Developing excellent acting skills, especially in professional level acting classes in nyc, can help build a great foundation. A solid auditioning technique is also paramount however and acting classes in nyc do not always include this in their curriculum. Casting directors and producers will often ask for audition tapes, and of course you must be able to create a stand-out at a moment's notice. An expensive, professional video is okay for an audition tape but, certainly not necessary. All you need to do is rent or borrow a camera and ask some fellow actors or a director friend to help.
Everyone knows what a bad lighting job can do to someone's appearance. A poor lighting job will cast shadows and can make you look completely different. Lighting can also go overboard, and cause a washed out appearance that seems "lifeless." If the lighting serves as a distraction to your performance you've wasted your time. A well lit subject is one in which the lighting just "disappears." A professional acting program, especially acting classes in nyc, should have someone on staff that has experience producing tapes. Ask for help creating a simple diagram that outlines a lighting scheme.
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.
The color temperature of lights sources can be different. Incandescent lights are yellow, daylight is very blue. If you set up lights near a window the camera must correct for that. A mix of light sources is possible but, the camera must be "balanced" to correct for these color differences. The White balance button on the camera makes this possible. 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.
Perfect, clear sound is also critical. If you cannot be heard, you cannot perform. No producer or casting agent has the time to sit through an audition tape with poor sound. The mic should be as close to the source of the sound as possible to eliminate stray noise. Camera mounted microphones are not very close to the subject, so looking into the rental of a good quality Lavalier microphone might be worthwhile. Let's face it, acting is a form of communication and you cannot communicate clearly if you can't be heard. 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. A coach trained in the Meisner acting technique should be able to offer a lot of great tips on how to prepare. If nothing else, you need to be interesting, unique, and studying the Meisner acting technique can help. Anyone who has studied Meisner acting nyc will understand that acting is as much about what you leave out as what you put in. Editing the performance, leaving some elements of the character underneath the surface is key. What's underneath, unspoken, is as important as what's said and shown, maybe more so. 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.
At times, actors are asked to include something very specific, but it should still have your own ideas incorporated. Casting agents and at times producers, will ask for more general monologue audition tapes. 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. Videotape your chosen material several times and enlist friends and teachers from your acting classes in nyc to review it and make constructive comments. 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.
Everyone knows what a bad lighting job can do to someone's appearance. A poor lighting job will cast shadows and can make you look completely different. Lighting can also go overboard, and cause a washed out appearance that seems "lifeless." If the lighting serves as a distraction to your performance you've wasted your time. A well lit subject is one in which the lighting just "disappears." A professional acting program, especially acting classes in nyc, should have someone on staff that has experience producing tapes. Ask for help creating a simple diagram that outlines a lighting scheme.
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.
The color temperature of lights sources can be different. Incandescent lights are yellow, daylight is very blue. If you set up lights near a window the camera must correct for that. A mix of light sources is possible but, the camera must be "balanced" to correct for these color differences. The White balance button on the camera makes this possible. 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.
Perfect, clear sound is also critical. If you cannot be heard, you cannot perform. No producer or casting agent has the time to sit through an audition tape with poor sound. The mic should be as close to the source of the sound as possible to eliminate stray noise. Camera mounted microphones are not very close to the subject, so looking into the rental of a good quality Lavalier microphone might be worthwhile. Let's face it, acting is a form of communication and you cannot communicate clearly if you can't be heard. 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. A coach trained in the Meisner acting technique should be able to offer a lot of great tips on how to prepare. If nothing else, you need to be interesting, unique, and studying the Meisner acting technique can help. Anyone who has studied Meisner acting nyc will understand that acting is as much about what you leave out as what you put in. Editing the performance, leaving some elements of the character underneath the surface is key. What's underneath, unspoken, is as important as what's said and shown, maybe more so. 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.
At times, actors are asked to include something very specific, but it should still have your own ideas incorporated. Casting agents and at times producers, will ask for more general monologue audition tapes. 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. Videotape your chosen material several times and enlist friends and teachers from your acting classes in nyc to review it and make constructive comments. 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.
About the Author:
The Maggie Flanigan Studio provides nyc acting classes for serious actors. To learn more about nyc commercial acting classes visit the studio website.
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