I recently took a few hours and read through the Backstage Experts’ online columns, and I noticed a huge discrepancy from one writer to the next. We are actually contradicting each other week after week!
A few examples I noticed:
Don’t bring headshots to auditions because no one uses them anymore (or even worse, “I don’t bring headshots to auditions anymore because I’ve outgrown that”). / Always bring headshots because the CDs need the hard copy for your audition.
Don’t connect with your reader—you should be able to act on your own because CDs and their associates don’t really give you what you need anyway. / You need to connect with your reader to give a fully realized performance.
Don’t memorize the dialogue word for word. Put your own spin on it! / Honor the writer and do not change the dialogue, as it will make the show creator (who is usually the writer) furious.
Attend casting director workshops because they’ll help you network with the gatekeepers. / Don’t ever pay for what amounts to an audition. CD workshops are not an educational experience: You’re just paying for access to a casting office.
It seems that everybody wants a single answer. Everybody wants the magic pill. “How do I do it? How do I get there?” I—and the rest of Backstage’s contradictory, opinionated columnists—am here to tell you that there is no one answer. There are many ways to get from point A to stardom—or a better goal, to life as a successful working actor.
I’m often asked for referrals to acting classes or headshot photographers. I send actors, managers, and agents my well thought-out lists. These are my suggestions of acting classes that I’ve actually sat in through the years, so I know firsthand what the classes are like. Yet I still get responses like, “Well, which ones do you like? Which are the best?” I’m sending you the ones that I like on a list I’ve narrowed down. It’s up to you to do the research to find out which acting coach or photographer clicks with you.
Finding the right teacher or photographer can be like finding the right shrink. Only you know which one you’re going to let in. By auditing classes and going through photographers’ websites and meeting them, you need to use your gut to find the person you can trust and who will inspire and push you. What works for one person won’t necessarily work for another. There is no “best.” It’s not one size fits all. There is no right answer here.
The takeaway is that our articles are all opinions and points of view based on years of experience in this field. There is no “industry standard” on the right way to attack your acting career. Take it all in, continue to do your research, and use your instincts to figure out which advice is best for you.
Like this advice? Check out more of Marci Liroff's articles!
Known for her work in film and television, producer and casting director Marci Liroff has worked with some of the most successful directors in the world such as Steven Spielberg, Ridley Scott, Mark Waters, Christopher Nolan, Brad Bird, and Herbert Ross. While working at Fenton-Feinberg Casting, she, along with Mike Fenton, cast such films as “A Christmas Story," “Poltergeist," “E.T. – The Extra Terrestrial," “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom," and “Blade Runner." After establishing her own casting company in 1983, Liroff cast “Footloose," “St. Elmo's Fire," “Pretty in Pink," “The Iron Giant," “The Spitfire Grill," “Untamed Heart," “Freaky Friday," “Mean Girls," “Ghosts of Girlfriends Past," “Mr. Popper’s Penguins,” “Vampire Academy,” and the upcoming “The Sublime and Beautiful,” which she produced as well.
Liroff is also an acting coach, and her three-night Audition Bootcamp has empowered actors to view the audition process in a new light. The class spawned an online course available at Udemy entitled "How To Audition For Film and Television: Audition Bootcamp".
Visit Liroff online at marciliroff.com, follow her on Twitter @marciliroff and Facebook, and watch her advice videos on YouTube. You can also read her blog.
Photo by Doug Hac.
