want to go through several possibilities when you are rehearsing, so that you can make a change if they give you an adjustment. You just don't want to try to play all your choices in the hope that they will see something in your audition, because all they will see is an actor who has not committed to a choice.

And how do we make those choices? We do it by supplying our own answers to to our questions. For example - is the character angry or frustrated? Try it both ways. Which way feels most right? Go with that. You may be wrong, but you'll be strong. And strong and wrong is far more interesting than weak and blah.

Cheers,

Michael

Memorizing lines for an audition

During the holiday season things usually slow down, but I've been getting a few auditions. And the roles have had a fair amount of lines for the auditions. This made me think of a question I've seen discussed on other sites - whether you need to have all the lines memorized.

Here's how the answer breaks down in my experience:

If it's for a commercial, and you've had the copy (the lines) for a day or more before the audition, then you are expected to be letter perfect. If the copy is not available until you show up for the audition, and it's only a line or two, you will be expected to be letter perfect. If it's a lot of lines, you'll be expected to be close to perfect. I know that sounds crazy, but that's what they will expect in most cases. There is usually very time in the commercial world to learn lines, so the person who is quick with memorization has an advantage. Yes, you obviously have to be a good commercial actor, but remember, they often call in a large number of actors to audition, so there's going to be ones that are both good actors, and fast memorizers.

The general rule of thumb is - the faster the production shoots, the faster they want those lines memorized. Makes sense, yeah?

TV is kind of like commercials - it shoots fast, but the skills of the actor become a little more important than just memorization. As long as you don't screw up the lines too badly, your acting can make up for some mistakes. At an audition for a recurring role on a popular show, I screwed up the few lines I had both times I read and still got the part! Why? - well, maybe because I looked like the actor whose brother I was playing. Or maybe because I'm brilliant. But probably the look-alike thing.

With films, you get more time. You will usually get the sides a few days ahead of your audition, and as long as you give a strong reading as the character, the words don't have to be perfect. You'll usually have plenty of time to work on the lines before the shooting starts, and the director and producer know that.

And a play? Most plays are in rehearsal for at least 3-4 weeks (sometimes longer), so like a film, it's more about your interpretation of the character than it is about memorization.

If you email me, I'll send you - free - some tips on memorizing lines. Just put "memorizing" in the subject line. Or buy my audition book - it's got a chapter on memorizing.

Cheers,

Michael

I booked "House of Lies" this week - the good and not so good of preparing for an audition.

Hi everyone. It's been both a fun and a crazy week since I last posted. Many auditions and a booking. I'm doing a role on "House of Lies" for Showtime next week. My scenes are with Don Cheadle, an actor I've admired since he did "Crash." 

I also had auditions for two different characters on the new Cohn Brothers film, a new Marvel series, several other TV shows, and a commercial.

Should you ask questions at the audition?

In many of the auditions, I didn't get more than the sides (a page or two) and there were a bunch of questions I had about what was going on in the scenes. Do we ask the casting director all those questions when we get to the audition? Nope. If they ask if we have any questions, what they really mean is - do we have ONE question that we really need the answer to in order to do the scene. You can almost never ask all your questions, or discuss the character's motivations, etc.

So, what do we do? Well, I'll pass on what I do. I make my own choices. How do I know if they're the right choices? Honestly? I don't always know. But I make the best choices I can with the available material: who am I?, who am I talking to?, what do I want from them?, where is the scene taking place?

What if I make the wrong choice?

If it says that I'm angry, how angry am I? Sometimes our dialogue will give you a clue, and sometimes we just have to make our own choice. And usually, if it's too strong (and it's better to be too strong than too weak), the casting director will have us do it again and take it down a bit. That's what happened in my audition for House of Lies.

I was really energetic on the first take, and although the CD thought it might work, she had me do it again a little less "enthusiastically." If you take the CD's notes, and do it the way they suggest, it shows that you can make adjustments in your performance - and that's a good thing.

So, even if you're not sure that your choice is the "perfect" one, commit to it fully. You (and I) won't always be right, and we won't get some acting jobs because of it, but being weak and indecisive in our acting choices is far worse than making a strong, incorrect choice.

Cheers,

Michael
   

Okay - I'm plugging my ebook again, but it does cover a lot of stuff about auditioning and booking the job.

The Actor's Guide to Auditioning

They loved my audition - so why didn't I book?

You go to an audition (doesn't matter if it's for TV, film, commercial, or theatre) and when you're done reading, the people in the room say things like, "That was fantastic," or "Wow, that was the best reading we've seen in a long time," or maybe, "You blew us away." They're all smiles, and gushing with enthusiasm about your audition. You walked out stoked to the max. You nailed it - and there's no doubt they're going to offer you the part, right? Except they don't. In fact neither you or your agent hear anything from them at all.

So, what's going on? How could they have been so genuinely enthusiastic about your read, and yet - not a word? Not even to tell you that it was between you and another actor, and it was a really difficult choice, but they went with the other actor because he or she is repped by the same agent as the star, or whatever. And even though you'd be unhappy about not getting the gig, at least you'd know why. But nothing?! Not a word after all that excitement?

Now here's another side to that situation. You go to another audition, and you know you sucked at it. You blew your lines (on both takes), you were wearing the totally wrong clothes, and when they gave you an adjustment on the second take, you read it flat instead of subtle. And you book it!!! Okay, you're happy - but WTF?

Note: If you've been going out on enough auditions, you've experienced both these outcomes.

If you go back to that CD at a later date for a different audition, you don't want to ask the casting director why you didn't book. First off, you're probably reading for a different session director, who wasn't at your other audition. But even if it's the same CD or SD, they're busy and don't have time to try and remember your audition and what happened. Besides, you're putting them on the spot and they may feel uncomfortable telling you why you didn't book. A professional actor just doesn't bring it up. Be glad they are calling you back and let that old audition go.

Note: If your agent or manager has a good, personal relationship with the CD, they may be able to call them and get some feedback, but don't count on it.

It would be nice if casting was always logical - you give a great read, you get the job. You give a sucky read, you don't get it. However there are so many other reasons why we get the job, or don't get it, other than just how we read at the audition. Some of the (silly, but true) reasons you didn't book are: too old, too young, too tall, too short, too blond, too dark, and on and on - you get the idea. Put the past audition behind you, and look forward to kicking butt on the next one.

Cheers,

Michael   

How to deal with "sides."

I have an audition coming up next week and one of the things I do to prepare is to create my own version of the sides. 

Unless we have only a line or two, we always want to have the sides in our hand while we audition. I know it seems like we will look better if we don't hold them, there are at least two reasons for holding them. First, we absolutely do not want to forget a line and have to break our audition to find the sides and get our place. This is far more unprofessional than holding the sides. 

The second reason is that as much as we want to look like we have the part ready to go, that can work against us - especially if we're reading for a play. Unless, you're stepping into a role at the last minute, you are going to have several weeks of rehearsals, and you don't want to look like you have everything down pact and that audition is your final performance. 

Of course, with a commercial it's no problem because they'll have the copy hanging somewhere near the camera. 

However, if we do have to glance at our sides, we want to be able to find our place, and grab a line very quickly. Below is a copy of what I do to make sure my lines (the character of Bill) pop out at me if I have to glance at the sides. 

First off I condense the sides. That means I get rid of the stuff I don't need. Like the other person's actions (unless they affect my character), then I edit out the cue lines of the other characters, getting rid of the other character's dialogue except for their last line of two before my next line. You should have all the motivation stuff done already, so you don't need to get that from the lines during the audition.

Then I put everything in 12 pt font (I like Verdana), except for my lines which I put in 14 pt bold font. As you can see from the copy above, my lines really pop out when I need to grab them fast. To me, this is more important than covering the page with notes about when to move my arm, or what emotion to have on some particular line.

Cheers,

Michael   

What do casting directors look for?

This is probably the number one question that film, TV and commercial actors ask (or at least wonder about). And although I've touched on it before, it's worth visiting it again.

Bottom line: The CD wants you to bring honesty to the role. How do we best do this? By bringing as much of ourselves as we can to the role. Doesn't matter if it's a comedy or a drama. The more of ourselves we bring, the less we have to "act."

But hey, we're actors - aren't we suppose to act? Well, yes and no. Unless we're playing ourselves, we're always going to be doing some acting, but pretending is never as strong as real, sincere emotion that comes from our heart. When you see someone act who really moves you, don't you feel like that actor must really feel that way about whatever it is they are reacting to?

Haven't you seen an actor doing a scene where he is supposed to be angry (or sad or scared, or another strong emotion) and you just don't buy it? Even if the acting isn't bad, you just feel like it's not "real"? And how about when you almost feel that the actor is really angry (or sad, etc.)?

That's usually because he (or she) is tapping into the angry part of themselves. They find that part of them that holds the "angry" emotions, and they let it out.

We all have those different emotions in us: anger, lust, sadness, fear, silliness, etc. The best actors find those emotions and allow the rest of us to see them. That's what holds back a lot of actors, because most of us have been raised to not show emotions - especially the undesirable ones like lust or anger. But in order to really make others feel what we're feeling, we must be willing to tap into those real parts of ourselves and show them to others.

That brings us to the "acting" stuff. Acting is really about using a real emotion (not acting) in a situation were you wouldn't feel that way (acting). For example, maybe you can really feel anger at people who hurt animals, but the scene calls for you to feel anger at your sister. You make the anger real, and act the part that it's toward your sister.

And this is one of the main things that casting directors (and directors) look for at an audition (and in a performance).

Ask me about other things a CD looks for - I'll be glad to help any way I can.

Cheers,

Michael  

Today's audition was sucky - how to get out of your head.

Hi all -

Had an audition today for a supporting role in a major new film. The audition went fine, although I had to completely change my choice for the character after my first read. It was like this: I audition using a choice I had come up with. Then the casting director (a major CD - and she's nice!), goes - okay, that was interesting, but try it the exact opposite of what you just did.

This is when it pays to have training, including lots of improv training and performing, because I had to completely switch my character right then - no going off in the hallway and working on it for half an hour - it had to be an instant change.

But that's not why the audition was sucky. There was a huge amount of construction going on near the casting building and I literally had to walk a mile and a half there and back from my car! So I arrive at the audition hot, tired, late, and pissed off.

I knew I had to take control and get out of that frame of mind. Fortunately, in this case, being a little late was not a problem as they were running a bit behind. So, what I did was this: after finding the office, I didn't sign-in right away. I went down the hall, sat down, closed my eyes, and took some deep breaths. Then I drank some water to re-hydrate. When I had calmed down and let go of being pissed, I pulled out my copy of the sides and looked them over, allowing myself to be drawn into the role. And then I went and signed-in. About 15 minutes later the casting director called me into the room to read.

The point is - if I had signed-in and tried to audition as soon as I got there, I would have been influenced by all the crap I was feeling at that moment. Of course, if the character was supposed to be feeling hot, tired, and pissed off it might have helped. The problem is that that can backfire and get in the way of your performance. I was not happy that the casting office had not told my agent about the distance the actors would have to walk, and without taking the time to get my shit together, I might have gone off on the people at the casting office - which would not be a good move.

We really do have to let go (at least for the moment) all or most of what is happening in our real lives and just get into the role. All our personal crap will still be waiting for us when we're done with the acting, but we have to put that out of our minds while we do our job. If I had been thinking about the loooong walk I would have back to my car, that would definitely have gotten in the way of my audition.

Write me with any of your audition stories, or ways you have gotten out of your "real" world and into the world of your character.

Cheers,


Michael