Today is:    
Home    About Us    Contact Us   
     Actors  |  Acting Advice  |  Casting Calls & Auditions  |  Forums  |  Production Update  |  Resources  |  TV  |  Video

Printable Version

Audition Strategies: It Pays to Know Your Niche
by Mark Brandon

The giant casting machine is a conservative piece of equipment. The cautious selections it frequently makes are based not on talent alone, but on prevailing, or popular notions.


For instance, your appearance, from the way you dress and speak to the way you carry yourself, is what's called your "type" or niche - how the people who run the machine instantly classify you and your acting style. More often than not, your niche coincides with someone currently in the mainstream. For example, they use popular presumptions like the following to identify you: An impulsive, passionate Anne Heche type. Or, the opposite: a reflective Meryl Streep type. As a male, you may be viewed as a low-key, nearly self-effacing type like Tobey Maguire or a rebellious, edgy Matt Dillon. What this boils down to, is they wouldn't normally cast Matt Dillon as a country boy because his mannerisms wouldn't plausibly fit. Likewise, it would be difficult to accept Tobey Maguire as an inner city gang leader.

In a manner of speaking, you might say this is safe, uncreative image casting, not acting casting. Be that as it may, it's the way it works. Knowing your niche therefore, is essential to landing more parts.

Up to now, you may have thought of yourself as a leading man, but your quirkiness may put you in the niche of a comic relief player. If you're a female, you might think you've been perceived as a professional career woman but your soft, wholesome features make you look more like a young mother. Playing to ways that oppose how you're viewed hampers your chances. The conservative machine can't get a "fix" on just who you are and consequently, what role you're truly appropriate for.
If you're not absolutely sure about your niche, ask other actors and especially your agent about how you "come across." If you can obtain a clear picture of this, you can enhance your performances by gracefully playing with that picture, not undermining your efforts by struggling against it. And just as important, you can arrange for your headshots to play into this whole niche aspect by dressing in an appropriate style of wardrobe for your photo shoot.



The preceding was an excerpt from the best selling acting book, WINNING AUDITIONS - 101 Strategies for Actors (Limelight Editions, NY) written by Mark Brandon. Mark is a native Californian who now makes his home in Vancouver, BC. He has appeared in over 100 commercials, films and TV series.

Copyright © Mark Brandon. Used with permission of the author. All rights reserved. Not to be reproduced or distributed.

For more audition strategies and career building advice, visit: www.WinningAuditions.com




Related Articles
 Meeting with a Talent Agent
 Your Interview with an Agent
 Ten Interview Blunders Actors Make - and How to Correct Them
 Tips for Beating Shyness
 Coping with Audition Nerves
 Audition Basics
 Audition Fundamentals
 Audition Procedures
 Audition Preparation Tips
 Auditioning Tips
 Tips for a Successful Audition
 Tips, Tools and Truth about Your First Audition
 Improve Every Audition
 Audition Strategies: Unmask the Classic Myth
 Audition Strategies: Stay Upbeat to Stay in the Running
 Audition Strategies: It Pays to Know Your Niche
 Audition Strategies: Have "Another" Audition in Your Hip Pocket
 Audition Strategies: Improve your Improv!
 Audition Strategies: Beware of Zombie Casting Directors!
 Audition Strategies: Temper Enthusiasm with Business Sense
 Audition Strategies: Adopt the "En Garde!" Stance
 Audition Strategies: Harness the Power of Habit
 Auditioning and What You Can Expect
 Auditioning and What You Can Expect Part 2
 Auditioning and What You Can Expect Part 3
 Cold Reading
 Audition Rejection - Don't Take It Personally
 The Secret to Dealing with Audition Rejection

More Articles by Mark Brandon
 Headshots: Shoot for Accuracy
 Audition Strategies: Learn to Hunt
 Audition Strategies: Conquer Your Audition Jitters
 Audition Strategies: Unmask the Classic Myth
 Audition Strategies: Stay Upbeat to Stay in the Running
 Audition Strategies: It Pays to Know Your Niche
 Audition Strategies: Have "Another" Audition in Your Hip Pocket
 Audition Strategies: Improve your Improv!
 Audition Strategies: Beware of Zombie Casting Directors!
 Audition Strategies: Temper Enthusiasm with Business Sense
 Audition Strategies: Adopt the "En Garde!" Stance
 Audition Strategies: Harness the Power of Habit
 The Actor's Sanity Test

Reader Comments
No comments exist yet.
Be the first to post a comment on this page.

Post Your Comments

No HTML, links, emails, phone numbers, addresses, or profanities please. (Message Rules)
Name:
Email Address: (not shown)
Message:
Verification code:



Home  |  Articles
Acting Guides for Kids and Teens
If you want to break into show business and become an actor or actresses, look no further than Actingland.com. We provide acting guides, career advice, casting calls and audition notices. Register today and find the tools to help you start your acting career.
www.actingland.com
 Acting Articles & Advice
 Become a Movie Extra - It's Easy
 How to Become an Actor
 First Steps to Becoming an Actor
 Getting Started in Film Acting
 Break into Showbiz
 Tips for the Beginning Actor
 About Talent Agents
 About Casting Directors
 Casting Calls Yell Be Discovered!
 The Casting Process Explained
 Where to Learn Film Acting
 Acting is a Talent
 Acting Tips Not Taught in Drama Class
 How to Write an Actor's Résumé
 Grab the Casting Directors' Attention
 How to Find a Talent Agent
 Meeting with a Talent Agent
 Audition Rejection - Don't Take It Personally
 Audition Basics
 More...
 Actors & Actresses in the Spotlight
 Adam Brody
 Angelina Jolie
 Jessica Alba
 Ashlee Simpson
 Jessica Simpson
 Ashton Kutcher
 Johnny Depp
 Scarlett Johansson
 Brad Pitt
 Katherine Heigl
 Shia LaBeouf
 Katie Holmes
 Tobey Maguire
 Elisha Cuthbert
 Lindsay Lohan
 Tom Cruise
 Eva Longoria
 Hilary Duff
 Will Ferrell
 More...
 Video Clips
 16 Blocks: Alternate Ending
 16 Blocks: Alternate Ending Continued
 Batman Anthology: Batman Hero
 Batman Anthology: Batman Returns FX
 Charlie & the Chocolate Factory: Oompas
 Charlie & the Chocolate Factory: Dreams
 ER: Competition
 ER: Domestic Violence
 Firewall: Harrison Ford on Acting
 Firewall: Harrison Ford Demanding
 Friends: Costume Design
 Friends: Makeup
 Gilmore Girls: Acting
 Gilmore Girls: Supporting Actors
 Nip/Tuck: Inner Peace
 Nip/Tuck: Life Lessons
 The O.C.: Casting
 The O.C.: The First Day
 One Tree Hill: Hilarie Burton
 One Tree Hill: Sophia Bush
 Supernatural: Casting
 Supernatural: The Pilot
 West Wing: John Spencer on his Character
 West Wing: Casting Allison Janney
 More...
 TV Show Forums / Discussion Boards(Show All) 
 24  30 Rock  American Idol
 America's Got Talent  Burn Notice  Chuck
 Dancing with the Stars  Desperate Housewives  Eli Stone
 Entourage  Ghost Whisperer  Gossip Girl
 Grey's Anatomy  Hannah Montana  Heroes
 House M.D.  How I Met Your Mother  Law & Order
 Life on Mars  Lipstick Jungle  Living Lohan
 Lost  My Boys  One Tree Hill
 Prison Break  Private Practice  Pushing Daisies
 Reaper  Rescue Me  Rules of Engagement
 Smallville  Supernatural  Survivor
 Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles  The Amazing Race  The Big Bang Theory
 The Closer  The Office  The Secret Life of the American Teenager
 The Suite Life of Zack and Cody  Two and a Half Men  Ugly Betty
 Weeds  Wizards of Waverly Place  Zoey 101

Actor Profiles  Acting Articles  Casting Calls & Auditions  Post Casting Notices  Crew Calls & Film Jobs  Production  Film Resources  TV  Video Clips 
Copyright © 2008 Actingbiz.com. All Rights Reserved. Message Rules  Terms of Service  Privacy Policy