If you follow me on social media, then you know that Los Angeles Casting Director Amy Jo Berman just held a free webinar. If you don’t follow me, then you should!
It’s simple. Just click on the little Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Instagram, and Pinterest icons to the right and you’ll get frequent updates of what is going on in the entertainment world.
Amy Jo Berman has over 20 years of casting experience, including being Vice President of Casting at HBO for 14 of those years. She had the responsibility of hiring casting directors! Needless to say, she really knows what she’s talking about.
In her webinar titled “Absolute Audition Control,” she provided us with many tidbits of crucial information that all actors should know and remember. However, this was based on the fact that everyone listening already had some experience in an audition room.
If you are reading this and don’t understand something, please ask me to clarify! I don’t want anyone to miss out on this.
The webinar began with Amy asking three questions and pointing out that there are three types of actors in regards to audition struggles.
The first are those who get callbacks, but don’t book. The second are those who get auditions, but no callbacks and the third are those who do not audition often or at all.
Where do you fit??
Keep your category in mind as we dive into how you can get more auditions and bookings.
1. Why aren’t the casting directors giving me a callback?
Answer – Many times we as actors might be going in the right direction, but we’re walking backwards and tripping over ourselves.
For example, think about how much we hear about pet peeves casting directors have and how we want to avoid doing those at all costs. Pet peeves are such a small blip on the scale that it doesn’t really matter if we slip up.
What we should understand though is why they have the pet peeve. It’s the difference between playing the result (I will drink a cup of water) and playing the drive or motivator (I am thirsty because I just overworked myself at the gym and have to hydrate or else I will faint).
We need to remember to audition with skill and strategy in order to get that callback.
Skill + Strategy = Success
2. How do I know what the casting directors are thinking?
Answer – Casting directors have driving motivators just like we do. When casting for a role, they have to think about if the actor serves several needs: the needs of the material, the needs of the director, the needs of the producer, the needs of the studio, and the need to get the next casting job.
You see, casting directors go through a similar audition process that we as actors do. They have a meeting with the producer/director and they pitch their ideas to them, even discussing different actors they imagine for the roles.
If you’ve ever heard that casting directors want to help you, you can believe it. They want to find the next big thing, which explains why it appears they are always judging you. That’s their job!
Next time you have an audition, remember that there are some things out of your control when it comes to how the casting director sees you.
| What Actors Can’t Control | What Actors Can Control |
| -how you fit in with the rest of the cast/family | -making unexpected choices |
| -if your looks fit (too tall or too short) | -ability to pivot well and quickly (taking direction) |
| -what mood the CD/director/producer is in | -pacing, tempo, and rhythm of the scene |
| -how much time you had with the sides | -finding transitions, especially embedded transitions |
| -if you’re just not right for the part (too small a name) | -mastery of audition traps |
| -how high you make the stakes | |
| -using your body, not just your head | |
| -modulating the emotions of the scene | |
| -finding and using hidden clues from the breakdown | |
| -incorporating the physical space | |
| -creating depth of field |
Minor Details Matter
There are so many more ways in which we can control our audition, so let’s focus on that!
One of the points that Amy specified for us was finding hidden clues, or Easter eggs, from the sides and breakdown. An example of a typical “Easter egg” in film would be the pineapple that is ever so carefully placed in every episode of Psych. It’ s a sort of prize for the fans who watch closely.
In breakdowns, it’s imperative to read not just about your character, but all the characters. Look for any kind of relationship between them, a shared history, or poignant adjectives that are used.
If the sides mention another character, you need to know who that is because that subtle understanding will make your audition pop.
3. How do I get on the casting director’s private list?
Answer – The casting director’s private list is essentially a little black book of actors. You might be on it if they have booked you before, called you back, brought you back multiple times to audition, or if they simply like you and want to book you. Does that sound like you?
Find a casting director local to you here.
When a casting director pitches to a producer or director, you want to be on that list. Often the casting director will schedule their first casting session with only actors from the list to prove they have good taste in talent.
Amy was gracious enough to run through a couple forms of application we can use to get us on that list.
A. Stand Out vs. Blend In
We need to recognize when to be seen and when to be the same as every one else. I know as actors we are all a little egotistical and we want to be noticed, but doing that too much can be to our detriment.
Amy explained that it is good to stand out with our talent, skill, strategy, branding, and attitude. Make sure you have a can-do spirit and are relaxed. Stress and desperation are not attractive traits.
By blending in, we are showing that we are professional and know how be responsible. We should blend in by our resume, reel, questions we ask, and our audition etiquette.
The casting director wants to be assured that we are reliable and won’t cause trouble if cast in a project.
B. Finding Traps in Sides
I mentioned this earlier, but it is very important! There are about 21 traps that can occur in sides, and normally they are put in by the writer on accident.
The traps fall into four categories: physical action, stage direction, emotion, and punctuation.
An example for punctuation can be seen with any line that is written in ALL CAPS. What do you assume when a character is speaking in all caps? You hear them yelling, right?
Amy warns us that we shouldn’t make the character yell just because we think they are supposed to. That would be playing the result, and that’s not what a real actor does.
Instead, we should determine why the character might be upset and the writer’s intent. With that knowledge we can accurately make a choice as the character and play it well.
C. Make Every Single Thing Specific
As a normal human being, we all have inner thoughts and reasons for everything we do. Why wouldn’t our character have the same?
Big and small, we should have clear and defined choices for our characters.
Let’s pretend your neighbor asked if you wanted a drink and you said “no.” Why did you say no? What kind of drink is it? Are you three months sober and can’t be tempted? What is your relationship with your neighbor?
These are details that have to come alive in the audition room.
The booking is in the details
Amy Jo Berman presented a wonderful webinar full of audition gold nuggets and humor. I took two full pages of notes, front and back, which should tell you something because I hardly ever take notes.
It was fun to be a part of the chat and receive real time responses as well.
Two things that I am personally going to work on are pivoting more easily and being more relaxed in the audition room.
What is something you learned??
Bonus: Ask me and I’ll share with you Amy’s answer to my question, “Is it true that casting directors sometimes give direction just to see if we can handle it?”
The webinar was based on Amy’s online audition program Audition Rockstar 2.0. For more information, visit her website at amyjoberman.com.
Should you try to dress like the character you are auditioning for based on your reading of the sides?
That’s a great question! It is helpful to show the casting director how you would look as the character. However, you don’t want to go to any extremes. For example, if the character is gothic you should wear black, but you don’t have to go as heavy on the makeup. The director will want to imagine you wearing anything. I hope that helps TK!