The personable and, as confirmed by one of our Twitter followers, funny casting director Tim Harrington joined us for our August seminar to impart some more wisdom for our talented users. Let’s cut to the chase and get to that wisdom.
1. What do you regret not doing in the past? Okay, now do those things.
It’s easy to sit and wonder “what if” all the live-long day, but it’s not at all productive. Sit down and take stock of all the things you regret doing not doing, then make a plan of action to do those things going forward. This sounds really simple, but it kind of blew my mind. Maybe because I’m dumb? Who’s to say.
2. Breathing Is Key
Getting into your car to go to the audition? Take a mindful breath. Parked at the audition? Take a mindful breath. Just signed in at the audition? Take a mindful breath. Basically, at every step you’re experiencing some nervous energy, go ahead and take a mindful breath in and out. It’s going to focus your energy and help to keep you in the right headspace.
3. Acting is through the eyes.
If your eyes don’t seem connected to your thoughts or feelings, you’re going to have trouble. And please, no forehead/eyebrow acting – that’s where your forehead and eyebrows are working in tandem, trying to do all the emotional work and communication by being unwatchable in how much they’re moving.
4. Conversation: conducive to improv. Technical: adhere to the script.
Most auditions indicate whether or not you should feel free to embellish or play loose with the script, but if it hasn’t been indicated, let the copy be your guide. If it’s casual and conversational, you can probably insert your own personality and ad-lib a bit. But if it’s super technical and instructional, just go with the script.
5. Interview audition? Think anecdote, not story.
Have an audition where they’re just going down the line and asking questions? When they get to you, it’s good to have something with kind of a middle, beginning, and end, but think anecdote not story. Otherwise, it’s not going to leave the camera op a good place to interrupt you and it will create kind of an awkward energy. You don’t want to ramble, leaving the camera op wanting to pull out an umbrella and float away.
Seminar Recap