Sunday 22 October 2017

Audition Tip - Making good eye contact

Making eye contact, not just any eye contact - but good eye contact
is key to delivery in the audition room.

Some people are overly shy and cannot make eye contact, talk less of
keeping it.

So they resort to evasive starring or trying to look away every other time.
If you have good facial expression and cannot register it by way of eye
contact, then what is the essence? The whole meaning you are trying to
convey is lost when you cannot make the eye contact.

I have climbed the stage a lot of time as an actor and im yet to see a more
direct and easier way to draw someone else’s attention to you other than
this. I don’t even think screaming can give the effect that eye contact
with your audience can give.

When you make eye contact, keep it for a while to make it register before
you move on again. Always be sensitive about time. And I found
something out, that your instinct will guide you most of the time.

Like for example knowing the amount of time you should keep your eye
contact – a couple of split seconds sometimes but as I said, your instinct
will guide you once you get in.

Monday 16 October 2017

Audition Tip - Facial expression

     FACIAL EXPRESSION

Your facial expression in the audition room is a very strong factor.

The face is the most expressive part of the body. The camera during
acting concentrates more on the face because the face is the most
expressive part of the body.

YOUR FACE SPEAKS - whatever you can say with your mount, your
face can say as well. So when you are expressing yourself, try as much as
possible to let us see in your facial expression what you are trying to say.
In fact, that is the fastest way to communicate.
For example, a mere glance can say volume

WEAR A WARM FACE like I always emphasis, let a warm face be
your default setting and from that position you can express what ever
emotion you want. Nobody enjoys starring into a sad looking face or a
frowning angry face. It is not attractive. No one is asking you to become
a laughing jack ass! Just be natural.

AVOID DEADPAN LOOKS, Any actor or performer that can not
express emotion and feeling through their facial expression are said to be
deadpan actors whose facial expression remains the same irrespective of
their feelings. Such sets of people don’t have any business on stage.
So, good facial expression is one of the very good attribute of a great
actor.

Friday 6 October 2017

Most important audition tips - stage presence principles

Important audition tips
From experience I have come to find out some very helpful and useful
practices that is invaluable during this process and I have tagged it audition
tips.

 PERFORMANCE MOOD ALWAYS.
Once you get the chance to do anything on stage, its either performance
mood or nothing. For example, never read your lines, always say them
performance mood even if you are reading from a script.

 PERFORM NOW JUDGE LATER
I found this one very critical. Being instinctively sensitive to how you are
coming across to your audience does not suggest that you become overly
worked-up about every bit of your performance while you are still in the
middle of it. Just enjoy your acting and concentrate. So act now and judge
later if need be.

 USE THE STAGE
We had an audition one time and we were being made to try out a lot of
actors and I was the cast director. And almost everyone made the same
mistake of not using the stage well, until this guy shows up and said can I
use the stage? And I said its yours! And after he performed nothing else
mattered. He didn’t even have to ask. Line and movement is very
important on stage. I am emphasysing again, do not make unnecessary
nervous movement. All your actions on stage must have a motive.

CONCENTRATE
By every means possible, concentrate and cut out every distraction.

 PROJECT
Never let you audience strain to hear you. Its most unprofessional. Be
audible enough.

 AVOID STAGE BACKING
Let your audience have your attention – the judges during audition

 MAKE EYE CONTACT
This is the most powerful way to draw attention and empathy. Starring direct
into someone’s eye balls is not eye contact – that can be offensive. Look
over - look at the face generally long enough to make your impression. And always bear
in mind that everything is based and measured by the meaning you are trying to make

 DRESS APPROPRIATELY.
Look the part! But no one expects you to wear some real crazy costume. Just dress up
nicely for the part. After all, its just the audition. Take away anything that can hamper you.

A WARM FACE ALWAYS
Just be nice and appear amiable and happy
So having these tips in mind can help you on stage and in the audition room.
So now lets hit the stage.

STAGE PRESENCE is next

Thursday 5 October 2017

10 AuditionTips to win the audition room.

10 Things/ways To Win The Audition Room and Wow The Casting
Director

1. come with a resume, at least a photograph of you(5 by 7 plain
background)

2. Use the stage. A lot of young actors are guilty of this. Once you are
on stage, the entire space belongs to you. Don’t stand on one spot as if
you are rooted. But don’t make unnecessary movement, let your
movement and action be motivated by the meaning you are
expressing. No uncoordinated nervous movement
Your verbal action is more important than what you say. Its not what
you say but how you say it.
If it is possible you have to choose between action and less words,
choose action because action always speaks louder than words.

3. Less is more. Stillness is so powerful. Understand that your
imposing stillness and graceful movement do more for you than
jumping all over the whole place

4. Though over acting does not have any place on the professional
stage, it is better to over act than under act. All I am saying is give it
your best.

5. Show enthusiasm, passion and interest - it makes the difference

6. Don’t look arrogant even if you feel you know more than the whole
crew put together, if you are worth correcting, you are worth
keeping.

7. Listen carefully and follow instructions. Read the audition notice

8. Improvise if you are not given any direction because that is one of
the qualities of a good actor

9. Be happy and enjoy yourself and let it show. It doesn’t come with
pain but with joy.

10. Be nice to others even if you don’t approve of them. No body is
asking you to like or even love them just be nice

WHAT WORKS

Finally you are here on the Dee-day and the hour has finally come . While
you are waiting to be auditioned or maybe interviewed, you can’t just seem
to stay calm despite everything, and you thought you had it figured out
before until this very moment.
Don’t worry. Be happy!  Anyway that was met to be a joke. Its actually more
than - don’t worry be happy.

Now you are here and the real butterfly literally is in your Tommy – ha
ha … well that’s ok and to some extent its to be expected as a performer if
you know what I mean.
But you are not suppose to fret but ride on the wings of that anxious moment
to victory

And let me tell you from experience, its just usually in the beginning that
you will feel this and soon it will go away.
And if you have been trained, we use what is called CONFIDENT
OUTLOOK to douse this. I will explain what that means in part two
So, WHAT WORKS FOR ME.

1, DIAPHRAGMATIC BREATHING
2, DAY DREAMING


I have the above method covered in the next post

Thanks!


Before the next audition part two

Ambition or to be ambitious is very good but it has to be devoid of such
negative emotion as DESPERATION,

The last time I did a check, desperation result in rash and extreme behavior
The brain under the influence of desperation is usually not at it best.
So why operate under this kind of unwholesome condition

You think hey bro! you don’t know how bad I want it.
And I will say that that is exactly why you are not getting it.
Period!

What I have been trying to say is very simple, being in the right frame
of mind is the foundation before you even start to think of applying
those basic principle we are about to talk about as an actor or what
have you

Once you take care of this, then you have laid the proper foundation.
I will show how. And will also show you what worked for me.
Once you are DESPERATE, ANXIETY sets in. And that will lead to you
becoming TENSED and NERVOUS.

DESPERATION = ANXIETY =TENSION = NERVOUSNESS

Once you get to the point of nervousness and tension, your brain shuts down
and you are no longer in charge.
Desperation works like the emotion of anger, once you are under its
influence, you lose your rational thinking mind and become culpable.

All the while you ve been thinking what happened, this is exactly what
happened..

Before you attend the next audition

THE WAY OUT

Before you attend the next audition

You are going to start by priming yourself up even before you get the chance
to attend or appear. You are going to start by telling yourself that your whole life does not
depend  on or tied to that one opportunity.

I know that some opportunities are too good to miss, trust me I have been there
before especially as a young actor. But come on! I know better now. Good
things still come to those who wait. Opportunity doesn’t come only just once.
Opportunities are like diamond; they are forever

Not being ready when opportunity comes is actually the bane and can be a bad experience.
If your opportunity doesn’t come, then create one.
How?
For example, a young lady did a very good story for a movie and gave it to
me. All she wanted was to be part of the cast. Did I say no? come on! She
may not get exactly what she wanted, but she will definitely get something.
And that is what am talking about.

Never ever give another the opportunity to see you cry out of
desperation
Believe that you deserve to be there and deserves the best not in a beggarly
manner. That always leaves much to be desired.
If you love something so much, then set it free.

BEFORE YOU ATTEND THE NEXT AUDITION
  • Prime yourself up
  • Research
  • Practice monologue
  • Practice cold reading
  • Study unfamiliar words
  • Practice pronunciation
  • Practice concentration
  • Do various facial expressions
  • Practice projection 

Monday 2 October 2017

Audition and Casting Tips

Audition or casting is one sure thing that you are going to embark upon as an actor
more than just a couple of times in you career.

So having the right perspective is so essential. Like knowing how not to take some things
personal, thats one of the sure factors that you have control over. Meaning
that you can only do your best at some point and after which you can do no more. But your
best - you must do. And how to do it is what this is all about.

To start with, I will assume you already have acting training, because this is
the foundation.
And that is why I wrote a book titled ‘Character Interpretation and line delivery in
Acting’

It takes practice to master some things, and audition is not far from that list.
But I am here to show you the shortest root from our experience; some of us
who have overcome this phobia.

What is audition? Its basically a short performance you give to see if you are

suited for the role.

So its an opportunity to show your stuff and its your stuff and don’t let that
scare you. Always remember you control your perspective and internal
factors and do not bug yourself to death about whats happening at the other
end of the table.

So if audition success is what you seek and how to pull it off, come be my
guest.


What happens during this moment when you fluff is that you violate a law

ITS NOT THAT YOU DID NOT PREPARE

I’d like to tell you my story .

Before I go on, I’d like to say that contrary to what we are made to believe
most times when we fluff stuff like audition, that we did not prepare hard
enough. Actually the reverse could just be the case.
Believe me when I say I understand completely that familiar feeling when
you show up for an audition and you are greeted by some not too friendly
faces of equal match or even seemingly  more sophisticated – all
looking like , hey you! What the hell do you think you are doing here?

There is the tendency for you to give up even before you try

Once you are well prepared in the two most important areas as far as acting
audition is concerned, which are =

1, MONOLOGUE

2, COLD READING

How to perform your monologue and present your cold reading covers
everything else.
And you can be sure to wao the casting director.
But dont fret if you dont know how. I will start breaking this down from our next post.

Thanks and see you next time.