It's been a slow time for auditions for The Artist.
Part of the reason for this was his crazy schedule this past summer. He booked the Marshall movie in May so he couldn't audition for anything that filmed in June. We weren't sure about the start date for Camp Abercorn (or the length of time required for the filming) so he was only able to audition for projects that were scheduled for a day or two of filming.
Once we got back from Oregon, a good portion of the audition notices were non union which kept him out of the running since he is a member of SAG.
Don't get me wrong...The kid needed the break to catch up on school, see his friends and work on his stand up comedy. It's still nice to have an audition or two on the horizon.
He landed an audition through his theatrical agent this past week. The process of preparing for the audition kicked into high gear because there's more to the process than simply saying you'll be there on time.
1. The first step is to find out more about the people producing the show. What have they worked on in the past? Do they focus on one specific type of show? Finding out what they've worked on in the past can give you clues of what they might be looking for with their latest project.
2. The script is important because it leads to a series of questions:
*What is the voice of the character? The way the character acts in the script helps to determine the sound of the character. Accent? No accent? Loud? Low Key?
*Is there a need to visit an acting coach for the script? There are plenty of times Zach feels comfortable enough to study the script on his own. Every now and then he wants some guidance from one of his acting coaches. He's had three or four great coaches in the past few years and he trusts them when it comes to acting. He felt pretty confident about this script so he decided to study it solo.
*What is the character's status in relation to the other characters in the script? Figuring out if you're the lead, the sidekick or a fringe character is a big help in determining the way the character plays off the other members of the scene.
3. Determining what to wear to an audition is always interesting. You don't want to go in character because casting directors hate when actors show up dressed in character. You want to dress to impress but not be overdressed for the meeting. (I realize it sounds like I'm describing a job interview).
A running joke in town is boy actors love to wear their "Blue Book Me" shirt. Blue is a neutral color that works well with a variety of pants and shoes. It's also a color that won't scream at you when viewing a taped audition. It needs to be a crisp blue rather than a faded blue because faded doesn't make a good impression and will appear washed out on a tape.
(Why yes, I love watching fashion shows and fashion competition shows. Why do you ask?)
We got Zach's wardrobe together, ran the lines with him and headed off to the audition.
We entered the room to a sea of kids wearing (pretty much) the same outfit. Lots of crisp blue shirts, jeans that looked designer (but not showy), teens around the same age as Zach and stage moms coaching their kids on the script.
Zach spotted a friend in the room and went to sit with him. I took a seat and tried my best to avoid getting in a conversation with any of the other parents in the room. I wasn't trying to be rude but comparing head shots and agents was not at the top of my conversation topics for the day.
The young actors were brought back to see the casting director in a big group so the waiting room was only filled with the parents. One mom came over to me and asked what I thought of the script. I replied, "It had the correct amount of periods and commas dictated by the words in the script".
She looked at me as if I had two heads. She asked me if I found the script funny. I replied, "The amount of times I laughed was directly related to the amount of jokes placed in the script we received via email".
(I'm practicing for my future imaginary job as a movie reviewer)
She walked away and I continued to read an article on my phone.
Zach bounded out of the audition room about 15 minutes later. He was in good spirits and filled me on the details once we left the building.
That's another "Hollywood thing"....No one discusses an audition until you leave the building because you don't want to give any hints (good or bad) to the others actors up for the part.
He felt really good about the audition. He wasn't sure if he nailed the audition but he was certain he made a good impression on the casting director.
Two hour later we got the word that he has a callback for Monday afternoon! Please think good thoughts for my favorite teen actor!
He Was Not Wearing "Book Me Blue" To The Audition
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