Actors Pages Blog

Auditioning - How to Do Great at a Cold Reading

We have been giving away some tips about auditioning in last few weeks. But, we noticed that most of them are aimed to aid you auditioning on a theater production. Being an actor is a lot like being a temp worker. While auditioning for a role, you will be competing with a lot of prominent actors – it could be at least a six other actors or even as many as 6,000 actors. Preparing an audition for a theater production is basically easier than for a film, television, or commercial ones.

In a theater production, you should have been handed a script outline, containing the specific role and dialogs, weeks before the real audition. Thus, you will get sufficient time to memorize your lines perfectly. However, in a film, television, or commercial audition, you are expected to cold reading a script that you have never seen before. This method is called “cold reading”. Despite of the predictable awkward moment, the director seems more interested in what sort of personality we perform as the character. These are few things you can do to pass the nerve-racking audition through a cold reading.

 Pick the Line and Memorize As Much As You Can

The first thing you should do is pick up the script, gain the basic understanding, and commit to memory as much dialogs as you can. At first you probably can only memorize a few words but over the times, you will get used to remember few lines in a glance. Keep your face out of your script while you are saying your lines – this is acting not reading.

Pay Attention While Other Actors Performing Their Lines

While other actor doing his lines, it surely creates some spaces for you to peek at your script and read your part. This is a fatal mistake at auditioning. Acting requires action and communication. Listen to your fellow while he is performing his lines. After he finished, you can read your next lines within few seconds and respond him by looking straight on his eyes. In addition, if you find it hard for you to remember your lines instantly, you are able to utterly repeat the process until you remember the entire lines. Keep remember to stay in your character by not looking at the script.

Draw Less Attention

This is a simple trick but it works well when doing a cold reading. Hold the script using your left hand, at your chest level. This will ease you while memorizing your lines since you do not have to bury your face deeply in the script. Apart from that, this gesture will look like your body’s natural extension. The less you draw the attention of the casting director, the wider chance you open to get the role.

On Stage: The Best Methods to Remember Your Lines

How do actors memorize their lines in theater? That was likely a common question most actors have, perhaps yours too, when they get involved on a stage play. During this time, memorizing has been said to be by far the most challenging side of an actor’s job because it includes a long learning process. On the other hand, it cannot be denied that memorizing is the key of every single play on stage. In order to perform a great play, you are required to master at least your lines. That should have been implanted in your mind. The most frightening part is that many actors have failed to recite their lines on the stage and ended as if they have not tried their best to memorize their roles. I get two best tips for you here so that you are able to commit your lines smoothly. Here you go, actors!

Discover the Cues

Cue, also known as clue or memory trigger, is the line or action that prompts your line. Most actors assume that there is a short cut to remember their lines by investing countless hours to recite the script out loud, over and over again. That will work, I should say. However, I cannot guarantee that a traditional method like that will aid you on your play when it comes the time. You need to emotionally and physically engage on your role. But how do you do that? By knowing the cues! Firstly, you can start this by not only highlighting your lines but also the lines or actions before your lines with different color. In addition, you can listen and look other cast members attentively during the rehearsals. Remembering your lines is important but knowing WHEN you should say your lines is important as well. Do not end up blankly on stage since you could not incorporate with prior lines.

Establish Your Memory with Appropriate Actions

A study by psychologists Helga and Tony Noice reported that memory which is combined with appropriate motions will strengthen the actors’ ability to recall their lines on theater. In other word, if you are willing to be good on your play, you are required to make some specific gestures and motions during the rehearsals instead of just saying your lines out loud. This is an excellent way to strengthen your memory as well. Good luck!

Melissa Leo Shares Acting, Audition, and Preparation Tips

Who does not know Melissa Leo? Debuted in 1985, this outstanding actress has got a lot of nominations as well as earned several awards, including for her role as Alice Ward in the critically acclaimed film, The Fighter, at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles. She co-starred the movie with Christian Bale and won an award as the best supporting actor.

Indeed, there is no doubt when you see Melissa Leo on the stages, TV shows, or movies; she will immediately uplift the project into a different level. This lady has immensely acting gifts which enable her to ground every scene she is in and making everyone around her better.

If you want to learn some acting, audition, and preparation tips from her, I have got several references here, such as couple interviews with her during filming days, the Academy Awards, and even on Oprah Show. I will summarize all of them to ease you in understanding what exactly to do to open Hollywood gate.

Actors Choose How to Portray the Characters

On facebook Q&A, Melissa Leo revealed one of her acting tips. Check a snapshot below.

I notice if it is somehow not exactly a hardcore tips but nowadays, many actors have forgotten this basic rule of acting and ended up by applying multiple characters – wishing to gain a perfect role. As what Leo has said, even when you achieved a stink character-detail written on script, you still can gain life-full depth just by how you choose to play them. Bring a role as little of you as possible. She later said, “The actor’s instrument is innate”. By reading the script, first and foremost, again and again, you will mostly get the point and that what makes you become a great actor. You need to remember that you turn to be someone else in the show.

Do Not Take Multiple Roles at Once

On a personal interview, Leo affirmed, “If an actor works too much out of their hopefully, vivid, imagination, they’ll veer from the project as a whole, and it can harm a project enormously, I’ve learned.” I can pull a conclusion here; working on multiple projects is absolutely a bad idea.

When The Camera Rolls, You Need to Focus

Here is what we can learn from her. She has promised to herself to never break a character while on the set of the movie. When the camera is going to roll, whether only for four minutes or five hours, she will be focus on the character. While filming, she clearly stated that “she is there neither to make friends nor to look good, she is there to work and it is just serious”.

Forget Your Auditions As Soon As It Ends

On Oprah Show, she unveiled an audition method called audition-forgetting. This is a great tip; however, you need an uncommonly strong commitment and self-discipline. Most actors, or perhaps even you, are obsessed about an audition or every audition and used to repeat every little micro-second of auditions. Melissa Leo, on the other hand, trained herself to forget about every audition after she left the audition.

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Learn the Benefits of Taking Acting Classes

Should I take acting classes? That is likely the question you utterly ask when you have decided to become an actor or actress. Many people mistakenly consider that their acting skills come naturally thus they do not find it necessary to take any acting classes. However, in most cases, those who only believe on their “natural” talent would end up running out of the auditions crying.

Taking acting classes is very important in order to increase the level of your acting skills. You can ask any well-known actors out there. All will respond that they do not reach this stage in Hollywood without committing any training. After all, acting classes have many benefits, such as to refine your skills so that while you wouldn’t necessarily be the most perfect actor in the world but you will be close. We have outlined three major benefits why you need this class.

 It Looks Good on Your Resume 

When it comes to acting world, it is undeniable that your appearance and ability to act play huge roles in getting involved in a film production. However, by taking acting classes, not only will you gain some experiences but also increase the level of your resume. A resume with an acting class listed under training will also help you to enter a scheduled audition. Although taking acting classes will not be considered as a degree but the crew will still highlight them as a formal training thus makes it more valuable comparing to a resume with no formal training.

Being Big on Stage

That is how I called those who have tons of stage experiences. Apparently, acting classes will teach you how to do everything more dramatically, divided into sessions with a classroom setting. Additionally, you will be taught a solid technique to recreate time after time in different situations and character. Each class probably teaches you different things, such as reciting pantomime, monologue, or even memorizing the script. This is done in order to help you in performing entire scene without props, even if you manage to portray different character.

Connection

Aside from those benefits, the most valuable side is to make the connections. It is important to remember that working closely with others is the key to being a fantastic actor. You can get close both to other actors or even your instructors. In addition to acquiring feedbacks, you can get a lot of information on auditions, open casting calls, and agents. Nothing better from getting information and references at the first hand! So yah, acting classes anyone?