AUDITION TIPS

Hey guys, 
So today I'm going to be discussing how to prepare for an audition or casting, as well as, letting you in on a couple of my own casting disasters. 

I've been auditioning now since I was about eight, whether it was for school productions, films, TV shows or drama school, I have been through them all. Although I have had some amazing feedback from casting directors, I've also had my fair share of outright cringing and disastrous auditions. This has definitely been a learning curve for me and has taught me how to do things differently. 

Before we start, there's one thing I'd like to mention. You may follow all the tips and audition your little heart out, but still not get the part. This doesn't mean that you weren't good. Rejection is all part of the process and I have learnt this throughout my career. I used to let rejection get in the way of my other projects. I constantly felt that I couldn't act as I didn't get as many auditions as I'd hoped. I allowed myself to become affected by this, which resulted in me giving up acting for nearly two years as I didn't believe enough in myself. This is my biggest regret to this day. Even the best actors get turned down for roles. This just means your not suited for that specific character. Don't take it personally, keep at it, you'll get the perfect role one day. 

The first tip that I'm going to suggest is probably one of the most important out of everything. Be well prepared. Firstly, know the character that you are playing and have an idea of what's been happening before this point in the script or show (if you have been given a script). You could even research the company or director, as well as, your do some research for your character. This shows your commitment and in turn will improve your character development. 

Directors may ask you what you felt about the character or what may have happened to your character beforehand. Things that may have happened previously would reflect on how your character reacts in the current scenario. I often write a questionnaire for my character to answer or I used the 'W' tactic (who, where, what, why, when, how). Secondly, this may sound like an obvious one but, do not turn up hungover or even worse drunk. This is definitely not a good idea and you will not look serious about the audition. I have previously been to castings where people have been either hungover from their heavy partying the night before or 'still a bit drunk' and trust me it hasn't gone down well.

The next thing I would like mention is in regards to script or sight reading. Most nice casting directors will not expect you to know the script off by heart. Mainly because lots of auditions are last minute and you probably wouldn't receive your script until the day before. Although I say this you still would be required to read your lines in character. So understanding the character first and taking on those lines is a must. It's about acting through the script, not just reading it as yourself. 

Clothing is often a concern for people but this will vary from casting to casting. Some casting directors may ask you to come dressed in character and others may not. If they ask you to come in character, do it, this is important. Casting directors don't have loads of time, so they would often like to see what you look like as the character rather than trying to imagine it. For example, I once was asked to dress as a goth for an audition. A couple of the girls came as themselves, dressed in lace tops, floaty skirts and pink blush on their cheeks. This was not the look that they were going for and it's fair to say they didn't get the job. I actually came down to the last two in this audition, obviously this wasn't just down to the fact I was dressed up, but It would have definitely helped with first impressions. If there is no specific dress code, then I say go as yourself, but not too over the top. 

The third tip I'm going to discuss is frequently forgotten or seen as unimportant, but in fact it is extremely vital for a good audition. Make sure you have lots of rest and drink enough water the night before. Auditions can be nerve-wracking and it can often keep you up at night, going over lines or worrying. But a good nights sleep will honestly make a big difference, by keeping you refreshed and focused. lack of rest or hydration and cause you to become more nervous, forget lines or become hazed.

Before my drama school audition for Mountview, I stayed up all night going over my speeches and panicking that they were not right. The next day I was so tired that I drank three espresso's, a caffeinated tea and a tall coffee. This was not one of my brightest ideas and it soon took a turn for the worst. I started feeling quite ill. I was having hot flushes, my heart was racing at high speed and I felt extremely sick. I had definitely overdosed on caffeine. It was time for my speeches and I literally couldn't stop shaking. My mouth was shaking, my eye was twitching and my legs felt like complete jelly. It was something I could not easily hide and I was too embarrassed to explain the real reason for this, that I ended up telling them I'd decided to give my character a twitch. The panel did not look very impressed and I unsprisingly I never got a recall. Although it was my last choice school, I was still a little disappointed by my actions. So my advise is definitely have lots of rest and drink loads to keep you hydrated and alert. Also do NOT drink more than one coffee, just incase. 

The next tip is, be yourself and have heaps of confidence. Don't try and be someone else, or someone you think the director will prefer. As well as seeing you act, director's are interested in your personality and what you bring to the film set. Can you take direction well? Are you easy to get on with? will you make a good cast member? How will you interact with the audience? These are all questions they will be thinking when you meet them. So relax and be yourself. 

Let me be clear on something, when I say confidence I mean go into your casting really friendly and bubbly and try not to be shy. If you want to be a serious actor then the one thing you can't be is shy. This is your chance to really showcase yourself. Unfortunately at this point first impressions do count. There's probably loads of people going up for the same part. Show the casting director why your the best choice. Remember guys, there's a difference between confident and cocky. Confidence is important but cockiness is not a good look for anyone. 

Lastly whatever you do, don't lie about your skills, whether it's before, or in the middle of audition just don't it. This happened to me and it was extremely embarrassing for both my agent and I. 

As I'm half Italian my then agent would often put me for roles where they wanted Italian looking girls. One evening I got a call from my agent saying he had this amazing audition for me. He carried on "its filming in Sardinia and you would be playing the lead role of a young Italian girl", I was so excited, this was the perfect role and I couldn't complain about the money either. He continued "The only thing is you have to speak some Italian, not fluently though. You can speak some Italian can't you?". In my rush of excitement I said "yes of course I can, I can speak it fluently, I'm Italian" and hung up. I stopped for a moment to grasp what I had actually said 'I probably shouldn't have lied', but then I thought to myself 'Oh well, I'm sure I can convince them with the few phrases I know from when I was younger'. I was going to learn Italian eventually anyways. So off I popped to bed without another thought. The next morning I get to my audition where the reception lady looks at me mumbling something in Italian. I ask her in English to repeat herself and this time she responds in English. From this point I thought 'shit, they're all Italians'. The reception lady hurries me into the audition room and standing there in front of me is three casting directors and a camera. After we have a little chat they ask me to look into the camera and say a little bit about myself in Italian. I just say simple things like my name, age etc, but that was as far as I could go. Then the only female casting director leaves the room and the two males that are left ask me to talk to have a general conversation with them in Italian. I wanted to seem confident so I sit up, smile and say in a voice that I wasn't quite expecting myself to bring. 'vuoi giocare'. Excuse me the the director says and I repeat myself. They both look at each other and one of them turns to me and says ' I don't think that's very appropriate'. I was a little confused by their reactions at first, until I realised I'd actually said 'will you come and play with me' in Italian instead of 'come stai', which actually means 'how are you'. I tried to tell them I mixed up the phrases but they just seemed to think I was flirting with them to get ahead in the audition. This was definitely not my intention at all. It was the most embarrassing audition I've ever had. This taught me to never lie about my skills. It's better to be honest than humiliated when they ask you to demonstrate them. 

That's all my audition tips for now but keep checking back for lots more tips and more adventures.

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