The most important thing to do with film auditions is to find open casting calls and go. I tell my friends who are actors that if they are serious about being an actor that they should go on one casting call per week. Trust me there are films being made in your city. Look at it this way if you go on one casting call a week in a year you have gone on 50. Do you think after doing something 50 times that you might get good at it? Think of it as a class. The best way to learn is to make mistakes and trust me you will make mistakes. Another thing I want to drive home is that if you do go one enough open casting calls when the big audition comes you will be ready. When I say open casting calls I’m referring to low budget films, student projects, and shorts. The second most important thing you can do is get in front of the camera. The more you do that the better you are going to get. I always refer to actors that began in TV. The one that comes to mind is Tom Hanks. Did you know that he started on TV? He is also a comedian and did a lot of stand up comedy. Another actor that I think is pretty for an action star is Bruce Willis who also took a similar path. Doing a lot of small projects will get you the experience you need to eventually land a job on a TV show. It’s also a good way to assemble enough footage to make a good reel. Every actor should have head-shots, resume, and a reel. Your head-shots should be updated yearly or at least every two years or anytime you change hair styles or any time you have a weight change. Be sure to bring them with you when you go on any auditions. Always bring a few and leave some extra in your car in case you end up meeting cool people at the audition. Be sure to state your name clearly and include your contact information. I would say you phone number and also your email or face book. If someone invited you to the audition be sure to include that when they slate you. The key to this business is attitude. I don’t mean have an attitude like your the next bid thing. I mean be positive happy and dependable. This alone will get you work. The more involved you are the more projects you will get. You never know who you will meet or become friends with and you never know what the future holds for these new acquaintances. They could end up becoming very successful and remember you. This is how you build contacts. If you talk to some of the most famous and well respected actors in Hollywood they started with other actors you probably know. This is not a coincidence. Everyone you meet think of as a contact that might help launch your career in the future. The best way to stay motivated is to have fun. Once you start thinking about acting as work it will become tougher to stay motivated. If acting is work already you might want to reconsider your approach. It’s always a long haul you just need to be sure you stay on track and get to your weekly casting calls and hope for three projects a year. In a few years you will be a very seasoned actor even if your still an amateur. Most professional actors started as amateurs so just remember to look at the bigger picture. We talked about attitude and that goes for when you make a mistake. It’s OK to make a mistake. Just politely apologize and as them if you can try it one more time. Keep your composure and go again. The way you handle the mistake is more memorable than going in and offering a great performance.
In closing I want to point out to you that even if you made a good impression and offered a good audition you might not get the part. The decision makers have a specific type they are looking for and you might not be right for any of the parts in this project. It doesn’t mean you did a bad job. All it means is that next week you have a better chance of going on an audition that you are perfect for. If you get an email or a phone call to inform you that you didn’t get the part, remember attitude again. Thank them for taking the time to contact you and wish them success with their project. You could say something like, “Thanks for taking the time to get in touch with me. I hope your project goes well, I know it’s going to be great.” You never know maybe there ends up being a rewrite that your perfect for and they reconsider. Most importantly you never know if they will remember you later when they are working on a future project that you are perfect for.
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