Auditioning Actors

Have you ever wondered what is said behind closed doors after you've left an audition? Do the producers and directors laugh, giggle, cry, or comment? What are they saying about you? How do they decide who gets the part? Why are these facts even important? Why? Because knowing the facts will bring you one step closer to getting the part.

My name is David Huey and I am the producer of more than 30 feature films and over a thousand TV commercials. Recently, I found the time in my busy schedule to speak to an acting class in LA. I lectured on exactly what producers and directors look for during an audition.

Afterwards, the class looked at me as if they had been hit by a truck! Why? Because I gave them new information they had never heard before. Information that came not from their teachers or fellow actors - but from a person who does the hiring and the firing – a producer and director!

After a failed audition, a teacher or fellow actor can only provide you with a best guess as to what went wrong. They cannot tell you exactly why you didn't get the part. It is only the producer and director who have this knowledge, this power and this perspective.

Talking to the director will give you insights on the casting process from the producer's and director's point of view. They will tell you how you can do a better job of auditioning and how you can have a better chance of getting the role. After talking to the director, the mystery of what goes on behind the audition will be over.

Ask yourself these questions:

• How you may lose the part when you walk in the door? Do you understand why this happens and how to stop it from happening to you?
• How to make the director remember you? What can you do to make your audition memorable?
• The most important thing about reading the sides? When you read, how can win you the role?
• How you can do it better? Second chances and how to take advantage of them?
• How do you prove you're a good actor? Know how the producers and directors can tell if you are a good actor.
• Audition etiquette. Regardless of whether you're new to an audition or have done it many times before, there is a protocol that producers and directors look for. Know it and look professional.
• How to quickly become the character? What you should do to become the character?
• Attitude vs Aptitude: How can you make it to the "short list," is it attitude or aptitude?
• The call back: If they called you back, it's for a reason. What that reason is?
• The head shot: What is needed, and what are some of inexpensive ways to get this done.
• The truth behind the resume: How can you spice this up without lying?
• The audition: Why you should study the audition process and how you can benefit from it.

Positive Thought:
Everyone is going to tell you how hard it is to break into the acting business. This is true and I am not going to dispute that. But what I will tell you is that as an actor, you are one of the lucky ones. A normal person lives one life and he or she may have a few different careers. Their lives may change because they get married, or because they graduate from college, or perhaps because they have a child. But you as an actor get to live hundreds of lives. You get to study different characters and you get to become them. You play "make believe" when you study acting techniques and if you are fortunate enough, you get to do it for the public on stage or in the movies. You are truly lucky to be able to live so many lives when most people live only one. Embrace your life as an actor!

Are you an Actor?
Yes - you are! Never call yourself anything less. You don't need to be paid or to book gigs in order to qualify as an actor. Practicing the art alone makes you one. Just like dancing makes you a dancer. You may not be a "professional" actor or you may only be a "semi-pro" because you don't do it exclusively for a living, but regardless, acting is an art and you are an artist. Philosophically, you are because you do.