Developing excellent acting skills, especially in professional level acting classes in nyc, can help build a great foundation. However, there is one skill you may have to develop on your own if your acting classes in nyc do not include it, and that is auditioning technique. Audition tapes are becoming the norm, since the producers and agents can easily see if you are camera ready. Auditioning via tape does not mean you need to spend lots of money on a professional production. Just borrow or rent a camera, enlist the help of an aspiring director friend and follow these simple rules.
First is lighting, because everyone has seen what a poor lighting job can do to someone’s appearance. Poor lighting creates deep shadows in all the wrong places. However, if the lighting is too strong, you will appear completely washed out and “hot” which is just a distracting. Anything that takes away from your performance is lethal and bad lighting is one of those things. A well lit subject is one in which the lighting just “disappears.” If you are studying in a professional acting program, or taking acting classes in nyc, there should be someone who is teaching an “Acting for the Camera” class or something similar. Ask for help creating a simple diagram that outlines a lighting scheme.
There should be two or three light sources. A light should be placed in front of the talent (you) one on either side, and far enough away to not cause shadows or hot spots. A light can also be brought in to illuminate the background. In some instances audition tapes leave the background completely dark which creates a certain mood. This is okay as long as the overall feel is not too dark. The all important next step is the white balance on the camera.
This reads the color temperatures of the combined light sources. Incandescent lights are yellow, daylight is very blue. Let’s say you set up the lighting, and you are also near a window. If you use both of these light sources the color will be off unless you “correct” it in the camera. The White balance button on the camera makes this possible. A pure white card or sheet of paper needs to be placed in the middle of the lighting sources. If you do not use this feature the color will be completely off, especially your skin tones. You want good clean skin tones, eye color and hair color, so you must not forget this step.
How you sound is also very important. If you cannot be heard clearly, or if there is distracting static or white noise, you have wasted your time. With so many good tapes to watch an audition with poor sound will be quickly rejected. The mic should be as close to the source of the sound as possible to eliminate stray noise. While easy, the camera mounted microphones are usually not very high quality. Communicating character, and a sense of who you are as an actor depends on what you sound like so make it great. Lots of good acting classes in nyc, include advice on how to do this.
With these basics in place now is the time to think about content. Preparing for an audition tape is the same as preparing for a live audition. Meisner acting techniques can be helpful when preparing, especially for a specific character or role. An audition tape that is engaging, riveting, and fascinating is easier for actors that have studied Meisner acting. Keeping important elements under the surface, is something coaches of Meisner acting nyc can teach you how to develop. Of course, you can’t cram every possible emotion that a character “has” into a few moments. Edit, put only a few ideas in at a time and let the rest emerge in the imagination of the audience. An audience (which in this case is the auditors) will automatically begin to infer and look for clues they can infer about your character which engages them in your performance.
Sometimes, the requests are very specific, however a great actor will never be hindered or constrained by those ideas. More frequently actors are asked to turn in monologue audition tapes, just to give viewers an idea of their range and abilities. Whether you have the gift of comedy, or a talent for dramatic roles, a great audition includes both. Legendary actors can present mesmerizing layers of emotion in a short time. Tragedy and comedy always work together, for instance and its good to include a sense of both. Friends and more importantly instructors of acting classes in nyc, or the school where you study, can give you important feedback. Professional actors are always open to direction, certainly as an up and coming actor it’s smart to remain open to input regarding your audition tape.
The Maggie Flanigan Studio provides nyc acting classes for serious actors. To learn more about commercial acting class visit the studio website.