Acting classes in nyc focus on developing your skills as an actor, especially the foundational skills that are required to practice the craft. 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. A big part of the audition process are audition tapes. Auditioning via tape does not mean you need to spend lots of money on a professional production. All you need to do is rent or borrow a camera and ask some fellow actors or a director friend to help.
First is lighting, because everyone has seen what a poor lighting job can do to someone’s appearance. A poor lighting job will cast shadows and can make you look completely different. Too much light an you look completely washed out. Anything that takes away from your performance is lethal and bad lighting is one of those things. Lighting needs to be clean, and completely unnoticeable. 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.
Two or three small lights will do the trick. 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. The background can lit using a third light. Audition tapes online sometimes leave the background in the dark. Just be sure the overall tape is not too dark, or the contrast too great between your face and the background. The all important next step is the white balance on the camera.
This reads the color temperatures of the combined light sources. They range from being very yellow to very blue. If you set up lights near a window the camera must correct for that. By hitting the White Balance button you can adjust the camera to “balance” the color between those two light sources. Just place something white in the approximate place where you will be standing and hit White Balance. 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.
Sound is another very important feature. Distracting static, muddy tones in your voice, are all ways to kill what might otherwise be a good audition tape. No producer or casting agent has the time to sit through an audition tape with poor sound. The cleanest sound comes from a mic planted close the source of sound, in this case, you. Camera mounted mics might be convenient, are not the best choice, renting a Lavalier would be better. If you aren’t being heard clearly you aren’t able to communicate who you are as an actor or the character. Lots of good acting classes in nyc, include advice on how to do this.
On to content, the all important piece of the puzzle, the character you are portraying, or a sense of who you are as an actor. Preparing for a live audition is slightly different than preparing for a taped one, of course. Coaches trained in Meisner acting techniques can help you prepare for those differences. An audition tape that is engaging, riveting, and fascinating is easier for actors that have studied Meisner acting. Anyone who has studied Meisner acting nyc will understand that acting is as much about what you leave out as what you put in. Of course, you can’t cram every possible emotion that a character “has” into a few moments. What’s underneath, unspoken, is as important as what’s said and shown, maybe more so. Audiences like to work, think, and look for clues which is a way to engage them in your performance.
Sometimes, the requests are very specific, however a great actor will never be hindered or constrained by those ideas. In a more general circumstance, it’s good to have a recent audition tape with a monologue, ready to send out on a moment’s notice. Prepare something that plays to your strengths, of course, be it comedy, drama or character driven. However, keep in mind that the best actors have developed strong skills in all of these genres and use it all. 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. As actors we tend to be insecure and it’s best to accept direction from the outside about what makes our audition tape stand out.
The Maggie Flanigan Studio provides acting classes for serious actors. To learn more about commercial acting class visit the studio website.