Backstage has remained a useful tool for actor Karen Johal to try new things and work through obstacles.
Be willing to adapt.
“Try to keep learning as much as possible! With the industry really switching up into the virtual world, self-taping is becoming the new way forward for most things. It is a separate skill, and it will open up a huge amount of opportunity for you.”
The audition itself is an opportunity.
“I try to look at roles now that may challenge me. I recently auditioned for a role in a thriller film. I am super afraid of horror-thriller films, so the prep for the audition alone freaked me out. But I loved it! I didn’t book that job, but I’m really glad I got to meet the filmmakers and push myself.”
Backstage is your portal to a new world.
“For this virtual audition, I entered the room via the Backstage app, which just makes things so much easier. I’ve done over a dozen auditions for other projects this way. It’s been a while since I auditioned in person, for very obvious reasons, but what I love about Backstage is that everything has become so efficient. I can adjust my schedule on the app so casting directors can see when I am available.”
Keep your reel concise and to the point.
“Try to look at your content from the outside, [as] if you were a casting director and you look at hundreds of reels a day and you might only watch the first minute. What does the first minute convey about you? With my reel, I tried to open with a strong scene and finish with a strong scene; the scenes between are to make the whole thing flow and show variety. I tried to keep it under two minutes and credit the scenes so they can see they are from real productions.”
Don’t rush your reel!
“During the pandemic, I’ve had the time to really think about what I wanted to do, and I researched and watched a lot of reels from people I knew and others in the Backstage community. Once you start to piece all these things together, you can decide what you want—if you need new scenes or you need to change the order or edit it better. It’s a process and an investment, so really take your time working on it, and do not be afraid to reach out to the people you have worked with about any footage they may have!”
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This story originally appeared in the May 13 issue of Backstage Magazine. Subscribe here.
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