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. 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. Just borrow or rent a camera, enlist the help of an aspiring director friend and follow these simple rules.
How you appear is key, and lighting is a big part of this. A poor lighting job will cast shadows and can make you look completely different. Too much light an you look completely washed out. Do not allow poor lighting choices to distract the casting agent or producers from the most important thing, you. Lighting needs to be clean, and completely unnoticeable. 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.
There should be two or three light sources. Lights can be placed on either side of the talent to help illuminate the face. Then a third light can be used to fill in the background. Some audition tapes have chosen to leave the background dark. While this can work you must be careful to that the overall feel of the tape is appropriate and not distracting. The all important next step is the white balance on the camera.
This reads the color temperatures of the combined light sources. They range from being very yellow to very blue. 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. The white balance feature is used to make this correction quickly and automatically. A pure white card or sheet of paper needs to be placed in the middle of the lighting sources. 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. A good audition tape is only as good as the sound, because your voice is your main instrument. A good way to get quickly dismissed is to have poor sound quality. Keep the mic as close to the talent as possible. Camera mounted mics might be convenient, are not the best choice, renting a Lavalier would be better. Let's face it, acting is a form of communication and you cannot communicate clearly if you can't be heard. Acting classes in nyc sometimes have ways to help with this.
Of course, content is truly what will set you apart from the other actors. Preparing for an audition tape is the same as preparing for a live audition. Meisner acting techniques can be helpful when preparing, especially for a specific character or role. 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. Trying to cram every emotion into a few minutes of an audition will seem false. What's underneath, unspoken, is as important as what's said and shown, maybe more so. If you can get the casting agents, directors, producers to begin to infer things about your character that are being left out then you are doing your job as an actor.
Of course, if you are asked to prepare an audition tape of something specific, some sides or a scene, the tape will consist of this. More frequently actors are asked to turn in monologue audition tapes, just to give viewers an idea of their range and abilities. Whether you have the gift of comedy, or a talent for dramatic roles, a great audition includes both. The best actors are those that are fluid and can show quickly how capable they are of acting in any genre. 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. The best audition tapes are those which have had input from lots of sources with the most constructive criticism incorporated.
How you appear is key, and lighting is a big part of this. A poor lighting job will cast shadows and can make you look completely different. Too much light an you look completely washed out. Do not allow poor lighting choices to distract the casting agent or producers from the most important thing, you. Lighting needs to be clean, and completely unnoticeable. 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.
There should be two or three light sources. Lights can be placed on either side of the talent to help illuminate the face. Then a third light can be used to fill in the background. Some audition tapes have chosen to leave the background dark. While this can work you must be careful to that the overall feel of the tape is appropriate and not distracting. The all important next step is the white balance on the camera.
This reads the color temperatures of the combined light sources. They range from being very yellow to very blue. 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. The white balance feature is used to make this correction quickly and automatically. A pure white card or sheet of paper needs to be placed in the middle of the lighting sources. 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. A good audition tape is only as good as the sound, because your voice is your main instrument. A good way to get quickly dismissed is to have poor sound quality. Keep the mic as close to the talent as possible. Camera mounted mics might be convenient, are not the best choice, renting a Lavalier would be better. Let's face it, acting is a form of communication and you cannot communicate clearly if you can't be heard. Acting classes in nyc sometimes have ways to help with this.
Of course, content is truly what will set you apart from the other actors. Preparing for an audition tape is the same as preparing for a live audition. Meisner acting techniques can be helpful when preparing, especially for a specific character or role. 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. Trying to cram every emotion into a few minutes of an audition will seem false. What's underneath, unspoken, is as important as what's said and shown, maybe more so. If you can get the casting agents, directors, producers to begin to infer things about your character that are being left out then you are doing your job as an actor.
Of course, if you are asked to prepare an audition tape of something specific, some sides or a scene, the tape will consist of this. More frequently actors are asked to turn in monologue audition tapes, just to give viewers an idea of their range and abilities. Whether you have the gift of comedy, or a talent for dramatic roles, a great audition includes both. The best actors are those that are fluid and can show quickly how capable they are of acting in any genre. 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. 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 acting classes in nyc for serious actors. To learn more about commercial acting class visit the studio website.
