I really want to be able to provide feedback to others who are taking the journey into making their first feature films. As part of doing auditions I think I learned a few things that I wanted to share to help actors and film-makers. This blog is some practical tips for actors that I came up with. Hopefully some will be useful
Always bring a CV and Headshot
For me it is useful to have a CV and headshot that I can review after the auditions. To be honest I won't look at all of them but the people who are potentials I will look at them and it is a bit annoying to have to go onto the web to review these. I would bring this along even if you haven't been asked to or your agent hasn't told you to.
Put your CV and Headshot within an envelope
A few people did this and it is a lot better for me as when you have 80 actors details then it makes sure that if I screw up then your details are still together.
Don't perform the monologue to camera as this looks un-natural when I review the tapes and don't perform it to the director as this doesn't allow the director to judge your ability as an actor as they naturally are compelled to engage with you.
Choose a monologue appropriate to the film
This doesn't necessarily mean that your monologue has to be perfect for the film but it was more interesting to hear why people chose to perform a specific monologue. Some people chose a monologue or learned a new one specific to the role that they were coming from and some performed monologues from films. These were generally better although some play based monologues were also good.
The main thing here is that we are auditioning for a film so being really theatrical immediately puts me off or at least doesn't allow me to see what you can produce on film which is a completely different medium compared to the theatre.
Research the character that you are auditioning for
For my film I gave a paragraph character breakdown. These were the same as are on the character pages of this site. I also provided a link to my facebook page which has a synopsis of the film. Some of the actors had done their homework and found the synopsis whilst others hadn't. This isn't necessarily the important bit but shows that you are keen.
The most important thing is to read the character brief and make your own interpretation of who the character is. You might be wrong but at least you have engaged in trying to find out who the character is and this for me is essential.
Remember to say your name to camera
With conducting and filming 80 actors it can be hard to remember each actor when reviewing the tapes. You should be asked to say your name to camera but if not asked I would probably either ask if they want you to or just to go ahead and do it yourself.
Arrive early
If someone shows up late for an audition then it doesn't really matter what their excuse is for me they aren't going to get the part. You can't afford for someone not to be on time during the shoot and this is a sign that someone isn't the best time keeper.
Also we were handing out the script for the cold reading so the earlier you got there the more time that you had to prepare for the reading.
Make definite choices within a cold reading
It is more interesting if you make some deliberate choices when doing a cold reading. At least it shows that you can analyse, engage with a script and make a decision. If you make these choices then you can explain and talk about them with the director and then you can receive direction and adjust your approach.
It surprised me that when I asked actors what they thought of the script excerpt and what they had just done that some of them weren't expecting to talk about the script.
Remain positive at the end of audition
I was running 15 minute auditions so there wasn't much time with actors and really I wanted to get an idea of who worked and who didn't. The length of the audition doesn't necessarily dictate whether I like an actor or not. Straight away I might decide that you aren't right for the part and also I might decide that I want to call you back so I don't need to see anymore.
Upon telling actors that the audition was over some of them looked disappointed. This is natural I guess but it is also the last time I see you so it is the image that is left in my mind and if possible I think you should try and leave with a positive feeling at the end.
Listen to the direction that you are given
After a cold reading we will discuss what happened and I will provide some direction. I was surprised how many actors just wanted to rush and do the scene again rather than to make sure they were comfortable with what I wanted them to do. The majority of time when they just did it again immediately they hadn't taken on board the direction and did a carbon copy of their previous attempt or if it was different it wasn't exactly what I was looking for.
The actors who took the time to understand and discuss what i was looking for were a lot better at producing a performance that was close to what we had discussed.
Don't be afraid of slowing down
During the cold reading a lot of actors rush through the scene and it doesn't feel natural. There is generally a greater tension by just slowing down your actions. It also allows me as the director to study what you are doing and to take in your facial expressions and body language.