Making a good impression is as simple as ‘The 4 Ps' Be Pleasant, Polite, Positive and Professional.
This sounds simple, but when nervous and focusing on your acting can easily be forgotten (especially in the haste of commercial castings).
Pleasant
Always be pleasant to the receptionist (sometimes they will be part of the casting team, especially if at an in-house casting studio). We cannot tell you the amount of times Jen would be short staffed and so hop-on reception whilst selecting actors to come in to the next day’s casting and some actors would be extremely rude, complain about their agents, arrive late and demand to be seen immediately or moan about the waiting time with one another. You never know who you are talking to and it really does pay to be pleasant. If it’s a long wait, which can happen, you can always ask how behind they are and explain if you need to get back to work so they can manage the order on their side as much as possible. Being pleasant doesn’t have to mean being passive.
Polite
When entering the casting room, be open, say hello with a smile and connect to everyone there with your eyes! There is no need to shake hands unless they go to shake your hand, eye contact is more than enough to establish a warmth between you. Let the casting team lead the greeting.
If they ask ‘How are you?’ Ask how they are back. This is very rarely done as people are so focused on the audition prep. However, this simple question opens up a dialogue beyond just getting down to business. If they ask how you are, answer in 1 or 2 sentences, rather than one word answers or rambling on.
At the end, do thank them and wish them a nice day/casting session - it sounds simple, but again, is not often done. A bonus is to try and find out the name of the person running the casting as you leave - ‘Are you XXX?’ can work if you aren’t sure if its the CD or an assistant, they will either say yes or ‘No, I’m so-and-so’. You can also ask the receptionist who is running the session today before you go in. Make a note and if you see them again you can greet them with their name. Ta-dah!, connection made and you are more likely to be remembered. Don’t be afraid to speak :)
Positive
Keep any and all discussion with the casting team positive. Even if you have had the worst journey getting there or only got the script late, please do not complain about it, as it comes across as ungrateful and creates a negative environment before you have even started. Keep it nice and upbeat and POSITIVE. If you are late, or the casting team have changed your time for you, instead of apologising or giving reasons/excuses (which brings negativity in), say thank you for rearranging or thank you for understanding or thank you for squeezing me in at the later time etc. It says exactly the same thing as 'Sorry I’m late’, but carries positive vibes and acknowledges that they have helped.
Professional
Quickly following any initial hellos, how are yous and thank yous - stand on your mark or sit at the chair provided facing the camera / casting team ready to work and feeling receptive. Feel free to ask if you should sit or stand if unclear. Listen carefully and feel free to ask questions to clarify blocking, camera framing and eye-line before you start so you can really imagine the scene in your mind and deliver what is required. Commercials will have an ident first, do this with a nice, relaxed smile.
Other things to think about…
Questions can be a good way to connect and give you time to process direction, so long as they are relevant (i.e. asking about the characters motivation in a 2 second commercial is silly, but asking about where they want your eye-line is good).
The most important thing is to LISTEN!
Don’t be afraid to ask how much of the stage directions they want to see. General rule is that commercials and theatre will use the space, and Film, TV and selftape castings will keep it still and hint at the stage directions
You can acknowledge if something is funny/awkward/silly in a positive way - these things make a casting fun for everyone. Too many actors forget their sense of humour through nerves, so try to keep relaxed and have a laugh. The people in the room are just people, and people that want to enjoy the process and see you do well.
Saying that, I would avoid cracking obvious jokes if you can help it. You won’t be the first, or even the tenth, to have told that joke that day and it gets very old, very fast for the CDs.
Learning lines
Always be off-book if you can, but it isn’t the end of the world if you fudge a few lines. Getting the character across is ALWAYS the most important thing. If you fluff a line, carry on. Don’t stop and ask to start again, unless you are right at the beginning. If the CD is on a tight schedule, you don’t want to ruffle feathers by almost getting to the end of a really good take and forcing them to restart because of a little fumble. Your next take may not be as powerful if forgetting the line then get’s into your head.
How can you do things a bit differently?
8/10 people at a casting will deliver the scene in almost exactly the same way. How can you change some of the intention or way you say a line or two to inject some character and make it your own? The CD will always guide you in a second take if this isn’t what they are looking for and, as long as you follow their direction, different ideas are always appreciated.
How do I look?
Be presentable at auditions, the cameras pick up every mark on your jumper or stray hair. Take some tissues with you incase waiting rooms are clammy so you can rid any shine and carry a brush/bobble with you so you can smooth yourself down if longer hair. It’s never great to turn up all bedraggled (unless the character demands it).
Don’t wear anything too distracting - smart/casual is the usual brief for most castings - jeans and a plain top are a safe bet. Greys are always best, followed by mid-shade greens, blues or purples/maroons. Try and avoid white, black or navy, as they aren’t as flattering on most casting studio cameras. If there are wardrobe notes, follow them as best you can (specifics can always be bought, worn and returned to store if it is an essential item that you don’t have lying about at home). If there aren’t wardrobe notes, don’t go over the top dressing as a character (this is normally a tell-tale that someone is less experienced). You can hint at character without being full costume, if it helps your performance.
Timing
Get there early, you will often have material to look at before your time slot, so aim to arrive 5-10 mins early so you aren’t rushing and flustered.
You can fill in any forms once you come out of the audition room - make sure you use the time beforehand to prepare, get in the zone and relook over these tips!
Don’t get thrown off!
Unfortunately, occasionally, something said in a casting room can get into your head and effect your performance. Try to develop some techniques so if it does happen, you aren’t thrown by an off comment.
Remember, the casting tape won’t show the CDs comments or the attitude of people in the room, only your scenes on tape, so how you handle yourself is most important.
If they don’t like the way you have done something, that’s fine! Think of this as an opportunity to try something new and show how well you take direction to change things up for them. Similarly, don’t be put off if you are asked to radically change things in your performance. This is often because they want to see your range and ability to take direction and not because they didn’t like your initial ideas of a scene.
It is also important to remember, CDs work VERY long days, often to very tight deadlines with very demanding clients. They really do want everyone they bring into the room to do well (as it makes them look good if their casting is great), but often they can be grumpy or very direct (especially on commercials if they have seen a new person every 5 minutes for 6 straight hours already). It really isn’t you, so you just keep professional, do your job and have a little compassion for them. Follow the 4 Ps and you won’t go wrong.
The biggest thing that can plant doubt for an actor is differing character descriptions or people in the waiting room who look nothing like you. The CD has chosen to see you over thousands of submissions and they have seen your headshot/reel. They may have had a discussion with the director about another possible way of imagining the character, you never know what they want.. Every opportunity in front of a CDs is a chance to advertise your skills and is never wasted.
Doubt is one of the biggest blocks to a good performance, so if you have any doubts about why you have been chosen, TRUST THE PROCESS. We are not sending you there to waste time, so have already made sure you are what they are looking for. If you have any doubts about how to perform a scene - ask the CD so you have clarity and can do a brilliant job!
ENJOY IT!!!!
Rather than thinking of an audition like a job interview, think about it being an opportunity to act and perform a character for a small audience.
Audition tips