How To Book More Acting Jobs – Industry Secrets Every Actor Needs To Know

How to book more acting jobs
Date: 1 June 2023
Author: Tom O'Brien

How To Book More Acting Jobs – Industry Secrets Every Actor Needs To Know

How to book more acting jobs.

Want to stand out in auditions? Because when you do, you will book more jobs. For example, I’m sure many of you have seen Stephanie Hsu’s self tape that’s being shared online for her performance in Everything Everywhere All at Once.

Stephanie Hsu:
Mmm. The universe is so much bigger than you even realise, Michelle.

Anyway, what I noticed was how brave and bold she was. She clearly stood out to the directors because she wasn’t holding back, and she used her years of experience and theater techniques to book that job, which led to her award-winning performance.

Ready to make more bold choices? Here are three questions you need to ask before preparing for any audition or self tape.

Question 1

What’s your character’s biggest fear in the scene? As human beings, we all have fears running through our bodies, and they impact conversations, communication, and how we respond to certain situations. So by mining the text and looking for clues to what your character’s fear may be, or simply creating them, you’re going to bring more vitality, more activity and more stakes to the scene that you’re playing.

Question 2

What is the payoff for your character if they succeed in their objective? So if they obtain their objective, what do they feel or get? You should always be looking for an objective in a scene, so what does the character want. And that should be deep and primal, and that should be motivating the scene.

But if you also identify the payoff, for example, if somebody wants power…

Actor:
… talking about us, that bitch. How can you be so vulnerable? She’s been after you since day one, flashing her tits.

How will they feel? What do they get if they achieve getting that power? Will they feel safety? Will they feel security? Will they feel love?

This has to feel something. More, more, more.

By deciding on a payoff, it’s going to help you make bolder choices in your scene.

Question 3

What has happened immediately before the scene starts? What is your character responding to?

Now, this may be an idea or a memory or an experience the character’s had just before the scene starts, but whatever it is, you need to bring that into the scene that you’re playing. So this may be in the sides or the script. You may be able to find details to help you, or you may just have to create something, but you have to be bringing some kind of experience into the scene.

So for example, are you late? Are you hangry? Are you hungover? Or maybe the character’s had an argument with someone. But the more of an experience you bring into the scene, the more bold you’ll be and the more of an impression you’ll make.

Actor:
Don’t give me me rough time, Julian,

Asking these three questions before you prepare any role for a self-tape or audition, and watch your confidence grow and their job bookings and callbacks increase.

Embrace, don’t resist. The deeper you dig, the more confident you’ll feel, and the more successful you’ll become.

Thank you for watching How To Book More Acting Jobs – Industry Secrets Every Actor Needs To Know and if you found this video useful, click to download my Free Six-step Character Preparation Checklist.

 

Endnote:

Video two, part eight, take three, I think.

Actor:
Five.

Tom O’Brien:
Five. Take five. I wish. Take five.

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *