These notes describe a result, not a method
Be specific, commit, focus, be the character, listen hard, more layers, more subtext. Every one of them names what the watcher wants to see. None of them names anything you can go and do.
Acting Tip: Take note and deliver
Be specific. Commit. Give me more subtext. What those notes actually mean, and why saying sure and guessing is the wrong response.
4 Things Actors Should Know About Result-Oriented Notes
Drawn from what is actually said on camera, so you can decide whether to spend the 2:44 watching it.
Saying sure and guessing is the standard response
His own was to nod, want to be liked, and then try something. That is what most actors do, because the alternative feels like admitting confusion in front of the person hiring you.
In class it becomes a loop, in an audition it ends
A teacher or a director will go around again: better, or not there yet, try once more. Casting does not. You get thank you, and the next person comes in. The stakes on decoding a note quickly are not equal in the two rooms.
You are owed a process, and you have to supply it yourself
The room supplies the result it wants. Translating that into an action is the actor's job, which means having your own reliable route from a vague note to something concrete before you are standing in front of anyone.
Acting Craft is built by Web For Actors, who also wrote the 85 things casting directors and coaches say about auditions, which draws on videos like this one.
Full transcript (386 words)
So, what does casting mean when they say dot dot dot? Be specific, commit, focus, be the character, play, listen hard, think those thoughts, think your character's thoughts. Not enough layers. Could you give me more subtext? I mean, are you left with kind of like, uh, I don't know? Well, this is what you do when you get these notes. So what happens is when an actor and specifically it was me didn't know what to do with that direction, I would just look at the casting director or the director and say or the teacher and I go, "Okay, sure." And then in my head I'm going, "I have no idea what to do, but I want to make sure they like me and they're happy with me." And so then I go do all this stuff and then they go, "Oh, maybe they might say that was better." or they might say, "Yeah, we're not there yet." Or and give me and try and get me to do it again. And then we're in this circle of trying to get that note. But if it's in an audition, that circle stops and they're just like, "Okay, thank you. On to the next." So these are resultoriented directions. All right? These mean they that what it means is casting the the director, the teacher wants to see that result.
I want to see you being more specific. I want to see you commit. I want to see feel you're committed. I want you to I want to see that you're focused. I want you I when I watch you, I want to see the character. I want to see the character having thoughts. That's the result that I as the observer want. But you as an actor have to have a process to get to that result. And so that's what I'm going to do, a series of acting tips where I'm going to focus on these resultoriented directions and tell you how to do it so that next time you get that note, be specific, commit, focus, be the character, play, listen hard, trust your thoughts, or trust yourself. That's another one. Think thoughts. I I need more layers.
Give me some subtext. You'll know what to do with those. So stay tuned.
0 comments