Author: admin

I started out young in the film and TV industry, being cast in Dennis Fisher toy commercials at the age of 8-10 years. My mother enrolled me in dancing, ballet, tap, drama, singing, piano lessons and extremely busy after-school activities from the age of 4. But my main interest was acting and pursued in joining the West Riding Youth Theatre and Bradford Youth Players in my teens, which I enjoyed immensely. At the age of 18, I opened a performing arts school with my mother called Stage 84 and headed the drama department for 10 years, teaching speech and drama, Trinity Guild Hall exams and entering children for speech and drama festivals. During this time, I trained Amy Walsh, Kimberly Walsh, Sally Walsh, Lee Otway and many other students who successfully went on and had careers in the performing arts industry. In 1994, I opened my own school, Northern Film and Drama and the philosophy behind it was to make films and at the same time train children and teenagers to act in them. My first film, Victim, which was about school bullying won the Scarborough Film Festival for best newcomer and went on to be shown on Channel 4. My next film, Past Memoirs, with an appearance from Amy Walsh went on to Meridian TV. Many other films have followed. Becoming 8 was a final film selected for the London Short Film Festival. Julia Juliette, 2015, got to the final selection in the South Carolina Film Festival. My latest film is called Sweet Sam, and will be entered for numerous festival throughout the world. Other children trained by me to name a few include Jessica Barden (Mrs Radcliffe's Revolution, Coronation Street, The Lobster, Far From The Madding Crowd), Sam Jackson (Skins), Daniel Pearson (Vera, The Dumping Ground, Emmerdale) and most recent Colson Smith(Coronation Street). My teaching methods are completely the opposite to what you teach for the stage. They are loosely based on method acting, but with my own unique twist. I live for teaching and directing children and young teenagers, and enjoy seeing them grow into confident, talented young people of tomorrow.

Practise till Perfection

By Solomon Wood

In this blog, we will be addressing the common phrase “Practise Makes Perfect”. Many times Alyson will say this phrase to us in class and by the looks on some of our faces it seems that this tiny sentence of wisdom goes in one ear and out the other. But, to become the best actor out there you must heed this advice! So, how do we practise at home? And how do we get the most out of classes and what we can do at home? Well, here’s how!

Classes

I regret to inform you that classes alone are just not enough. Think about it. There’s all those brilliant actors in the world that have perfected many techniques, and I highly doubt they did it just one hour a week. Just classes alone aren’t going to make you the best actor out there. So, here’s what to do. When you go to class, take a mental note of what techniques you have used in class and if you are given a script take it home! Once at home you can use the script and perfect those facial expressions or vocal tones or anything you feel relevant that you would benefit from.

Self-tapes

Record your own self-tapes. Nowadays, most auditions are done via self-tape (don’t ask me why, it’s probably because it’s hard to get to certain places for people) so you really need to brush up on these techniques. (I have already done a blog on this) So this is definitely something worth practising. To do this, simply take a script from NFD and follow the normal self-tape rules. (Remember to be off script!) When you’ve completely finished and you think you’ve done the best self-tape that you can, send it to Alyson! She’s told me to let you know that she receives 2-3 a week and is more than happy to see other. She’s also told me to let you know that she’ll offer constructive criticism to help you improve, so it’s really quite a good thing to do! I would say to maybe do one a fortnight, but you don’t have to focus on this all the time!

Timings

Right, so I’ve given you a lot to think about but here’s the big question: How much should we do? Well, it all depends. If there’s something in you life like exams such as GCSE’S or A Levels then it’s probably best to work on those. I would say the right amount of time is 20 mins to half an hour. Just shut yourself away if you work best alone and read through the script, trying your best to be natural and making sure you really connect with the script. If you don’t work well by yourself, get a friend who’s willing to help. Or, I have another option for you!

Skype

One of the ways of practising outside of NFD is using Skype. We encourage our older students such as those in high school and College to use Skype to get in touch with other students to practise. Take the group I have started for example. I got people in my class to download Skype and find me so that I could add them to a group. On this group we call to rehearse certain scripts and we leave messages if a person has a problem with a certain script so we can call and sort everything out. I think it’s really beneficial for everyone in the group as it brings us closer as students but we also get to see how each other work and there’s just a really nice feeling from being able to help someone. I think it’s a really good way of practising. And because everyone on the group is from NFD, we don’t need to explain the script to each other!

Conclusion

Hopefully you found this beneficial as it took quite some thought-power to type. Please continue to do the best that you can and remember: Practise Makes Perfect!

Your Child’s Perfect Place.

By Solomon Wood
In this quite special blog, we are not addressing acting tips or tricks but in fact I am writing for parents. In this blog, I would like to address the problem of finding your child’s perfect acting school, and the requirements of NFD as a school.

At NFD, we see many calls come through about children wanting to join, and each child has a different story. But the three main parents to call are these:
1) The Recommended Parent- Can I just say that’s it’s delightful that we get recommended as it shows that we’re doing something right! Now, this parent is happy that the child has a place at NFD and is really happy to do what is required.
2) The Unclear Parent- This is the parent that calls saying “Oh, My DARLING is a STAR! He’s had main parts and is a COMPLETE NATURAL! He loves the stage!” and this is great! But Film and Theatre are slightly different. Parents like this need to research Film and Theatre and see which criteria your child best fits into. You may find that with children like this you need to look for a theatre group, but sometimes NFD is the perfect place to understand the other side of the spectrum and help them persue different type of acting.
3) The “wants the best” parent- This parent is not happy with the school the child is at and wants more for the child. This could be a challenge for the child or to gain more skills, but if I’m honest they usually come to get more auditions. My advice to this parent is to talk to school the child is at and sort things out, get to the bottom of the issues with the school as moving children disrupts continuity and can lead to a very confused child! If moving is an option, look for a place that turns out exceptionally high standard actors (like NFD!)

My advice to all parents is to really research and look at all your options. Also, what are your requirements? If your child simply wants to gain confidence then find a group that does that. Don’t take them somewhere that will push your child so far out of their comfort zone they become negative towards acting. It’s all really about sitting down and really thoroughly researching different classes. It’s also really beneficial if you talk to the people running the school and if your child likes a school enquire about a taster session which is really helpful as your child can find out if it is the school they really want to go to.

NFD requirements:
Apart from the normal “make sure you turn up on time” and those requirements, NFD have some other requirements your child should know, here I think are 3 most important so here we go:
1) Work! Be prepared to work, slacking off isn’t tolerated at NFD
2) Be prepared for criticism- you must be ready for criticism, or else how will you grow as an actor
3) Come out of your comfort zone- don’t worry! We won’t push you into the deep end! But you have to come out of your shell and try everything!

Why choose NFD?
I think this is a really good question, why choose NFD? And what separates them from all the others? Well, at NFD we don’t hide behind a front. We don’t tell you we do all these things and then we don’t do it. Also, some classes charge a ridiculous amount of money because they are “professional”. I’ve heard of one school that wanted £5000 before you could even enter. So, what separates NFD is that we ARE professional. We help students (like myself) really get out there by putting them on the NFD Agency, Spotlight and if they are involved in the films that we make here they can achieve credits on an IMDb page. That leads me onto another reason to come, we make our own professional films! Our last film, Crooked Billet, has won several awards such as an Oscar equivalent from South Korea and has been shown at Film Festivals in London. So our success rate is high!

Acting and Reacting

Another great blog from one of our young acting students

By Solomon Wood

When acting in front of a camera, a big amount of pressure is put onto you to know your lines, know when to move etc. But did you ever stop to think that you need to be e extremely realistic? We want to see YOU and how YOU act, not how you think your character acts. So today, after learning some quite valuable things, I thought I would explain some basic and more complicated things. This way, we can understand everything!

The difference between Theatre and Film

This is something I have to think about constantly. Many of you that take drama in school or are taught drama outside of school more than likely will be taught Theatrical drama. And there is nothing wrong with pursuing theatre! But you can’t really use the same techniques that are used in theatre for film. In theatre, you are expected to be larger than life and as an actor you play a character and you take them on, become them. You become loud and over dramatic and when you come of the stage you feel good about what you did! In film, you take on the characters name but you put YOUR emotions into it, take being sad for example. In theatre you would wail and scream and be really large and dramatic, in film it’s toned down and you act upset as you would if YOU were actually upset. And when you come off set, you should feel proud but drained and even still feeling the raw emotion you made yourself feel. Film acting is all about you!

How to make your film acting more believable

What we worked on in class is something I feel needs to be discussed. It’s the problem of reacting before what is happening to make you react has happened. Take a falling glass, in real life, you would hear the glass shatter on the ground and there would be a split second where your realisation kicks in and you become shocked. But what happens when you are under the pressure of the camera is this: the glass falls and you react before it has time to shatter, breaking the performance. The best way to break this habit is to take a second to realise what has happened. I call it the Shock Second” as it’s that second where your mind thinks What the hell? after this second you begin to speak and assess the situation more, but the Shock Second gives that bit of reality to the piece.

The final thing we talked about was saying your lines before someone else has the time to finish theirs. This breaks the atmosphere that from the beginning of the piece you have been trying to create, the way to combat this is to say the person’s line in your head and then say your line. But this brings me onto an issue tied with this, the issue of pace. Pacing is all about making sure you don’t rush, if you rush then there is no atmosphere to the piece and it makes your group look nervous. Too slow, and the performance drags and becomes boring. So, how do we stop this? The simple way is to think how you would be. If someone said to you I’ve found a dead body” you wouldn’t wait 5 minutes to speak, would you? You would be shocked to hear this and so have one or two Shock Seconds but you would speak quickly to show you are nervous and a little scared. It’s all about making sure your reacting time isn’t too long, but you don’t jump in right after someone has said something. Think about what the person had said, then answer, this paces and slows you down a little therefore making it more believable.

Thank you for reading and a special thank you to Alyson, Richard and Charlie who helped tonight, for I got this information from them. Thank you.

Northern Film and Drama “The STUDIO”

LEEDS, Yorkshire.

Enquiries:- Please contact:-

Tel Office: +44 (0)1977 681949 or email alyson@northernfilmanddrama.com

Pictures of this lesson Wednesday the 1st of November 2017.

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Play Backs

Another blog by Soloman, covering last week’s lesson

Being in the acting career, you will certainly come across a technique for learning called “Play Backs”. This is the topic for today, and hopefully by explaining this to you, you will be able to benefit from this in the future. (Let’s go, shall we?)

What Is It?
Play back is simply watching yourself back when you have been filmed. When you have been filmed, you may have the opportunity to watch yourself back and see where you went wrong. I will tell you now, you would be stupid if you didn’t take this opportunity. It is one of the only times you will be able to see yourself as if you were someone else. In other words, you get to see yourself how others will see you!

A Play Back and the knowledge it brings
Seeing a video of yourself gives you the opportunity to learn. So, take the time to really criticise yourself, the only way you will learn is through the mistakes you pick up on so you can correct them next time. It helps if you make notes on your acting while you watch. This way you can go back to your notes at a later date and remind yourself of what you need to brush up on. Play backs also help to show you what drama techniques to use to portray your character best. And if any need to be improved, you can see which! Play backs can also give reassurance that you have done well. (It’s not all about negatives you know!) If you think you did bad on a certain piece, a play back will prove you wrong!

Summary
A play back is a tool at your disposal. You should use it if you felt something in a particular piece went wrong or even if you simply want to see yourself in acting. Play backs give you the visual learning of watching yourself and seeing what works and what doesn’t. This way you can chop and change your next piece to better fit you and bring out the best acting you and do. And portray the character you need to portray the way you want to.

The Audition

Solomon, a student from Northern Film and Drama film and tv teenage class has written the following blog.
We have had a number of workshops recently that covered audition technique in detail. Solomon from his experiences at NFD decided to write about them and put them into his first blog that he has written for us.
Well done Solomon!

The Audition

There are lots of little things you need to keep in mind when you actually go for the audition. These include trying not to work yourself up into a state because, to be absolutely honest, you’ve got this! You have a good idea of what your going to do and how your going to do it. So all you need to do is keep running your lines through your head (ugh, but practice makes perfect!) And going over any bits you particularly struggle with. One important thing to remember: everyone there is just the same as you! Yeah, this may be one person’s fifteenth audition while it’s another’s first. But everyone is the same.

Now, the first thing we need to address is worrying. I know from personal experience that people worry for an audition, and this is PERFECTLY normal! An audition is a big thing that could help you achieve what you want. But worrying will get you nowhere. I once had to audition for a part in a play and I was worried because it was my first audition. I got so worked up that I panicked. As a result, I forgot my lines! So worrying gets you NOWHERE.

Just try to relax and collect yourself, so when you get in there you are the best and most dramatic version of you!

Now, when you walk in the casting director will be sat at the front of the room. There may also be a camera set up so that it records your audition. In a typical scenario, you will never just go in, do it, and walk out. When you walk in, the casting director will ask for your name, where your from, your agency, what character you’ll be performing and possibly your age. Then, you’ll probably have a quick chat about how you feel about the script and if you need to hold the script (it’s better if you don’t). It’s important to be kind and polite, as casting directors also look at you as a person as well as an actor. So remember your manners! (Now I sound like your mum!)

Another thing to keep in mind is that it is perfectly okay to mess up. We’re only human after all! If you do mess up a line, just ask to say it again or correct it. Never just leave it, because the director has a script and can see where you messed up (they know…)

Sometimes, you can even ask the director to point you in the right direction. Don’t be shy about messing up cause we all do it.

Even the greatest actors of all time may have to do a retake cause they said something wrong. It’s natural!

When performing your scene, just make sure that it is flowing how you want it to. If you feel that you and your partner are straying from the guidelines in the script then it is up to you to get you and your partner back on track. Actors can sense what you’re trying to do, it’s part of the job, and they will make sure that they follow your lead. Or maybe, you should follow their lead. You never know! But make sure that everything flows. Don’t jump in too soon if there needs to be a little pause to indicate something like thought. And don’t speak over the top of each other either. Otherwise it ends up being messy and you begin to look disorganised. Another point to ponder is rushing. As your acting, it’s only natural that you want to finish the audition and get out of that stuffy room! But if you rush, it has a feeling that you don’t want to be there and you haven’t studied the script enough. So pace yourself, add breaks when needed and don’t force your lines cause your rushing. Everything should flow like a quiet stream!

At the end, the casting director may talk to you again. They could ask you how you feel it went and it’s important to be honest. If they’re going to hire you, they need to know you first! So try to be honest. Also, prepare yourself for criticism. The director may say “this part wasn’t up to standard” or “these lines needed more work”. Either way, if you can’t take these points then your in the wrong profession, because acting is all about helping each other by constructively criticising their work! So don’t be disheartened if they tell you that certain lines need more work. Cause that is going to help you next time!

That’s That!

That’s all have to says on this matter (which was quite a lot, well done for making it this far!) So I hope you find these tips and pointers useful. Cause surely after all that you can ace any audition. I expect to see you on a major TV show soon. That’s everything from me. So all that’s left to say now is goodbye! Or, in the acting world, aaaaaand CUT!

Children and Teenager’s Acting Tips

Children’s auditions for television and film.

Introduction.
When a child has been told they are going for an audition it can be a very exciting time, but also a little daunting especially if it is their first audition. Your child will probably be attending an acting school, registered with an agency or both.

As an agent myself, when a phone call comes in from a casting director to book a child for an audition, I am very pleased for the student also.

I will try and explain in simple bullet points which I believe are the most important points that you and your child need to know and how to be prepared for their audition.

1) Date, time and location.
It is very important you are given these details in advance and not on the day so please ask. You may have to travel a distance so please give yourself plenty of time for traffic jams and mishaps such as getting lost. You might need to arrange rail tickets. Arriving late for an audition could result in the audition being cancelled.
Your child needs to feel relaxed and happy for their audition, therefore it is very important to arrive early so they can get used to the surroundings, sit down maybe have a drink and snack.

2) The Script
Check with your agent to see if your child needs a script. Most dramas, soaps and films, there will usually be a script to learn or read. Some Commercials have scripts but not all.

3) What to wear?
Depending on the part usually dictates what your child needs to wear. Obviously do not go dressed up unless required, but please just use your common sense. I would suggest they feel comfortable and happy in what they wear.

4) In their audition there will be the casting director.
For dramas, soaps, films etc, sometimes the producer but usually the director will come in on a final audition.
There is also a camera that will record the audition.
I suggest you make your child aware that there will be a camera in the room, just so that they are not surprised by it.
5) Children pick up on how their parents are feeling
Please keep calm and they will remain calm. Also make it an exciting day out, nothing is more negative if you are feeling rushed, harassed and nervous. This is why arriving early is imperative.
Please be positive and explain that it is important they enjoy the experience.
Although it would be lovely that they get a recall and the part, please do not let your child think they have to get the part because this may have a negative effect and they will probably not want to do another. They firstly need to have fun and look forward to the day.

This is just an introduction to film and television auditions for children, there is a lot more to say about them and I will cover this in later blogs but for the time being I think this is enough to take in.

Hope this has helped and remember this is based upon my experience only. I wish you all the luck in the world.

Alyson 🙂

Headshots

Headshots.

There is so much to say about head shots I have broken it down into two blogs. So Blog 7 will be covering this subject also.
There is so much confusing advice out there about head shots therefore I will try and make it more clear for you.

1.What is a headshot?

A headshot is a professional photograph usually your head and shoulders which is attached to your actors cv. It is the first thing that casting directors see on your cv and therefore is usually placed at the top of your resume. I believe it is the one of the most important features on your cv obviously backed up with an excellent resume and show reel. If your picture has the right look for the character and they are looking at a professional head shot then the chances are they will call you in for an audition.

2. Do I really need a professional headshot.

Well the short answer is yes!
If you are a professional actor and you have been working in the industry for a number of years you will know you do need a professional headshot and I would suggest you change it if you change your look. However if you are very new to this industry and still learning well my suggestion if you have the money and you really want to have one done then yes go ahead but what we do with our new actors is suggest they get someone to take a nice head and shoulders shot that is well lit until they are ready to go on Spotlight or have had enough training, assessing regularly until we feel they are ready to commence auditions.

3.I am in training do I still need one?

Student actors/actors in the industry take advice on when your agent, trainer or drama school informs you to have some headshots taken.
If you are at a training school then you would need to talk to your acting coaches about CV headshots. If you are at a drama school they have their own way of promoting the students this usually takes place in their final year and you will have an actors CV and headshot taken which is sent out to agents along with an invitation for them to attend a final play or musical with the intention that the agents will take you onto their books for representation.

4.How much do you think I should pay?

I get asked this question a lot. You can pay from a few pounds to hundreds. You just need to use your common sense. If you are an established actor well it is advisable to have a good quality headshot. In years gone by I have recommended photographers but they have been very expensive and if the actor does not get any auditions with the photograph then you do end up feeling that actor has wasted his/her money. It has taken me years to find the right photographer for us who is very reasonable (£30.00) and does a great headshot with me doing the make up and hair etc. We look at each picture taken until the actor and I are happy with one. It is all about team work and works well for us. I must however stress this is usually a group of actors and so the cost is more reasonable.

5.Where do I go?

My recommendation is to do your research, there are so many photographers out there now doing this as a living and the chances are you would be able to negotiate a good price. But please look at their work on line and make sure they do headshots for actors. If you know of any actors ask them if they have been successful with their photographs. If the photograph is working for you please don’t change it. However you will have to change it eventually as everybody changes with time.

6.How often do I need to change the headshot?

I would recommend you do change it every 18 months to 2 years and with children every 12 months as they change so quickly. Babies and toddlers even more regularly.

7.Will it help me to get parts?

It will not get you parts but it could help you secure an audition which could lead to an offer of a part.
If the look is right (how they visualise the character). The information on your cv is up to date and it fits with what they are looking for then it is looking positive that you will get an audition.

8.How do I know it is a good headshot?

If you can see your eye, hair colour, and your complexion then it will probably do the job. Also to mention at this point just because you like the picture does not mean that the casting director will, so ask professionals which photograph they would choose. If you do not have anybody who can give you that advice then ask somebody who can give you an honest opinion. It might be somebody who you do not know that well. Family and friends will love everything that you do so might not be the right people to ask! Sorry. If you come into contact with a casting director show them three and ask them which one they like best.

9.How do I need to look?

It has to be as close to what you really look like so please no heavy make-up or different hair styles that in day to day life you would not dream of looking that way. It has to be an honest look that when you turn up you look like the person in the picture . ( I am not talking about modelling pictures. That is something I do not deal with.) This is just for acting only. Many times over the years I have been caught out because the picture was taken along time ago and they now look so very different or the picture makes them look a lot more glamorous than they really are. To be on the receiving end of this can be a bit disconcerting!!!!

10. Black or white or Colour?

Colour is now the preferred industry standard.

I think this is enough information at the moment but will continue with headshots in my next Blog as there is so much to say about them.
Please remember this is based on my experience only.

If you wish to ask me any questions please do not hesitate in contacting me I will be very happy to answer any queries.

I would be grateful if you can share my blog with other aspiring actors.

Wishing you all the luck in the world:)

Script Continuity

Blog 5

Continuity with Lines

It is very important that you learn your lines and in the right order, I can’t stress this enough. So many times the actor has said they have learnt their lines but this is not usually the case, they think they know them but they don’t. When learning lines at home you are in a comfortable environment, but out of that environment and put yourself in front of the camera the actors are under more stress and mistakes are made. They always say they know them but I say to them please if you think you have memorised them go over it another hundred times. You need to know your lines as you can say your name, so you don’t have to think about it? It really can affect your performance as I see far too often, the actor is searching for words instead of making sense of them and not concentrating on delivering the right emotion etc. If they do not know the lines then the quality of acting is going to suffer. I hope that makes sense.
I have to say this does not apply to all actors.

How does this affect the editor?

If the actor gets it right on some takes but on others it can vary from getting the words mixed up to substituting different words.

So when it comes to editing in the editing studio and we realise what has happened it can become complex indeed and we have to find clever ways to cover up the mistakes made. Please let me try and explain by using a simple script and the consequences when the actor changes it.

The actor gets it right a number of times on some takes and then on others he gets it wrong for example;

Correct Script

Actor 1.

Are we going out tonight, let’s go to the Pizza Place? We will have a good time there!

The actor now changes the script

Actor 1

Are we going out tonight for a pizza? We should have a good time.

So in the editing suite we start on a wide shot and then cut to a close up on the word ” to”. So it then reads:-

Actor 1 (two separate shots)

Are we going out tonight let’s go to for a pizza? We should have a good time.

So if we start on a wide in which he gets it right and then we want to cut into a close up in the middle of that sentence you can now see we’re going to have a problem. This is because the words are different and not in the right order so that leaves us with two options. One where you the actor probably misses out as we instead do a close up of the shot with the other actor who is not saying anything but we would then probably stay on them with your words being said off camera. Or we would have to use another shot of Actor 1. which we probably didn’t want to use, that is if we have one?

So hopefully you can see more clearly how NOT knowing your lines can affect not just the edit but also your performance. Time and time again when on set actors say to me

“Oh just got a little muddled with the lines but it will be fine.”

Well the answer is yes it does matter and no it will not be fine. You must know your lines so put in the work and effort beforehand.

Also some actors are unaware they are getting the lines wrong. I really don’t know what to say about this!

There are now some great apps online that can help you with line learning. So my suggestion is that you take a look at them and use them.

So hopefully this has given you an insight and idea what goes on behind the scenes.

I can’t stress enough how important it is to get your lines right and to focus on what you do and how you carry out your directions and action.

Please think about the bigger picture. If you are an actor who knows his/her lines the chances are you will be booked time and time again because you are making everybody’s else’s job so much easier.

This is based upon my experiences only.

Finally I wish everybody all the luck in the world.

Alyson

Continuity Covering Action and Direction

Blog 4 Covering Action and direction continuity

Blog 5 (next week) Covering Script continuity

So continuity, what is continuity?

Well it is self explanatory. On a professional set a continuity persons (script/continuity supervisor) job is to watch the actions and listen to the words of the actors. They also do a great deal more, but I am going to address continuity with the actor in mind. The two main points to cover in my experience are :-

To make sure you, the actor is saying the right words in the right order every time. (Basically exactly what is written down on the script) (Blog 5)
To get the actions to correspond with the script or direction given.

Why?

Because when we come to editing and I will try and give you a simple example to start with.

If we start with a wide shot in the editing suite and you are holding a cup in your right hand in which you are wearing a ring and a watch, and you put it down on the table in front of you and let’s say we want to go in on a close up on a different shot but in this shot you’re using your left hand without the watch and the ring, this means we would have to use the long shot or close up all the way through which probably lessens the impact of the shot.

You are probably saying now this would not happen to me, but it happens to every actor at some point in their careers. That is an obvious example, but there are many simple mistakes in continuity and also so many silly mistakes so please be aware of all your actions.

I think actors are unaware of all the takes that are taken on set in many different angles and places, and sometimes they can become complacent especially when we are on the 23rd take and the camera has now moved onto another actor, but you are still in the background. Somehow they don’t think they can be seen but it is still vitally important that you still carry out all directions and actions at the right time in the right place every time.

A couple of weeks ago I was shooting with a cast of young students from the age of 12 to 14 years. This I knew was going to be difficult, because I was doing the camera work and sound I couldn’t keep an eye on continuity. I had a student who had to get up and go over to another student and pull her hair. I had a number of difficulties in the fact that sometimes she walked over to the left of the student and then others to the right, not only did she do this but the girl in question was moving her head in different directions in every take. Not a good environment. So when I wanted to use a different edit the girl was not in the same place to where I wanted to join both the takes, so a lot of that footage was not used. However I did get something I was happy with in the end but it probably took me much longer.

The students are learning still so they don’t know how important this is but hopefully they will read this 🙂

Simple examples and tips below.

We are looking at a shoot for one scene. The scene usually takes place on the same day in the actual film itself but could be filmed on a number of different days hence why continuity has to take priority!

Dress:
Must be the same clothes in one scene (unless you have to change). One scene maybe shot on different days. Make sure you have the same outfit with all the bits and pieces. Take a photograph.

Hairstyle:
Has to be the same. Take note ribbons and hair clips same side of the head and same colour.

Make up:
Same lipstick, eye shadow etc.

Shoes:
Must be the same

Nail varnish:
If you are wearing any, make sure you have it on all the time. (Don’t change the colour!!!)

Hat and gloves.

Tie.

Props:
Remember your props.

Jewellery.

Sit down and make a list of everything. As you go from location to location tick everything on your list. Take it with you!

Take a photograph of all the above.

Just to mention here facial hair and hair cuts for men.

Obviously try and maintain the same look. We did a scene recently where we had to film the same day in the film weeks apart. This was not a problem with the ladies but one young man, his hair had grown so much. I looked back on my continuity pictures and was very lucky to have had a hairdresser on set that day who she trimmed it, but it would have certainly looked out of place. It always makes our jobs easier if you are involved too and I would be really happy if you were coming to me and questioning it because it helps, it really does.

I am just covering a one camera shoot. There are many multi camera shoots i.e soaps. Continuity is still important but obviously the issues and complexities are going to be a lot less.

As I said earlier there will be somebody in charge of continuity, but it is best that you keep your wits about you also because mistakes are made. We don’t have luxury of having a continuity person every filming session so we have had to educate the actors in everything to do with continuity. I am very proud of how they have mastered this and more times than ever now I am not having to check. It can get a bit scary when you are managing over twenty actors and moving locations on different days although it is the same day in the film. As you can imagine it can become quite complex. They are now exceptionally good with dress and props but I am not going to say anything else! (Don’t want it to go to their heads to much. :))

Anyway as I have said before this is based upon my experience only.

Again I wish you all the luck in the world:)

Alyson.

Show Reel Handy Tips

Show reels.

1. Please keep them as short and to the point as possible. Too many show reels are far to long. On average if the first 30 seconds doesn’t catch their attention well sorry, but it is game over. My personal opinion is that a minute and a half is more than enough for a show reel. But you can do individual pieces which I will talk about later.

2. Everybody feels they need to have a professional show reel done. Now if you have fabulous material, I would say great idea. The number of show reels that come into my inbox, I can tell they have been expensive but they really are not worth it.
I have had more success in the actor doing an honest, natural, heart warming piece to camera that shows them as their true selves. If they can capture themselves in this way it really does work.

3. An example of this although it was not a show reel. We had a casting to do in a matter of an hour. The poor guy was in rehearsals. I gave him the brief. He sat in his car at the side of what sounded like the M1 and did a self tape to camera. The quality and sound was shocking but it did not seem to bother the casting director and she thought he was excellent and offered him a commercial.

4. Now this doesn’t mean that you should cut corners, but a simple camera filming you (take note of myself tape tips) can do the job at a fraction of the price.
It just confirms to me every time that if it is simple, short and to the point and you give that Oscar winning performance they will not rule you out.

5. Another tip is that if you do go down the show reel route with lots of different clips please make sure you are seen straight away. So many of the show reels that I look at, another actor is seen well before your performance and to be honest it is the first 30 seconds that count the most so make sure you are seen in the first few seconds. It must be riveting thoughout to keep their interest.

6. Finally what I do as an agent and it has worked time and time again. Film three one minute acting pieces to camera, one comedy, one serious drama and then something that really appeals to the actor but improvised only. A scenario needs to be given (examples given below) to them or decide what you as an actor feel comfortable with that can show off your best qualities. This one usually works best. For the written pieces, I write most of mine for the individuals themselves or I get them to write it. When I submit their cv to the casting director and let’s say it is for a part that wants a comedy actress, then I put their comedy piece at the top of their cv. You have probably doubled your chances of being seen.

Anyway I could quite happily go on forever but will finish now. I do hope this comes in handy and remember this is based on my experience only.

As always I wish you all the luck in the world:)

Alyson.
Examples of improvised scenes.

1. An inexperienced waiter serving in a posh hotel
2. Stuck in a lift with some very annoying people or you can be annoying.
3. A court room scene. This can be any character you would like to portray.
4. Going on a first date. Not the dream date you thought it was going to be or the date cancels but they send someone else on his/her behalf.
5. Birthday party. E.g. You were mistakenly an uninvited guest.
6. Funeral Scene. Could be emotional.

You can vary the themes or come up with ideas yourself. Could be based on something that has actually happened to you.

Basic tips
On all the above you need to think of the character, the characters background, the situation he/she is experiencing, the mood, the pace. Has to have a great beginning and ending.