Category: Children & Teenager Acting Tips

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!

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 🙂

Self-tape Audition Handy Tips

Self tape

I would say a third of auditions are now done by self tape. First of all the most important fact is what I say to my students you must be off page. (Meaning knowing your words by heart.) I will repeat this over and over again. One of the main reasons is that the dialogue will flow, you are not searching for words which would hold you back in your delivery and you can hold your head up high instead on looking down following a script.

Now I will give you a step by step guide.

  1. Choose a well lit area.
  2. A plain coloured wall. ( No Aunty Flo’ daisy and buttercup wall paper, pictures or windows can be distracting and doesn’t look professional). Do not sit in front of a window as we will only see your silhouette.
  3. My advise is to get someone else to film you so you can concentrate on your acting. You can do this on a phone, small camera or a tablet as long as you know how to upload it and send it as a file to the casting director or production company. ALWAYS FILM LANDSCAPE.
  4. Make sure you are in focus. Shoot from an angle that shows more of you, my preference is head and shoulders face front. We don’t need to see your full body. Keep your eyes level with the camera. Looking down on the floor or the script will kill the opportunity. Do not look directly at the camera though. Your reading partner should stand behind the camera just slightly to the left. You should look at the person reading in with you when speaking to them… just like you would in a normal conversation.
  5. Make sure you can be heard. Best recorded in the quietest room you have. Not outside unless the piece lends itself to be outside or it is required but make sure there is no noise pollution. (ie lawn mowers., traffic, aeroplanes etc.)
  6. You may need someone else to read for the other character. Make sure you can hear them. (I once had a boy reading for a part and his brother read from behind the camera (not seen) and the casting director offered the part to his brother.
  7. Make sure you feel comfortable. If that means you are sitting down just do it. If you feel happy, confident and comfortable that will reflect in your audition. Unless you are specifically asked for something else ie stand up.
  8. Remember before you begin you need to say your name, age and agency but only say the agency name if you have one. Introduce yourself looking straight down the camera lens.

Why? So you stay in the same place and not move out of focus.

  1. Do a number of takes and choose the best one. Ask other people which they like best. Always good to get a second opinion. You may look better in one but your acting is not as good so better to ask someone else.
  2. Do try and learn the lines before recording. You should allow at least one night to prepare.
  3. Do not use too much make-up (unless requested!). Keep it natural, wear something simple, plain colours, no patterned tops. When choosing your outfit be careful not to wear colours that will make you blend into the background.

I need to cover character breakdown, plot and interpreting the script but this is for another day. So hope you have found this useful by the way and I will always say this, this is my opinion only based on my experiences.

Wish you all the luck in the world ?