Commercial Print Instructor, Scott Powers makes us think past the skills in the casting room.
Just as you give off a vibe to everyone around you and it effects how
they interact with you, so does an audition or an office give off a
vibe. Learning how to instantly and effortlessly adjust your approach
to what you are taking in can make a difference in getting a job or being passed over.
In the waiting area at an audition:
Always
be pleasant and nice, no matter what you're facing. Some waiting areas can
be chaotic, others are more organized; the casting assistant snarly or
semi-pleasant or non-responsive. Rise above the fray. Remember the
rule that your audition begins when you walk through that door.
Sometimes a pleasant smile to the frazzled person behind the desk can
work wonders. Never send out the put-out look if there's a wait or the
temperature's too warm or the water cooler doesn't have cups or no one
offered to take your coat. We always say come in looking like six
million bucks (even if your today's net worth is six cents). It always
works, and always to your advantage.
In the audition room:
This
can run the gamut from laid back friendly, with only the casting
director or even just the assistant to a room of 15 people, including
the client -- none of whom may look especially warm and barely acknowledge
your presence. Sometimes the room can be so thick with tension you can
cut it with a knife. Well, it can happen on a set, too. Know when to
be more friendly, when to just do your job, but always be pleasant with a
"can-do" attitude - just different shadings of it.
Your job is to do your professional best, no matter what you face.
And
remember, don't extend your hand to shake hands unless they extend
their hand first. I actually saw a casting director with an industrial
size of Purell on her table, facing the actor, to deal with this
situation. Don't you be the one to make her use it.
When walking into an audition, whats your vibe? Are you leaving behind a good impression?
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