TOP TEN TIPS ON RECORDING MONOLOGUES

Hello my lovelies, 

So today I'm going to my top ten little on recording monologues. Whether it's for your showreel, video audition or just to upload to You Tube there's a few things you should and shouldn't do. 

When I first found out I would be doing a video audition for The American Academy of Dramatic Arts as I was unable to attend the London auditions because I was teaching drama in India, I wasn't quite sure how to go about it. Although auditioning via video means you can keep changing it until your happy, it also means you have to put in extra effort as you will be competing with face to face auditions. 

As I hadn't  done much screen work or any recording in a while, I decided that it would be a good idea to get in contact with an acting coach. After searching for a while I found this fantastic coach Claire Storey. Claire really encouraged me and gave me some great advice for filming monologues. After getting in to AADA with my video audition I decided to share some of my tips with you lovely people.

Tip 1- Introduction 
Firstly and very importantly make sure you always introduce yourself and your monologue. Even if it is a well known monologue or playwright, it is still vital that you tell your audience your name, the play and the role you will be playing. Seems simple enough but often something that people forget to do. 

Tip 2- Understanding your character and the scene. 

This doesn't just go for video monologues, this is for any audition as is extremely important. Be sure to go through the character development process as you should be fully aware of who your character is and what they are doing or feeling in this situation. This also goes for the play. Always read the play in order to understand the characters and what's been going on up to this point. Don't just read the synopsis, your audience will be able to tell, trust me. 

Tip 3- know who you are talking to. 
This can be an awkward one if you don't actually know who it is your talking to. This will make a difference in the way you may direct your monologue. Is your character talking to a family member? A friend? or an industry professional?

Tip 4- Know where you are looking 

Where is your focus? Never look straight into the camera. The only time you should be doing this is if you recording a video diary. Otherwise pick a point where the person you are speaking to is and focus on that. Usually just above the lens or the side. Never too high up or too much the side as the camera wants to see your pretty face. 

Tip 5- Voice

Keep it natural. Try not to do accents unless you have been specifically asked to as it can sound a little confusing on a video. Be aware of the tone of your voice and the volume you are speaking at. It is better to use the volume keys if you you need the video louder or quieter, rather than you whispering or shouting. 

Tip 6- Lighting & space 

Pick a part of the room where there isn't too much going on in the background. For example, try not to record in front of walls covered with pictures, mirrors or patterned wallpaper as this can cause a distraction for the audience. Keep the background as plain as possible. When it comes to lighting be careful of harsh lighting or filters. Pick a part of the room with natural light, if its too dark we won't be able to see you properly either.

Tip 7- Facial expressions and gestures
When recording monologues try and keep the facial expressions and hand gestures to minimum. Often we like to use our hands when we speak however this can come across as a distraction. This also goes for facial expressions, if you're a stage actor you are probably used to making slightly more exaggerated facial expressions, however the camera picks up every little detail so it is better to tone down this for camera acting.

Tip 8- clothing & props

Again simple is better. Try not to wear distracting outfits and keep colours natural unless you feel it is really important for your character. Using props is fine as long as you don't go overboard with this. One or two props at most. 

Tip 9- Keep the speech to no more than three minutes 
If you are auditioning for a drama school pick a monologue that is not too long. Three minutes is usually the maximum monologue time for drama schools. They have a lot of monologues to go through so if it's too long they probably won't watch the whole thing so keep to minimum. 

Tip 10- my final tip would be on hair and and makeup. 

Keep hair away from face, style your hair however you like, but unless your playing the evil girl from the ring try not to have your hair dangling in front of your face otherwise we won't hear a word your saying. With regards to makeup unless specified or as part of the role try not to overdo makeup. Stage acting is very different to screen acting and this is something that was stressed a lot at Italia Conti because the camera picks up everything and trust me you don't want the director thinking you look like a clown. Unless that's the look for going for which in that case go for it ;)

So that's all for now, I hope this helps and if you have any questions feel free to comment. 

Monologues for AADA

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