Acting bookmarks

Mastering the Skill of Cold Reading

backstage · Oct 12th, 2016

One way to land auditions is to become a great cold reader. In my personal experience, teaching master audition classes and one-on-one coaching sessions, from Los Angeles to New York, I rarely find the skill of cold reading mastered. As many as 80 percent of my students don’t even come close to having good cold-reading skills, much less master-level. These are actors going out on serious auditions! It just doesn’t make sense. So, how exactly do you master the cold read? The same way anyone masters anything. You learn the necessary technicalities to succeed and then you practice. You do the same thing, again and again and again, not until you get it right but until you can no longer get it wrong! And when you’re done? You do it some more! READ: “1 Cold Reading Exercise Every Actor Should Try” Acting is a full-participation craft that must be exercised daily. However, many actors get too caught up with observation instead of participation. Think about that for a moment. We watch movies and television shows and call it “research.” We observe other actors working in classes, showcases, and workshops. We read plays and scripts and books on acting. Heck, you’re even reading this

Call Sheet: The Entertainment Industry Resource Directory

backstage · Oct 11th, 2016

Call Sheet features details about the top companies, organizations, and people in the entertainment-industry, including thousands of casting directors, talent agents, managers, and production companies. The online version of Call Sheet is fully searchable and includes tons of exclusive listings, including talent and literary agents and managers, film festivals, and theaters. The online database is updated daily, and the companies can be sorted from A-Z and by the most recently updated listings. You can access all of the great resources from Call Sheet by visiting Backstage.com/CallSheet. Call Sheet (formerly known as Ross Reports, and the successor to The Hollywood Creative Directory) is a comprehensive resource directory and searchable database of companies and contacts, spanning film, television, theater, commercials, new media, and more. And now the new Fall-Winter 2016 issue of Call Sheet is available at a bookstore near you. Published biannually, the current print-edition of Call Sheet features over 300 pages of valuable entertainment-industry contacts and data. The current issue also contains a spotlight on network TV shows, who's casting what, and actors discussing how to keep roles fresh. Read about how Seasoned

1 Crucial Audition Factor You Might be Overlooking

backstage · Oct 11th, 2016

If you are not completely familiar with the term “slate,” let me explain to you why actors are sometimes asked to slate at an audition. The recording of a slate is the way for the industry professionals to identify the actor and get specific information about him or her. The details requested will vary. It can simply be the actor’s name,  the role the actor is auditioning for, the talent’s agent, their height, weight, and city in which they live, if they’re willing to work as a local hire, or any other pertinent information that is desired. Many actors don’t spend any time thinking about slating and are under the misconception it’s the time to simply answer questions. They don’t realize that the slate can actually have an impact on the audition, in a positive and negative way. Slating poorly and with no thought behind it, can easily cause those watching your audition to completely lose interest. READ: “Backstage Experts Answer: How Should Actors Slate?” If you’re asked to slate, always speak to the casting director about what information is needed; this is especially true if one is recording an audition from home. There are two philosophies that actors use

7 Ways to Scream Safely

backstage · Oct 11th, 2016

One of the biggest challenges for an actor’s voice is a role that requires a lot of screaming. While the high emotional stakes of these parts can be very fulfilling, it’s important to make sure such vocal demands are approached safely. Let’s take a moment to talk about what a scream is: When we shout, our vocal cords are pushed together, which increases pressure. The throat muscles that perform this action are explosively powerful, but over the course of a long rehearsal, they can quickly get fatigued. The vocal cords will then begin to swell, resulting in hoarseness. To avoid this result, try these screaming tips: Use Less AirYelling is an instinct that is designed to work with no preparation. Therefore, the mechanism of the scream is designed to work best with very little airflow. It may seem that taking a big breath before yelling would make sense, but that’s not the way it works. The more air we have in our lungs, the faster it wants to rush back out, which increases vocal strain. So to shout in a more vocally healthy way, blow out most of your air right beforehand; it may surprise you how efficient your vocal instrument is. Open Your Throat in Advance Our throats are ringed in muscles known as