Posts Tagged ‘acting tips’

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.

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!

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

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