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.
Two or three small lights will do the trick. 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. Audition tapes online sometimes leave the background in the dark. Just be careful that the contrast is not too great between the talent and background which is distracting. A white balance feature on cameras is used to correct the color.
This reads the color temperatures of the combined light sources. Incandescent lights are yellow, daylight is very blue. Let's say you set up the lighting, and you are also near a window. If you use both of these light sources the color will be off unless you "correct" it in the camera. The White balance button on the camera makes this possible. 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.
Sound is another very important feature. If you cannot be heard, you cannot perform. No one wants to sit through a tape that they can't hear. The cleanest sound comes from a mic planted close the source of sound, in this case, you. Renting a good quality microphone is a good idea, as the camera mounted variety are usually prone to pick up lots of static and stray noise. You aren't communicating with the audience if you can't be heard clearly. There are plenty of good acting classes in nyc that will help guide you through this process.
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. 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. Legendary actors can present mesmerizing layers of emotion in a short time. Tragedy and comedy always work together, for instance and its good to include a sense of both. Friends and more importantly instructors of acting classes in nyc, or the school where you study, can give you important feedback. Professional actors are always open to direction, certainly as an up and coming actor it's smart to remain open to input regarding your audition tape.
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.
Two or three small lights will do the trick. 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. Audition tapes online sometimes leave the background in the dark. Just be careful that the contrast is not too great between the talent and background which is distracting. A white balance feature on cameras is used to correct the color.
This reads the color temperatures of the combined light sources. Incandescent lights are yellow, daylight is very blue. Let's say you set up the lighting, and you are also near a window. If you use both of these light sources the color will be off unless you "correct" it in the camera. The White balance button on the camera makes this possible. 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.
Sound is another very important feature. If you cannot be heard, you cannot perform. No one wants to sit through a tape that they can't hear. The cleanest sound comes from a mic planted close the source of sound, in this case, you. Renting a good quality microphone is a good idea, as the camera mounted variety are usually prone to pick up lots of static and stray noise. You aren't communicating with the audience if you can't be heard clearly. There are plenty of good acting classes in nyc that will help guide you through this process.
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. 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. Legendary actors can present mesmerizing layers of emotion in a short time. Tragedy and comedy always work together, for instance and its good to include a sense of both. Friends and more importantly instructors of acting classes in nyc, or the school where you study, can give you important feedback. Professional actors are always open to direction, certainly as an up and coming actor it's smart to remain open to input regarding your audition tape.
About the Author:
The Maggie Flanigan Studio provides nyc acting classes for serious actors. To learn more about commercial acting class visit the studio website.
