If you are making this common mistake during an audition you can kiss goodbye any chance you may have had of booking.
This mistake is so common that nearly all actors do this throughout their entire career, and that’s why most struggle to make even the slightest bit of career progress.
In fact, there are a few things you can do to kill your audition and most actors are completely unaware of them.
If you’re not careful and discerning about how you choose to listen to, it could actually sound like good advice.
So, in today’s report I’m going to break them down for you so you can stop making these mistakes and start making real progress in your career.
Have you been coached through an audition by the CD? If you have been in the industry for any length of time, chances are you have been.
This is usually a good thing.
It means the CD saw something they liked in your performance and are trying to pull different angles from you or trying to push you further.
For most actors that’s where their audition falls apart. Not only is kind of flustering, actors have the tendency to treat their comments in the same way they would a director’s.
However, casting isn’t charged with creating a character. They are charged with assessing your talents and determining whether you will be a close enough fit for character that will be molded on set.
So, when they give you feedback and say something like “I think your character would be more saddened by that...” that’s the CD trying to see more of your range not coaching you on the character, and you have to be able to determine this if you are going to have an effective audition.
Where most actors go wrong is they try to act for what they think casting wants from you, rather than interpreting and building a character that can be taken to the next level by production.
When you do this, you instantly throw yourself and your performance in with the dozens or even hundreds of other actors that are doing the same thing.
Casting choices don’t come from being a little bit different. They come from your ability to deliver a good character that production can mold and refine.
If you are preparing for an audition, the furthest thing from your mind should be production. Instead work through creating your character from your perspective. I
Even if your choices aren’t exactly what production may have had in mind. That’s ok!
You will still have a shot at booking because that’s where the director comes in: to guide your performance.
Don’t be afraid to go against the grain, if that’s what feels natural to you. There are countless stories of actors who imagined a character completely different from everyone else and production changed the character to match what the actor had created.
So, when you go into an audition, don’t try to please the CD. They can see it coming from a mile away because they see tons of actors every day, nearly all of whom are doing the same thing.
Instead focus on your performance.
Then, focus on how you can make yourself and your performance memorable.
Just delivering a good performance isn’t enough to stand out. You have to move beyond that and ensure that your performance will linger in the CDs mind.
This can be done a number of different ways.
Most actors are afraid to ask questions during their audition, but rest assured it’s completely OK and you should be asking questions.
It displays an interest in delivering a good performance and shows that you are a true professional, rather than someone who acts as a hobby.
The trick is to ask the right questions. Doing so can make you stand out from the crowd and achieve the memorability you are looking for, during an audition.
If you can’t achieve this, then getting a callback is out of the question. Your headshot and your resume will simply go into the recycle bin after you read.
So, ask questions that nobody else would ask, and resist the urge to ask the CD what they want out of the character.
Instead ask questions that show you have given the character some thought and are not just reading words off a page.
Ask about the premise and about what’s going on in the scene instead.
Ask about what has happened before the scene and what comes after, and your characters involvement throughout.
They may not be able to share some of the details with you, because there is a risk of compromising the necessary confidentiality of the production, but you don’t need them to.
For example, if you get the sense that the character you are reading for doesn’t survive in the end, ask about it.
If you turn out to be right, then you will have displayed that you are in tune and in sync with the character which is a huge win for you and the CD will pick up on this, making you all the more memorable.
If your hunch turns out to be wrong, you will still benefit from throwing the CD off balance. It will make them question why you came to that conclusion and will also demonstrate that you have given the script some thought and have put effort into building a character.
And, that’s what’s important!
Beyond that, you will instantly become memorable, since not 1 actor of 100 will dare ask a question like this.
Even doing this, won’t let you book everything you go out for, but it will make you stand out and above the crowd., if everything else is in order.
Here’s what I mean by that.
What is perhaps the Casting Directors biggest job, is something that never crosses an actor’s mind, and that’s why I created something to help you with that.
See, when they are done with auditions and a CD is sitting with a pile of headshots, deciding who to
callback or who to cast, the conversation moves beyond talent and onto trust.
After all, if you get a callback and don’t show up. That’s not a good look for the CD.
If you are booked for the role but drop the ball on set, the CD is right next to you on the chopping block.
Every casting decision is a reflection on them and they don’t take this part of their job lightly. It amounts to them giving you their personal stamp of approval.
So, if you are going to have even the slightest chance at booking, you have to make this decision easy on casting.
This is probably the best way to do that.
It’s no secret that it has become an integral part of the casting process and it has been for a reason.
Castin directors and even production, relies on it for a number of thing and they use it as a big part of the decision making process.
It’s a measure of your industry reputation and a is a big part of your credibility.
You can be the perfect fit on paper, but casting will look further into you before making a decision. If what they find doesn’t match your potential match and your goals, then it will make Casting Directors think twice.
Give yourself the best chance, by putting your best foot forward here.
Don’t let your next audition, be the next time this crosses your mind. Come up with a plan before then. Tell me about it in the comments below or shoot me an email. I’m always happy to help, because I hope to...
See you at the top,
Scott