Monday, February 6, 2012
Weeks 3- 4- Auditioning for Film
This week, we will audition for the 1980s film St. Elmo's Fire. To date, you have performed
scenes from film, television and commercials. What do you think you have learned that will help you
tackle the sides from this script? How will reading the entire script help your audition?
How much homework will you need to do? What steps will you take to come back to class prepared on Wednesday? What have you learned that will help you to prepare?
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Before taking Audition Techniques, I had no experience auditioning for film, television, or commercials. I had no idea what terms like “slate” meant. I had only auditioned for and prepared for theatre auditions. However, I now feel confident (or at least more comfortable) when doing the mock auditions for film and these other types of auditions. This is due to the types of preparation we have learned how to do for these auditions. Finding the beginning, middle, and end of the scene and marking them clearly has helped greatly in making sure our auditions are not flat and monotone, with only one emotion present throughout. Seeing the lines that mark off these sections on the page is a clear and helpful reminder that the scene shifts and isn’t stagnant. One of the most helpful pieces of advice I received so far in this class is to enter and do your intro in the spirit of the side’s opening emotion. You don’t have time to work yourself up into the emotion. If your opening emotion is excitement, then enter with excitement. Obviously, if your opening emotion is rage, you probably won’t want to scream at the casting directors. The point is, however, enter with energy and let that energy fuel the scene. Reading the entire script of a movie or television show will help you prepare for a reading is helpful because the full script provides many more details about the character than the scene ever can. It also gives you information about what the character has experienced thus far in the plot of the story. As far as the amount of ‘homework’ you should do, I think you should do enough research on the character to understand her motivations and emotions but not so much that the complicated backstory you’ve made up clouds and overpowers the story of the scene or makes it too dramatic. Stick with the words on the page. To be properly prepared for class on Wednesday, I will employ all of the tips I mentioned above, in addition to reading the script at least ten times.
ReplyDeleteWell, these questions all seem kind of the same to me. I watched the movie, partly to get a better feel for the characters and partly because it's been on my instant queue for some time. I don't intend to imitate Ally Sheedy's performance, but having the rest of the story as context kind of helped. I was thinking of her as some kind of bohemian free spirit in contrast to her Republican, cheating boyfriend; that's not entirely accurate. But her character doesn't have any strong idiosyncrasies or anything to latch onto, which makes it more difficult for me, playing a fairly "straight" character. Then again, I'm overthinking it. The movie lines were slightly different from the sides. In fact, Leslie's career isn't even mentioned in the movie. But one drastic difference I noticed was that, aside from the criticism I was given about losing myself in paper--totally correct-- I was playing the scene very seriously. Forgetting that Leslie and Kevin have a very comfortable, intimate rapport. It was obvious even from the lone scene that Kevin is in love with Leslie. But Leslie isn't really aware of that. She's just lightly prying about his private life, about which he hasn't been terribly frank with her.
ReplyDeleteIn other news, I can come off as condescending. I know this sounds like I'm making excuses, but I honestly think I just needed to warm up my voice! It was a morning voice, to be sure. Monotonous and crackly. What I found hilarious was Nicole's impression of me saying, "I don't play bimbos or sex symbols." Or something like that. I feel like I always play the sexually aggressive roles. Much to my chagrin.
But! It's something to work on. The harder I try not to seem fake walking into this "audition," the harder it becomes not to be fake.
When I read the side at first, I really had no idea what it was from. I had always wanted to see St. Elmo's Fire, but had never gotten around to it. My room mate and I watched it because we had always wanted to. I noticed right away the differences between the sides that we got and the movie. Of course, this is mostly because the sides we have is a remake and I have been keeping that in mind when reading it over and the choices I'm making as Leslie. Now that I've read the script, it is easier for me to figure out how I'm supposed to be acting around Kevin. This group of friends have been best friends for a long time and this scene should feel very comfortable. I will have definitely read the side a few times. There is one word that I realized during the cold read auditions, "insurrection", that I said a different way than others who read the part and at first I thought it was because I was wrong. But, when I looked up the word I realized that the way I said it could have easily been right. It means that he doesn't like peppers in order to rebel. So she could have easily said it in an annoyed tone, or brushing it off. Thats a choice I made and I think I'm going to stick with it, especially since this part of the scene has a very comfortable feel to it. We were told to come dressed for the part and I picture her to be professional, because she works for an architecture firm but it also says that she is very artistic, so it wouldn't be business woman-like. As far as homework goes, if you get the sides a few days before the audition, I believe you should research everything you can about what is mentioned in the script so that you have a good grasp on what the writer is saying. The writer puts everything in the script for a reason and it is our job as actors to stay true to every word. I also need to work on being confident as I go into an audition because I know that my insecurities show. I know I can do this, its just time to show everyone else.
ReplyDeleteThis week tackling the sides from St. Elmo’s Fire was rather intimidating for me. I have never had any experience auditioning for film. Even though it was intimidating, I felt that with some of the prior knowledge we have gained from our previous auditions in this class, I was prepared to tackle the task. Looking at my script and finding my beginning, middle and end really helps me a lot. I had a sense of it and I really marked it out in my script but when actually performing the audition it fell flat and I believe that my nerves really got the best of me. I chose to watch the movie and read the script, mostly watched the movie because I cannot read and do the elliptical at the same time (having Netflix on my phone is so convenient!). I am always a little nervous about watching other people perform something that I will be auditioning for or performing for the simple fact is I’m worried some of their choices will unconsciously creep into my choices. After reading and watching it thought, I was able to get a much better sense of Wendy. When I originally read the side in class I immediately saw Jules as one of my friends I’ve known for awhile that I’m friends with but she really annoys me and makes me feel bad about myself sometimes without really ever noticing because she is so self centered. Therefore, when I started to dive into the side and decide what was going on and whom Wendy was I maybe took a little bit of myself in it when she is not like that. Looking at the script and watching the movie, I realize that she is much gentler than I was playing her. As far the amount of homework I need to do, I think it’s all right in the script. When reading the script, I begin pulling information out about the character and the characters in the scene with Wendy so I can get a better feel of the side. After that, it is important to re-look at the scene and decide if your choices were correct. In my case there were not so before class on Wednesday I will go back and re-read the side at least ten times and go through and reassign my beginning, middle and end, as well as re-look at what she is really thinking in the scene. Something I will also work on before class is my entrance. I think my lack of confidence really showed the last couple of auditions. This is weird for me, usually when I walk into an audition the nerves and everything have not hit me yet.
ReplyDeleteThese past two weeks I have found that cold readings are getting a little easier for me. As far as auditioning for film and commercials I find it still hard to figure out what the type of character the writer is looking for in such a small time. This holds true for me when we did the cold reads on Monday. At first look I thought Kevin was quiet shy and knid of nerdy. Then when I read the script I found out he was sarcastic and witty. So I still am a little hesitant with my choices on a cold read, since they may not be what the writer wants. Reading the entire script definitely gave me a much better perspective of who each character is. For Wednesday I want to be able to keep my face from being hidden by the script and also I want to start with a strong emotion. So for homework I practiced in the mirror and made sure I looked up and also tried to start strong. I also need work on my transitions so I went and marked the shifts in the scene so I can hit those transitions better. For homework I looked up the words I did not know, like insurrection so I could understand what the character was saying to me. This gave me a better understanding of why I say what I say if I can understand what she says.
ReplyDeleteThe last couple weeks have been so beneficial for me as an actor, with the main thing being the boost in confidence. I realize how important confidence is to auditioning and acting processes, and why we have been concentrating so hard on it in class. For me specifically, I am a more reserved person just in general, so showing that I am confident can sometime be a challenge. This might be because I was trying to be something that I was not which was over the top out going, but once I figured out how to bring my best of what I am it helped me to be confident and something else happened for me. Once I was confident and secure in who I was I found that I was more relaxed. This allowed me to enjoy the text we were reading from and focus on other things that we have been working on, for example finding common ground with the character, listening to what the other character is saying to you, and finding the beginning middle and end of the scene. Those were the three things I really worked on when preparing for Wednesday’s class to better perform my audition. Another thing that I have noticed help me in the first cold reading with the lines and trying to get me head up from the paper was highlighting my lines, I saw someone in the class do this and I thought I was a great idea and it helped me to see my next line more easily to keep my place in the scene.
ReplyDeleteComing up with what the scene’s about, mapping out the character’s emotions and where the changes are really helped for a cold read, but the work I did really didn’t read when I finally went through it. I have a problem with my voice getting a lot deeper and monotone when I’m really nervous. It’s something I really need to work on. It’s like I knew how I wanted to say things, but I couldn’t get them to actually live. Reading through the script for St. Elmo’s Fire was really helpful in exploring the context of all the scenes. For my scene, in the cold read I thought Kevin liked Leslie just from the initial subtext, but it was nice to make sure in the script. I’ve never seen the movie and the sides said that his friends suspect that he’s gay because he seems obsessed with Alec and says he doesn’t want anything to do with love, but I had no idea if he might actually be gay until I read the script for those details. Also the character descriptions and seeing how Kevin interacts with characters during the entire course of the script really helps with shaping character. I haven’t returned to the sides yet after reading the script (just finished it last night), but before class I’m going to remap my emotions and hopefully have stronger changes in the delivery so that I won’t seem so one-note.
ReplyDeleteI have never really liked cold reads but that is probably because I didnt't feel comfortable doing so. As for St. Elmo's Fire, I noticed that I got lost whenever I was reading Wendy and you had to read two parts. I was trying to follow along with the script and there was long periods of time where I didnt say anything. That messed me up, and I stopped "acting". I became myself again, just standing there. Obviously I cannot do that during a real audition so next time I will strive to pull through with the performance and stay in character the entire time and not just when I was talking. When I read the side and went over the description of Wendy, it said she was virginal and sheltered. That just made me assume that she was quiet and reserved. That isnt necessarily so. When Stephanie played Wendy, she was louder and assertive, whereas I had tried to be quieter. I also did not take into context that Wendy would be annoyed . In the movie Mare Winningham plays Wendy and Wendy is painfully shy in the descriptions but since the scene is with her friends, I should have played it differently than I did. I just had to remap everything and make more notes.
ReplyDeleteThe work we’ve done so far has reinforced the importance of making a solid impression with the few lines you are given in an audition. I also like that we only have a few minutes in class to prepare our cold readings because it forces us to focus and plan a beginning, middle and end. It’s great practice. Having never heard of St. Elmo’s Fire before this week, my immediate decision for how to prepare was to watch the movie. After I watched it, I read through the script a few times, focusing on the scenes that I believed could be used in a reading. My main goal was to distinguish each character and what they represented. In movies like these, each character is supposed to fit a stereotype, more or less. I also made sure to establish the relationships between characters especially since it is an ensemble setting. Whose friendships are stronger? Who is secretly in love with whom? Etc. Now I just have to hope I can conquer the nerves and deliver everything the way I want to.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I have most taken from the practice how valuable it is to be able to practice technique. Applying a lot of Chubbuck training from a workshop that I did/am still studying has changed my perspective. Alongside the guidance of Nicole, I can feel myself as living, breathing, and dynamic; not just reading the lines the way I think they should be read. I also have learned an incredibly valuable lesson; THE ACTORS JOB IS NEVER OVER. No matter how much work we have already put it, objective, obstacles, etc always change due to the circumstance--ESPECIALLY in live theatre.
ReplyDeleteTo come back on Wednesday, I read the script. Than I read it again, highlighting what the characters say about me and what I say about me. I take these notes and begin to breathe, letting the emotion of the script attach to me so I can understand the overall feel of the script. Once this is done, I move into breaking the scene down with a scene objective, obstacle, and verbs. Than I memorize and apply the above. Why shouldn't we be memorized considering we have two days to do so? Rachel McAdams is a great example of this. While a lot of her counterparts showed up not so different from the day before, she came in memorized, scanned, and ready to call that part hers. This is an example to live up to in auditioning. There is no such thing as a "maximum" amount of time we can work, right? There is always something we can do.
These past couple weeks have been very beneficial to me. With the work that we’ve done with the cold reads I have learned the necessary things on how to break down a scene. From finding a beginning, middle, an end, to finding what the scene objective is, I have learned from Nicole how breaking down a scene actually takes careful work in order to portray the author’s message, rather than just guessing what it is. It’s really like a science, and to be an effective actor it comes down to possessing to the skills to breaking down a script. Absolutely reading a whole script should help you with a scene. Reason being is because you know the journey of a particular character and how they will react to the other characters he or she interacts with. So from now on when I get a script I will read it over and over so I know exactly what happened in it as well as the characters and the journeys they have gone on.
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