Please register for film acting and Meisner class. Early registration gets a discount, please see below blog entry for details.
Here is a sample video of one of my introductory classes:
http://vimeo.com/14698138
Thanks Jean-Christophe Cader for shooting this video, and thanks to Emma Denny, Stewart Moore, Maithili Tideman, Kearstin Plemel, Dharma Khasla, Monika Gutherova, and Elizabeth Russell for being my students.
NB
Looking for 8 yr old boy actors for feature film shooting in Prague in oct. BOYS MUST LIVE IN PRAGUE. Please send photos to casting@nancybishopcasting.com no later than 16 Sept, 2010.
Another bad casting. What’s wrong with the picture?
THE DIALECT PROBLEM. I see a lot of resumes with several accents listed. I’m always suspicious of actors who have mastered so many dialects (although of course, some have.) The point is, only list the accents that are native to you or that you really have learned, under the direction of a coach. Accents are specific. When you come to the audition, you’ll be expected to know the specified accent on that day.
MORE IN THE SERIES OF INTENTIONALLY BAD AUDITIONS
This type of thing happens with novice actors, new to the process, but even experienced actors need to think about orienting themselves in the audition process before entering the room. No one will do it for you. Figure out where you’ll place the other characters you’re talking to and place them near the lens of the camera so you have a good eye line. There will most definitely be a reader there (either the casting director herself or an assistant.) Some actors prefer to look at the reader, but it’s not necessary as long as you have a good eye line near the lens.
More from the deliberately bad audition series. Taking direction from the director or casting director is one of the most important parts of casting. We are sometimes testing to see if you can take direction, and if the director can work with you. Actors often prepare themselves so much that they go on auto-pilot, unable to let performance breath and grow. Also in this audition… you might be surprised how much he is arguing with the direction. Yes, this sometimes happens. It’s good to come in with your own ideas but they must be a) consistent with the intent of the script and b) abiding my the director’s vision.
This is not a blooper. Here Chip is making a correction from his last audition, watch:
Now, while the character of Janis (played by me) is speaking, he is not only listening, but reacting. He has a dynamic inner monologue that changes. He’ll get plenty of screen time now because we can see his thoughts evolving. The camera likes this.
HERE IS ANOTHER FROM THE SERIES OF INTENTIONALLY BAD AUDITIONS, with Chip Persons
In this clip, Chip is making a classic mistake. He’s not listening. He becomes very animated on his own lines, but a zombie while I’m reading. In fact instead of listening and reacting, he is reading his scene partner’s lines. Listening is very important in acting, especially on-screen acting when the camera is often on the listener. Don’t throw these moments away. If you’re good at listening and reacting, you’ll get more screen time. Casting directors are looking for this in the audition process.
In my classes, I show examples of good auditions so that actors can learn from them. But actors often ask to see BAD auditions t too. I figured that it was in pretty slimy taste (not to mention a breach of trust with actors) to show examples of poor performances. A few months ago, I asked actors to deliberately do some bad auditions for me to post for learning purposes, but actors were shy to come forward… probably because they didn’t want anyone to mistake their deliberately bad auditions for unintentionally bad auditions. Anyway, with the help of actor and friend, Chip Persons, I made a series of audition blooper clips. We worked on a scene from Universal Pictures’ Wanted. So for the next 6 blogs I’m going to bring you a blooper. He is blooper #1.
In this clip, Chip is site reading the text which is fine since the script had just been handed to him. What’s irritating though is that he’s reading the stage directions out loud. I have seen this quite a lot. Don’t worry about the stage directions. Read them to yourself and you can indicate them in your acting if they’re not too complicated (ie slam your fist down if you’re meant to be punching) but you don’t need to read them. We already know the stage directions.
For those of you who couldn’t attend the SAG Foundation Panel Discussion:
GLOBAL CASTING AND THE INTERNET.
Please see this link for a video of the event. I hope it’s helpful to those actors who may feel intimidated to put themselves on tape for projects. We have examples of taped auditions here:
http://www.sagfoundation.org/videogallery/liferaft
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