SAE Magazine 12-2

When? When is the film or TV series set? If it isn’t contemporary you will ideally need to research the period it is set in. The Internet is invaluable here. Libraries, video stores, etc can all assist. Where? Familiarise yourself with the location e.g., the city or town where the project is set. If you are auditioning for a role in a futuristic sci fi film like “The Matrix”’ your character will walk, talk and think slightly differently than if you are auditioning for a role in “McLeod’s’ Daughters”. Think about the way your character might walk around, harness a horse, hold a gun, etc. Relationships: What is your character’s relation- ship to other characters in the scene? What history do they share? Be detailed, not vague. If you don’t have this information, make intelligent choices.Al- so be careful not to just play an attitude throughout the scene but allow the relationships to help define who your character is and what you expect from another character in the scene. The essence of dra- ma as we all know from high school is “conflict”. That conflict can come from the other character in a scene and what they want or your character’s in- ternal thoughts or struggle. Find the Journey: the most skilled screen actors I’ve worked with always look for a journey with- in a scene. That is, they try to have their character start the scene in one frame of mind and end up in another. This allows you to reveal to an audience a little about what it might be like to be someone in this character’s situation. To do this you need to look for the moment in the scene when your char- acter has to change their approach. (This is called a moment of “action change”, but refers to the psy- chological action not necessarily a physical action.) Human beings are at their most vulnerable and re- vealing when they are faced with some form of cri- sis or there are choices to be considered. These are golden moments to use in a screentest where the camera can really “get into your head” and see your character’s thoughts. Don’t always go for the obvious: remember that the director and casting director will probably be seeing more than just you for the role so make sure you bring your own freshness of interpretation to a scene. Bring the scene to life and infuse it with your own intelligence and understanding of the charac- ter. I believe THE SECRET OF SCREEN ACTING IS TO THINK THE THOUGHTS THATYOUR CHARACTER WOULD BE THINKING. This way you block out the actor’s worrying, nervous thoughts, e.g., whether your nose will look too big on camera, whether you’ll forget your lines, etc and you can focus totally on bringing to life the reality of the scene and living it moment by moment. Where has your character come from? Remem- ber to be clear about what has just happened for your character, where they have come from when they enter the scene and where they are going to at the end. Also be aware of the character’s surround- ings in the scene. If it’s supposed to be in a restau- rant, make sure you keep that in mind even though you are performing it in a casting studio. Keeping it fresh. If the casting director or director asks you to do the scene several times be assured theyareaskingbecausetheyareinterestedinyoufor this or another role. Keep your performance fresh by “living” the scene moment by moment and real- ly listening to the reader or other actor who is play- ing opposite you. Don’t try to repeat what you did last night in front of your bedroom mirror. Stay “in the moment”. Allow the “stretched rubber-band”- like tension to keep your focus and attention from wavering through several takes. Allow the scene to vary slightly each time. THE DAY OF THE AUDITION OR SCREENTEST View this as an opportunity to do what you enjoy today and focus on doing your most accomplished audition ever just for the practical joy of it. Don’t get hung up on whether you’ll get the part. A di- rector can smell “desperation” and it doesn’t make them feel comfortable either. Everyone knows that auditions and screentests are unnatural and uncom- fortable and a necessary evil. So try to be as relaxed and “real” as you possibly can be. Be well rested and arrive a little early for your audition (avoid self sabotage remember). Dress appropriate to the role – it doesn’t hurt to help those who are making deci- sions see how suitable you would look for the part. Important: Avoid clothing that’s all black, all white (unless asked for specifically) and fine stripes. Even though you dress for the part, don’t come “in char- acter” to the audition. That can tend to verge on the creepy and put a director off. Save the performance for when you are asked to act the scene. ➤ 98 Production & Know How // Screentesting Index

SAE Magazine 12-2

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