You might have been told what not to do in an audition. You have maybe gone to a class or read a book on the do’s and don’ts of auditioning. You might have found them very useful. I often find them very suppressive.
Acting is a crazy business. It has rules for this, rules for that. Do this, don’t do that. Everyone knows you should be “this way”. Or my all time favorite is “everyone hates it when you….” . Nothing could be further from the truth. Truth is what we are after in acting, so we should never stray from that.
This tactic of telling the actor to beware his mistake, focus on what not to do. Zone in on what he shouldn’t be doing. Concentrate on what people do as mistakes. Is probably the worst mistake anyone coach could tell you. Of course there are things that are common sense, and of course common sense is not that common at times. But you should never really focus on what you shouldn’t do. That just makes you rigid, stiff and flat.
You should solely focus on your objective. What is it I need from the other person? What and I going to do to get that objective met? What is preventing me from getting that objective? Focus on creating the environment, use a sense memory. That technique is there to help aid you in having focus on something outside of yourself. Something other than being self-conscious. Something other than what not to do. Teaching someone what not to do is just putting stops up one after another.
I have seen students ask me the simplest of questions. But in asking the question it becomes so complex and involved. WHY? Well that is because the answers that we come up with have to be authorized by the authority in the classroom. That is simply because of the with-drawl of approval, threat of judgement etc.
What you shouldn’t do in acting is focus on what not to do, but to focus on what to do!
Simon Longmore
freeactingtips.net
vadastudios.com
Tags: Acting classes, Acting classes acting tutorial acting videos actor auditions audition techniques best acting school bollywood casting agents casting directors celebrity. film and tv acting free acting tips free on-li, acting tutorial, acting videos, auditions, film and tv acting, free acting tips, free on-line acting class, full-time acting programs, hollywood north., hollywood north. Stage fright., how to act for film and tv, how to audition for an agent, how to get an agent, lee strasberg, stella adler, top acting school, vada, vancouver academy of dramatic arts, vancouver acting acadaemy, vancouver acting coach
