Developing excellent acting skills, especially in professional level acting classes in nyc, can help build a great foundation. No matter how high quality the class, there is one thing acting classes in nyc are not responsible for and that is your auditioning technique. A big part of the audition process are audition tapes. 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.
Everyone knows what a bad lighting job can do to someone's appearance. Shadows look like a ravaged complexion or dark circles under the eyes. Lighting can also go overboard, and cause a washed out appearance that seems "lifeless." If the lighting serves as a distraction to your performance you've wasted your time. Nice, bright yet completely unnoticeable lighting is the goal. If you are enrolled in acting classes in nyc or elsewhere, there is likely a teacher or professional who can assist you. Ask for help creating a simple diagram that outlines a lighting scheme.
There should be two or three light sources. 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. This is okay as long as the overall feel is not too dark. The all important next step is the white balance on the camera.
Light sources, such as lamps, professional lights and daylight all have different temperatures. Incandescent lights are yellow, daylight is 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. A simple white balance button will take care of it. 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. It will be evident if you forget to do this, because the skin tones and colors will all be incorrect.
How you sound is also very important. If you cannot be heard clearly, or if there is distracting static or white noise, you have wasted your time. With so many good tapes to watch an audition with poor sound will be quickly rejected. The mic should be as close to the source of the sound as possible to eliminate stray noise. While easy, the camera mounted microphones are usually not very high quality. Communicating character, and a sense of who you are as an actor depends on what you sound like so make it great. Lots of good acting classes in nyc, include advice on how to do this.
With these basics in place now is the time to think about content. An audition prepared for taping has some slight differences. A coach trained in the Meisner acting technique should be able to offer a lot of great tips on how to prepare. The discipline of Meisner acting is one that helps create riveting, unpredictable performances, which is what you strive for. What you leave "out" of a performance is just as important as what you leave in, according to expert coaches of Meisner acting nyc. Trying to cram every emotion into a few minutes of an audition will seem false. Edit, put only a few ideas in at a time and let the rest emerge in the imagination of the audience. 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. Casting agents and at times producers, will ask for more general monologue audition tapes. It makes sense to prepare something that involves your strengths. The best actors are those that are fluid and can show quickly how capable they are of acting in any genre. Audiences identify easily with a comic figure's dark moments, and like to laugh briefly to endure intense drama. Friends and more importunely instructors of acting classes in nyc, or the school where you study, can give you important feedback. As actors we tend to be insecure and it's best to accept direction from the outside about what makes our audition tape stand out.
Everyone knows what a bad lighting job can do to someone's appearance. Shadows look like a ravaged complexion or dark circles under the eyes. Lighting can also go overboard, and cause a washed out appearance that seems "lifeless." If the lighting serves as a distraction to your performance you've wasted your time. Nice, bright yet completely unnoticeable lighting is the goal. If you are enrolled in acting classes in nyc or elsewhere, there is likely a teacher or professional who can assist you. Ask for help creating a simple diagram that outlines a lighting scheme.
There should be two or three light sources. 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. This is okay as long as the overall feel is not too dark. The all important next step is the white balance on the camera.
Light sources, such as lamps, professional lights and daylight all have different temperatures. Incandescent lights are yellow, daylight is 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. A simple white balance button will take care of it. 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. It will be evident if you forget to do this, because the skin tones and colors will all be incorrect.
How you sound is also very important. If you cannot be heard clearly, or if there is distracting static or white noise, you have wasted your time. With so many good tapes to watch an audition with poor sound will be quickly rejected. The mic should be as close to the source of the sound as possible to eliminate stray noise. While easy, the camera mounted microphones are usually not very high quality. Communicating character, and a sense of who you are as an actor depends on what you sound like so make it great. Lots of good acting classes in nyc, include advice on how to do this.
With these basics in place now is the time to think about content. An audition prepared for taping has some slight differences. A coach trained in the Meisner acting technique should be able to offer a lot of great tips on how to prepare. The discipline of Meisner acting is one that helps create riveting, unpredictable performances, which is what you strive for. What you leave "out" of a performance is just as important as what you leave in, according to expert coaches of Meisner acting nyc. Trying to cram every emotion into a few minutes of an audition will seem false. Edit, put only a few ideas in at a time and let the rest emerge in the imagination of the audience. 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. Casting agents and at times producers, will ask for more general monologue audition tapes. It makes sense to prepare something that involves your strengths. The best actors are those that are fluid and can show quickly how capable they are of acting in any genre. Audiences identify easily with a comic figure's dark moments, and like to laugh briefly to endure intense drama. Friends and more importunely instructors of acting classes in nyc, or the school where you study, can give you important feedback. As actors we tend to be insecure and it's best to accept direction from the outside about what makes our audition tape stand out.
About the Author:
The Maggie Flanigan Studio provides nyc acting classes for serious actors. To learn more about nyc commercial acting classes visit the studio website.
