I've been called in to audition for a movie. They've given me the circumstances—pretty well defined—but no dialogue. I have a rough idea of the script and the character, but they want me to improvise. Any tips for how to prepare?
Obviously, they're looking for fresh, unrobotic, unpreplanned performances, which is good. I'm just not sure what I should be doing between now and the audition. One thing I've done is to start to write down what I've been told about the story and character, as a way to focus and get it all "inside" me.
—Trying to Prepare, New York
Dear Trying:
I asked Matt Gourley—a co-creator of the "Superego" podcast, a longtime ComedySportz Los Angeles improv performer, and an actor—what he would do in your situation.
"There's a significant difference between an improv performance and an improvised audition," he begins. "There's nothing wrong with preplanning a few beats and ideas. If you're auditioning with someone, you never want to force your ideas into the scene, but if you've studied the circumstances and understand the character, why not deliver something interesting that you've had some time to think about? The nature of the audition will inevitably throw you unknowns that will keep you at least somewhat improvising, so stay loose, but feel free to give them something clean and considered."
In his own auditions, Gourley uses this advice as follows: "I like to come up with a few ideas and not plan how I'll string one to the next. It allows me to deliver something substantive but in a way that still seems spontaneous and alive. The nature of an improvised audition implies that they want to see what you do with the character and circumstances. This means whatever you decide based on a full understanding of the character, you should commit to 100 percent. If they ask you for something different after that, you can adjust accordingly."
I'll just add one more point to Gourley's advice: Don't overprepare. From my experience, directors who ask for improvised auditions are often quite open to ideas or just plain unsure about what they want. You don't want to lock yourself into any particular characterization. Prepare your take on the role, but be equally prepared to toss it out the window.
Dear Jackie:
I recently went in on a commercial audition, and all they had us do was slate. Literally, all I did was go in with a group of people and stand in a line and say my name and turn from side to side to show my profiles. Then they let all of us go home. From what I could tell, that's what they were doing with everyone. I heard some girls talking about it on the way out, and I also noticed that the groups before mine were all in there for only a couple of minutes each.
Why would they bother calling us in just to say our names? It seems like such a waste of time. It took me over an hour to drive across town to this audition, and they didn't even bother to see me do anything!
—Frustrated, Burbank, Calif.
Dear Frustrated:
Au contraire! They did indeed see you do something: They watched you say your name and do profiles. Sometimes that's all it takes.
I'm sure you've noticed that in many commercials, the actors simply stand around looking swell. After your audition, the casting folks know whether that's something you can do. Why couldn't they accomplish this through your headshot alone? A picture can indeed lie. Many times an actor's headshot is not an accurate representation of his or her current looks, whether due to a new haircut or facial hair or because beauty lighting can cover flaws so effectively that it ends up obscuring the actor's real appearance. Additionally, a picture can't capture an actor's general vibe. When there's not a lot of acting required for a role, your vibe, aura, essence—whatever you want to call it—becomes pivotal.
Were you relaxed, confident, and open during your slate? Were you yourself? If so, chalk it up as a success.
Dear Jackie:
If someone in the Screen Actors Guild doesn't pay dues for a long time, what happens? Are they kicked out of the union, do they have to pay all the back dues to become current, or what? I haven't acted in years, and somewhere along the line I stopped paying my dues. SAG hasn't contacted me, probably because I've moved too much. It's terrible. There's no way I could pay all the dues I've missed right now, but since I'm not acting, I'm not all that worried about it. But I wonder what would happen if I were to suddenly land a SAG job and wanted to make things right.
I'm curious if SAG has some policies in place for a slacker like me who wants to get right with the union. I suspect this must happen a lot. I mean, most SAG members don't work, and I bet lots of people let their dues fall behind.
—Slacker
Dear Slacker:
You are right that a lot of SAG actors don't work regularly, but many keep their memberships paid up. I've heard this referred to as holding a "vanity membership," meaning the actor likes the feeling of belonging to the guild, although his or her acting aspirations may have long since been shelved.
Additionally, SAG has policies for members who want to take a break from acting work. Members whose dues are fully paid up can ask to be put on "honorable withdrawal," and members who owe the guild back dues can opt for a status called "suspended pay." In either case, the actor is agreeing to abstain from all union-covered acting work, including auditions, during his or her inactivity with the guild. This isn't a break from SAG as much as a break from acting, and it needs to be clarified with the guild up front.
Elisa Mita, SAG's national director of membership services, clarifies the consequences of ceasing to pay dues without contacting SAG directly: "An active member delinquent in the payment of dues for three dues periods shall be terminated from membership."
Don't worry, though; it gets better. "If a terminated former member reinstates their SAG membership within five years of their termination date, rather than paying a new full initiation fee, on a one-time basis the performer will pay 20 percent of the applicable rate, plus current dues, dues leading up to termination, and a $100 application fee," she states. "If the performer reinstates after five years, the full initiation fee is assessed, plus the current dues, dues leading up to termination, and a $100 application fee. Please contact the guild's Membership Services Department at (323) 549-6778 for further information."