Of course, your primary concern needs to be the development of good acting skills, which you can accomplish in acting classes in nyc that have experienced teachers and coaches. A solid auditioning technique is also paramount however and acting classes in nyc do not always include this in their curriculum. A big part of the audition process are audition tapes. There is no need for a professionally produced, expensive audition tape. 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. However, if the lighting is too strong, you will appear completely washed out and "hot" which is just a distracting. Do not allow poor lighting choices to distract the casting agent or producers from the most important thing, you. Nice, bright yet completely unnoticeable lighting is the goal. A professional acting program, especially acting classes in nyc, should have someone on staff that has experience producing tapes. A diagram of a simple lighting plan is something they can help you with.
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. A light can also be brought in to illuminate the background. In some instances audition tapes leave the background completely dark which creates a certain mood. Just be careful that the contrast is not too great between the talent and background which is distracting. The all important next step is the white balance on the camera.
The color temperature of lights sources can be different. Daylight, for instance, has more blue in it. Let's say you set up the lighting, and you are also near a window. A mix of light sources is possible but, the camera must be "balanced" to correct for these color differences. A simple white balance button will take care of it. 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.
Sound is another very important feature. A good audition tape is only as good as the sound, because your voice is your main instrument. 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 microphones are not very close to the subject, so looking into the rental of a good quality Lavalier microphone might be worthwhile. Communicating character, and a sense of who you are as an actor depends on what you sound like so make it great. There are plenty of good acting classes in nyc that will help guide you through this process.
With these basics in place now is the time to think about content. An audition prepared for taping has some slight differences. Coaches trained in Meisner acting techniques can help you prepare for those differences. Using the Meisner acting tools can help create a riveting audition tape that does not seem rehearsed or staged. Keeping important elements under the surface, is something coaches of Meisner acting nyc can teach you how to develop. Cramming every emotion and gesture into a performance will always seem false. 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.
Sometimes, the requests are very specific, however a great actor will never be hindered or constrained by those ideas. More often, casting agents and producers ask for monologues not scenes. Let your strengths dictate your choices but you can also use your weaknesses. The greatest actors are well rounded and can include many layers of abilities during a short piece. A great comedian always as an underlying sense of tragedy for instance, just like the deepest dramatic performances have moments of light-otherwise it becomes hard to identify with. Friends and more importunely instructors of acting classes in nyc, or the school where you study, can give you important feedback. The best audition tapes are those which have had input from lots of sources with the most constructive criticism incorporated.
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. However, if the lighting is too strong, you will appear completely washed out and "hot" which is just a distracting. Do not allow poor lighting choices to distract the casting agent or producers from the most important thing, you. Nice, bright yet completely unnoticeable lighting is the goal. A professional acting program, especially acting classes in nyc, should have someone on staff that has experience producing tapes. A diagram of a simple lighting plan is something they can help you with.
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. A light can also be brought in to illuminate the background. In some instances audition tapes leave the background completely dark which creates a certain mood. Just be careful that the contrast is not too great between the talent and background which is distracting. The all important next step is the white balance on the camera.
The color temperature of lights sources can be different. Daylight, for instance, has more blue in it. Let's say you set up the lighting, and you are also near a window. A mix of light sources is possible but, the camera must be "balanced" to correct for these color differences. A simple white balance button will take care of it. 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.
Sound is another very important feature. A good audition tape is only as good as the sound, because your voice is your main instrument. 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 microphones are not very close to the subject, so looking into the rental of a good quality Lavalier microphone might be worthwhile. Communicating character, and a sense of who you are as an actor depends on what you sound like so make it great. There are plenty of good acting classes in nyc that will help guide you through this process.
With these basics in place now is the time to think about content. An audition prepared for taping has some slight differences. Coaches trained in Meisner acting techniques can help you prepare for those differences. Using the Meisner acting tools can help create a riveting audition tape that does not seem rehearsed or staged. Keeping important elements under the surface, is something coaches of Meisner acting nyc can teach you how to develop. Cramming every emotion and gesture into a performance will always seem false. 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.
Sometimes, the requests are very specific, however a great actor will never be hindered or constrained by those ideas. More often, casting agents and producers ask for monologues not scenes. Let your strengths dictate your choices but you can also use your weaknesses. The greatest actors are well rounded and can include many layers of abilities during a short piece. A great comedian always as an underlying sense of tragedy for instance, just like the deepest dramatic performances have moments of light-otherwise it becomes hard to identify with. Friends and more importunely instructors of acting classes in nyc, or the school where you study, can give you important feedback. The best audition tapes are those which have had input from lots of sources with the most constructive criticism incorporated.
About the Author:
The Maggie Flanigan Studio provides nyc acting classes for serious actors. To learn more about commercial acting class visit the studio website.
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