Quick Tips and Tricks for Auditioning
Posted by Giovannie on February 17, 2009
I thought that you guys might be interested in knowing a little bit about what happens behind the scenes at a casting session, and some of the things that can make you stand out from the rest of the crowd in both good and bad ways, so here we go:
1. If you aren’t able to make the audition after you have confirmed, please let me know. The reason is if you don’t let us know in some way shape or form, through e-mail through voice message, through carrier pigeon -- we think that you are a bit of a flake. It would make us cautious of casting you for any upcoming projects, or even calling you in for the next job because we may think that you may not show up on set for your call time. There are a lot of things that go into producing any type of on camera project. Locations have to be secured, cast and crew have to be booked, props and art department have to make the location fit the script -- and if an actor doesn’t show up, that can cost thousands of dollars in lost time for a small shoot, and millions of dollars on a high budget set.
2. Have a good attitude. This includes parents and guardians too. If you don’t want to be there, then don’t come. We can tell who the kids are that truly want to be there, and the kids that are being forced to go into the entertainment industry by their parents. Being an actor is glamorous when you see the Oscars or covers of magazines, but the day-to-day working actor is pretty unglamorous. There are a lot of auditions that you have to go to, and wait... and wait... and wait. And even on set, there is a lot of waiting time is well because they have to set up lights and camera angles. I always bring a book with me because I know from experience that waiting is just part of the game. So you really have to get into this industry because you love it yourself, and not because somebody else wants you to. On the reverse side of the equation, there were some kids there that were excited to be there, had a great look, and seem to be really talented, but their parents were either frustrated or extremely nosy (we had one parent looking over the shoulder of the producer and director to see what they had written about their child) and that child, was taken out of the mix because the producer and director didn’t want to have to work with their parent. So you have to remember, that you and your child are a team - the producers have to want to work with both of you.
3. Have a good headshot and resume. The headshot is usually what gets you into the door of casting directors, so if an actor has just snapshots or casual pictures of themselves -- it’s a sign of being new to the industry. Same thing with resumes, there is a certain format that entertainment industry resumes have, so if it is not formatted the right way, it sends me a signal that the person is probably new to the industry. This is a very competitive business and even though some of you may be new to the industry, whatever you can do to make yourself more professional looking will put you ahead of the crowd.
I’ll put a link on my website where you can download a sample of a resume with the proper format.
*Note on headshots: Don’t go out there and get headshots just because it’ll make you look more professional. There is a lot that goes into headshot photography, and you have to work with the photographer that knows what he’s doing. When I was first starting in acting, I wasted a lot of money going to photographers that listed headshots on their advertisements, but because they weren’t industry-standard head shots, I had to re-shoot when I was signed with an agency. Get a good recommendation from someone that is actually working in the entertainment industry and then see who you click with.
BTW, I'm doing a BASIC Intensive class on March 7th, so if you guys are interested, please let me know. People are already signing up, so if you want a space, please reserve one under giovannie.com/classes.html. I like to keep my classes fairly small.
I also do consultations on the business of showbusiness and HOW to get into the industry while avoiding the scammers, so gimme a call if you want to schedule an appointment.
(BTW, that's me on the set of ER following Shane West)
1. If you aren’t able to make the audition after you have confirmed, please let me know. The reason is if you don’t let us know in some way shape or form, through e-mail through voice message, through carrier pigeon -- we think that you are a bit of a flake. It would make us cautious of casting you for any upcoming projects, or even calling you in for the next job because we may think that you may not show up on set for your call time. There are a lot of things that go into producing any type of on camera project. Locations have to be secured, cast and crew have to be booked, props and art department have to make the location fit the script -- and if an actor doesn’t show up, that can cost thousands of dollars in lost time for a small shoot, and millions of dollars on a high budget set.
2. Have a good attitude. This includes parents and guardians too. If you don’t want to be there, then don’t come. We can tell who the kids are that truly want to be there, and the kids that are being forced to go into the entertainment industry by their parents. Being an actor is glamorous when you see the Oscars or covers of magazines, but the day-to-day working actor is pretty unglamorous. There are a lot of auditions that you have to go to, and wait... and wait... and wait. And even on set, there is a lot of waiting time is well because they have to set up lights and camera angles. I always bring a book with me because I know from experience that waiting is just part of the game. So you really have to get into this industry because you love it yourself, and not because somebody else wants you to. On the reverse side of the equation, there were some kids there that were excited to be there, had a great look, and seem to be really talented, but their parents were either frustrated or extremely nosy (we had one parent looking over the shoulder of the producer and director to see what they had written about their child) and that child, was taken out of the mix because the producer and director didn’t want to have to work with their parent. So you have to remember, that you and your child are a team - the producers have to want to work with both of you.
3. Have a good headshot and resume. The headshot is usually what gets you into the door of casting directors, so if an actor has just snapshots or casual pictures of themselves -- it’s a sign of being new to the industry. Same thing with resumes, there is a certain format that entertainment industry resumes have, so if it is not formatted the right way, it sends me a signal that the person is probably new to the industry. This is a very competitive business and even though some of you may be new to the industry, whatever you can do to make yourself more professional looking will put you ahead of the crowd.
I’ll put a link on my website where you can download a sample of a resume with the proper format.
*Note on headshots: Don’t go out there and get headshots just because it’ll make you look more professional. There is a lot that goes into headshot photography, and you have to work with the photographer that knows what he’s doing. When I was first starting in acting, I wasted a lot of money going to photographers that listed headshots on their advertisements, but because they weren’t industry-standard head shots, I had to re-shoot when I was signed with an agency. Get a good recommendation from someone that is actually working in the entertainment industry and then see who you click with.
BTW, I'm doing a BASIC Intensive class on March 7th, so if you guys are interested, please let me know. People are already signing up, so if you want a space, please reserve one under giovannie.com/classes.html. I like to keep my classes fairly small.
I also do consultations on the business of showbusiness and HOW to get into the industry while avoiding the scammers, so gimme a call if you want to schedule an appointment.
(BTW, that's me on the set of ER following Shane West)
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