Audition Strategies: Beware of Zombie Casting Directors!
by Mark Brandon
At nearly a third of all your auditions, you're going to encounter a "zombie" casting director. That's one who reads the other character's
lines during your audition, but gives you so little emotionally, you'd swear they don't have a pulse.
The reason is they're either too tired from seeing scores of actors all day, or they simply don't have an acting background and aren't
familiar with the concept of providing you with something to "feed off of." Somehow, they expect you to materialize a performance by
some kind of mystical, solo osmosis.
Obviously, this can be a major disadvantage when you're auditioning in front of directors and producers with that kind of casting
director as your scene partner. He or she can get away with looking dead; you can't.
This situation imposes a two-fold dilemma. On one hand, you don't want to "tune-in" to him or her like you normally would with an
experienced actor. You'll just get pulled down to the same fatal level of energy and appear equally as boring. On the other hand,
you certainly can't afford to compensate by rapidly summoning up fabricated feelings. That makes you look like you're overacting.
This predicament might sound discouraging but there is an upside to it. Namely, you're on an even playing field. Everyone else reading
for your role is getting the very same treatment. And fortunately, there's a neat trick to make you stand out.
Prepare a clearly drawn, impassioned goal. Some actors refer to this as their "action," or "objective." In any case, it's a result you
ardently wish to see acknowledged in the casting director's behavior during your reading. (Ultimately, it's what your character wants as
well. You're just focusing on the casting director personally as opposed to acting to another character.)
While the reading is underway, this pre-arranged response you struggle to get out of the casting director will naturally be thwarted by
his or her sheer indifference. As an immediate result, it will generate within you either one or the other of these two completely
genuine feelings: mounting frustration or increasing amusement.
As an example, let's say you're reading for the part of a crooked business person trying to get a reluctant associate to agree to a
"shady" plan. Knowing you're going to be seeing a lifeless casting director, you formulate a strong, uncomplicated goal like,
"demanding obedience" from the other character. As the reading gets underway, you begin to see the casting director exhibiting
anything but obedient behavior or compliant tones. Not getting what you want therefore, should be a frustrating experience,
stimulating you into working harder to succeed.
These rising sensations serve to increase your performance energy in safe, incremental levels. What's more, they come out like
they're supposed to: realistically. That's due to the fact they're arising authentically out of the interaction between you and
the zombie casting director, not artificially out of your head. It's an example of the time-tested wisdom of, "good acting is reacting."
The only decision you have to make after formulating your goal, is which feeling to play to. That's easy enough. If the scene is
one of a confrontational nature (as in the above example) let the frustrations come through. If the scene is of a happier nature,
then let the arising amusement come up and color your work.
At this point you may ask, "How do I know whether or not the casting director I'm going to read with will give me such apathetic
treatment in the first place?" The truth is, you don't - unless you already know them. But here's some unbeatable advice: Just
as every fighter pilot carries a packed parachute for all missions, every actor should carry a passionate objective for all audition scenes.
It's better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it.
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
More Articles by Mark Brandon
Reader Comments
Post Your Comments (Message Rules)
Home | Articles
|
Launch Your Acting Career!
Join Actingland and find acting articles, casting calls, audition notices, career networking tools and links to SAG and AFTRA talent agents. Post your profile, photos and video clips
online and be discovered by casting directors and talent scouts around the world.
www.actingland.com
|
|
|
Be the first to post a comment on this page.