04.02.07

How To Pass An Acting Audition Or Movie Casting

Posted in Auditions/Castings at 11:11 am by admin

You have gotten your first audition, what do you need to do to prepare for the casting?

Many people have different theories on how to get past the audition successfully, and there are other methods, for example, knowing the producer certainly helps, but then if you know him well enough you won’t even need to go to an audition. The only problem is that the most common way to get to know movie producers/directors is to pass an audition in the first place and work with them.

So back we go to the start, nobody gets ‘lucky’ in this industry, everybody works hard to make their own luck.

As such here is a list of the top 10 things you should ALWAYS do at a casting to make sure you give yourself the best chance.

Here is a list of things that will get you a good head start on your fellow auditioners;

1. LINES - learn them. If you do not you will have no chance ofbeing picked, it shows you are lazy and incompetant. Learn your lines and the lines of the people playing with you too, so when they forget you can then remind them - and sometimes the agent asks you to stand in and read the lines with the rest of the ‘contestants’ - if this happens guess who has a better chance of getting the part.
2. DRESS AS THE CHARACTER - make it easier for the casting director to visualise you in the role, if you look the part it helps you get into character and it helps them see you as the character. Even go to the point of taking a few styles and change in the bathroom to suit. Imagine it, you are supposed to be a high level government official, you brought your pin stripe suit and the other guy is wearing paint splattered overalls - who is more likely to get the part if you are of even ability? They can already see what you look like in a suit with the other guy they are just guessing, maybe he just looks like a common labourer ina suit… uncomfortable, self conscious, etc
3. BE EARLY - I don’t care if traffic was heavy and neither do they, being late to a shoot can cost untold headaches as everything is rescheduled and time is money, especially on set. If you are late you are goig to make enemies, and cost a lot of money. If you are late to an audition they will stop the problem before it happens, ie you won’t get hired.
4. If YOU MAKE A MISTAKE - do not apologise or make excuses why it was bad. If you did it really badlyand would like to retry just ask if you can do it one more time. The fact is that a casting is a short piece and you have had time to practise, so you should get it right. If you messed it it only means one thing…. you did not practise seriously
5. PRACTISE MAKES PERFECT - Do the scene over and over and over the night before, and the morning before. Do it until you hate it and it is boring, do it until you know all the lines and can recite the whole thing with your eyes closed. Get it right.
6. PREPARE 3 SEPERATE DELIVERIES - Triple your chances of getting the job, bring 3 different characters to the audition with you, on each take do a different character. This shows that you are versatile and even if you do not do the part as the director envisioned then at least he can see you are adaptable… you still have a chance for a callback. A professional actor can do a scene 15 different ways without practise, you should have at least 3 definite characters with background and motivations.
7. REACT TO YOUR IMAGINARY SURROUNDINGS - standing there delivering perfect lines with good facial expressions, you look like a schoolkid at a school play. React to your imaginary environment, pick up a drink, swirl it, contemplate the previous line, take a sip then slowly, thoughtfully deliver your answer, look around the bar before you whisper some confidential line. Imagine you are there, imagine what you would do it a normal circumstance. This is art imitating life, do it and you give a realistic performance.
8. BE CONFIDENT - prepare yourself, know your lines and the 3 characters you are going to play the lines with. Walk in there with the thought that this is your part, but do not be arrogant. Previously I told my agent to call the casting house and say that I would be there for my part at 11.00am, and that I said to say thankyou. In this case the role in question was asking for my talents exactly, I knew there was no one else that could fill the part as well as I. But do not BS, ifyou are caught exagerating your abilities you can kiss your career goodbye.
9. GO TO EVERY AUDITION - take the opportunity to practise, even if you do not think the part is suitable for you - they may rewrite the script if they like you enough. Also the more auditions you do the better you get at delivering what the casting director wants. You also get seen by more people in the industry and get known. I know a successful actor who “never had an acting lesson, I learned to act by going to 3 or 4 castings every week for 2 years”.
10. BE FRIENDLY TO EVERYONE - including the receptionist (she is the one who handles all the phone calls, she knows every job coming into the agency and can be a wealth of information). Treat everybody as a friend, even your competition, remember their names and use it next time you meet - even if you have to make notes. You never know when they will call up with a part for you. I have seen this happen on set, an extra turns out to be useless, the director calls out can we replace him now? At times there has been an emergency call go out to get someone competant in right now, at that point the director doesn’t care about anything except getting the job done on time and budget. Also if you make friends with the casting director and the casting company staff then they are much more likely to remember you when a suitable role comes in. Even to the point they will just tell the director that “I have the person for you, let me call him” and thus you can avoid any competition.

Follow these simple guidelines to increase your chances at each acting audition, and even if you do not get that particular part then the casting staff over a few times will start to remember you, if they know you, and know you are a pleasant and capable actor then there is the chance that you will start getting calls directly for parts, or better yet you get a call to come into a costume fitting (meaning they gave you the aprt without an audition).

Over time you will come to work like this almost exclusively and auditions will be a thing of the past.

Permalink