Archive for Acting articles

Auditioning Tips

{ May 28, 2008 @ 12:50 am } · { Acting articles }
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from the actors bone auditioning advice page

Below are some books which I have found to be of great value in learning about the auditioning process.

But before you jump to the books written by some old time pro’s, here’s some advice that you won’t find in the books. It’s what I do before auditions… for those of you that’re interested…

Okay, you’ve sent your headshot and resume in… you did like we recommended on The Actor’s Hour page. You get the call… they don’t tell you a damn thing ‘cept where to be, when to be there and what part you’re reading for. Sides are everywhere they say. Everywhere? What does that mean? Basically it means ShowFax… you’ll find your sides at ShowFax. If it’s a professional project, you’ll find your sides there. All you need is credit card and Adobe Acrobat Reader. Of course they’ll fax your sides to you too… hence the name ShowFax. You can purchase sides page by page… but that’ll get too expensive if you follow the advice I give in the next paragraph. Sign up for the “all you can eat… I mean download” per year package.
Okay, you’re a yearly member… good. Now what? You download your sides, right? Yes… but you also download every other character’s sides in that project. Chances are, you’ll get about 50-75% of the project’s script right there. Now you’ve got way more information about the role than you’d get from just your sides. Read every page. Get the feel of the project. See who your role is in relation to other characters.
Next… get as many names of the production people as you can… director, writer, producer… right down to costume designer and prop master. Then go to The Internet Movie Database and see what you can dig up on them. You’ll probably see that a few of them have worked together before… doesn’t that tell you something? If they like you, you’ll work with them again too. You’ll also learn what kind of projects they’ve done before. You’ll get the flavor of their work. You’ll also be able to schmooze a little better when you can rattle off a little of their history if the subject arises. People are impressed when you know about them… afterall what’s every Hollywood type’s favorite subject? Themselves!
After the Internet Movie Database, you go to Yahoo or another general type search engine and see what else you can find. Use the names of the crew and the project title as keywords. Glean what you can. There may be hundreds of links or only a few. Spend enough time to get a good feel for what you’re getting into.

Actors – Suggestions for winning over an agent

{ May 28, 2008 @ 12:45 am } · { Acting articles }
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The following is from a site called the actors bone, it looks like a pretty old site that is no longer getting updated, but still has some good advice

Brad Blaisdell offers the following words of wisdom:

Before you write the letter. Is your headshot great? What’s on your resume? Is is clear, clean and professional? This is much more important than what your letter says.

VERY IMPORTANT! Do you know who the agencies are in this town? Have you chosen this particular agent for a reason? Before you mail to them, know who they are and who they rep. Get the client list. Find out who they are. Agents have egos too. Big ones if they’re any good. You need to be specific. Honest. Real. To the point… NO BULLSHIT!. Clear and respectful and most important… SHORT.
Introduce yourself simply. Dear Mr/Ms, My name is ________.
Then let them know you know who they are and that this is not a mass mailing. Something that lets them know you know them… “their work.”
THE RISK. Tell them in one or two sentences something true that peeks their curiosity. For example, if I was Paul Molinaro, I’d write something like … “I went to Medical School to become a part time doctor and a full time actor. Acting is my passion, please come see me in Welcome Home Soldier.” I would call him/her 3 days later and offer to pick him/her up and bring them home after the show… or hire a limo… or whatever it took to get them there.
Now that’s a risk… but if you want results, you have to take big risks. You have to believe in yourself if you are ever going to get them to believe in you. If they shine you on or are rude … great, you learned something about who they are and they’re not who you want … now you can move on. Be bold not crazy!
The truth is the letter isn’t important, if you’re gonna follow the way other people tell you what it should be. You gotta make it up. You gotta care that much. You gotta risk your own ego to wake people up.
Don’t be crazy or nuts. Lots of wannabe actors are totally crazy and nothing will most likely work for them. You have to figure out a way to show confidence with class… And if you don’t really believe in yourself … you can’t fake it. You gotta find that first.

Agents have enough actors already. They don’t want anymore actors… UNTIL… somebody knocks them out! Excites them. You might be the best actor in the world…(we all are in our own minds) but unless an agent believes you are gonna walk into an audition they get for you and GET THE JOB… your P/R and cover letter are in the trash.
How do you do that? I don’t know. I’ve done it. I’m no where near the best looking guy. I never went to medical school … BUT this is my life … I got nothing to lose. Be BOLD.

Cold Reading – revisited

{ March 30, 2008 @ 12:54 am } · { Acting articles, Acting scripts }
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haha… check it out – acting tips from… acting tips

Cold reading, it’s enough to make you scream.

You walk into an audition and get handed a few pages and 10 minutes to read them.

Calm down. Read it through. Think about it. What’s this scene about ? Who are the characters ? What kind of character are you ? Try and get a bit of a feel who you are. Don’t, for heavens sake, try and learn the lines – if you feel compelled to do this, only commit your opening and closing lines to memory

Don’t wave your script around like a prop, the less attention drawn to it, the better. Hold your script about chest level. If it’s too low you have to keep lifting it up to read it, and if it’s too high no one can see your face. Perish the thought !

Don’t sneak a look at your next line while the other character is speaking. Listen. This is just as important as speaking your own lines. When it’s your turn to respond look at your script and memorise the first sentence, If you have more lines than you can manage in one glance, go ahead and repeat the process. Don’t stick your face in the script!

Keep in mind that you’re playing a scene normally and merely taking short pauses to read your lines. This way you stay in character even while you’re reading.

Practice cold reading at home, it’s easy. Got a newspaper handy ? Pick it up and read the headlines. Now memorise them. Look up and speak them. Look down at the first paragraph, memorise the first two sentences. Look up and speak them.

You just completed a cold reading!

How to handle a cold reading explained

{ March 30, 2008 @ 12:51 am } · { Acting articles, Acting scripts }
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Cold readings are part of the job and always expect one when looking for acting work. Do not expect to be given 24 hours to prepare to read for a job. Many times when you show up at the acting audition, a script will be handed to you to read without having time to study, practice or memorize it.

That is the point of a cold read, they want to see how you handle the script and your performance without prior preparation.  Seasoned actors know very well how to handle a cold read so read on and get some acting advice for a script cold read.

In this article we’re going to discuss the very difficult art of cold reading a script you have never seen for a part. Not as easy as you think.

In regular theater an actor may prepare a monologue that he has spent many hours memorizing, for a part that he will also perform at every audition. He’s spent a lot of time on this and has perfected his art and delivery. When going for an audition he is quite comfortable with his prepared lines. However, in a film or commercial audition the actor is expected to perform a script given to him that he has never seen before. This is when the art of cold reading is very important and can be a life saver.

The technical definition of cold reading is the auditioning for a part with a script in hand, one the actor has never seen. The profession says that the actor is supposed to be given the script at least 24 hours before the audition but all too often this just doesn’t happen. This is why cold reading is so important to actors who work in film or commercials.

So, how do you learn to cold read? Brute force. Pick up a script, read the first line, commit it to memory and then say the line without looking at the script. You’ve just done your first cold reading. At first you may only be able to memorize a few words at a time, but with a little practice you’ll soon be memorizing several lines at a time. Being an actor is kind of like being an athlete. The more you work at it the better you’ll get. After you feel comfortable doing cold reading by yourself try it with another actor. This is when it gets fun.

When you’re at your audition it’s very tempting to try to sneak a peak at your next line while the other actor is doing his lines. Don’t do this. How you listen to your fellow actor is just as important as speaking your lines. Wait until it’s time for you to respond and then look at your next line. Memorize as much of your line as you can in a few seconds. Then make eye contact with your partner and say your next line.

If you’ve got more to memorize than you can with just a glance, repeat the process until you have the line memorized. But keep your face out of your script. Never read your lines while looking at your script. This is a sure way to blow the audition. Make sure you stay in character while reading your lines.

When you’re actually at your audition even if you don’t get the script until you get there, try to read the script in its entirety at once and remember as much of it as you can. This way you’ll at least have some idea what the scene is about, who the characters are and how the conversation should go. If you have more time try to memorize the first and last lines. This will give you a strong start and finish, which is what the person auditioning you will remember the most.

When holding your script, hold with your left hand if right handed and at chest level. Never have your head buried in the script. Don’t wave the script around like it is a prop. Make believe it is just a natural extension of your body. The less attention you draw to the script itself the better.

A cold reading goes much slower and feels a lot more awkward than a normal reading. This is normal and there is no need to worry about it. The casting director knows this is the first time you’ve seen the script. He is more interested in what kind of personality you have as the character.

Sadly, you may be the greatest actor in the world, but without being able to cold read well you aren’t going to get many parts as you’ll never get past the first audition. So include cold reading in your training. You’ll find you’ll get more parts because of it.

Acting technique visited

{ March 21, 2008 @ 6:29 pm } · { Acting articles }
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A popular Italian comedy, “Troupes of the commedia dell’arte was very popular throughout Europe in the early 1600s. They would work on makeshift stages and without scripts. These companies, which included women actor’s spread a new wave between the actor’s and audiences. Actor’s improvised their own words and comic actions using a basic plot and character types, which created theatrical creativity and would capture the interest of the audience as a whole group. This was so unlike the opera or literary theater, where the emphasis from the audience concentrated on a playwright’s speeches or individual. Scenic displays and literary concepts were not common, thus inspiring the art of acting.

Theatergoers in England by the beginning of the 17th century learned how to distinguish Hamlet by actor-manager, Thomas Betterton. This was accomplished by other productions of Shakespeare’s plays. Using different staging of familiar and classical plays sharpened spectator’s senses. Good acoustics were designed into theater halls to help performers to be heard differently and to have more subtle and natural reflections. Visual details of a performance were easily perceived and critiqued with the introduction of indoor stage lighting. Individual actor’s faces and hands were then displayed by the indoor stage lighting.

Charles Macklin and his student David Garrick became one of the first modern actors on the British stage in the 18th century. Commedia-like farces and pantomime was Charles Macklin’s background and why he was hired, based his character Shylock (a Jewish businessman in Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice”) on Jews in London. Lifelike details of movement and speech were added to written text. These details might not have been noticed 50 years earlier if not for the stage lighting, acoustic changes and other technologies.

Under better lighting conditions and more plausibility, David Garrick continued natural acting. Mimicry was brought to the stage through Garrick’s practices of imitating facial expressions of actual people. In his performance of Shakespeare’s King Lear, Garrick used a crazed neighbor to reenact the accidental killing of his infant daughter. Garrick never dropped his character during a performance and he would listen and react in character to all the dialogue around him. Because of this, he was very popular with theatergoers.

… continue reading this entry.

Acting tips and tricks

{ March 21, 2008 @ 6:18 pm } · { Acting articles }
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An article by Morgan Hamilton about getting the most from your acting books.

For the last three years I have been reviewing books on acting for a drama weekly. However, I haven’t yet found a book on acting that compares to real acting experience. Now, I’m not saying that acting books are worthless because they have their place. These books contain an almost encyclopedic discussion of various acting methodologies and approaches. These books also can also provide useful contact information that might take a while to find on your own. Nevertheless, a book on acting cannot take the place of a good acting course.

Acting books can help you to take your first steps into the world of acting. After that, it is all up to you. You can study all of the books on acting that you want, and try out every acting technique known to man on your own, but they are worthless if you can not use them to impress a director. Acting may require a lot of methodology, but the methodology is not the point. Acting is about figuring out what you want to do and finding ways to do it. Some professional actors know so many techniques that they write acting books on their own, but others know very little. Diving into the mind of the character to make him or her come alive is enough for them.

You should consider getting a few drama books instead of spending hard earned money that actors tend to have in such small quantities on acting books. Classic books of plays are an actor’s best friend. After all, theater is one of the original art forms. You can strengthen your acting by delving more deeply into theatrical arts. Even movie actors can attest to the benefit of reading drama books. In fact, many of the best movie actors started out with Shakespearean acting courses. Only a select few actually spend their time reading acting books.

Now, don’t get me wrong because I’m not trying to discourage you entirely. Go ahead and read acting books if you are inspired by reading them. Spending time with whatever inspires you to act is important and worthwhile. Just remember that the purpose of these acting books is inspiration and ideas. None of them will give you real acting experience, although they can be great sources. You will have to take acting courses, go to acting workshops, and hustle for jobs like the rest of the acting world if you want to gain valuable acting experience.
Morgan Hamilton offers expert advice and great tips

Advice about money for the fellow actor

{ March 9, 2008 @ 7:08 pm } · { Acting articles }
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I ran across this article just now and yes… here it is, there are some good points in here

I recently had an email from someone who had visited our website, liked what they had seen, but had a question about our methods and philosophy. The question was this:

“What about if I am an artist and I don’t want to change my profession and also I don’t want to have another job on the side? I want to keep my work and have great benefits from that.”

In other words: I don’t want to do anything apart from my acting career, and I want to get well paid for it. What do you think about that?

My immediate response was a mixture of amusement and irritation. Of course, for everyone pursuing an artistic career, what we all ideally want to do is get paid a ton of money for doing what we love (just make sure you have had your financial education before this happens – you don’t want to end up a morality tale!). If you are a dramatic actor, making $100,000 per episode for being in a high quality night-time drama is about as good as it gets. For a musician, platinum albums generating millions in residual payments is where it’s at. For a sculptor, having ones work on display in private collections and museums world-wide would bring home more than enough bacon for any number of New York apartments and trips to South America. But, assuming that it may be some time before we find ourselves in those enviable positions, what are we going to do about money?

And that, I think, is the problem with thinking along these lines. Sure, there are those, very few, people who are lucky or talented enough to walk out of their acing schools and into full time acting careers, or whatever other artistic endeavours you chose. But, for the rest of us, there will be a period (anywhere from a few months to several years), where we will have to do something else in order to make ends meet, while we wait for the income from our art to allow us to live in comfort.

“Have to”. Those are the operative words in that sentence. Not “want to” or “like to” but “have to”. There is a great line in “Gladiator”:

“Sometimes I do what I want to do. The rest of the time, I do what I have to”.

Now, do you have to have another job while you pursue your artistic career? Not necessarily; but unless you are either supported to willing to live on the streets, then it is something that you seriously need to consider alongside your artist development.

For the person who asked the question above, I would say this, finally: At Abundance Bound we have tools to help you work out exactly how much you need to earn in order to live . Having gotten that number, you can then find work, be it your own business or a regular job, that will provide that amount in the least time possible, leaving you free to pursue your art around it. If you can sell enough pieces or work enough days to not need anything else, then that is truly great for you, and the focus now becomes what to do with the money you are earning, so as to get the greatest benefit out of it (that is where financial education comes in)

But, for the rest of us, truly consider the options before you. Take control of your financial lives so that you can pursue your art free form the crushing weight of financial stress. Bite the bullet and handle things now, so that they do not get out of control later. And, above all, never stop focusing on your artistic success, because by doing that, all things are possible.