First Audition Time / Applicant
- Thread starter _Rok_
- Start date
I too have been overwhelmed by the sheer number of responses I received from actors. At the first-audition stage, what I'm basically looking for is a quick reason not to cast that person -- winnowing out the chaff.
I schedule actors roughly 20 minutes apart. I chat with them for five minutes to learn about them personally (can I stand to work with this person?), give them five minutes for a prepared monologue (let's see what they can do at their best), and take five minutes to have them try a couple of things (how well do they take direction?).
Then I have the next actor come in, and I hand them both some pages of dialogue (to see what they can do "cold" -- knowing neither the scene nor the other actor). After five minutes of that, I dismiss the first actor, and go through the same routine with the second actor (so I need two scenes for the cold read).
I find that I can eliminate most unsuitable candidates right away, and I have a good idea of who to pair up for callbacks.
And, of course, I record the whole thing with my camera.
I'm curious to hear what other people do when auditioning actors.
I schedule actors roughly 20 minutes apart. I chat with them for five minutes to learn about them personally (can I stand to work with this person?), give them five minutes for a prepared monologue (let's see what they can do at their best), and take five minutes to have them try a couple of things (how well do they take direction?).
Then I have the next actor come in, and I hand them both some pages of dialogue (to see what they can do "cold" -- knowing neither the scene nor the other actor). After five minutes of that, I dismiss the first actor, and go through the same routine with the second actor (so I need two scenes for the cold read).
I find that I can eliminate most unsuitable candidates right away, and I have a good idea of who to pair up for callbacks.
And, of course, I record the whole thing with my camera.
I'm curious to hear what other people do when auditioning actors.
It gets easier over time. With experience.
The honest answer. If this is your first time, you take as long as you need to take. Remember one thing. You can call them back. Just make sure you allow for enough time to get a feel for whether you feel you can work with them and whether they're right for the part or any part.
The honest answer. If this is your first time, you take as long as you need to take. Remember one thing. You can call them back. Just make sure you allow for enough time to get a feel for whether you feel you can work with them and whether they're right for the part or any part.
I prefer sides (provided in advance) to a monologue, assuming that the script is done.
But if you do want a monologue, I'd suggest a minute or two, maximum.
DEFINTELY have them do something "different" than the way they did it the first time, to be sure that they can take direction.
But if you do want a monologue, I'd suggest a minute or two, maximum.
DEFINTELY have them do something "different" than the way they did it the first time, to be sure that they can take direction.
I haven't been on the forum for several days.
Auditions were last Sunday. Recovery in progress. Throat still a little scratchy.
I did a significant amount of audition prep; I went back to my notes from the "Acting For Directors" workshop I took, and did some analysis of my script. In the process, I made some interesting discoveries, and found some playable moments in the scenes that I never knew existed. I used my script analysis to direct the auditions.
A few notes:
- I sent out sides in advance.
- I scheduled each actor 9 minutes + 1 min so I could hammer out some notes.
- 5 minute break/hour.
- 20 minutes lunch.
- Held auditions at VFX Studio screening room.
- Lit the auditions with three LED light panels that I built (they worked).
- Young actors can be strange. Several made some unusual requests (all of which went unfulfilled). One lady described herself as a 'great' actress, and told me that her boyfriend/manager wants to negotiate a rate for her audition. I found a nice way for us to immediately part ways.
- For the first reading, I let the actor run the scene without direction. The next time through, I asked that they play the scene with a objective that was exactly the opposite of their first read. The last time through, I'd give them direction that pushed them closer to the performance that might appear in the film. This approach revealed which actors could take direction, use direction, and find a way to make the scene work. The good actors really took it on.
- One actor was very good, but with each note I gave his performance was identical to his initial choice. That's a red flag.
On The Day:
After three hours of restless sleep, we kicked opened the doors to the studio and started he auditions. We quickly fell 30 minutes behind schedule ... and soon were an hour behind. The auditions themselves easily fit within the time allowed. The problem was ME. I spoke too much with the actors before each audition, so I revamped my approach during the lunch break. Luckily, 4 people (who were scheduled consecutively) were the only flakes of the day, and suddenly we rallied and were back on schedule.
I thoroughly enjoyed the audition process and met some excellent actors. Unfortunately, I didn't meet anyone who can play my lead ... until ... the next day my phone rings (out of the blue) and a I think I may have found the man I need.
For me, 10 minute auditions were perfect. The pace was steady, but never felt rushed.
Judith Weston's Acting for Directors workshop allowed me to head into the auditions with confidence, a strategy, and a way to express it to the actors.
Now, I have hours of video to review ...
- Thomas
Auditions were last Sunday. Recovery in progress. Throat still a little scratchy.
I did a significant amount of audition prep; I went back to my notes from the "Acting For Directors" workshop I took, and did some analysis of my script. In the process, I made some interesting discoveries, and found some playable moments in the scenes that I never knew existed. I used my script analysis to direct the auditions.
A few notes:
- I sent out sides in advance.
- I scheduled each actor 9 minutes + 1 min so I could hammer out some notes.
- 5 minute break/hour.
- 20 minutes lunch.
- Held auditions at VFX Studio screening room.
- Lit the auditions with three LED light panels that I built (they worked).
- Young actors can be strange. Several made some unusual requests (all of which went unfulfilled). One lady described herself as a 'great' actress, and told me that her boyfriend/manager wants to negotiate a rate for her audition. I found a nice way for us to immediately part ways.
- For the first reading, I let the actor run the scene without direction. The next time through, I asked that they play the scene with a objective that was exactly the opposite of their first read. The last time through, I'd give them direction that pushed them closer to the performance that might appear in the film. This approach revealed which actors could take direction, use direction, and find a way to make the scene work. The good actors really took it on.
- One actor was very good, but with each note I gave his performance was identical to his initial choice. That's a red flag.
On The Day:
After three hours of restless sleep, we kicked opened the doors to the studio and started he auditions. We quickly fell 30 minutes behind schedule ... and soon were an hour behind. The auditions themselves easily fit within the time allowed. The problem was ME. I spoke too much with the actors before each audition, so I revamped my approach during the lunch break. Luckily, 4 people (who were scheduled consecutively) were the only flakes of the day, and suddenly we rallied and were back on schedule.
I thoroughly enjoyed the audition process and met some excellent actors. Unfortunately, I didn't meet anyone who can play my lead ... until ... the next day my phone rings (out of the blue) and a I think I may have found the man I need.
For me, 10 minute auditions were perfect. The pace was steady, but never felt rushed.
Judith Weston's Acting for Directors workshop allowed me to head into the auditions with confidence, a strategy, and a way to express it to the actors.
Now, I have hours of video to review ...
- Thomas
Last edited:
Thanks for sharing your experience with us and congrats with the successful audition process! It's definitely one of the things I always look forward to when making a film (although it can be scary at times). 
P.S. When you say Weston's Acting for Directors workshop, do you mean the book? Or did you actually attend one of her workshops? Her book is fantastic.
P.S. When you say Weston's Acting for Directors workshop, do you mean the book? Or did you actually attend one of her workshops? Her book is fantastic.
3-5 minutes should be all you really need at a first audition to decide if they warrant a call back. When I cast my feature film, we looked at over 100 actors/actresses for the various lead roles, and the first session was always quick, 30-60 seconds of chit chat to loosen them up, then we would have them read about 2 page scene we previously provided, and then I'd usually give one adjustment to see how they take direction and do the scene again.
Callbacks and screen tests are a whole different story, but first auditions should be quick, you should know quickly that they are either A) Completely wrong for the part, or B) Worth investigating further at a later date.
Callbacks and screen tests are a whole different story, but first auditions should be quick, you should know quickly that they are either A) Completely wrong for the part, or B) Worth investigating further at a later date.