Create a Character Instantly at a Casting Audition

A Guide to Creating an Interesting Character Instantly

When you are at an audition, there is one obstacle that will always present itself. (In fact the same obstacle exists not only while you are at an audition, but while you are acting in any situation.) This particular obstacle is ‘Getting into Character’ and is most often found in the audition room when you are asked to perform a cold reading from the script. In just a few precious moments you must focus all your attention to the script and consider several critical questions in order to establish a character instantly.

For the beginning actor, and even the more advanced actor, establishing an intriguing character instantly is a challenge. However, it does not have to be this way. It only takes a few moments, and a basic understanding of human emotions. And after grasping this notion, you can establish a character instantly that has depth and meaning.

Working as a Casting Director for many years, it is very common for me to sit in my casting chair, and watch countless actors and actresses walk in and out of my room with literally the same performance. It used to baffle me when watching, them because each of these actors gave a very flat and, dare I say, boring performance. NOT what a casting director wants to see in an audition! So how can you get noticed – how can you ensure that you don’t just read the lines but ‘mean the lines’?

Stop for a moment and visualize a gorgeous mountain range, one full of deep valleys, and extreme highs. There are literally millions of nooks and crannies that one could easily get lost in, and trying to explore the entire terrain would be close to impossible - and yet, one still wants to do so. Now visualize a plane - one from the Midwest, to where you can see for miles and miles. There are no hills, there are no mountains; the only thing that is prevalent within eyesight is flatness. There is absolutely nothing that catches the eye. Nothing is interesting, and all too soon one begins to lose interest and walk away.

Compare these two terrains with your audition performance. Both terrains have the same foundation – the words – but the first terrain, or actor, displays depth. They have knowledge that the human psyche is one full of crevices and caves with extreme highs and glorious lows. Their performance is that of perception: s/he uses the words on the page as just the foundation for their performance adding shape and colour through pace, style, emotion, breathing and body movement.

Now think of the second terrain. Boring, flat, monotonous. Everything is the same; it is as if the repeat button was turned on while God was creating it. It is very common, and very sad, that millions of actors every day read in this style. Like the second terrain they deliver only the words – maybe because of nerves, or because they are unprepared, or just lack the courage to ‘be imaginative’ in their reading. In short though, they simply focus on the ‘ground’ and don’t use their own human knowledge of emotion to build an interesting landscape. Obviously it is this last terrain that as a Casting Director is an immediate "No."

Now that we accept the different types of reading how can we make an instant and stable character with only two minutes of preparation?

The first thing one must remember is to use your time wisely! Once the Audition Side is handed to you, the Casting Director will allow you several minutes to read of the script and let you become familiarized with it. And this is when the downfall for most actors begins. DO NOT MEMORIZE THE SCENE!!!

This is where most actors go wrong. They use the precious moments that they are given to memorize the scene which was handed to them: this is a massive mistake. Why? Well if you really think about it, the answer would be obvious. While you are sitting there, memorizing your lines, you are paying little or no attention to why the lines are being stated. You are simply memorizing. And by doing so you are trapping yourself inside of a creative block. When you begin performing you are so worried about what line is next, you begin to completely push aside any emotions that would automatically arise inside of you if you are truly connected with your character and the scene.

The second reason why memorizing an audition side can be harmful, is because the time allotted, is usually - at maximum - two minutes. Unless you have a true photogenic memory, this two minutes will not be enough for you to truly memorize - or even finish "memorizing" the scene. So, this in turn, will let you be slightly familiar with the beginning of the scene, but towards the end you will find yourself completely lost: and a good audition should show you growing into the character and developing as the reading progresses. (Casting Directors expect you to sound a little nervous at the start but they wont accept you getting MORE nervous as the piece progresses!)

So, how do you use your time wisely?

First 60 Seconds: SCAN read the scene completely through, familiarize yourself with what is going on. Gather the main emotion for your character within the scene. Focus on how to ‘develop’ the character through the scene. Is the emotion changing? Can you show versatility? Is there a good line in the text to give you a chance to demonstrate ‘dramatic pause’, ‘laughter’, ‘anger’, etc. (Any emotion that can show you are not ‘flat and boring’)

Next 45 Seconds: Read the last few lines of the piece again carefully. Be sure you can finish your Cold Reading in an interesting and dynamic way. Can you infuse the lines with some intonation, emotion, expression that might not be clearly written in the text but will add ‘depth’ to the performance? Something different from the ‘plane’ actors who will just deliver the lines the same way that the previous auditioned did?

Lastly, take 15 seconds to change your breathing. Breathing is the key to getting into character as it helps reflect the mood of your entire body and that mood will be translated in your voice. Match your breathing to the emotion identified in the text and think about how and where it changes in the text. Taking a big breath, holding your breath, accelerating your breathing and letting out a sigh are all great elements of expression that are so often forgotten in a Cold Reading. The words only tell half the story. Your ‘character’ will tell the rest.

Now forget you are in an audition and plunge into the character. You breathing, your thinking and your words will elicit body movement that will help you create the ‘instant character’ needed to impress the casting director. Don’t think about what you are doing – think about what you are. And DON’T FORGET TO LISTEN TO WHAT IS BEING SAID TO YOU. React to what is BEING SAID – as well as what YOU ARE SAYING.

For more information and step by step lessons to help you truly master the ‘Landscape Technique’ to developing an instant character in an audition, don’t miss out on The Ultimate Audition Guide coming soon from http://www.mediatricks.com/ Subscribe today at http://www.ultimateauditiontips.com/