Welcome to casting actor's cast, your

ultimate guide to the art of acting.

I'm your host, Jeffrey Dreisbach

And today we're diving deep into the

world of auditioning for film.

Whether you're a stage actor looking to

transition to the screen or a budding

film actor honing your craft, this

episode is packed with insights and

advice to help you shine in the

audition studio.

So grab your popcorn and let's explore

all of the nuances

and give you some movie audition tips.

Well, hello, and welcome to today's

episode of casting.

Actress Cass.

I'm casting director Jeffrey Dreisbach

with the mccorkle group in New York.

How are you hope you're having a good

day?

I'm looking forward to sharing this

information with you today, all about

auditioning for a movie.

And that's based on some casting work

we did for a future film just last

week.

So I thought this would be a perfect

opportunity to share some insights on

that process.

So now let me just talk to you a little

bit about

saying, thank you.

Thank you for tuning in to casting

actors.

Cast.

It's been a pleasure bringing these

podcasts.

Do you?

I'm having a great time doing it.

And I really am looking forward to

future episodes of casting actors cast.

I also want to explain to you that

there's some cool stuff happening on

the website.

So if you go to casting actor's cast

all one word dot com, you're going to

find all kinds of new stuff on the

website that I've just updated.

And I think that you'll find that

there's some really cool stuff for you

to consider.

It's that casting actors cast all one

word dot com also there's a form there

that says, dive into the talent pool.

If you do that that's going to open up

some free bees for you.

One is a book that I wrote undoing

voice over work.

It's absolutely free.

It's a pdf called conversation pieces

out of the studio, the voice of a

workshop for professional actors.

Also there's a free video.

Casting secrets what they don't tell

you.

And here is my special, extra special

announcement.

Now I know that there's a lot of people

pitching their stuff out there.

I get it,

and I am not commenting on what others

are doing.

But let me just tell you that after

years of casting and teaching actors,

48

00:02:47,0 --> 00:02:49,936

I finally have finished and created

my course called next level auditions.

It's a six module online course to give

you the inside edge.

You can check that out at the website

and also booked it the paper back.

And now audio book has just been

dropped on Amazon audible and iTunes

together.

Both the course and the book, they are

what I call your ultimate tool kit for

breaking through audition burnout and

landing rolls with confidence.

Can I suggest maybe you should consider

getting both?

You can get them all together

today at casting actor's cast dot com.

Thank you for allowing me to share my

excitement over these offerings

that I'm presenting to you.

Thank you so much.

Now let's talk about

this feature film audition that I did

last week.

I'm not going to give you the title,

that's really not that important.

Plus, I don't have the permission from

the producers to use it, although, you

know, they might enjoy the publicity.

But this is a 25 million dollar

budgeted feature film, and it involves

enhanced human beings

during a nuclear Holocaust.

I can't really say much more than that,

but these auditions that we had just

last week were for both the male and

the female leads of this film.

Now, the actors had submitted themselves

as a self tape.

We had seen a few of those actors in

person.

And now we wanted to see them again

against some of the new auditions that

we were received

from the requested

actors that we sent out the script and

the sides too.

So

I really enjoyed this process quite a

bit, because we had the producers,

we two producers, we had the director

of the film, we had pat

heading up the casting team.

I ran the camera as well as acted as a

reader.

And it was a really interesting

only because some of the actors had a

lot of experience, and that there were

some other actors who didn't have that

much experience at all, but had,

you know,

how can I say this?

That's certain something that made you

say, gosh, this is exactly what I envisioned

for this role.

And so some things you have control

over as an actor, and other things you

have no control over as an actor.

These auditions took place at pearl

studios.

And this was for, like I said, the lead,

they were auditioning

for with the camera, as well as all of

those people in the room.

In addition to me being a reader, we

had another reader as well.

So it was quite a room full of folks.

Something to expect

or not expect is you really don't know

what you're walking into when you walk

into an audition like that.

There's a camera set up, there's

producer, director, casting director,

readers there's all kinds of

energy in the room.

My suggestion is that you stay focused

and concentrated on what you are doing

as you come into the room.

But I want to emphasize something

that the audition is just not, you

showing me how you're going to play the part.

The entire audition process

should be considered

an audition.

As you well know, working and playing

well with others is such an important consideration.

So your energy, your enthusiasm,

being comfortable in this environment,

and I know that's a big ask for some of

us,

because it's not comfortable when you

walk into a room of strangers or people

that you barely know and suddenly you

have to be on.

I'm not suggesting that you have to be

on,

but I am suggesting that you be as

comfortable as you possibly can in this

environment, with a subtext of,

I'm prepared and I can't wait to show

you how I'm going to play this part.

And of course, you know that there's a

different approach when acting on

camera in an audition than a stage

audition

you understand that a stage audition

often

emphasizes it larger than life

energy or larger gestures.

Vocal projection,

film acting

is all about subtlety

and nuance.

If you understand the unique

characteristics of film as a medium,

that's going to help you tailor your

performance for maximum impact

in an audition.

How do you do that?

First of all, think about

this

mastering

on

screen presence in an audition.

And what I mean by that

onscreen presence is

being comfortable in front of the

camera.

It is absolutely crucial for capturing

the creative team's attention while

conveying your character's choices.

So how do you do that?

It's simply a matter of being

comfortable in your own skin.

Remember to breathe,

remember that we're looking at the

entire picture, not just your face, but

your facial expressions, your body

language, your eye contract

with the reader.

That helps create a compelling on

screen presence.

And that draws viewers in and keeps

them engaged.

I think of all the things that I saw in

these auditions that we held,

the actor that was focused and

concentrated.

The energy was not broad based,

but it was very singular in focus and

in energy.

That seemed to command the mood,

appropriately for the character.

Now,

we don't have the Scenes to show you or

give you, but some of the Scenes were a

161

00:08:53,700 --> 00:08:55,1

little on the lighter side.

For example, this two couple just

meeting for the first time.

And then some of them were

heavier, had

a lot of

subtext and

a lot of emotional capacity that needed

to be demonstrated by the actor.

So there was a lot there.

The actors did a minimum of two Scenes,

usually just did, too.

And so they're, the presence that the

actor brought into the room became

really useful.

Now I think you're asking me, how do I

do that?

Once again, I think it's about

concentration.

I think it's about that deep energy

that actors have to stay focused

and stay

really present

with what's taking place.

On a technical note, I think there's

value, if you understand

the power of close ups.

During these auditions, we needed to

zoom in and get a really fairly decent

upshot of the actor.

And you, as you probably have guessed,

close ups are really a staple of film auditioning,

because that allows the director,

during an audition, to see every subtle

nuance of your performance.

I think it's incumbent upon the actor

to Embrace

the intimacy of close ups.

And that again, goes back to what I

said earlier, by focusing and conveying

your emotions,

through your eyes,

through the connection you are making

with your reader or the other actor.

I also believe that there's something

to be said about subtle gesture,

quiet facial expressions.

Remember, sometimes less is more when

it comes to onscreen acting, especially

in an audition.

So let's move on to navigating

auditions.

I think auditioning for film roles

requires a different approach than

auditioning for stage productions.

In addition to preparing your audition

material,

I think actors should consider being

even more confident and more prepared

to take direction

and make adjustments on the fly.

You see, casting directors often look

for actors who can embody the

character's essence and bring depth to

the role.

So be sure to showcase your versatility

and range during the auditions, in the callbacks.

But even more important,

be in a place where, if the director or

casting director makes a suggestion or

an adjustment in the scene,

it's really valuable for you to

flip that switch, make that adjustment

as cleanly and as committed as you

possibly can.

You see the technique of a film actor

is the ability to switch and change

emotional tracks when asked for.

Another technical notice, to understand

shot types and camera angles, it's just

a matter of familiarizing yourself with

different shots.

Whether it's a long shot, a close up, a

medium shot.

Camera angles as well.

Well, that's something that you can

figure out pretty quickly when you just

simply look at the LEDs of the camera.

That's going to really tell you how

your audition is going to be captured

when you walk into the room.

However,

it's really valuable to know your frame,

if you need to, if it's not offered,

ask the camera person many times, like

I said, it could be the gasing director

where's the frame,

and they're going to tell you it's

chessed up.

They're going to tell you it's waist

up.

They're going to maybe even physically

show you it's from here to here,

whether it's a wide shot, is it a close

at tracking shot, which means you're

walking into the frame.

Each angle

offers its own opportunities and

challenges for actors.

So, being familiar and understanding

how to work with the camera,

you can make very informed choices that

enhance your performance and can

contribute to the visual and overall

storytelling

you're doing in the audition

here's another tip.

Develop chemistry with your costar, or

equally important, your reader.

You see, I've had this experience just

last week is that the actor is

introduced to the reader and there's a

hello, or maybe there's a shake of the

hands, and then the actor moves over to

the director and says, helon

don't squander or lose an opportunity

to make more than just a casual

Terry.

Hello.

245

00:13:44,24 --> 00:13:44,190

Oove.

Tersery.

Good word.

Having some chemistry with the reader

that is essential for creating

authentic and compelling onscreen

relationships.

Now I'm not talking about

paying no attention to the other people

in the room, but I am saying, take a

moment to address the person you are

reading with.

Ask them how they are,

thank them for being there.

Ask them, I hope that you'll be able to

tell me if there are any traps in the

script that maybe you could help me

with.

You know what there's no harm in that

you are not supposed to come in with

all of the answers.

You're supposed to treat the audition

like it's the first day of rehearsal.

And then take the time to build rapport

with the person that you're reading

with, whether it's the other actor who

is auditioning, or whether it's the reader

that's important information, by the

way, on and off the set, when you

invest in developing a strong

connection, it can translate into

much more believable connection.

Onscreen,

I think trust

and communication are the key

ingredients for fostering meaningful

relationships with your fellow actors

and also bringing your characters to

life.

Onscreen,

now, while the audition is taking place,

please remember

to

process

in real time.

Embrace the moments.

Also Embrace the moments with the team

in film audience,

what I mean by that is it's not just

about you playing the part

in film.

Auditioning.

Your performance doesn't end when the

director calls cott, for example,

283

00:15:34,200 --> 00:15:35,1

the entire process

of the audition itself

plays a crucial role

in decisions about you.

And actors have to be prepared to adopt

and adapt to changes

made during your session.

It's that kind of malleability?

Ooh, good word.

It's a combination of being committed

to the choices, but also being malleable.

Trust the director to suggest some

choices that might be made during the

audition.

Also, just feel open to seeing your

audition evolve yourself

through the process of the audition.

Now, I know I've said this before, and

I said it just a few moments ago, but I

want to reiterate this.

The audition is not an event.

The audition is an opportunity for you

to put yourself

into a rehearsal mindset.

Imagine, if you will, that you've

already booked the job

and now you're just working on the

scene.

That is such a healthier mindset for

the actor in a film audition.

The other thing is, I think actors

would benefit from that

mindset of

continuing to want to learn and evolve.

Just like any craft.

See, auditioning on film requires

ungoing

learning and growth.

And so

take advantage of opportunities to

watch and study great performances,

attend workshops and classes and seek

feedback.

And in the room,

I think that there's a tremendous

value

in knowing that the audition should not

feel

result oriented.

You don't have to qualify how you did

at the end of the audition.

If the director says, how did that feel

that to me?

Hm, that is an inexperience

director.

And believe me, there are many

inexperienced directors that are out

there.

But when you hear the question, how did

that feel

you need to detach yourself from that

question to some degree,

because the director, or whoever asks

that question, is asking you to watch

yourself, to evaluate what you're doing

while you're doing it.

That is not a good thing.

That's not a great idea.

But I also think, in terms of

preparation for your audition for film,

certainly, stay humble,

stay curious.

I suggest you never stop trying to

improve your audition.

That is such a healthier place to be

when you are in the process of an

audition.

I know this is hard, because many of us

feel like we're going in and this is a

test that you either pass or fail.

Let me tell you, it's none of that.

It's none of that.

It's simply you feeling confident in

showing us how you're going to play the

part, the choices that you make, the

uniqueness, that is, you all contribute

two, the audition.

One way to help you as well.

Another kind of the side tip is taking

a step back, looking at the bigger

picture, and taking a look at the

business side of acting.

In addition to honing your craft, it's

important to understand the business

side of auditioning on film.

You may not know what the director is

looking for.

So do yourself a favor and don't waste

any energy on trying to figure out what

they want.

If you ask yourself, I wonder what

they're looking for,

you you'veted a lot of energy.

Plus,

in an audition process, many times

thoughts are just like, I don't know,

bubbling away among the creative team,

we're thinking about the last person we

just saw and you're coming in.

We need to refresh ourselves.

Give time time, especially when you're

coming into the room and auditioning yourself.

The way to help you with that, I think,

is just to remember that auditions are

an art form unto themselves.

And of course, you know, it's also a

business.

And the more you understand about the

audition process,

the better equipped you're going to

have to navigate the challenges

and Embrace the opportunities.

Bottom line, I think, is, stay grounded

and authentic, and, above all else,

stay true to yourself and your artistic

vision as an actor.

While it's important to adapt to the

demands of each role and project, never

lose sight of your own unique voice and

perspective.

Trust your instincts.

Embrace vulnerability

and approach each film audition with

authenticity

and integrity.

That's my suggestion

there's a lot of tips in there,

I hope

377

00:20:51,51 --> 00:20:51,117

' ' ' ' 'leng

' ' ' ' 'erm'ting

your group,

will ' 'ghinger's

381

00:21:08,1 --> 00:21:08,968

cake.

'garyman

willing