Posts Tagged ‘extras’

Are you a ‘Cardboard Cut-Out Character’?

Tuesday, February 16th, 2010

Extras work can sometimes feel a bit disheartening: you may think you are nothing more than part of the backdrop to a particular scene, and you may long to portray someone a little less two-dimensional.

At other times, extras work can be a considerable comfort to an actor. In a break from a long run of theatre performances it can be a lot less stressful than being ‘in the limelight’ and it usually offers reasonable pay and flexibility, so you can make yourself available for casting calls for other projects.

When it comes to acting auditions and casting calls, you need to switch into ‘solo’ mode. You are no longer part of the scenery you are ‘no. 1′. Hitchcock famously said that Disney had the best casting; ‘If he doesn’t like an actor, he just tears him up.’ It is therefore important that you don’t let yourself get ‘torn up’ at acting auditions by not being prepared.

Some actors say you should never do extras casting work: by compromising your talent for the money, you may make it difficult to be taken seriously as a real performer. On the other hand, especially when you are starting out in your career, it is a useful skill to learn.  To play a piece of walking scenery is an important discipline and may genuinely benefit an enthusiastic novice.

At Audition Now we can help you with planning your future career as an actor, as well as keeping you posted via your mobile about the very latest theatre auditions and casting calls.

Stage, Catwalk, Television or Film

Friday, February 12th, 2010

A trained actor knows that his or her talent may be turned to learning new skills, so when it comes to considering your work opportunities, you should keep an open mind about potential roles you are prepared to consider for yourself. This is particularly true if your experience is in doing modelling work. The question may be for you: what is the best way to ‘cross over’ into acting?

There are plenty examples of models who have turned their experience and looks to good use in expanding their career into acting, and a good way of ‘testing the water’ is to make yourself available for acting auditions and casting calls. If a production company decides that you have the right look for the part they are hoping to fill, then it will very often help you to learn any particular performance skills you need for the role.

If you are not sure about how to develop and exploit the talents you have as effectively as possible then it is important for you to research the experience of others. You will often find ideas about how to promote your own career in studying what steps models and actors have taken before you. These ideas can sometimes be quite simple, but they often won’t occur to you if you don’t put in the work.

At Audition Now we offer a comprehensive range of support services that can help with your acting prospects. We also offer an up-to-the-minute information service for a range of performance opportunities across the UK, with news of acting auditions and casting calls for all types of modelling, acting and extras auditions.

Extras, Extras! Read All About Them

Monday, February 1st, 2010

Don’t let Ricky Gervais’ popular television series ‘Extras’ put you off some really useful work opportunities between jobs.

Working as an extra for film or television not only assures you of a reasonable daily pay packet while you are in line for acting auditions or casting calls: it also helps you keep your hand in ‘on set.’ You should not forget that if you start as an extra you may even be spotted and given featured extra roles, or even minor character parts. After all, starting as an extra was good enough for the legendary John Wayne.

In one sense taking this kind of work is like being paid for doing auditions. You are being seen by directors and producers on set, but you are also being seen by some of the most successful performers in the film world: if you have talent, it is a great way to show it, even if you have to be discreet and not pull focus from the principal actors.

Extras work has the added advantage of not usually keeping you out of the loop for long periods of time.

This means that you will still be available for theatre auditions and casting calls. You can be sure that all the latest opportunities are being texted to you on your mobile, so you don’t need to miss any of them. Moreover, that could also include casting calls for even more extras work. It’s all part of the service we provide at Audition Now.

The Role And Etiquette Expected From Extras During Production

Friday, January 29th, 2010

If you are fairly new to the acting profession but have managed to land yourself a part as one of the acting extras, there is a certain type of behaviour that is expected from you when on set.

The way an actor conducts themselves on any type of set will often impact their chances of getting or not getting other extras parts or acting roles.

As an actor or extra, your behaviour on set should be exemplary.

Some important points to note when working on a production set:

•    Always arrive early.
•    Observe and learn if you are new to the experience.
•    Take a book, because it can be many long hours before you are required to participate.
•    Always treat the cast and crew with respect.
•    Know your place in the pecking order with food and refreshments.
•    Don’t speak to the star actors unless they talk to you first.

When a TV or film producing is on location shooting an outdoor scene, it is often required for any locals to get involved as extras. Extras jobs will be advertised in local press and have been the starting point for many successful actors today.

For the latest industry information and news on casting calls, extras roles and acting auditions, we at Audition Now are experts in this field and are ahead of the market. Whether you need more auditions or tips and training, we are able to arm actors with everything they need to be successful.

Musical Theatre Acting Auditions

Monday, January 18th, 2010

When you are facing acting auditions or casting calls for musical theatre, you will need to make sure that you find a piece of music that best suits and shows off your voice.

If you have a singing teacher or acting teacher they should be able to help you to pick a perfect piece of music for you given the benefit of their experience.

Here are some useful suggestions which may help before your casting calls or acting auditions:

• Make sure you choose musical theatre songs for your musical theatre acting auditions pieces.
• Don’t push your voice too far. Choose a song that showcases your voice but doesn’t see you trying to hit an extremely high ‘C’ if you can’t easily do this every day.
• The song you have prepared for your musical theatre acting auditions should be brought to life because it is a musical monologue so needs plenty of character.

The key to musical acting auditions is to prepare, prepare, prepare, and show what your best really is. Your acting or singing teachers are perfect for providing professional pointers to help you in all your acting auditions, whether musical theatre or otherwise. Fellow actors are also great people to ask for an opinion from because they know what to look for.

When you want help, tips and information on the latest musical theatre acting auditions, modelling and extras auditions, Audition Now is one of the most comprehensive information channels for UK actors.

Question The Scene In Your Acting Auditions

Friday, January 15th, 2010

Most directors during casting calls and acting auditions stress that an actor needs to perform strong variations when auditioning.

Always try to practice your acting auditions in front of a friend first, and even try to record your performance so you can review it yourself. Make sure you are connecting to your audience when you perform so they completely understand the character and feeling you are trying to convey.

When you are performing for acting auditions it is always better to ask yourself a certain set of questions and make sure you understand the answers thoroughly in order to perform at your best.

Before each of your acting auditions make a note of the following questions:

• What are the physical aspects of my character?
• What type of personality does my character have?
• What is the type of TV series, film or commercial you are auditioning for?
• What am I feeling emotionally during this part of the script?
• What are the typical personalities of the fellow characters in my scene?
• What is the relationship with the characters in the scene?
• Where is the setting for the scene taking place?
• What time of day is the scene set?
• What are mine and the other characters in the scene trying to accomplish?
• Are there any nuances I can add to the scene?
• What is the pace of the scene?
• Any major key shifts in the scene?

For one of the most reliable companies in the industry providing latest information on casting calls and acting auditions, Audition Now is the place to come.

Heading For Acting Auditions In Hollywood?

Wednesday, January 13th, 2010

Pilot season is considered to be the period between January and April, which is the typical time for demo TV episodes, casting calls, and networks cast.
 
If you are thinking of heading for Hollywood for casting calls and acting auditions, you need to be aware that Los Angeles at this time of year is packed with actors all hoping to launch their acting careers by landing a key role in a TV pilot series.

Heading for Hollywood during pilot season is going to be one of the hardest and most competitive environments you can put yourself in as an actor.

Casting directors are insanely busy and don’t always get the time to screen for new talent. So, even if you meet your interviewees for casting calls during a sponsored event, they are likely not to have time to really get to know your acting work to feel confident enough to offer you acting auditions.

When is the best time to head for LA for acting auditions and casting calls?

Even though pilot season is over in May it is always a good time to go for acting auditions during this time because most agents, having already secured jobs for some of their clients during the casting calls for the previous month’s TV pilots, still need to fill rosters again with new talent.

August is the beginning of another important period and hundreds of smaller TV roles come available through acting auditions.

We have all the latest casting calls and auditions news at Audition Now.

Research Is The Key To Success In Acting Auditions

Monday, January 11th, 2010

When you are preparing yourself for acting auditions it’s always a good idea to read as many tips as possible! In the competitive world of auditions, these tips can be divided into sub-categories:

Research and preparation:

• Research the character you are auditioning for, read up about the director, the writer and the company who has set the acting auditions.

• Know your monologues; practice them out loud or in front of friends for a range of opinions. If you can record yourself and watch it back so you can evaluate your performance from a different perspective.

• Make sure you take a snack, water and a book with you in case there is going to be some waiting time.

Courtesy and performance:

• Always be friendly to everyone, including your fellow actors. Also, be positive and confident. Remember that first impressions count and remember that your fellow actors will be just as nervous as you.

• If you are reading from a pre-prepared monologue ensure that it is no more than 2 minutes long and you know it perfectly, and always have a back up monologue which is a little longer to show your diversity as an actor.

Response:

• Always remember that you could still prepare yourself perfectly and not get the role you were looking for.

• Don’t be disheartened, just because you didn’t get the role this time doesn’t mean that you are not a talented actor; it just means you weren’t right for this part in the director’s eyes.

We at Audition Now provide the latest information on casting calls and acting auditions across the UK.

How Not To Dress For Acting Auditions

Friday, January 8th, 2010

When you are attending acting auditions it is an important part of auditioning if you are to turn up wearing the typical dress (or signs of the typical dress) of the character you are coming to audition for. Often when you receive casting calls information or acting auditions briefs, the dress code will be clearly stated. Here are a few handy hints:

• If the audition brief says “attractive, sexy lady”, then you should wear tight clothes or a skirt.

• Tops that have collars and a “V” neck are always the most flattering in front of a camera. No matter what character you may dress as, normally make sure you look tidy.

It is important to know what should not be worn to acting auditions or casting calls unless you have been told specifically to wear one of the following you should avoid it:

• Black tops which include black shirts, t-shirts, jackets and jumpers unless because the colour black absorbs light and can make people look unhealthy.

• Avoid wearing white or pastel because very light colours also absorb light and make a person look washed out.

• Avoid too much jewellery because it can be distracting and potentially noisy.

• Never wear flip flops.

• Avoid clothes that have patterned designs, because it’s another distraction.

• Avoid wearing visible logos as you never know whether the brand you are wearing is a competitor of the sponsor or advertiser.

• Take a change of clothes too just in case you realise your original outfit was not appropriate.

For the latest acting auditions and casting calls, with tips and industry information we at Audition Now are at the head of our industry.

An Actor’s CV Needs To Be Perfect Before Auditions And Casting Calls

Wednesday, January 6th, 2010

Acting auditions are very competitive, and the industry itself is one that requires patience and hard work, but once you get there it is highly rewarding in more ways than one.

If you are still putting your acting curriculum vitae together because you are new to acting auditions, then to beat the competition you need some tips:

- Actors’ curriculum vitae are very different to any other and will include information such as weight, height, eye colour and hair colour because in this business, your appearance can help the casting director decide whether or not you are suited to the role.

- List all of your acting experience in chronological order.

- List any of your special accomplishments or awards.

- Bullet point all of your experience to make it stand out when reading.

- List all of your education and training, of course paying special attention to any acting training you have had – including acting lessons.

- The majority of casting directors will prefer to read a CV which is only one page long. Obviously, if your acting experience is extensive then it should be noted regardless of the length of your CV, but it may be an idea to leave off minor roles if you have had a long career in acting already.

- Basically, an actor’s CV needs to sell his or her abilities as the right person to fill the roles you are attending acting auditions for. Make sure you always include a head shot photograph with your CV, too – so your future employee remembers you in the casting calls or acting auditions.

For the latest acting auditions and tips of the trade, we at Audition Now are the UK specialists.