Thanks to A.C.T.4life (info@act4lifeatl.com) for sharing this. Do you have some great info you'd like us to publish to our blog? Email us at dellabob@youract.tv.
This is an excerpt from a fantastic monthly blog written by award-winning former copywriter and commercial actor, Colleen Wainwright (www.communicatrix.com). Things that actors can do in just 30 minutes that can make a difference:
30 minutes sketching out video ideas.
If I were an actor working now, I would be doing everything I could to leverage the amazingly cheap and powerful tools available for putting myself out there in the new media world. I don’t mean that you should turn on your webcam and get all LonelyGirl15 (although if you can come up with the 2009 version of an attention-grabber like that, more power to you). I mean coming up with a clever, interesting way to showcase what you do (i.e., act) online. Back in my day, some poor actors paid hundreds or thousands of dollars to get some crappy tape of themselves. You have no excuse not to be doing 10 times better.
30 minutes doing your social media sweep.
Facebook. Twitter. MySpace. YouTube. Your network is your life, so treat it with the respect it—and you—deserve.
30 minutes getting current on film and TV.
No one can go see everything. But there’s no reason you can’t know about most of it, including who was in it, what it was about and what people are saying about it. This is not a free pass to go spend a half-hour on the online Lost forums, either. This is about you learning the whole landscape, not gorging yourself on stuff you’d watch anyway.
30 minutes schmoozing before or after a play.
Yes, schmoozing. Yes, even if it’s just your dumb friend’s dumb play and there’s no one there “worth” meeting. (A) You never know who’s “worth” meeting, and (B) you most likely need the practice in a low-stakes environment.
30 minutes punching up your bio.
Read through these old columns. Look over your own bio. Is it up-to-date? Does it show you in the best light? Is it user-focused (i.e., interesting for the reader)? Here’s a hint: a bio can almost always be better. And shorter. And by the time it is, you’re usually overdue for revising it again. Always be writing.
30 minutes putting yourself on tape.
How do you work on scenes? Are you watching how you look on-camera? Getting more comfortable with working small? I’m a big fan of actor play-reading groups.
30 minutes writing thank-you notes.
You get auditions. You go to seminars and workshops and classes, meet with casting directors, read acting columns (ahem!). You could easily fill 30 minutes this week writing thank-you notes to people who have somehow, in some small way—even a very, very small way—helped you move the ball forward. Be brief, be genuine and be polite. But be grateful, out loud. It will make you more aware of all the goodness in your life, and it will make the day of the person on the receiving end.
30 minutes reading the trades AND the news.
This one is self-explanatory. Don’t be a dummy actor with no awareness of your industry or the world around you. Even if you’re not in a union yet, educate yourself on the issues. Even if you’re not going out for A-list parts yet, know what’s going on in the business. You don’t have to know the minute details of every last deal, but you should have some understanding of what’s going on in and around your chosen profession aside from what you read in OK! magazine. And you should have some idea of what’s going on in the world around you, if for no other reason than having something besides the latest celebutard DUI scandal to talk about over lunch on a shoot day. You are your own best P.R. agent; don’t feed into the Dumb Actor stereotype.
30 minutes making sure your meeting wardrobe is in shape.
Missing shirt buttons. Run-down heels. Stained suit pants. It’s a good idea for any business person to have a good, working wardrobe; for an actor, it’s indispensable. Do not give them any reason to not hire you; do not let yourself go out looking anything other than your best.
This is all great advice. Also check out Bob Harter's article "12 Steps to Becoming a Pro" on the Resources page of the yourACT website www.youract.tv/resources.html
Showing posts with label acting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label acting. Show all posts
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Unraveling the Mystery of MONOLOGUES: A Resource for Actors
*A step-by-step detailed training manual for actors that guides you through the process of finding and bringing to life the "perfect" monologue, a monologue that works for you.
*Includes over 50 original monologues for men and women with tips on approach and delivery.
*Quotes & advice from agents, managers, casting directors, and coaches in Los Angeles,
Atlanta, and New York.
"Thanks to Unraveling the Mystery of Monologues, I not only gained knowledge and confidence, I actually used two of Della's monologues to audition for and book my very first film part. This book is invaluable!"--Mary Jane Mahan
Buy the book at http://www.monologuesthatwork.com or have a custom monologue written JUST FOR YOU!
Also available at http://www.amazon.com, http://www.barnesandnoble.com and other fine booksellers online.
For more info call 404-499-9996.
*Includes over 50 original monologues for men and women with tips on approach and delivery.
*Quotes & advice from agents, managers, casting directors, and coaches in Los Angeles,
Atlanta, and New York.
"Thanks to Unraveling the Mystery of Monologues, I not only gained knowledge and confidence, I actually used two of Della's monologues to audition for and book my very first film part. This book is invaluable!"--Mary Jane Mahan
Buy the book at http://www.monologuesthatwork.com or have a custom monologue written JUST FOR YOU!
Also available at http://www.amazon.com, http://www.barnesandnoble.com and other fine booksellers online.
For more info call 404-499-9996.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
An Answer to a Question About Cold-Reads
We received a great question that we think many of you may also have:
I have a question mostly for Casting Directors. Here in Atlanta there has been a great deal of concern about actors not having auditions fully memorized before the audition. For both film/TV and commercials. Now, unless things have changed, In Hollywood, they really didn't want you to have the audition completely memorized. However here in Atlanta they do. My question is how do you handle the audition when the Casting Director or their rep who is reading with you, loses their place in the script? Do you stop, and tell the reader they messed up? Or do you continue and have who you are auditioning for think it was your fault.
I had an audition for a Indy film last fall and was very familiar with my scene. After my audition, the casing director asked me back that afternoon to read for the Director and Producer, but to please have my scene memorized. Which I did. But during the audition, with the casting director reading, she lost her place, and the only way the audition was saved, was that I had the script in my hand. Which I later found out that Casting Directors in Atlanta want you to be script free. What are your thoughts?
Thank you.
From Bob:
First, let me address the question of having auditions fully memorized. I'm aware of the situation here in Atlanta about casting directors insisting on having auditions memorized and how that differs from how things are in Hollywood. Here at yourACT On-Camera Acting Classes (http://www.youract.tv), we are affiliated with the Margie Haber Studios in Los Angeles (http://www.margiehaber.com), where Margie teaches a cold-reading technique used by many stars. Margie is author of "How To Get The Part Without Falling Apart" and has coached the likes of Brad Pitt, Vince Vaughn, Halle Berry, Heather Locklear, Sophia Bush, and many others.
She was very surprised when she first started teaching her workshops in Atlanta to discover that actors were asked to be "off book" for auditions. As you said, not only is this rarely asked for, but often is not really wanted for auditions in L.A.
Some reasons why casting directors in Atlanta may want memorized audtions may be:
1) Actors in Atlanta generally don't have multiple auditions each week, or even in a single day, and so have more time to memorize effectively. Actors in Hollywood audition more frequently and so it's not realistic to expect them to be prepared until they've had a script longer, say, for a call-back.
2) Evidently they have found that actors here don't know how to cold-read properly, for example, they are "buried" in the script and don't connect with the reader, so there is no eye contact and the scene suffers.
3) They may have had bad experiences with actors who audition well, but can't memorize lines and so they don't do well on the set. It may be for this reason that they don't want you to even hold the script in your hand - they may see it as a crutch that you won't have on the actual job.
I studied in L.A. for a decade, and we were always taught to keep the script in our hand at all times, unless it was a call-back situation where they had given us at least a week with the script to get it memorized. Personally, I strongly disagree with not having the script in your hand at the initial audition. That way if you do get lost, you have a safety net...it saves time in the event that you get lost and it keeps you from having to be prompted for the line, etc. If you only have a few lines, like an "under 5", you should definitely memorize your script and shouldn't need it in your hand. If it's a long script and you are cold-reading, know the story. You can only do an effective cold-read if you understand the who, what, when, where, and why of the relationships and situation.
It is definitely an advantage to be a "quick study" with lines - you will find on the set that you'll have revisions to the script at the last minute, both for film, TV, and commercials, and you have to learn them quickly. My experience, however, is that if you know good cold-read technique, a good cold-reading is far superior to an audition where most of your energy is focused on remembering your lines, lines that you may not have had that long to study.
The second part of your question, about what to do if the casting director or reader messes up, is pretty straightforward. No, you absolutely do NOT stop and tell the reader they messed up! That will just embarrass them, especially if the director, writer, producer, or other VIP is in the room. Don't make them look bad. It won't be appreciated. It's a difficult situation, but if you stay in character and just ad lib until you can get the scene back on track you will show them you are a professional. I had an agent tell one of my classes that they expect mistakes in auditions, what sets the good actors apart from the rest is how they handle those mistakes.
Hope this helps! Maybe if enough actors in Atlanta brush up on their cold-reading skills or we start getting so much work due to the new tax incentives that we're too busy to memorize auditions, then we can change things to be more like they are in Hollywood.
Thanks,
Bob Harter
I have a question mostly for Casting Directors. Here in Atlanta there has been a great deal of concern about actors not having auditions fully memorized before the audition. For both film/TV and commercials. Now, unless things have changed, In Hollywood, they really didn't want you to have the audition completely memorized. However here in Atlanta they do. My question is how do you handle the audition when the Casting Director or their rep who is reading with you, loses their place in the script? Do you stop, and tell the reader they messed up? Or do you continue and have who you are auditioning for think it was your fault.
I had an audition for a Indy film last fall and was very familiar with my scene. After my audition, the casing director asked me back that afternoon to read for the Director and Producer, but to please have my scene memorized. Which I did. But during the audition, with the casting director reading, she lost her place, and the only way the audition was saved, was that I had the script in my hand. Which I later found out that Casting Directors in Atlanta want you to be script free. What are your thoughts?
Thank you.
From Bob:
First, let me address the question of having auditions fully memorized. I'm aware of the situation here in Atlanta about casting directors insisting on having auditions memorized and how that differs from how things are in Hollywood. Here at yourACT On-Camera Acting Classes (http://www.youract.tv), we are affiliated with the Margie Haber Studios in Los Angeles (http://www.margiehaber.com), where Margie teaches a cold-reading technique used by many stars. Margie is author of "How To Get The Part Without Falling Apart" and has coached the likes of Brad Pitt, Vince Vaughn, Halle Berry, Heather Locklear, Sophia Bush, and many others.
She was very surprised when she first started teaching her workshops in Atlanta to discover that actors were asked to be "off book" for auditions. As you said, not only is this rarely asked for, but often is not really wanted for auditions in L.A.
Some reasons why casting directors in Atlanta may want memorized audtions may be:
1) Actors in Atlanta generally don't have multiple auditions each week, or even in a single day, and so have more time to memorize effectively. Actors in Hollywood audition more frequently and so it's not realistic to expect them to be prepared until they've had a script longer, say, for a call-back.
2) Evidently they have found that actors here don't know how to cold-read properly, for example, they are "buried" in the script and don't connect with the reader, so there is no eye contact and the scene suffers.
3) They may have had bad experiences with actors who audition well, but can't memorize lines and so they don't do well on the set. It may be for this reason that they don't want you to even hold the script in your hand - they may see it as a crutch that you won't have on the actual job.
I studied in L.A. for a decade, and we were always taught to keep the script in our hand at all times, unless it was a call-back situation where they had given us at least a week with the script to get it memorized. Personally, I strongly disagree with not having the script in your hand at the initial audition. That way if you do get lost, you have a safety net...it saves time in the event that you get lost and it keeps you from having to be prompted for the line, etc. If you only have a few lines, like an "under 5", you should definitely memorize your script and shouldn't need it in your hand. If it's a long script and you are cold-reading, know the story. You can only do an effective cold-read if you understand the who, what, when, where, and why of the relationships and situation.
It is definitely an advantage to be a "quick study" with lines - you will find on the set that you'll have revisions to the script at the last minute, both for film, TV, and commercials, and you have to learn them quickly. My experience, however, is that if you know good cold-read technique, a good cold-reading is far superior to an audition where most of your energy is focused on remembering your lines, lines that you may not have had that long to study.
The second part of your question, about what to do if the casting director or reader messes up, is pretty straightforward. No, you absolutely do NOT stop and tell the reader they messed up! That will just embarrass them, especially if the director, writer, producer, or other VIP is in the room. Don't make them look bad. It won't be appreciated. It's a difficult situation, but if you stay in character and just ad lib until you can get the scene back on track you will show them you are a professional. I had an agent tell one of my classes that they expect mistakes in auditions, what sets the good actors apart from the rest is how they handle those mistakes.
Hope this helps! Maybe if enough actors in Atlanta brush up on their cold-reading skills or we start getting so much work due to the new tax incentives that we're too busy to memorize auditions, then we can change things to be more like they are in Hollywood.
Thanks,
Bob Harter
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