Developing excellent acting skills, especially in professional level acting classes in nyc, can help build a great foundation. There is one thing that acting classes in nyc cannot teach you, for the most part, and that is an auditioning technique that you can use out of the classroom. A big part of the audition process are audition tapes. There is no need for a professionally produced, expensive audition tape. Just borrow or rent a camera, enlist the help of an aspiring director friend and follow these simple rules.
Lighting is hugely important, because more than anything you want to be “seen.” Poor lighting creates deep shadows in all the wrong places. 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. Being well lit means that the lighting should be so clean it’s 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. They should be able to diagram a simple lighting scheme for you.
Two or three small lights will do the trick. Lights can be placed on either side of the talent to help illuminate the face. 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. Correcting the color with a white balance feature is the important next step.
Light sources, such as lamps, professional lights and daylight all have different temperatures. Daylight, for instance, has more blue in it. If you set up lights near a window the camera must correct for that. If you use both of these light sources the color will be off unless you “correct” it in the camera. By hitting the White Balance button you can adjust the camera to “balance” the color between those two light sources. Just focus the camera on a white card or sheet of paper and it should correct for color. 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.
Another very important thing to consider is sound. If you cannot be heard clearly, or if there is distracting static or white noise, you have wasted your time. No producer or casting agent has the time to sit through an audition tape with poor sound. Keep the mic as close to the talent as possible. Camera mounted mics might be convenient, are not the best choice, renting a Lavalier would be better. You aren’t communicating with the audience if you can’t be heard clearly. There are plenty of good acting classes in nyc that will help guide you through this process.
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 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. What you leave “out” of a performance is just as important as what you leave in, according to expert coaches of Meisner acting nyc. Of course, you can’t cram every possible emotion that a character “has” into a few moments. Leaving some elements of the character out, is one way to engage your audience immediately. 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.
If asked to present something specific, of course you must. More often, casting agents and producers ask for monologues not scenes. Prepare something that plays to your strengths, of course, be it comedy, drama or character driven. The greatest actors are well rounded and can include many layers of abilities during a short piece. Audiences identify easily with a comic figure’s dark moments, and like to laugh briefly to endure intense drama. Acting classes in nyc are led by experienced professionals who can help give constructive feedback. The best audition tapes are those which have had input from lots of sources with the most constructive criticism incorporated.
The Maggie Flanigan Studio provides acting classes for serious actors. To learn more about commercial acting visit the studio website.