TIPS TO SUCCES AUDITIONS

SAYA LAGI LIAT-LIAT SITUS LUAR, EH KETEMU TULISAN OK’S…. NEH BUAT YANG MAU BACA

This is a new topic that will eventually make up part of the content of my first Audition seminar. You read it correctly, I will now share with you the Secret to Successful Auditions. Now if I told you I had a secret method to book every job I auditioned for, would you believe me? I HOPE NOT, because I’d be lying. Such a thing doesn’t exist, and if it did, and I had it, I wouldn’t be sitting here writing, I’d be on a film set somewhere too busy to do anything else in my life. By “Successful” I don’t necessarily mean “Getting the Job”. I’m talking about “Success” in a much broader sense: self confidence, contentment, creativity, AND your best shot at booking the gig.

In my opinion, the most damaging thing to an actor’s audition is fixation on the results. When the result of the audtion becomes more important than the process, you’re surely not performing at peak levels. Why? Ask a gold-medal winning Olympic athlete what they were thinking about DURING the event, and I’ll bet NONE of them would tell you they were thinking of the medal. They were arguably not even thinking. They were in the FLOW, DOING, MOVING, CREATING. If you’re thinking about the potential result of what you’re doing, then you’re not focused on the task at hand. Without focus, you can’t possibly give it your best shot.

This principle isn’t new. I talk about it in the Audition tip above, which I wrote 6 years ago. The new Secret to Successful Auditions, which I’ve since discovered for myself, is HOW to stay focused on the PROCESS and not the result. If the result of the audition (getting the job) is really important to you, and has really high stakes for you, that’s what you’ll be focused on. It’s nearly impossible not to think about getting the job if, for example, you need this acting gig to pay the rent, or you identify yourself as an Actor and if you don’t get the job your Ego will be blown to smithereens. Herein lies the Secret: Create an identity for yourself other than an Actor. This serves several purposes:

1. No one wants to see someone “Acting” in an audition (or ever). They want to see the character. They want the perfect manifestation of the character in the script to walk in the door and say the scripted lines. So instead of identifying with Yourself as an Actor, identify with the Character!
2. A strong sense of identity outside of your acting career gives you the confidence, contentment and persepective to know that even if you blow this audition, IT DOESN’T MATTER. No one is going to die, the world will not stop spinning if you don’t get this job. Now a lot of people will disagree with me and say that you need to put 110% into every audition, lust for it, scream, scrape, crawl and cling onto every opportunity, take the bull by the horns and fight for your Love of Acting! Well, that works for some people. But I bet they’re frought with so much insecurity that all the success in the world would not quell their anxiety and hunger. I know. I was that person at one point in my life. Trust me: you don’t need to be an emotional wreck to be a successful actor. With a strong sense of identity, you’re better equipped to put your creative energy into the role, rather than into your own ego.
3. If you do something on the side and it happens to supplement your income, all the better. People can smell desperation, and if you walk into an audition room hungry for the job because you need the money, it will reduce your chances, guaranteed. Even better is if that thing you do on the side gives you a bit of pleasure and props up your ego as well. Now you’ve fortified yourself against the ravages of rejection, and you can walk into an audition with a clean soul, as it were, ready to take on the character in its full depth and intricacy.

In the coming months I’ll be expanding on this tip and adding more. Check back often, this site is growing…

http://www.yeejeetso.com/tips/

WRITTING A SCRIPT

Writing a Script

Maybe it’s a funny incident that happened to you, maybe there’s a political statement that you’d like to make or a painting that has inspired you…whatever the spark, you need to start by getting it down in writing.

Where to start? Before you become too caught up in the ‘correct’ way to do it, jot down a brief description of the story you want to write. Once you’ve captured your idea onto paper, then you can visit the innumerable sites created to help writers turn raw ideas into workable scripts (for links to writing organisations and websites, see our related links: writing).

Once you have received tons of encouragement and suggestions, you need to turn the description you have into an outline or a more technical treatment. The terminology can, at this stage, get confusing, as different approaches to early development are referred to in different ways (such as outlines, synopses, treatments). Don’t get too hung up on which way to go at this stage, as the essential thing is to develop the idea into a structured story that will work as a screenplay.

At this stage, you can start showing your work to other people and getting feedback (ideally from people working in film or television, but you can always use your friends and family). Rework the idea and think about what makes it cinematic. Who are the characters? What is the plot, the premise, the theme? When these components have come together in your mind it’s time to put your story down in script format.

Formatting a script is not an ‘exact science’ but, as you will find, there are industry standards. Production companies and directors are used to scripts that look a certain way, so it is worth getting to grip with industry conventions early on. For links to websites that provide script formatting tools & software, see our related links: writing – script formatting.

It is always worth reading your favourite film scripts for examples of how it is done. There are many sites that can help you track down a free copy of a screenplay online. See our related links: writing – example screenplays.

Sticking to industry standard formatting makes your work look more professional and it will also help to give you a rough idea of the length of the film. Standard formatting roughly equates to a page per minute.

The script format is really only the start and you will need to continue developing your project, responding to criticism and absorbing new ideas into your script. If you are working with film and/or TV professionals, it’s very likely that you will go through a number of drafts. Visit the numerous websites for writers and scriptwriters, if only because writing is often a lonely task and it is healthy to connect into a network to share tips and suggestions that may assist you in the creative process. You can also get feedback on your story via some sites. For scriptwriting organisations, see our related links: writing.
Getting a Professional Response

If you feel that you would like a cold, hard industry response to your script from somewhere in the UK then you might want to pay for a script report from a script reader. See our related links: writing – script reading services.

A great resource available to filmmakers is the monthly Rocliffe New Writing Forum. Run by Rocliffe Production company, the forum is a networking event whereby three selected script extracts of 7-8 minutes in length is rehearsed by professional actors and directors (cast by
the in-house casting directors). A great way to receive effective and honest feedback on your script.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/filmnetwork/filmmakersguidewriting