How To Get Ready For An Auditon

While preparing for an audition might seem like an easy process, there are many steps to follow once the email hits your inbox.

Don't believe me?

Here are the steps Zach Louis took this week during his latest audition process.

Step One
Zach received an email on Monday for an audition from his commercial agent.

Step Two
Confirmation of receiving the email and then letting his manager know he had an audition.

Step Three
Reading the character breakdown to see how many lines he had to learn as well as determining what wardrobe to wear to be "in character" while still looking like a real person to the casting director

Step Four
Practicing any lines and getting the body language down for the character

Step Five
Take a look (again) at the location of the audition in order to determine how long it takes to get there, if there is street parking and the time of day the audition is being held

Step Six
Make sure the resume on the back of his headshot has the logo and contact info for his commercial agent instead of his theatrical agent

Step Seven
Properly hydrate and get eight hours of sleep (or try to get that much sleep)

Step Eight
Go to audition and impress the casting director with major acting skills

Step Nine
Go home and hope for a callback

Step Ten
Get a callback and jump for joy

Step Eleven
Make sure the clothes you wore to the first audition are clean and then wear them again since the casting director liked your look in that outfit

Step Twelve
Repeat steps two though nine and hope to repeat step ten

No word yet on whether or not Zach is moving through to the next round of auditions. If he does get another callback, he will refer to the steps outlined above to properly prepare for it!

Think Good Thoughts For This Actor And His Callbacks.

VITs For Your Next Audition

With pilot season gearing up, and auditions becoming more frequent, it is more important than ever to have a good audition. A good audition experience is more than simply knowing your lines (although that is an important part of the experience). Here are 5 VITs (Very Important Tips) to help you have an ideal audition each time you enter the room.

1. Know your lines – You will be sent lines for your character when you get your audition time. Unless the audition is completely improv, there is no reason not to know your lines. Even if the audition is for a voice-over gig, you should still know your lines in order to sound natural and not like you are reading right off the page.
2.  Don’t try and fake it if you don't know your lines – Casting directors would rather watch you read off the page instead of watch you stumble your way through an audition. It’s better to be honest and admit you don't know all of your lines. Would you rather the casting director remember your honesty or remember you as the person who butchered the part?  
3. Always have a resume and headshot – Just because you got an audition doesn’t mean the casting director knows who you are when you walk in the room. Always bring your resume and headshot (complete with your contact info) to an audition. If you want to be remembered, be sure and have your materials ready to hand over when you enter the audition room.
4. Make a good first impression – Some actors take the baggage of their day into the room with them. Always be on your best behavior and act like you are having the best day ever. You might not get the part but the casting director could keep you in mind for another role in the future. Being professional at all times means a good chance of paying off with a future booking. 
5. Remember what you wore to the audition – If you’re lucky enough to get a callback, wear the same outfit you wore to the first audition. As great as you were as an actor, there is also a good chance that the casting director liked your look. Wear the same clothes again to reinforce the idea of you playing the part in the mind of the person making the casting decisions.

Be sure and put these tips to good use this pilot season. It never hurts to have some tips and tricks up your sleeve to stand out from the rest of the audition crowd. If you get the attention of the casting director in a positive way, your chances of landing a callback and booking the part are better than the others reading for the role. I hope these VITs make you a VIP during your next audition!

This actor has a voice-over audition today.

Answer The Question!!!

One of the main parts of the audition process happens after the actual audition. More than one person is going to ask you a series of questions including:

• How did it go?
• How many people were reading for the part?
• Who was in the room? (Was it the casting director or an assistant?)
• How many times did they have you read the lines?
• Did they like your performance?
• What were the other actors wearing?
• Do you feel like you have a shot at it?

You can walk out of the room feeling like you nailed it and then instantly be hit with doubts once you're questioned by family and friends. They don't mean any harm with the questions. Your support system is asking because they want to see you succeed and book a part. However, they don't realize that this series of questions can cause you to pick apart your performance and doubt yourself.

I've been guilty of the "too many questions" game with Zach. He had an audition yesterday and I asked him all of the above questions when he got home. I try not to bother him too much before auditions because I don't want to distract him from his acting process. I do figure out the logistics of the audition to make things easier for him. I've been to about 90% of the places he goes for auditions. To make it easier for him, I determine in advance:

• The area of town where the audition is located
• Parking issues (Street parking on a major road, neighborhood parking, any parking restrictions I know of near the place)
• Time of day of the audition to determine when to leave because of traffic
• Best route to get there (Trying to avoid the 405, 101, etc.)

The audition yesterday was on La Brea so the logistics to keep in mind were:

• The audition is during rush hour traffic so is taking the 101 or the Canyon better?
• The audition location has parking meters that are not available 4p-7p because of rush hour traffic so where should he park?
• Two-hour neighborhood parking is available until 8pm so that gives him a good option
• What time should he leave to beat traffic?

These are all small things but they help keep him focused on the task at hand which is the actual audition. Don't waste your time overthinking things or trying to take in every detail of the audition experience so you can answer questions later. Just focus on your performance and doing your best in the room. The best answer to any question asked by your family and friends is "I booked the part"!!!

This actor felt good about his audition yesterday.