Acting classes in nyc focus on developing your skills as an actor, especially the foundational skills that are required to practice the craft. There is one thing that acting classes in nyc cannot teach you, for the most part, and that is an auditioning technique that you can use out of the classroom. More and more casting directors and producers are asking for them therefore, audition tapes have become a must-have, especially since they can be emailed in an instant. Audition tapes need not be expensive, professionally shot videos. There are some simple rules to follow that can help you produce a great tape, with a borrowed or rented camera and a few friends.
First is lighting, because everyone has seen what a poor lighting job can do to someone's appearance. Strong shadows falling in the wrong places can eliminate your chances of producers watching the tape all the way through. Too much light an you look completely washed out. Do not allow poor lighting choices to distract the casting agent or producers from the most important thing, you. Lighting needs to be clean, and completely unnoticeable. If you are studying in a professional acting program, or taking acting classes in nyc, there should be someone who is teaching an "Acting for the Camera" class or something similar. Ask for help creating a simple diagram that outlines a lighting scheme.
It should involve three lights, relatively bright, or a light source from outdoors. Two soft lights can be placed on either side of the camera, about 10' feet or so away, focused on where you will be sitting. Then a third light can be used to fill in the background. Audition tapes online sometimes leave the background in the dark. While this can work you must be careful to that the overall feel of the tape is appropriate and not distracting. A white balance feature on cameras is used to correct the color.
The color temperature of lights sources can be different. Incandescent lights are yellow, daylight is very blue. If you set up lights near a window the camera must correct for that. A mix of light sources is possible but, the camera must be "balanced" to correct for these color differences. The White balance button on the camera makes this possible. A pure white card or sheet of paper needs to be placed in the middle of the lighting sources. If you do not use this feature the color will be completely off, especially your skin tones. You want good clean skin tones, eye color and hair color, so you must not forget this step.
Sound is another very important feature. Distracting static, muddy tones in your voice, are all ways to kill what might otherwise be a good audition tape. No one wants to sit through a tape that they can't hear. The mic should be as close to the source of the sound as possible to eliminate stray noise. Camera mounted microphones are not very close to the subject, so looking into the rental of a good quality Lavalier microphone might be worthwhile. You aren't communicating with the audience if you can't be heard clearly. Again, quality acting classes in nyc that include skills on how to be camera ready can help advise you on this.
Once the basics are set up, content becomes the focus. Preparing for an audition tape is the same as preparing for a live audition. Preparation can be made easier if you've studied Meisner acting techniques with trained coaches. If nothing else, you need to be interesting, unique, and studying the Meisner acting technique can help. In Meisner acting nyc, a key thing to keep in mind is what is left "out." Of course, you can't cram every possible emotion that a character "has" into a few moments. Edit, put only a few ideas in at a time and let the rest emerge in the imagination of the audience. Doing your job as an actor is not presenting everything and making it easy for them, but drawing them in by making them think about the work.
Of course, if you are asked to prepare an audition tape of something specific, some sides or a scene, the tape will consist of this. More frequently actors are asked to turn in monologue audition tapes, just to give viewers an idea of their range and abilities. It makes sense to prepare something that involves your strengths. The best actors are those that are fluid and can show quickly how capable they are of acting in any genre. A great comedian always as an underlying sense of tragedy for instance, just like the deepest dramatic performances have moments of light-otherwise it becomes hard to identify with. Enlist the teachers of acting classes in nyc, or wherever you study, to review your practice tapes and incorporate their suggestions. We are not always the best judge of of our own work and being open to direction is a part of being a professional actor.
First is lighting, because everyone has seen what a poor lighting job can do to someone's appearance. Strong shadows falling in the wrong places can eliminate your chances of producers watching the tape all the way through. Too much light an you look completely washed out. Do not allow poor lighting choices to distract the casting agent or producers from the most important thing, you. Lighting needs to be clean, and completely unnoticeable. If you are studying in a professional acting program, or taking acting classes in nyc, there should be someone who is teaching an "Acting for the Camera" class or something similar. Ask for help creating a simple diagram that outlines a lighting scheme.
It should involve three lights, relatively bright, or a light source from outdoors. Two soft lights can be placed on either side of the camera, about 10' feet or so away, focused on where you will be sitting. Then a third light can be used to fill in the background. Audition tapes online sometimes leave the background in the dark. While this can work you must be careful to that the overall feel of the tape is appropriate and not distracting. A white balance feature on cameras is used to correct the color.
The color temperature of lights sources can be different. Incandescent lights are yellow, daylight is very blue. If you set up lights near a window the camera must correct for that. A mix of light sources is possible but, the camera must be "balanced" to correct for these color differences. The White balance button on the camera makes this possible. A pure white card or sheet of paper needs to be placed in the middle of the lighting sources. If you do not use this feature the color will be completely off, especially your skin tones. You want good clean skin tones, eye color and hair color, so you must not forget this step.
Sound is another very important feature. Distracting static, muddy tones in your voice, are all ways to kill what might otherwise be a good audition tape. No one wants to sit through a tape that they can't hear. The mic should be as close to the source of the sound as possible to eliminate stray noise. Camera mounted microphones are not very close to the subject, so looking into the rental of a good quality Lavalier microphone might be worthwhile. You aren't communicating with the audience if you can't be heard clearly. Again, quality acting classes in nyc that include skills on how to be camera ready can help advise you on this.
Once the basics are set up, content becomes the focus. Preparing for an audition tape is the same as preparing for a live audition. Preparation can be made easier if you've studied Meisner acting techniques with trained coaches. If nothing else, you need to be interesting, unique, and studying the Meisner acting technique can help. In Meisner acting nyc, a key thing to keep in mind is what is left "out." Of course, you can't cram every possible emotion that a character "has" into a few moments. Edit, put only a few ideas in at a time and let the rest emerge in the imagination of the audience. Doing your job as an actor is not presenting everything and making it easy for them, but drawing them in by making them think about the work.
Of course, if you are asked to prepare an audition tape of something specific, some sides or a scene, the tape will consist of this. More frequently actors are asked to turn in monologue audition tapes, just to give viewers an idea of their range and abilities. It makes sense to prepare something that involves your strengths. The best actors are those that are fluid and can show quickly how capable they are of acting in any genre. A great comedian always as an underlying sense of tragedy for instance, just like the deepest dramatic performances have moments of light-otherwise it becomes hard to identify with. Enlist the teachers of acting classes in nyc, or wherever you study, to review your practice tapes and incorporate their suggestions. We are not always the best judge of of our own work and being open to direction is a part of being a professional actor.
About the Author:
The Maggie Flanigan Studio provides acting classes for serious actors. To learn more about nyc commercial acting classes visit the studio website.
