Posts Tagged ‘audition tips’

The Competition at Acting Auditions

Monday, October 11th, 2010

It was the American playwright Edward Albee who famously said: “There are always going to be more actors than anybody can ever use.”
Recognising this can be very dispiriting to young performers, especially when they start out on their career, and face the prospect of some periods of unemployment.

However, it is a realistic view of the actor’s life. For those who do not find stardom early on, a lot of self-confidence is needed to keep on going to acting auditions, especially in financially difficult times when the numbers turning up to casting calls seems to be in inverse proportion to the actual amount of work available.

If you are prepared to put your world-fame on hold for a while, you may find performance opportunities that you haven’t expected. Competing for a role should not be something you take personally. Almost all acting casting is determined by an actor’s suitability for the role. If you aren’t right for the part, then it is more than likely that the part isn’t right for you. The number of other actors at audition has nothing to do with the final choice, but everything to do with your confidence.

Here at Audition Now, we can help with your confidence by offering you a wide range of the latest acting auditions. We text you direct to your mobile phone, encouraging you to try for a variety of different roles and acting opportunities, and helping you to find your rightful place in the business.

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Presentation at Acting Auditions

Wednesday, October 6th, 2010

When you are next preparing for acting auditions, give time to consider not only the substance of what you will be doing in the audition or casting call, but also all elements of your presentation. After all, auditions are the actor’s business card: in the audition process you are giving information about yourself to the audition panel. As with a business card, it is that information that may lead to work or collaboration in the future. Your audition may get you the part, or get you a recall, or may at least get you onto a casting director’s file.

However, as with business cards, the presentation at auditions is crucial. When someone gives you a business card that looks cheap and hastily thrown together, and on poor quality card and with a lack of finish, then it gives you a bad impression of them and you may hesitate to follow up the contact.

A carefully put together CV – clear and easy to read, with all the important information about you and your previous experience assembled in an orderly fashion, a 10×8 professionally-taken photo portrait, and a choice of clothing appropriate to the role or the show or film for which you are auditioning are all aspects of your presentation which can enhance your chance of success.

Here at Audition Now we keep you up-to-date about all the latest television, extras and theatre auditions. We text you direct to your mobile phone so you never miss a chance to make a good impression.

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Your Technique at Acting Auditions

Friday, October 1st, 2010

Doing well at acting auditions can often depend on good luck as much as on your skill at going through your paces in the audition room. You will, however, seriously impair your chances of doing well in your career as an actor if you don’t spend some time analyzing how your audition has gone, and why you did or didn’t get the part.

You should consider whether you chose wisely in your prepared audition speeches; was this the material that was most apt for the show or part in question, and did it show you off to your best advantage?

You should consider how successful you were in the ‘cold reading’, if you had one. Did you understand the text, and did you interpret it in a sufficiently imaginative way? Did you demonstrate a good understanding of the direction you were being given, and did you respond constructively?

If you succeed in getting the part, you might want to understand how. Perhaps this will become clearer in the rehearsal process, so you should certainly try to retain a clear remembrance of how the original auditions went.

Acting auditions are not something to be dreaded. You should learn to think of them as a valuable way for you to develop your performing technique – the more you do, the better you get. Here at Audition Now, we help you make the most of the audition process, by keeping you right up to the minute with all the latest acting casting opportunities.

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Use Your Headshot

Wednesday, September 1st, 2010

Bottom line – without a headshot, you won’t be remembered at an acting audition. The issue of headshots is paramount,  whether you are on casting calls or auditions.

The financial burdens of acting auditions can be great, especially when making your first foray into the business.

So why on earth is the standard 8×10 headshot in black and white? Surely colour would be more advantageous? The history of the headshot is an entirely different beast, and has all sorts of interesting links back to the various heydays of acting (it tends to depend on who you ask).

Essentially, the black and white headshot is a must because of its simplicity and standard format. There’s only so much re-jigging that can be done to a standard headshot, thus its appeal to casting professionals, as it shows a true reflection of what you actually look like.

Some quick tips:

- When posing, be natural and true to your look – a major frustration for casting personnel is when a headshot is only vaguely reminiscent of you.

- Smile! It’s the standard practice, and with the amount of people passing through auditions and casting calls, non-standard headshots tend to be tossed aside.

- Also, make sure that you consult several different photographers to get an idea of what their packages include, and to try and get the best deal.

Remember, you need to be 18 years and over to use our service (£1.50 per text with a maximum of 3 texts per week).

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Striking Lucky At Acting Auditions

Wednesday, August 4th, 2010

For many actors, acting auditions can feel like ‘make or break’ time: you are only as good as your last show, your livelihood depends on the next acting job that comes along, and like everyone else, you have bills to pay. Acting auditions may mean the difference between paying next month’s bills or going hungry. No wonder actors view them with some trepidation.

It is worth remembering, however, that while you are fully focused on giving of your best, some of the biggest breaks can turn on a chance encounter or a chance remark. For this reason, you should be ready to let people see your human side, as much as your professional side. Whatever their talents, for most actors a large part of the job is getting along with their colleagues, and your audition panel will want to know that you can be part of a team, just as much as what you can do onstage or onscreen.

Humour is the great ice-breaker, so be ready to ‘lighten up’ even if you are preparing to give the audition of your life. There is an art to keeping your personal side separate from your public persona. It is a good indication of your talent that both sides to you are on view at acting auditions.

At Audition Now we offer you the best support service for upcoming acting auditions by texting all the latest work opportunities direct to your mobile phone: that way, you needn’t leave everything to chance.

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A Successful Attitude To Acting Auditions

Wednesday, July 28th, 2010

Many actors find it easy to get into a rut over acting auditions. They think of them as a threat and not as an opportunity, as something to be endured and not something to be enjoyed, as a trap and not a challenge.

This is a dangerous attitude because it affects not only how you fare at your auditions, but also how you get on in your career. It was the great Hollywood actor and director Clint Eastwood who said, ‘I don’t believe in pessimism. If something doesn’t come up the way you want, forge ahead. If you think it’s going to rain, it will.’ This is little more than saying that to do well, you have to believe in yourself. For an actor, this is, however, an important truth. Your attitude is bound up in how you deliver your lines, in your facial expression, and even in the way you move. If your audition panel is confronted with someone who betrays negativity in what he or she does, then they will have no hesitation in turning you down.

A positive attitude has the added benefit of helping you get through the difficulty of rejection at acting casting calls: you can look forward to the next opportunity without dwelling on feelings of personal hurt.

Here at Audition Now, we specialise in getting the best opportunities for auditions to our clients, as soon as they become available. We think positive, so that you can go on and act positive.

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Your CV At Acting Auditions

Wednesday, July 21st, 2010

Your casting panel at acting auditions needs to connect your audition performance with your history, so it is important that you can present to them a carefully prepared and professionally laid-out CV (or resume).

There are key pieces of information that are needed in your CV, remembering that you should get everything onto one side of A4. These include: your name, any professional association, such as Equity membership, and a description of your physical characteristics such as height, weight, colour of hair and eyes. Also, if you are a singer, you should mention voice-type. You need to provide contact information, such as phone numbers, email address and details of your agent and website, if you have one. A website is a useful tool for you, as you can update it frequently and include more material than at your acting auditions.

Your experience will take up the bulk of your CV. You should list it according to type, i.e. stage, TV, film, but also include any commercials or voice-overs, and you should give at least the name of the production, the role you played and the company or theatre for whom you performed. It may help to mention the director, and, if appropriate, a ‘name’ actor.

Don’t forget to include any training and special skills you have, such as acrobatics or stage combat. These skills can swing in your favour is mentioned, and will come in useful if the audition panel are trying to decide between you and another actor for acting casting calls.

Here at Audition Now we keep you up-to-date with all the latest acting auditions, so that you can show off your talent and your experience to your best advantage.

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A Professional Look For Your Next Acting Auditions

Tuesday, July 13th, 2010

A good photograph of yourself to present at acting auditions can be a great help to you in securing work for the future. Just as business cards are a vital tool in the world of commerce, the quality headshot is an important networking device to further your career in the world of the theatre. It is standard form for actors at auditions to present a headshot of themselves, along with a C.V. (or resume). This is the photo that helps the actor stay in the mind of the director or casting panel long after the auditions are over.

For this reason, it is important to devote some care, time and money to your publicity stills. There are no short cuts to this: it is rare that an amateur snap of yourself will meet the expected standard, and in any case highly unlikely that such an image will serve you for any length of time – whether for TV or theatre auditions – so you have to commit to the expense. To be sure to get your money’s worth, you should approach a number of theatrical photographers and ascertain whose work you like best, and with whom you feel most comfortable.

Remember, your portrait is your ‘advocate’: it has to ‘argue’ on your behalf after the audition, and recall to the director your personality and your talent.

Here at Audition Now, we help you get to all the latest acting auditions, texting you up-to-the-minute information on casting opportunities direct to your mobile phone.

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Being In Charge at Acting Auditions

Friday, July 9th, 2010

It is easy to feel dispirited if TV or theatre auditions don’t go as well as you had hoped. You should not be put off, however, but instead try to think of ways to ‘raise your game.’ Remember, the aim of the casting director is to find the best person for the role. Just because you were not that person, does not mean that you won’t be the best person for the next role you audition for.

An important tip for the audition process is to put yourself in the driving seat. There is the famous story of Barbra Streisand who, at one of her early acting auditions, stopped her song to take the chewing gum out of her mouth, and stick it under a stool seat. At the end of the day, someone checked the underside of the stool, and found there was nothing there. The girl who had been chewing gum had actually been faking it. The effect was undeniable. She had stuck herself in the minds of the audition panel by taking charge of her own audition. As it turned out, she had also proved what a skilled performer she was.

You don’t need to use chewing gum to take charge of your casting calls and auditions, but the more in control you are, the less gruelling your auditions will feel to you.

At Audition Now, we offer a texting service to your mobile phone. We help you plan your career by keeping you up-to-date with all the latest acting auditions.

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Overcoming Fear At Acting Auditions

Wednesday, July 7th, 2010

The hardest thing for an audition panel is to sit through an audition when the actor obviously doesn’t want to be there. Admittedly acting auditions are a nerve-wracking process for most, but it is important that you demonstrate that you can overcome your nerves, and that you are really comfortable with performing.

You need to focus on the positive side of the experience, and to take your mind off the uncertainty and fear you may feel. After all, the audition is your great opportunity to do what you enjoy doing most. Besides, your panel knows what you are going through. They do not want you to spend their time focusing their attention on your difficulties. They want to focus on your unique abilities and talents.

This is another important truth: they are as keen for you to do well at auditions as you are. They are searching for the next star who will walk into that audition. You need to persuade them that that next ‘star’ is you.

When you next go into audition, be sure to take that attitude with you into the room – and make a point of seeing your panel as individual human beings, not as a hostile committee. They are human; they have lives too. If you can engage with them personally, it will help you enormously when you engage with them ‘professionally.’

Here at Audition Now we line you up for all the latest acting auditions, texting you direct to your mobile phone.

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