How To Cry On Cue

You’ve landed a great dramatic role, but you have to cry on camera. What do you do? If you have trouble crying on cue, that doesn’t mean you’re not a great dramatic actor or actress. Trust me, some of your favorite celebrities who have been in the business for years still have trouble getting the tears to fall.

Here are a few tips to help you make the most of your big dramatic moment. Try a few of these and you’ll be sobbing in no time:

• Think back to a sorrowful time in your life. For some actors, simply finding a powerful impulse for crying works like a charm.

• Open your eyes wide and resist the temptation to blink. Exposing your eyes to the air using this tactic can help your eyes begin to water.

• Cut up onions or wave the fumes from eucalyptus oil near your eyes just before your scene.

• Use eye drops.

• Is there a scene in a movie that gets you every time? Bring your IPod or portable DVD player and watch a sad scene right before your big performance.

• Study other scenes where actors have cried convincingly on camera. By mimicking their body language, facial expressions, and vocal cues, it may help you to get the tears flowing when you need them to.

Be sure to practice these methods before your performance in front of a mirror to make sure you appear authentic. If you’re still unable to cry, try the scene a different way. Instead, have the character attempt to fight back tears, which can be equally compelling onscreen.

For a list of dramatic roles currently being cast, visit http://www.EliteCastingNetwork.com today!

The Cutting Room Floor

You’ve auditioned for 20 roles and you’ve finally booked one! Hooray! You show up on set to shoot your scene and when the project is released, you gather all of your friends together to watch your Hollywood debut. But wait a minute! The television episode or film comes to an end and your scene is missing. What happened? Oh no! You may have been a victim of the cutting room floor.

This happens more often than you may think. The cutting room floor is a term that refers to where footage ends up when the director and editor decide not to use it in the final edited version. (These days all editing is done using computers, so the footage doesn’t actually end up “on the floor” anymore – but you get the idea.) Many new actors who experience this are often devastated. It can be a huge letdown to have worked so hard to finally book your first role and then not have it immortalized on screen. But don’t let it get you down. Just because your scene wasn’t included doesn’t mean that the director didn’t like your performance. The project may have been running long requiring some scenes to be cut to fit within time constraints. And sometimes once all of the scenes are shot, the director may decide that some scenes are no longer as relevant to the story.

Even though your scene may have been cut, there’s still a lot that to be happy about. First off, you booked a role and not only are you now a working actor but I’m sure you probably met a lot of really great people in the process. Secondly, these days when most films are released on DVD, footage that was not included in the final edited version is often available to watch in the Extras section. So you can still see your performance and you can still use the footage on your reel!

Most experienced working actors don’t get upset if their scene gets cut. They know that it’s part of the business and they know it’s only a matter of time before they book another role. So are you ready to book your next job? Of course you are! Visit http://www.StarSearchCasting.com today and check out our casting notices. I bet there’s a role of a lifetime out there with your name on it!

Transitioning From The Stage To The Big ScreenMany great stage actors will eventually graduate to the big screen. While theater is a wonderful way to

Many great stage actors will eventually graduate to the big screen. While theater is a wonderful way to learn the craft of acting, and prepare for a long, dynamic career, when an actor transitions from the stage to television or film, a few adjustments must be made.

Projecting

As a stage actor, you are trained to project because everyone, including the audience members in the balcony, must be able to hear your dialog. However when performing for the camera, projection is no longer necessary.

Blocking

There is blocking in both stage and on-camera productions. However in theater you’re given a little more flexibility. If you’re slightly off your mark, the audience will still be able to see you. But, when acting for the camera, if you’re off on your mark, you may venture out of frame which will require the director to shoot the scene again until you get it right. This can be particularly maddening on the set of soap operas where you must shoot a lot of scenes in a short amount of time, therefore requiring that the actors be as perfect as possible when it comes to blocking and knowing your lines.

Delivery

When acting on the stage, much of your delivery is for the sake of the live audience. Your facial expressions, movement, gesturing, etc. are all to engage the audience. When acting on camera, it’s important to concentrate more on relating to the character, than relating to the audience. Additionally, you’ll have to learn to embrace the subtleties of the character, which can be a challenge initially.

Reacting

Theater is rehearsed so much, and the same scenes performed over and over until sometimes the actors forget to react to the other players. Instead they are just performing what they’ve rehearsed. It’s very important that you don’t do this when you’re performing for the camera. In film and television, the director always captures what’s called a reaction shot. Not only are you filmed performing your dialog, but you’re also taped reacting to the dialog of the other actors in the scene. In order for your performance to look authentic, it’s very important that you listen and react to other actors in the scene, rather than just delivering your lines based on vocal cues.

If you’re interested in roles on-camera and on-stage roles, visit www.EliteCastingNetwork.com today and check out some of our auditions.

Transitioning From The Stage To The Big Screen

Many great stage actors will eventually graduate to the big screen. While theater is a wonderful way to learn the craft of acting, and prepare for a long, dynamic career, when an actor transitions from the stage to television or film, a few adjustments must be made.

Projecting

As a stage actor, you are trained to project because everyone, including the audience members in the balcony, must be able to hear your dialog. However when performing for the camera, projection is no longer necessary.

Blocking

There is blocking in both stage and on-camera productions. However in theater you’re given a little more flexibility. If you’re slightly off your mark, the audience will still be able to see you. But, when acting for the camera, if you’re off on your mark, you may venture out of frame which will require the director to shoot the scene again until you get it right. This can be particularly maddening on the set of soap operas where you must shoot a lot of scenes in a short amount of time, therefore requiring that the actors be as perfect as possible when it comes to blocking and knowing your lines.

Delivery

When acting on the stage, much of your delivery is for the sake of the live audience. Your facial expressions, movement, gesturing, etc. are all to engage the audience. When acting on camera, it’s important to concentrate more on relating to the character, than relating to the audience. Additionally, you’ll have to learn to embrace the subtleties of the character, which can be a challenge initially.

Reacting

Theater is rehearsed so much, and the same scenes performed over and over until sometimes the actors forget to react to the other players. Instead they are just performing what they’ve rehearsed. It’s very important that you don’t do this when you’re performing for the camera. In film and television, the director always captures what’s called a reaction shot. Not only are you filmed performing your dialog, but you’re also taped reacting to the dialog of the other actors in the scene. In order for your performance to look authentic, it’s very important that you listen and react to other actors in the scene, rather than just delivering your lines based on vocal cues.

If you’re interested in roles on-camera and on-stage roles, visit www.EliteCastingNetwork.com today and check out some of our auditions.

Hollywood Terminology: What’s A Table Read?

When you begin working in Hollywood, there will be lots of terms that you’ll hear that you may not be familiar with. Terms like blocking (the physical movements by the actors and the camera in a scene) or dailies (screening of unedited footage) are constantly thrown around and you’ll have to quickly become familiar with the terminology of Hollywood.

Once you book a role, you don’t always simply show up to the set, film your scene and then wrap. There can be lots of other steps in the process, depending on the magnitude of the project. One term - and process - that you’ll want to become familiar with is the “table read.”

As a performer, it’s easy to become fixated on your specific role in a production. But it’s important to take the big picture into consideration. A production requires cooperation, teamwork and creative contributions from everyone involved in order to produce a successful project. A table read is a great way for the writers, actors, producers and director to make sure that the script flows, and to determine if any edits are required. It’s important that this process is completed before shooting begins in order to save money and time.

Once the script is completed, everyone gathers in a room to act the script out – typically while sitting at a table. It’s an opportunity for the writers to hear the script out loud, and see what works and what doesn’t. The actors read the entire script and after they’re finished, the writers can take the notes they’ve made and apply them to the script. The script is then revised and redistributed to the cast and crew!

Don’t you just love the creative process! Want to learn more? Continue to read my blogs and visit our online forums ( http://Forums.EliteCastingNetwork.com ) for helpful “How To” information and other industry tips.

Avoiding Conflict On The Set

Once you arrive on the set, there are lots of people to meet. From the cast to the crew, you’ll encounter many different types of personalities and it’s important that you find a way to work together for the successful completion of the project. Sometimes this is easily done. But unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for conflict to break out and drama – the kind that’s not scripted - to ensue.

Whether you’re a new or seasoned actor, conflict on the set can cost you jobs, your reputation and eventually your career. When Isaiah Washington engaged in a heated argument with cast members on the set of Grey’s Anatomy, the situation escalated, spilled over into the media and eventually resulted in the actor’s termination.

It’s important to remember that no matter what, you’ve been hired to do a job – which means you should strive for professionalism at all times. Your career will be far more successful if you develop a reputation as someone who’s easy to get along with and works will with others.

Here are a few ways to avoid conflict when you begin your Hollywood career:

• Don’t discuss issues with the cast and crew while you’re angry. If you become upset, excuse yourself from the set and take some time to calm down.
• Don’t chastise other members of the cast and crew. If someone is causing a problem, advise the director or producer and let him or her handle the matter.
• Be a team player – it’s not just about you.
• Be considerate of others on the set, regardless of their position or role.
• Leave business related issues, such as salary, to your agent or manager to handle.
• Remember when your mother said, “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.” That’s definitely a rule to live by on set.

Want to know how other actors handle conflict on the set? Visit the online community at http://www.StarSearchCasting.com to connect with new and experienced actors and get advice on industry-related issues.