I’m convinced that casting and other decision makers decide who an actor is and if they’re right for the character in the first five seconds of watching a self tape audition. That’s why it’s so important to make sure that your first few seconds are as alive as humanly possible.
Here’s something that we used in last week’s in-person adult workshop to make those first few seconds “pop”:
- Choose at least three descriptive words for your character that fit the story and the style of the show.
- Pick one of those descriptive words that is most alive and interesting for you personally.
- Find something from your imagination or experience that really brings that descriptive word to life and gets it into your body.
- Roll the camera.
- Improvise for 15-30 seconds before you start the scene, anything at all to get the feeling and the character into your body.
- Cut out the improv before you send the tape, so the first few seconds of the scene are alive, interesting, and full of character and story.
You can see an example in this video. I included the first 20 seconds of the first take and the final take. Jamie found the Hallmark sparkle that he was looking for! ✨
For him it was identifying that he wanted his character to be “loving” and then thinking about a close and loving relationship in his life and using that to inspire the improv. If you watch the tape, you’ll see that right from the first second of the final take it’s clear that he loves the person he’s talking to.
Michael Bean
Acting Teacher
@confidenceoncamera